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James understood his monumental run of scoring in double figures was at risk. When it mattered most, however, it was not his focus.

The smart move meant distributing the basketball – which is exactly what he did. With that selfless act, the legendary streak came to an end.

James's unprecedented run of over 1,200 straight regular-season games with 10+ points ended this past Thursday, when the NBA's all-time scoring leader had only eight total points in the Lakers' close win against the Toronto Raptors. He made the game-winning assist, finding teammate Rui Hachimura to hit a three-point shot as time expired.

“Zero,” James said in response about the streak ending. “We won.”

An Unselfish Decision Seals Victory

He might have tried to secure the game – while also extending his record – with the last shot, but he chose to pass to Hachimura stationed in the corner. Rui connected, prompting James raised his arms with his hands in the air.

You have to play the game correctly. You always make the smart play,” James noted. That is how I operate. It's how I learned the game. That's what I've done throughout my career.”

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

The Record's End Game

James re-entered the contest one last time with under five and a half minutes to go, the result and the streak up for grabs. He had only six points on 3 for 15 from the field at that juncture.

He got a bucket at 1:46 left to knot the score then missed a shot at 1:01 left that might have gotten him to double digits.

He didn’t take another shot – even though he had a chance. A teammate gave James the ball with a few seconds left, yet LeBron chose to make the extra pass instead.

“The basketball gods, if you do it the proper way, they tend to repay you,” Redick added.

A Look Back at a Monumental Streak

The record started over eighteen years ago. It was, by far the longest such streak in NBA history: Michael Jordan previously held a streak of 866 straight double-digit scoring games, Kareem recorded 787, and The Mailman had the fourth-longest run at 575.

“He’s such a pass-first superstar,” remarked teammate Jake LaRavia.

He focuses on playing hoops. He could have shot but because of his nature as a player and his character as a person, he chose the pass, found Rui and secured the victory.”

Scoring in double figures had typically been a formality long before the start of fourth quarters. During James’s streak, he had reached double figures by the beginning of the final quarter over twelve hundred times before this game.

Yet two such games below ten points after three periods had happened recently: He had nine entering the final quarter versus the Mavericks on 28 November, followed by six before the fourth quarter versus the Suns earlier in the week.

He succeeded in preserve the record in the Phoenix game. In the following contest, it finished – but he still rejoiced regardless.

“I always just make the correct play. That’s automatic, win, lose or draw,” James said. If you make the right play, the game gods forever giving back to me.”