Photo shows fans at the game watching LeBron James break the NBA scoring record on their phones instead of watching him

• LeBron James broke a long-standing NBA record Tuesday.
• Many courtside fans watched the iconic moment from their phones.

LeBron James broke the NBA scoring record on Tuesday against Oklahoma City Thunder at the Crypto.com Arena.

Photographer Andrew D. Bernstein snapped an image that will likely become an iconic part of the event.

It shows James leap to take his shot with the ball destined to slip through a basket with "Built by Black History" on its base.

In the background, the Los Angeles crowd is standing to attention.

One clear detail from courtside is that many fans watched James' moment on their phones instead of being in the moment.

There is one notable exception: a man in the front row, sitting with his hands on his lap, watches the action in the traditional way — with his eyes. That was Nike CEO Phil Knight.

See it here:

James crowned king of NBA scoring after record-breaking moment

The photo bears an uncanny similarity to one taken of Tiger Woods in 2019 when the legendary golfer was competing in the second round of the PGA Championship, showing how the modern sports fan consumes live sport.

The one taken of James, though, will likely live far longer due to the significance of the moment as it meant James became the king of NBA scoring, surpassing a record six-time NBA MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had held for 39 years.

Abdul-Jabbar scored 38,387 during a 20-year career with the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks.

James, after his midweek heroics, has 38,390 points. The question now is how far he can extend that record in the months and years ahead.

"Tonight, I actually felt like I was sitting on top of the arena when that shot went in, and the roar from the crowd," said James, according to ESPN.

"I'm not sure if I would be able to feel that feeling again unless it's a game-winning Finals shot.

"Everything just stopped. It gave me an opportunity to embrace it and look around and seeing my family, the fans, my friends. It was pretty cool.

"I probably can count on my hands how many times I have cried in 20 years, either in happiness or in defeat. So that moment was one of them when I kind of teared up a little bit. It was 'I can't believe what's going on' tears."

One of those watching on their phones was James' son, Bronny

Funnily enough, one of the people watching via their phones when James made his immortal shot was his own son Bronny, an 18-year-old high school basketball player.

James watched his record-breaking shot from Bronny's phone and, according to ESPN, said: "Oh, that's tough." He added: "You got that saved? Send it to me."

James and the Lakers return to the court Wednesday for a Western Conference match against the Milwaukee Bucks.