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LeBron James will not be satisfied with breaking records if the Los Angeles Lakers continue to lose.
In an interview with ESPN on Friday, James discussed his approach of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record as his team sits below .500 on the season.
LeBron James, #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers, drives to the basket during the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on January 2, 2023, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
"I want to win. [The losing is] not sitting well with me," James told ESPN. "I don't like having accomplishments, and it don't feel right, when it comes in a losing effort. . . . So as we sit here right now as a franchise and as a team that's below .500 -- we've been playing some good basketball as of late, but we want to, and I want to win at the highest level. Breaking records or setting records or passing greats in a losing effort has never been a DNA of mine."
James will surpass Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer at some point this season as long as he can stay healthy in his 20th NBA season.
He currently sits at 37,928 points, just 459 points behind Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 career points.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is defended by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
But while James has shown no sign of slowing down in his 20th NBA season, his Lakers have not shown any signs of being able to compete in the Western Conference.
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LA has missed the playoffs in two of James' four seasons in a Lakers uniform, and at 18-21, LA currently sits in 12th place in the West.
Following a loss to the Miami Heat at the end of December, LA’s fifth loss in six games, James expressed his frustrations as the losses mounted.
"I'm a winner, and I want to win," James said. "And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion. That has always been my goal since I entered the league as an 18-year-old kid out of Akron, Ohio."
LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on January 6, 2023, at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images.)
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"And I know it takes steps to get there, but once you get there and know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA. It's not in my DNA anymore. So we'll see what happens and see how fresh my mind stays over the next couple years."
James signed a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension that runs through the 2024-25 season in the offseason.
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
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