Tiger lauds LeBron's longevity, seeks his own late hurrah

Tiger Woods reflected on LeBron James's NBA career scoring record on Tuesday, marvelling at the Lakers great's continued dominance even as he tries to prolong his own superstar career.

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"That record, we thought it would never be surpassed," Woods said of James's move past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the top of the NBA's all-time scoring list - a spot Abdul-Jabbar had held for 39 years.

"What LeBron is doing, also the amount of minutes he's playing, no one's ever done that before at that age. To be able to play all five positions, that's never been done before at this level for this long."

Asked about a possible equivalent in the golf world Woods said perhaps the record 82 US PGA Tour titles he shares with Sam Snead.

At 47, with 15 major championships on his resume and after litany of injuries that have left their marks on him, he's not giving up on adding to that tally - even if he knows his time is growing shorter.

Of course, he's been there before. Woods said he always felt he could power through the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in 2007, which required surgery in 2008.

He soldiered on through a torn Achilles tendon and a neck injury and a knee sprain in 2011.

He said the first time he really wondered if he'd make it back was after spinal fusion surgery in 2017 to address years of nagging back trouble.

Now he's hobbled by the lower leg injuries suffered in a February 2021 car crash, playing a drastically reduced schedule.

"I had some knee surgeries early on in my career but nothing like what I experienced with my back," Woods said. "When my back went, man, those were tough surgeries and tough rehabs.

"That's when I started