LeBron James' record-setting moment with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar drew record engagement, viewership

LeBron James’ historic night on Tuesday drew record numbers.

About three million people tuned in to watch James and the Los Angeles Lakers host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, when James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and became the NBA's all-time leading scorer. The game was the most-watched regular-season game on TNT, other than an opening night game, in nearly five years, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon.

The game peaked without 3.7 million viewers right around when James officially passed Abdul-Jabbar late in the third quarter. The game and historic moment also generated around 225 million video views on the NBA’s social and digital platforms, which is the most ever in a regular-season game.

James officially passed Abdul-Jabbar's long standing record of 38,387 points, something he set back in 1984, on Tuesday night with a fadeaway jumper in the final seconds of the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena. It sparked a massive celebration on the court, one fitting of the moment.

The Lakers ended up losing the game, which had to resume somewhat awkwardly after the court cleared. Viewership dropped off soon after, too. But given that it took nearly 40 years to break the record, it’s no wonder so many people tuned into the game.