Ukraine flags are displayed before a Kings vs. Spurs game in San Antonio on March 3.

Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Sacramento Kings center Alex Len and Toronto Raptors forward Svi Mykhailiuk issued statements condemning the invasion of their native country. Dallas forward Davis Bertans recently spoke to NBA.com about the Russian invasion and how the situation could affect his native Latvia.

Given the scope of this situation, a few fans are wondering how else the NBA might react to such a terrible situation. Let’s get to this week’s NBA Mailbag.

For future mailbags, send your question to me through email or Twitter.

Has the NBA considered having one of the current Ukrainian players sing his national anthem before an NBA game? It would mean so much to that country to know that they are not forgotten.”

— Gary Loosen

After Len and Mykhailiuk released their statements on social media,  former NBA players Pau Gasol and Zaza Pachulia also tweeted their support.

Gabriel Gordon, a violinist who has relatives in Ukraine, performed Ukraine’s national anthem before the Utah Jazz hosted the Portland Trail Blazers on March 9. That marked the first time in NBA history that a national anthem other than the Canadian or American anthems was played before an NBA game.

A special rendition of the Ukranian National Anthem was performed by violinist Gabriel Gordon ahead of tonight's game 💙💛 pic.twitter.com/k6Jpc3uLGP

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 10, 2022

The NBA has responded to the crisis in other ways, too.

The league says it has suspended its business activities in Russia, and the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have supported UNICEF, World Central Kitchen, Direct Relief, Choose Love, UNHCR and World Food Program with their efforts to provide emergency supplies and meals to children and families in and around Ukraine. More details here.

The Utah Jazz have partnered with Airbnb to provided 32,000 nights of housing for Ukrainian refugees through the team’s foundation.

On Feb. 24, the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings held a moment of silence and linked arms with Len before their game. Eight days later, the New Orleans Pelicans wore yellow socks for their game against the Kings as a nod to the colors of the Ukraine flag. The Kings and the Toronto Raptors also tweeted out a statement of support.

The Nuggets and Kings held a pregame moment of silence for Ukraine before their Feb. 24 game in Sacramento.

With all the accomplishments LeBron is generating, I started to think about Kareem and how many points he scored, without the help of nutrition, technology, and so on. I bet Kareem had a burger or pizza here and there, even a beer! I mean, what Kareem accomplished is so amazing, even for today’s standards! Don’t you think?

— David Zabala, Milledgeville, Ga.

Truly remarkable, David. Assuming James breaks Abdul-Jabbar’s record during the 2022-23 season, Abdul-Jabbar will have stood as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer for either 38 or 39 years. On April 5, 1984, Abdul-Jabbar broke Wilt Chamberlain’s previous league record of 31,419 points. Abdul-Jabbar then logged five more seasons to conclude a 20-year NBA career, retiring with 38,387 points.

Since then, many around Kareem and the Lakers have expressed a healthy dose of skepticism that anyone would ever top that mark.

Consider what Abdul-Jabbar told me before his statue unveiling in 2012, when I asked if anyone could break his record.

“Sure, but somebody is going to have to play pretty close to 20 years and be the offensive focus and be someone the coach wants to take a lot of shots,” he said. “Who knows who is going to last that long.”

Consider what Byron Scott said two years later about his former Showtime teammate.

“I don’t think in our lifetime we’re going to see it being broken,” said Scott, who was the Lakers’ head coach at the time. “It’s going to be hard for somebody to break that. Someone will have to play 20-plus years to do that.”

James has since shattered those preconceived notions. Though he has nursed significant injuries in three of the past four seasons, James has posted numbers similar to what he showed in his prime whenever he has played. He has taken remarkable care of his body with disciplined dieting, training and sleeping. And James has adapted seamlessly to the modern game by blending brute strength, positional versatility and dynamic playmaking.

It might appear that Abdul-Jabbar became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader through different circumstances. He played more of a finesse game with his patented skyhook instead of using any brute strength as a distinguishable advantage in an otherwise physical league. To your point, Abdul-Jabbar played during a time when NBA teams were not as medically advanced. And consider that Abdul-Jabbar still remained the NBA’s all-time leading scorer despite playing under 30 minutes per game in his last two seasons after the Lakers acquired Mychal Thompson in a 1986 trade. Abdul-Jabbar’s contributions in the 1987-88 season (14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds) and 1988-89 season (10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds) marked a steep drop from his career averages of 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds. But it didn’t matter. Abdul-Jabbar was that dominant.

Yet, Abdul-Jabbar showed innovation in his own ways. Few could stop Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook because of its high-arching release and stunning accuracy. The Lakers weren’t exactly in the medical stone age during that time, either. Gary Vitti, the Lakers’ former longtime head athletic trainer, incorporated numerous strength training exercises at a time when most other NBA teams shied away from such an approach. Abdul-Jabbar himself took martial arts and yoga training to improve his flexibility and range-of-motion. He also became strict with his dieting habits during a time when other players lacked the same attention to what they ate.

Because of the Lakers’ season-long issues with consistency, James has had no choice but to carry his team when he’s on the floor. But because of the Lakers’ superior talent during the Showtime years, Abdul-Jabbar hardly went through the same kind of physical toll that James has recently experienced.

Do the Lakers have any chance of making a run in the playoffs, assuming they get the Play-In game?

— Nick Medina

The Lakers have no chance at making a playoff run. It’s not even guaranteed they will appear in the NBA’s Play-In tournament, let alone secure a first-round playoff matchup. Should they get that far, I believe they’re facing a first-round blowout loss to either the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies or Golden State Warriors.

Never bet against LeBron James, but he has had to post 50-point performances just to squeak out two wins in the past week. He can certainly do that in a playoff game, but that strategy is not sustainable in a seven-game series.

I also don’t buy that the Lakers will be dramatically different once Anthony Davis returns. One, we don’t know when or if he will come back. But if he does, Davis has not proven he can stay durable long term. Even when healthy this season, the Lakers still have yet to foster the right chemistry with Davis and Russell Westbrook. With so few games left for them to iron out that dynamic, I doubt they will suddenly figure it out in time for the playoffs.

What did you think about the ‘90s expansion era?

–@LakerBron_James

I loved it! The Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves were fun, young, and talented teams at the beginning of their eras. The NBA signaled its international appeal with forming the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies. After the Hornets franchise relocated to New Orleans, another Charlotte franchise was formed with the Bobcats. The Grizzlies then found another attractive market in Memphis, Tenn.

There have been some hiccups with New Orleans’ ownership and Charlotte’s competitiveness. But overall, the NBA’s expansion during the 90s spurred plenty of success. It also signaled the league’s strong business viability after struggling in the 60s and 70s.

NBA Trivia

On March 15, 1992, Lenny Wilkens became the fifth coach in NBA history to collect 800 career wins. Currently, there are three active coaches with more than 800 career victories. Who are they?

Answer at the bottom

Hoops Around the World

We all know that the NBA has become a global brand and that basketball has become a global game. But what fuels your basketball fandom?

Got a good basketball story to tell? Write it up and send it my way. The best essays will be used in this feature throughout the season.

We’d also love to see a photo of the hoop you play on, whether it be in your neighborhood gym or in the backyard of your driveway. Got a good image? Then pass along and we’ll feature it.

Trivia Answer

Gregg Popovich (1,336 victories), Doc Rivers (1,033) and Rick Carlisle (859).

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NBA Digital Sr. Analyst Mark Medina will be answering questions each week in his NBA Mailbag.

How can you participate? Simply email your question here or use your Twitter account and ask your question here.