LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, made history on Thursday by surpassing NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most minutes played in league history. The achievement came during the Lakers' 113-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings, with James playing 34 minutes, bringing his total to 57,471 minutes across 1,517 career games.
Surpassing Abdul-Jabbar
In addition to surpassing Abdul-Jabbar's previous record of 57,446 minutes, James continues to solidify his legacy as one of the NBA's all-time greats. This record comes on the heels of his previous milestone of becoming the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.
Lakers Milestones
Alongside this historic achievement, James reached another personal milestone with the Lakers, crossing the 10,000-point mark with the team. With 10,002 career points in purple and gold, James now ranks 13th in the franchise's history. He is closing in on Hall of Famer Jamaal Wilkes, who holds the 10th spot with 10,601 points. As James continues his scoring run, he is also set to pass George Mikan (10,156 points) and Vern Mikkelsen (10,062 points) on the Lakers' all-time scoring list.
James Reflects on His Longevity
After the game, LeBron shared his thoughts on achieving such remarkable milestones, emphasizing his dedication to the game. “It’s just a commitment to the craft and to the passion and love I have for the game,” he said during a Thursday shootaround. "I don’t take much time in the offseason. A little bit more time now. I didn’t take much time in the offseason, no matter if I was making the 10 Finals appearances back to back and just always trying to keep my body in tip-top shape.”
The Full Scope of LeBron’s Career Minutes
James’ incredible career is not limited to just regular-season minutes. With 11,838 minutes played in the playoffs alone, his total minutes in professional basketball approach the astounding number of 70,000 minutes. This is equivalent to playing 1,458 full NBA games, a testament to his longevity and consistent performance since entering the league in 2003 as the No. 1 overall pick.
All-Time Minutes Leaders
With this recent milestone, LeBron James now stands alone at the top of the NBA's all-time minutes list. Previously, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the record with 57,446 minutes. Following him are Karl Malone (54,852 minutes), Dirk Nowitzki (51,368 minutes), and Kevin Garnett (50,418 minutes), who complete the top five players for total minutes played in NBA history.
LeBron James continues to rewrite the NBA history books, proving his place among the greatest players the sport has ever seen.
