LeBron James took the court for the 1,612th time in an NBA game when the Los Angeles Lakers played the Orlando Magic on Saturday night, breaking a tie with Robert Parish for the most regular season games played in league history. He celebrated in style with a breakaway dunk on the second possession.
James is still going strong at age 41 in his 23rd season, somehow playing at an All-Star level despite now having more mileage on his body than any other player in history.
While James has broken almost every significant record at this point, he admitted that this one is pretty special because of what it signifies.
“It is pretty cool. Like I’ve said, availability. I always wanted to be available to my teammates, either in Cleveland, [Miami], and now L.A. It takes a lot,” James said on Spectrum SportsNet after tying the record.
“It’s a mental toll trying to play a lot and being out there for this whole thing and all of the circumstances that I’ve kind of been given. It’s just a lot, man. I just give a lot of praise to the man above and just loving the game and appreciating the game. And shoutout [Robert Parish], man. I’ve been seeing a lot of the things he’s saying about me. There’s not a lot of those OGs that talk like that to the generation after them, and also about me personally. So shoutout the Chief. He’s super cool, he’s dope. I like him.”
James is now the NBA’s all-time leader in scoring, games played and field goals made, amongst others. His career doesn’t appear to be coming to an end anytime soon with how well he is still playing for the Lakers, so it will be interesting to see how high he raises the bar when it comes to these records and if they will ever be broken.
Robert Parish happy LeBron James broke his record
A lot of people are bitter when their records get broken, but that is not the case to Parish. In fact, he knew he would eventually be surpassed and is happy to see James being the one that does it.
“If anyone is deserving of breaking the iron man record, I would say LeBron James is,” Parish told ESPN during a phone call Thursday. “Because he takes such good care of himself. … His approach to fitness and what he puts into his body reflects, or mirrors, how I felt about my fitness and what I ate, how I took care of myself. And so, it’s a testament to not only my longevity, but LeBron’s longevity.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
