LeBron James set yet another NBA record on Thursday night as the 39-year-old surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the all-time leader in regular-season minutes played, Afrosport reports.
The Los Angeles Lakers forward played 34 minutes at Golden 1 Center as the 17-time NBA champions beat the Sacramento Kings 113-110, taking his career total to 57, 471 minutes, moving Abdul-Jabbar to number two, having played 25 minutes more.
Making every minute count 👏
LeBron James is officially 1st in all-time minutes played in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/I0hND1yRrA
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 20, 2024
James, who is in his 22nd season in the NBA and is the oldest active player in the league, finished the game with 19 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, reaching 10,000 career points with the Lakers, the franchise he joined in 2018.
The NBA’s All-time leading scorer stated that it was cool to achieve the feat and he feels honoured to be linked with some of the game’s all-time greats.
“Coach [JJ Redick] came in and congratulated me. My teammates… they told me I’m old as hell and all that,” James said. “Like I said. It’s a pretty cool honour, obviously, anytime I’m linked with some of the greats that have ever played this game.
“I’ve been available to my teammates. I’ve been able to do this at a high level over two decades. And to continue to put myself in record books in this game of basketball that I love so much and in the best league in the world is pretty cool and it’s very humbling.”
Team effort. #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/q62zerOxpI
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 20, 2024
LeBron James, who missed two straight games for the Lakers and was reported to be out of the team, has been pretty good since his return, having finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in his previous game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 20-time All-Star already held the record for the most combined regular season and postseason minutes played in NBA history, and when asked which of the records he held in higher regard, he was unable to choose.
“Both are special. I mean obviously you set your mark in trying to make things happen in the regular season to prepare for the postseason,” he added. “It’s all part of the process.
“You know I’ve been able to have some deep playoff runs and played some meaningful basketball games in my career, went to the postseason. So they both have a special meaning. You can’t have one without the other.”
The Lakers will play the Kings for the second straight time in Sacramento on Saturday night as they continue to rise in the Western Conference, but James is a little unperturbed as he is looking to bask in the present moment of his historic feat.
“I just set the all-time-leading [mark] in minutes, I am not thinking about this next game yet. I’m about to get to this (hotel) room, drink some wine, play some Madden and chill the f— out.”
