NBA scoring record: What active players are closest to LeBron James for scoring record?

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has set the NBA's all-time scoring record Tuesday, surpassing the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James is not done playing yet, and still has a few more years to go. Given his scoring averages and his desire to keep playing, James could set this mark much higher than many imagined. Here's where James stacks up against other active players.

Kevin Durant is next up on the list, but he's a whopping 12,000 points behind the King. Durant is only 34, so he's got four years on James in terms of playing days but he has also suffered some bad injuries in the last few years and there's no guarantee his body holds up to play as long as James does. Durant has never topped 3,000 points in a season in his career, so even those four years might not give him enough time to catch James.

Golden State Warriors forward Stephen Curry is also 34, but his game is set to age well. Curry could play well into his late 30s and his ability to hit triples a high clip helps his cause. The point guard is about 17,000 points behind James and as we mentioned with Durant, even the four-year gap doesn't really help him. Curry has topped out at 2,300 points in a season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has some additional years on Durant and Curry, but his scoring averages might not hit James' level consistently. The Bucks will want to manage Antetokounmpo's workload to preserve his body longer, and there's a chance he doesn't get enough games. However, the 10-year gap he has on James could be closed. The Bucks are expected to be contenders for a while, which helps Antetokounmpo's case. He's about 23,000 points behind James at the moment.

Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden and Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan are other players in their 30s who are up there in terms of scoring. Both Harden and DeRozan have five years on James, but the Beard has a much more manageable climb at about 14,000 points while DeRozan is about 17,000 points behind. As you can see, James' longevity and elite production even in his later years are going to be hard to top.

Here's the full list of active players behind James for the scoring record.

  
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