Today is the 30th anniversary of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar setting the all-time NBA scoring record
Mario Anzuoni / Reuters
On this day in 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit a sky hook to pass Wilt Chamberlain as the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 31,419 career points.
Abdul-Jabbar would play another five seasons in the league, eventually retiring in 1989 with 38,387 points, a record that seems fairly likely to stand for a long time. Karl Malone is second with 36,928, and the closest active player, Kobe Bryant, has just 31,700, leaving him about four good seasons away.
Two players to watch out for, health-permitting, are LeBron James and Kevin Durant, each of whom has had quite the prolific start to their career:
