LeBron James has usurped Michael Jordan to move fourth on the NBA’s all-time points scorer list in the LA Lakers’ 115-99 defeat by the Denver Nuggets.

James broke the record against the Nuggets as he netted 31 points against, has scored 32,311 points, surpassing Jordan’s tally of 32,292 just after 1,190 games, compared to Jordan’s 1,072.

“I don’t know, man, a lot of the stuff I’ve done in my career, this ranks right at the top,” the 34-year-old said after the game.

“For a kid from Akron, Ohio, that needed inspiration, needed some type of positive influence, MJ was that guy for me.”

He also spoke of his admiration for Jordan, “I wanted to be like MJ, wanted to shoot fade-aways like MJ, wanted to stick my tongue out on dunks like MJ, wanted to wear my sneakers like MJ. I wanted kids to look up to me at some point like MJ. It’s crazy, to be honest. It’s beyond crazy.”

Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant have scored more points than James, who began his NBA career with Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003.

The Ohio-born player joined Miami Heat in 2010, returning to the Cavs four years later before switching to the Lakers last July in a four-year deal worth $154m (£116m).