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LeBron James scoring achievement put into perspective by Juwan Howard

Anthony Broomeby:Anthony Broome•02/09/23•

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Juwan Howard, LeBron James
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Michigan basketball head coach Juwan Howard played 19 seasons in the NBA and saw plenty of legendary players, but none that matched the accolades of Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. James broke the league’s all-time scoring record this week and Howard – his former Miami Heat teammate and assistant coach – had his eyes glued to the record-breaking night.

Howard also wants spectators to take the entirety of James’ on and off-court accomplishments into consideration when discussing his greatness and longevity.

“I stayed awake for that,” Howard said after Michigan’s win over Nebraska. “What a special moment for a special person. The person. We all talk about, ‘Who’s the greatest player? LeBron or MJ? Or Kobe?’ Let’s really admire and appreciate what LeBron brings to the game. To be 18-years old. No, excuse me. Let me go back. 15, 17. Called the chosen one. To follow that up with the work. Being dedicated to the game. Being dedicated to improving. Investing in yourself. Playing the game the right way. Sometimes when he gets stomped on because he’s made the right play, and everything thinks he needs to shoot the ball every time he gets it.

“LeBron is a gift. A gift to the game of basketball and to the fans. So I am so happy that I’ve got a chance to witness something that I thought would be tough to do. That LeBron — breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record. 38,000 points. Keep in mind, the points never really mattered to him. What mattered to him most was serving the game where he is inspiring young men to play the game they love. He’s doing it in a winning way. So to be able to go to the finals eight to ten years in a row. Also win four, with three different teams. That’s hard. I know how hard it is because it took me 15 [years]. I won it with him. How special is that? I’m so proud of him.”

“I’m so happy for his family. I’m also — give all the flowers to Savannah, and his wonderful kids for sacrificing, and allowing LeBron to be him,” added Howard. “I’m also happy that his mom — single mother, to be proud of her son. See his growth. Inspire him to live his goals and his dreams, supporting him during his journey. And then his friends. His friends is like his family. Those guys have supported him through thick and thin. It’s beautiful just to see how his life has blossomed. He’s deserved everything that is coming his way. It’s nice that these young men can look at him as an example because he is. He’s a great example for the game of basketball. He’s a great example for a black man, father. Married to a beautiful queen. Great example for his kids.

“I’m just so happy for his success. He deserves everything that he has worked so hard for. I love him.”

Howard played in the NBA from 1995-2013 and spent six seasons as an assistant with the Miami Heat before joining Michigan in 2019. He is 75-42 with the Wolverines with a pair of Sweet Sixteen appearances and an Elite Eight in 2021.

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