LeBron James scored 26 points Thursday night in his Lakers debut, a defeat at Portland that, on its surface, had little consequence for the Mavericks.
Except for this: While signalling the start of the Lakers' James Era, Thursday night also marked the resumption of No. 7 career NBA scorer James' pursuits of No. 6 Dirk Nowitzki and No. 5 Wilt Chamberlain.
James is 123 points behind Nowitzki and 355 behind Chamberlain. With Nowitzki still rehabbing his surgically repaired ankle and Chamberlain long-deceased, James' climb up the NBA career scoring ladder is in hyperdrive. The only thing gaining on 40-year-old Nowitzki faster than Father Time is 33-year-old King James.