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LEARN MOREPosted: 11:07 a.m. EST Nov 28, 2023
LeBron James had a record-breaking night in more than one way on Monday.
During Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, James became the NBA's all-time leader in minutes played, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record. James has played 66,319 regular season and playoff minutes, compared to 66,297 for Abdul-Jabbar.
That was not the only milestone set in Monday's game.
James also suffered the most lopsided loss of his career as his Lakers lost by 44 points, 138-94, to the 76ers.
In February, James broke Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record for points scored as Adbul-Jabbar had 38,387 points. Abdul-Jabbar finished his career with 1,790 games played. James is still playing catchup as he has played 1,720 games.
But Abdul-Jabbar isn't the all-time leader in games played; that record belongs to Celtics great Robert Parish who played 1,795 regular season and postseason games. While James still trails a number of players in regular season games played, James is the league's all-time leader in postseason games played with 282.
Depending on how deep of a playoff run the Lakers go on, James could potentially catch Parish in games played by the end of the postseason.
James is playing in his 21st NBA season after joining the league directly out of high school in 2003. His longevity in the sport has largely been unmatched as he continues to be among the league's top scorers, averaging 25 points a game to start the season.
James' contract with the Lakers ends at the end of the season, but it does carry a player option that could allow him to stay in LA for one more season.
Over the weekend, while the Lakers were in Ohio to play the Cleveland Cavaliers, James opened the LeBron James Home Court Museum in his hometown of Akron, which is a short drive south of Cleveland. James played for the Cavs from 2003-10 and 2014-18, leading the franchise to its first-ever NBA championship in 2016.
