Neither Nowitzki nor Abdul-Jabbar, the player LeBron James surpassed to become top 3 player with the most NBA games
James was the star in the Luka Doncic-less Lakers’ victory over the Trail Blazers, in which he reached a new milestone.
Another game, another record broken by LeBron James, who became the first player over 40 to score more than 40 points in multiple NBA games in the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
Michael Jordan is the only other 40-year-old in history to have played a 40-point game, which he did once for the Washington Wizards in February 2003.
LeBron James moves onto NBA podium for games played
Not only did James’ impressive haul lead the Lakers to victory in the absence of Luka Doncic, but the mere fact that he played, unlike in the All-Star Game, saw him reach an additional NBA milestone.
LeBron’s appearance was his 1,542nd in his NBA career, which takes him into third place on the all-time list for games played in the regular season. Ex-Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets star Vince Carter is the man who has been bumped off the podium into fourth spot.
Congrats to @KingJames of the @Lakers for moving into 3rd on the all-time GAMES PLAYED list! pic.twitter.com/l0QWgAaonH
— NBA (@NBA) February 21, 2025
Which players have played most NBA games? Can LeBron catch them?
The only two players now ahead of James are second-placed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish, who leads the way.
It is surely only a matter of time until the former Cleveland Cavaliers forward passes Abdul-Jabbar, who played 1,560 regular-season games, 18 more than James’ current tally.
Parish, meanwhile, featured in 1,611, which means LeBron must play another 70 regular-season games to take top spot in yet another category.
James signed a new two-year contract with the Lakers in July 2024, but reportedly has the option to re-enter the free agent market this coming summer. Either way, he may have at least one incentive to stay on for another year.
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