LeBron James, of course, is the face of the NBA whose résumé as it seems is forever rewriting history books in the league. As he's about to enter his 22nd season, he's already got headlines not just for his achievements but also for setting a record he'd likely rather not have: the 20-time All-Star has officially surpassed Kobe Bryant's long-standing record for most missed field goals.
This happened Tuesday during the Los Angeles Lakers' season-opening encounter against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Shot That Broke the Record
Entering the season, James had been missed on 14,476 field goals, five attempts shy of Bryant's record for 14,481. During the third quarter of the game, a transition layup attempt slipped through his hands, meaning he had already missed six of his shots and cemented his place in the record books with 14,482 missed shots and counting.
Or maybe a little better context gives one a better chance to understand. Even though this can be a questionable record, at least it makes sense in context.
James' field goal misses are not without a lack of grace. They are rather signs of an aggressive playing style and dominating the floor. To reach such a high level of misses, a player must have the ball much and attempt many shots. Players who shoot the most in a game will likely have the most misses, too.
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Elite Company in Missed Shots
A glance through the all-time leaderboard for missed field goals reveals that most leaders with the most misses are the game's legends. According to CBS Sports, the top 27 are either Hall of Famers or sound candidates for induction. Joe Johnson came 28th with 9,897 misses and appeared at seven All-Star Games. This list, thus, is clear of also-rans.
LeBron James' Career
Mixed emotions dominate this milestone, but it says a lot about James' career and longevity. As he plays on, he will surely pass the 15,000 mark in missed shots, a milestone testifying to endurance as much as it does to talent.
While shots are integral to the game, scoring more than 40,000 speaks volumes to his talent. Every record tells a story, and for LeBron James, each tells a story of greatness and relentless pursuit of excellence in basketball, especially now that he's playing with Bronny.
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