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James understood his monumental run of scoring in double figures was threatened. At the decisive instant, though, it didn't concern him.

The correct basketball play was to pass the rock – and he executed. Consequently, his remarkable run came to an end.

LeBron's staggering streak of 1,297 consecutive NBA regular season outings scoring at least ten ended this past Thursday, when the NBA's all-time scoring leader finished with eight points in the Lakers' close victory over Toronto. He provided the game-winning assist, setting up teammate Rui Hachimura to hit a triple as time expired.

“Nothing,” James replied when asked on the record concluding. “The important thing is we won.”

A Selfless Decision Secures the Game

LeBron had the chance to attempted to win the contest – and extended the streak – with the last shot, but he chose to pass to Hachimura stationed in the corner. Hachimura sank it, with LeBron raised his arms immediately.

It's about playing basketball the proper way. You always make the right play,” James explained. That is how I operate. That’s how I was instructed the game. I’ve done that for two decades.”

James is fully cognizant of how many points he's scored at all times,” stated the team's head coach the coach. He made the play just as he has so many times.”

The Run's Closing Chapter

LeBron checked back into the game one last time with 5:23 remaining, the outcome and the streak both hanging in the balance. He had a mere six points from 3 for 15 from the field then.

He got a bucket at under two minutes remaining to knot the score but then missed a 14-footer with 1:01 left which could have pushed him into double figures.

He passed up one more attempt – though the opportunity was there. A teammate found him in the waning seconds, however, James chose to make the extra pass instead.

“The basketball gods, when you play it the right way, they tend to repay you,” the coach concluded.

Reflecting on a Staggering Streak

This incredible run commenced on Jan. 6, 2007. It was easily the longest double-digit streak the league has ever seen: His Airness, Michael Jordan had 866 straight double-digit scoring games, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recorded 787, and The Mailman recorded of 575 games.

LeBron is such an unselfish player,” noted teammate a fellow Laker.

“He’s just playing the sport. He could have shot but due to his nature as a player and just who he is as a person, he executed the unselfish play, found Rui and secured the game.”

Scoring in double figures was usually a guarantee early in the start of fourth quarters. Throughout his run, he had reached the 10-point mark by the beginning of the final quarter 1,266 times prior to Thursday.

Yet two of those rare single-digit games after three periods had happened in the last week: He had nine going into the fourth against Dallas on 28 November, and then had six points going into the fourth versus the Suns earlier in the week.

LeBron was able to preserve the record in the Phoenix game. The very next outing, it finished – yet he was celebrating all the same.

“I always just make the correct play. That’s automatic, win, lose or draw,” James declared. “You make the right play, the sports deities consistently rewarding me.”