Los Angeles Lakers: Top 10 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 22: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates his basket in overtime between Lonzo Ball #2 and Kyle Kuzma #0 during a 143-142 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center on October 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

5. LeBron passes MJ for fourth on all-time scoring list

Seemingly from the moment he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2003, LeBron James’ career has always been measured next to Michael Jordan‘s, both in terms of individual greatness and overall team achievement.

James has never shied away from the comparisons, donning the iconic No. 23 because of His Airness and even going so far as to say he was chasing the ghost of MJ’s legacy after winning the 2016 NBA title.

So when LeBron ultimately passed Jordan for fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in early March, what exactly it meant to him went way beyond his time in the league, all the way back to his days as a kid growing up in the inner city of Akron, Ohio.

The accomplishment was sullied some by the circumstances that surrounded the Lakers. While not officially eliminated from the playoffs, L.A.’s most recent stretch of losses had all but taken them out of the running, while the shot itself came with the Lakers down 55-37 midway through the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets.

There was an interesting dynamic between LeBron and both his teammates and the L.A. fanbase following the bucket, given the relative freshness of this new relationship and the inability to fully attach meaning to it. But it was still a historic moment nonetheless from a guy who had all the expectations in the world coming out of high school and somehow continues to exceed each and every one of them.

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