It’s official. No player in NBA history has played in more regular-season games than LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ star tied a three-decade-old record on Thursday with his appearance in a game against the Miami Heat. It was his 1,611th career game, matching Boston Celtics great Robert Parish atop the NBA leaderboard. James started in all but two of those games. He was already the record-holder when factoring in his 292 playoff appearances, which bring his total up to 1,903 games.
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James honored the occasion by posting a 19-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in a 134-126 win. Of course, that wasn’t the most notable performance of the night, as Luka Dončić continued an epic run with the Lakers’ 60 point game since Kobe Bryant’s ‘Mamba Out’ farewell in 2016.
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The games played record is hardly James’ most prestigious, but it’s still a testament to the longevity that has allowed him to continue performing at an All-Star level at age 41. He arrived in the NBA in 2003 at 18 years old and has performed at a standout level ever since while never missing more than half a season due to injury.
LeBron James has been around for a while. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
(Patrick McDermott via Getty Images)
Entering Thursday, James was already the NBA’s all-time leader in points (43,210), field goals (15,786), All-Star selections (22), All-NBA selections (13 first-team and 21 total), seasons played (23), playoff games (292) and, to be fair, turnovers (5,617). He’s also fourth on the assists list, sixth on the steals list and fifth on the triple-doubles list.
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James’ place in history is obviously secure. The question now is how many games he has left in him. There is rampant speculation about what he’ll do this offseason, with his choices including retirement, a return to the Lakers or perhaps a reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This season has seen James post some of the lowest numbers of his career and miss more than a few games to injury, including a 14-game stretch to open the season due to sciatica. He has already ended his All-Star starting streak, his All-NBA streak and his 10-point streak, all unprecedented in league history.