When will LeBron break Kareem’s record?

LeBron James is on the verge of passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer. Abdul-Jabbar has been atop the career points list since April 5, 1984, when he broke the mark previously held by Wilt Chamberlain. Now James has that record within reach.

So when will James score the 89 points he needs to surpass Abdul-Jabbar's career total of 38,387? That depends.

- If James averages 29.7 points per game over his next three games, he'll break the mark at home Feb. 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is averaging 30.2 PPG this season.

- If James averages 22.3 points per game over his next four games, he'll break the mark at home Feb. 9 against the Milwaukee Bucks. He is averaging 27.2 PPG for his career.

- James could even break the mark Feb. 4 on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans. He has scored at least 89 points in a two-game span five times in his career, including earlier this season (90 points on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2).

This all assumes James plays every game between now and when he breaks the record. After sitting out Monday's game against the Nets, he has missed 11 games this season.

We'll have ongoing coverage of The King's quest, including updated game-by-game projections and complete stats, throughout the season.