LeBron James sets NBA record for most games played

Dec 9, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) dunks the ball during the first half against the Memphis Grizzles at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers All-Star small forward and future first ballot Hall of Famer LeBron James of Akron, Ohio has broken another National Basketball Association record. This time it is the most games in NBA history with 1612. James broke the record previously set by center Robert Parish of Shreveport, Louisiana on Saturday night in a 105-104 Lakers win over the Orlando Magic.

Of James’s 1612 games, 849 came with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003 to 2010 and 2014 to 2018), 294 came with the Miami Heat (2010 to 2014) and 469 games with the Lakers (since 2018). Parish played 1611 NBA games from 1976 to 1997. He played 307 games with the Golden State Warriors from 1976 to 1980, 1106 games with the Boston Celtics from 1980 to 1994, two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets from 1994 to 1996, and one season with the Chicago Bulls from 1996 to 1997.

In addition to being the NBA’s all-time games played leader, James is the NBA leader in minutes played (60711), field goals made (15889) and of course points (43241).

On Saturday night, we saw just how productive James can still be at age 41. He scored 12 points in 34 minutes and 23 seconds of worth of action. It was a dramatic finish to the game as Lakers shooting guard Luke Kennard of Middletown, Ohio made the game-winning shot from downtown as he successfully drained a 25 foot shot from Marcus Smart of Flower Mound, Texas. On the season, James is averaging 21.1 points per game.

With the win, the Lakers won their ninth straight game. During the streak, the Lakers have also beaten the Houston Rockets twice on the road, in addition to the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat.