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

The smart move involved passing the basketball – and he executed. With that selfless act, the unprecedented record finished.

James's astounding run of 1,297 consecutive NBA regular season games with 10+ points was snapped during a recent game, as the league's career points king was limited to a mere eight points during the Lakers' close win against the Toronto Raptors. He made the decisive pass, finding teammate Rui Hachimura for a triple at the buzzer.

“Nothing,” James stated after being questioned about the streak ending. “The important thing is we won.”

A Team-First Play Delivers Victory

James could have tried to secure the contest – and extended his record – in the closing seconds, instead, he decided to dish the ball to his teammate in the left corner. Rui connected, and James celebrated immediately.

It's about playing the game the proper way. Make the smart play,” James remarked. That is how I operate. That is the way I was instructed the game. That's what I've done my whole career.”

He is acutely aware of his point total he's scored at any point,” commented the team's head coach JJ Redick. “He did it as he has done so many times.”

The Record's End Game

James re-entered the floor one last time with under five and a half minutes to go, the outcome and his personal record up for grabs. At that stage, he had a mere six points on 3-of-15 shooting then.

He got a bucket at 1:46 left to knot the score then missed a mid-range jumper with 1:01 left that would have pushed him to ten points.

He avoided taking one more attempt – though the opportunity was there. A teammate found him as time wound down, but James decided to make the extra pass instead of shooting.

“The basketball gods, if you do it correctly, they often reward you,” Redick stated.

The History of an Unparalleled Record

The record commenced on Jan. 6, 2007. It stood as the longest such streak in NBA history: Michael Jordan previously held a streak of 866 straight double-digit scoring games, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 787 such games, and The Mailman had the fourth-longest run with 575.

“He’s such an unselfish player,” said Lakers center Jake LaRavia.

“He’s just playing hoops. He could have shot but because of who he is on the court and his character off the court, he chose the pass, found Rui and we won the game.”

Reaching double digits had typically been a formality long before the start of fourth quarters. During James’s streak, he had attained ten points entering the fourth on the vast majority of occasions coming into the contest.

But two of those rare single-digit games through three quarters had happened in the last week: He had nine points entering the final quarter against Dallas last week, followed by six points before the fourth quarter against Phoenix on Monday night.

James managed to keep the streak alive against the Suns. One game later, it finished – and he celebrated regardless.

I only ever make the best play. That’s automatic, no matter what,” James declared. When you make the right play, the game gods forever returning the favor.”