Magic Johnson Says LeBron James Breaking Scoring Record with Lakers Means More to Him

Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson opened up about what it meant to him to see LeBron James become the NBA's all-time leading scorer while wearing a Los Angeles Lakers jersey.

Speaking to reporters after James' historic moment on Tuesday night, Johnson said it "means even more to myself that you're wearing that purple and gold and broke it as a Laker."

"I never thought that Kareem's scoring record would be broken by anybody," Johnson added.

Johnson was on the court when Abdul-Jabbar became the NBA's all-time leading scorer on April 5, 1984. He scored 22 points in a 129-115 victory over the Utah Jazz to surpass Wilt Chamberlain's mark of 31,419 points.

James becoming the most prolific scorer in NBA history means a Lakers player will continue to hold the record for the foreseeable future.

Johnson also praised James for living up to his word when he first joined the Lakers as a free agent in July 2018:

This has been a difficult season for the Lakers. Last night was a microcosm of how things have gone for the team, with James turning in a dazzling performance with 38 points in a loss.

It's unclear if the Lakers will be able to do anything significant ahead of the trade deadline to improve their playoff chances. They are currently 13th in the Western Conference standings with a 25-30 record.

Johnson is certainly the biggest Lakers cheerleader in the world. He is quick to praise the organization no matter what. Watching one of the most prestigious records in the sport get broken in Los Angeles by a Lakers player almost certainly did mean a lot to him.

James allowed himself to soak in the moment with his family in attendance at Crypto.com Arena. Now that he stands alone as the most prolific scorer in NBA history, he will keep adding to his total to put some distance between himself and the rest of the field.