LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and reactions has poured in from across the sports world. Few athletes across sports can appreciate the type of longevity and durability it takes to break that kind of record more than Tiger Woods.
Prior to the 2023 Genesis Invitational, Woods was asked about James breaking Abdul-Jabbar’s record. Woods said he remembers watching Abdul-Jabbar light up the NBA, and he thought the record would never be topped. Woods also said he admires James’ ability to play at such a high level this far into his career.
“What he accomplished is absolutely incredible because of the durability, the consistency, and the longevity,” Woods said. “I grew up watching Kareem [in Los Angeles]. Never saw him play in Milwaukee, but he was the ‘Cap.’ That’s all I remember, the Showtime Lakers and watching Cap run down there with the goggles and the skyhook.
“That record, I never thought would be surpassed. What LeBron is doing, and the amount of minutes he is playing, no one has ever done at that age. Just being able to play all five positions. That’s never been done before at that level for this long.”
Asked for a comparison to the all-time NBA scoring record in golf, Woods pointed to the all-time PGA Tour wins record, which he and Sam Snead share with 82. Woods said that is the kind of record that requires consistency and longevity to break.
“As far as our equivalent to that, maybe you look at me and Sam (Snead) at 82,” Woods said. “It takes a career to get to those numbers.”
Woods will play his first competitive rounds of golf since The Open Championship last July. If Woods can get one more PGA Tour win in his career, he will sit alone atop the record books with 83.