The best part about LeBron James’ record-breaking shot was Thomas Bryant calling for the ball

LeBron James made history on Tuesday night, breaking one of the most hallowed records in all of sports. James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark for the most points scored in an NBA career, setting the record on a beautiful mid-range fadeaway late in the third quarter. With Abdul-Jabbar sitting courtside, James’ entire family in attendance, and celebrities dotting Crypto.com Arena, James made it his mission to get the 36 points he needed to make history.

While there was some speculation James was going to try to break the record on a skyhook to honor Kareem, in the end he did it on a shot we’ve seen him utilize so many times in his career, the mid-post fadeaway. You will see the video of LeBron breaking the record 100 times today. There are so many fun things going on: everyone in the arena holding up their phones to capture the moment, Nike founder Phil Knight refusing to do that and just being chill courtside, and my personal favorite ... Lakers center Thomas Bryant calling for the ball in the post as James breaks the record. Here’s the photo that’s still killing me this morning.

Listen: getting a deep seal in the post is one of the best things a big man can do on a basketball court. LeBron isn’t just the NBA’s all-time leading scorer — he’s also top-five in assists. We know LeBron can throw an entry pass deep in the paint. Bryant had a guard switched onto him and had an easy two points. He just needed the ball. What gives LeBron?

I just love the audacity of Bryant actually thinking LeBron was going to give him the ball when the whole world was waiting for him to break the scoring record.

LeBron made history, and whenever we see the record-breaking shot, we’ll see Thomas Bryant calling for the ball in the post. What a moment for everyone involved.