From the moment LeBron James arrived at the Lakers’ downtown Los Angeles arena in a crisp, all-black suit Tuesday, there were giddy murmurs in the bowels of the stadium. Is tonight the night? Will LeBron try to end this tonight? Will he really go for it? James even took a little longer than usual to come out for his pregame warmup. And when he finally did, there were loud cheers from the many fans who had shown up hours early, and a horde of media crowding the baseline to film James putting up some practice jump shots, which eventually turned into some practice skyhooks. For a regular-season game between two teams on the wrong side of 10th place in their conference, there was a palpable tension in the arena before James would ultimately score 38 points to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
There are a few common energies you can feel on the night of a big NBA game. The nervousness before a Game 7, one that usually doesn’t go away until the home team scores a few buckets. The frenzy before a team’s first home game in a playoff series, which feels like it may overwhelm the opponent. On nights when two megastars go head-to-head, you’d think you were at a prizefight. Everyone’s outfits look a little more sharp. The popcorn somehow smells more buttery.
Then there was Los Angeles on the night LeBron’s scoring chase became an actual possibility. The celebrity guest list was off the charts. Every seat was full by tip-off. The excitement felt like it would physically spill out onto the court, because there was nowhere else for it to go. And every time James so much as looked at the basketball, cheers would quickly turn into an ovation, as fans tried to will the ball into LeBron’s hands. And James obliged, seemingly more committed to put on a show than anything else. From the first time he aggressively drove to the hoop, it was crystal clear this would not be a typical LeBron performance. There would be no getting other teammates going. There would be no easing into the game. There would be no settling for jumpers. James was putting his head down, driving to the rim and getting to work. And when fans realized only a few possessions into the game he was determined to score at least 36, the anticipation only grew more thick. Fans were not in attendance to watch a conventional basketball game. They were present to witness history.
