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LeBron James was aware his historic run of scoring in double figures was threatened. In that crucial moment, however, he wasn't bothered.

The smart move was to pass the rock – which is exactly what he did. Following that play, his remarkable run finished.

James's staggering streak of 1,297 consecutive regular-season games with 10+ points concluded during a recent game, as basketball's greatest scorer finished with eight total points during the Lakers' close triumph versus the Toronto Raptors. He provided the game-winning assist, feeding Rui Hachimura to hit a three-point shot as time expired.

“None,” James said in response about the streak ending. “We won.”

An Unselfish Play Seals the Game

He might have attempted to win the contest – while also extending his record – on the final possession, but he chose to pass to his teammate on the wing. Hachimura made the shot, prompting James exulted with his hands in the air.

“Just playing the game the proper way. Make the correct play,” James explained. “That’s just been how I operate. That’s how I learned to play. That's what I've done throughout my career.”

He is acutely aware exactly how many points he has at all times,” stated the team's head coach the coach. He acted like he’s done so many times.”

The Run's Closing Chapter

He returned to the contest one last time with just over five minutes left, the result and his personal record up for grabs. At that stage, he had a mere six points from a 3-for-15 performance then.

He got a bucket with under two minutes remaining to tie the game then missed a 14-footer at one minute to go that might have pushed him to ten points.

He passed up a subsequent shot – but could have. Austin Reaves gave James the ball as time wound down, however, James opted to make the extra pass instead.

The basketball deities, if you do it correctly, they will reward you,” the coach concluded.

Reflecting on a Monumental Streak

The record commenced on Jan. 6, 2007. It was, by far the most extended double-digit streak in professional basketball: Michael Jordan had 866 consecutive double-digit scoring games, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recorded 787 such games, and The Mailman recorded of 575 games.

He is such a pass-first superstar,” said teammate Jake LaRavia.

“He’s just playing the sport. The chance was there but given the player he is and his character off the court, he chose the unselfish play, passed it to Rui and we won the victory.”

Getting to ten points had long been a formality well before the fourth quarter began. Over the course of the record, he had attained double figures entering the fourth 1,266 times coming into the contest.

However, two of those rare single-digit games through three quarters had happened recently: He had nine going into the fourth versus the Mavericks on 28 November, followed by six before the fourth quarter versus the Suns earlier in the week.

James managed to preserve the record against the Suns. In the following contest, it concluded – but he still rejoiced all the same.

“I always just make the best play. That’s automatic, no matter what,” James affirmed. If you make the smart play, the basketball gods consistently rewarding me.”