LeBron James is already one of the best players in the history of the NBA and, on Tuesday evening, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward joined a very exclusive club. Though it was a not a surprise given his career trajectory, James became just the seventh player in league history to reach 30,000 points.
On cue, the only other active member of the same club was there to greet him. Dirk Nowitzki, who reached the 30,000-point mark less than a year ago, sent his congratulations to James.
Congrats @KingJames. Welcome to the club!!!
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) January 24, 2018
Nowitzki and James are joined by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain in the group and, obviously, that is phenomenal company. It seems rather clear that James will surpass Nowitzki (who remains No. 6 overall) in the near future and, given his age, the best player in the NBA today still has plenty of time to zoom up the list.
Of course, Nowitzki was not the only NBA figure to reach out to LeBron in the aftermath of his latest historic accomplishment, with various players and even the San Antonio Spurs (the team facing James on this fine evening) weighing in.
Congrats 👑🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/Gc2fDnNYWH
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) January 24, 2018
Congrats @KingJames 30k!! Hell of accomplishment wow!! Elite club !! Congrats!!
— Kyle Lowry (@Klow7) January 24, 2018
Congrats @KingJames. These are some impressive numbers in the world’s greatest basketball league. 30,000 plus points, 8,000 plus rebounds, and nearly 8,000 assists. 👀 👑 https://t.co/bczNw0Z1V2
— Mike Miller (@MikeMiller_13) January 24, 2018
Congratulations on 30,000, @KingJames! pic.twitter.com/mR7xMlMmLx
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 24, 2018
30,000 career points: earned not given.
Congratulations to @KingJames, who just became the youngest player in NBA history to score 30K.#StriveForGreatness pic.twitter.com/tHmuVGGK6L— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 24, 2018
James and Nowitzki will be united in the Hall of Fame as soon as each player is eligible for induction. Until then, they’ll have to “settle” for this unfathomable accomplishment and a feeling that only a few men can share.