🔗 Share this article

The Lakers star knew his incredible streak of reaching double digits was threatened. In that crucial moment, though, it was not his focus.

The right decision involved passing the ball – which is exactly what he did. Following that play, his remarkable run was over.

James's unprecedented run of 1,297 consecutive regular-season games with 10+ points ended this past Thursday, as the league's career points king was limited to eight total points during the Lakers' close victory over the Toronto Raptors. He made the game-winning assist, finding teammate Rui Hachimura for a triple at the buzzer.

“Zero,” James stated when asked regarding the conclusion of his run. “We won.”

A Team-First Play Seals the Game

He might have tried to secure the game – while also extending the streak – with the last shot, yet he opted to pass to Hachimura on the wing. Hachimura made the shot, prompting James raised his arms immediately.

“Just playing basketball the proper way. Always make the correct play,” James noted. “That’s just been my M.O.. That is the way I was taught to play. I’ve done that for two decades.”

He is acutely aware exactly how many points he has at all times,” stated the team's head coach the coach. He made the play as he has done countless times.”

The Record's Final Moments

James re-entered the contest one last time with 5:23 remaining, the win along with the historic run both hanging in the balance. At that stage, he had six points from 3 for 15 from the field at that juncture.

He scored at 1:46 left to knot the score and missed a mid-range jumper with one minute to go which could have gotten him to ten points.

He avoided taking a subsequent shot – though the opportunity was there. A teammate gave James the ball in the waning seconds, however, James chose to dish it off instead.

“The basketball gods, if you approach it the right way, they will bless you,” the coach concluded.

Reflecting on an Unparalleled Run

The record commenced on Jan. 6, 2007. It was easily the most extended streak of its kind in NBA history: Michael Jordan had 866 straight games with 10+ points, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 787, and Karl Malone had the fourth-longest run of 575 games.

“He’s such a team-oriented player,” noted teammate a fellow Laker.

“He’s just playing the sport. He had the opportunity but given who he is on the court and just who he is as a person, he made the unselfish play, passed it to Rui and secured the victory.”

Reaching double digits had typically been a guarantee well before the final period. During James’s streak, he had attained the 10-point mark by the beginning of the final quarter on the vast majority of occasions coming into the contest.

Yet two such games below ten points after three periods had occurred just days before: He had nine points entering the final quarter versus the Mavericks on 28 November, followed by six points before the fourth quarter against Phoenix earlier in the week.

He succeeded in preserve the record in the Phoenix game. One game later, it finished – yet he was celebrating regardless.

My focus is to make the right play. That is instinctive, regardless of outcome,” James affirmed. “You make the smart play, the game gods are always returning the favor.”