The Los Angeles Lakers star tied a three-decade record Thursday with his appearance in a game against the Miami Heat. It was the 1,611th game of his career, tying Boston Celtics great Robert Parish at the top of the NBA standings. He started all but two of those games.
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James already held the record when taking into account his 292 playoff appearances, bringing his total to 1,903 games.
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The record is not James’ most prestigious, but it is still a testament to the longevity that has allowed him to continue performing at an All-Star level at 41 years old. He came to the NBA in 2003 at age 18 and has performed at an outstanding level since then, never missing more than half a season.
(Patrick McDermott via Getty Images)
Entering Thursday, James was already the NBA’s all-time leader in points (43,210), field goals (15,786), 22 All-Star selections, All-NBA selections (13 first team and 21 total), seasons played (23), playoff games (292) and, to be fair, turnovers (5,617). He is 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 more games he has left. There is rampant speculation about what he will do this offseason, what his options are, including retirement, a return to the Lakers or perhaps a reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This season, James posted some of the lowest numbers of his career and missed more than a few games due to injury, including a 14-game stretch to open the season due to sciatica. He’s already lost his opening All-Star streak, his All-NBA streak and his 10-point streak, all unprecedented in league history.