James Harrison Thrilled as T.J. Watt Breaks His Steelers Record

PITTSBURGH — The NBA world stopped what it was doing for a minute last February, as LeBron James chased and eventually passed fellow Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabaar for the league’s all-time scoring record.

Known as “The Captain,” Abdul-Jabaar showed his leadership and grace throughout the situation, following the Lakers around the continent so that he could be there when James broke his mark and writing an op-ed piece about his feelings about his record being broken.

“Whenever a sports record is broken—including mine—it’s a time for celebration,” Abdul-Jabaar wrote. “It means someone has pushed the boundaries of what we thought was possible to a whole new level. And when one person climbs higher than the last person, we all feel like we are capable of being more.”

Let’s just say that while legendary Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison probably does not share Abdul-Jabbar’s level of introspective prose, his feelings on the matter are similar.

Harrison was at the Steelers game against the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, as current Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt entered the game tied with Harrison for first place on the team’s all-time sack list.

It didn’t take long for Watt to get the record, sacking Deshaun Watson in the second quarter and Harrison was cheering him on as he did it.

James Harrison Reacting to TJ Watt Breaking his All-Time Sack Record in Pittsburgh. Harrison was happy and said Records are meant to be broken. He went to the game to see TJ Watt break the record. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/5BNdqX20b5

— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) September 19, 2023

A celebration, indeed.

After the game, Watt gave credit to Harrison and others for helping him to become the player that he is today. Unlike Abdul-Jabbar and James, the two aren’t even a full generation apart, with Watt’s rookie year overlapping with Harrison’s final season in Pittsburgh.

“Deebo himself helped me so much my rookie year,” Watt said. “He didn’t have to. No one asked him to, but he wanted to help me and I appreciate him for that. So many teammates, coaches, mentors, my brothers, my wife’s support, my parents — There are so many people that go into it that it’s not myself out there making the plays. I mean, I can’t take all the credit.”

As Watt said, it’s a team sport, but there is a new Steelers sack king, and if we can go by Harrison’s reaction, it was certainly a peaceful transfer of power.