Even though everyone and their mother knew where the ball was going Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, Lakers center Thomas Bryant couldn't help but let his fundamentals take over.
Los Angeles seemingly had one clear objective against Oklahoma City, and it wasn't to earn a win over the 11th-place Thunder. It was to feed the basketball early and often to LeBron James, who needed 36 points to make NBA history.
James accomplished the feat in the waning seconds of the third quarter when he knocked down a fadeaway jumper by the foul line. The bucket made him the league's all-time leading scorer, moving him past fellow Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who held the record for nearly four decades.
One of the best photos of the moment came from the opposite end of the floor, as it shows a slew of fans eagerly trying to capture the historic scene while James rises up. But in the corner of the now-famous image, you can see Bryant sealing off Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and calling for the ball from his future Hall of Fame teammate.
Thomas' confidence to call his own number -- at that moment -- got a rise out of NBA Twitter.
Bryant, a 2017 second-round pick by the Lakers, doesn't figure to have an NBA career to write home about. But thanks to Tuesday night, the Indiana product always will have a unique place in league history.
