NBA Aussie Report: Watch Matthew Dellavedova sets up Lebron James for 25K-point mark
Lebron James surpassed Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant as the youngest NBA player to reach the 25K point mark in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 107-100 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) at Wells Fargo Centre.
James became the youngest player to reach 25,000 career points after helping the Cavs win their third game of the 2015-2016 NBA regular season. James, who had 22 points and 11 assists, scored the milestone basket on a dunk setup by Aussie guard Matthew Dellavedova with a little more than eight minutes remaining in the final period. The two-time MVP joined Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Bryant to become the sixth active player with 25,000 points.
"It just means that I've played with a lot of great teammates, a lot of great coaches that have allowed me to me to be in position to be successful on the floor," James told ESPN before game time on Monday when informed he was nearing the point total. "It's definitely a milestone any time you're able to have an accomplishment like that.”
Bryant, who has been struggling early in the season, held the record for the youngest player to hit the 25K-point mark when he was 31 years old back in 2010. James will not turn 31 until Dec. 30 and is just 214 points away from overtaking Jerry West at the 19th spot on the all-time scoring list.
"For me, winning basketball games and then reaching milestones individually will be a pretty cool thing but obviously it will be a team aspect of it that comes first," James said, Cleveland.com reports. "But any time along that line that you're able to reach a milestone, I think it's very humbling and it's a cool thing.”
Meanwhile, Dellavedova continues to be solid for the Cavs as backup guard to Mo Williams and injured Kyrie Irving. The Boomers point guard played 34 quality minutes and scored 12 points along with nine assists, one of which is a dime that helped James reached a historical milestone. Williams had 21 points, while Kevin Love contributed 15.
Rookie Jahlil Okafor led Philadelphia with 24 points, while Nik Stauskas added 15 points.
Source: YouTube/NBA
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