CLEVELAND
It was only fitting that LeBron James moved into the top 20 of the NBA's all-time scoring list against the team he played with the previous four seasons.
James scored with 7:23 left in the first quarter Thursday against the Miami Heat on a six-foot jump hook as he backed down former Cavalier Luol Deng in the low post area. On the basket, James surpassed Patrick Ewing for the 20th spot in NBA history.
Earlier this season, James passed Robert Parrish, Charles Barkley, Ray Allen and Allen Iverson — players he idolized as a kid.
"It's an honor," James said. "When I was growing up and seeing these guys and you hope that one day you could play in the NBA and seeing what Pat and those guys did in the '90s with that New York Knick team. He was the cornerstone of the whole thing."
James started the night needing just two points to pass Ewing. James played the past four seasons with the Heat, leading them to four straight NBA Finals, including two NBA championships.
Ewing had 24,815 points in 17 NBA seasons. Ewing played the first 15 seasons with the New York Knicks before finishing his career with Seattle and Orlando. He is an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets.
With this hook, LeBron James moves ahead of Patrick Ewing for 20th on the NBA All-Time scoring list! #NBARapidReplay http://t.co/YlnXiWKn0X
— NBA (@NBA) April 3, 2015
In his 12th season, James entered the game averaging 25.7 points a game, third-best in the NBA. He has scored in double figures in 636 straight games, the third-longest streak in NBA history.
Jerry West is next on the scoring list with 25,192 points.
James finished with 23 points as the Cavs beat the Heat 114-88.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
