Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has his name plastered atop nearly every major statistical category, and on Thursday night he added another to the ledger. He passed Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most regular season minutes in NBA history in L.A.’s victory over the Sacramento Kings.
It was the second time that LeBron had passed Kareem in a category like this, as he had passed him for most minutes combined between regular season and playoffs last year. But in both cases, it’s a testament to not only James’ longevity, but also how incredible of a player he still is even as he becomes the player with the most mileage in league history.
The Lakers star spoke about breaking the record and what it means to him, both in a comedic and a serious way, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Coach came in and congratulated me and my teammates told me I’m old as hell and all that. But like I said, it’s a pretty cool honor. Obviously anytime I’m linked with some of the greats that have played this game and to know that I’ve been available to my teammates, to know that I’ve been able to do this at a high level for two decades and continue to put myself in record books in this game of basketball that I love so much in the best league in the world, it’s pretty cool and it’s very humbling.”
When trying to compare the two minutes records, James had a strong appreciation for both, as they both serve a similar reminder for him:
“They both are special. Obviously you set your mark and try to make things happen in the regular season to prepare for the postseason. It’s all part of the process and I’ve been able to have some deep playoff runs and have some meaningful basketball games in my career into the postseason, so they both have special meaning. You can’t have one without the other.
LeBron continues to establish himself as perhaps the greatest player ever whenever he passes up another record like that one. And to do it in a winning effort with a quality performance to show that he is still so much more than even a regularly effective player is even more impressive.
LeBron James unhappy with 3-point volume
LeBron James has never been one to shy away from talking about issues plaguing the NBA, and that was again the case on Thursday.
Two hot topics in the NBA right now are the new All-Star Game format and the volume of 3-point shot attempts across the league.
In order to have a more competitive All-Star Game, the league has switched the format to make a four-team tournament, which some players like Lakers star Anthony Davis have expressed displeasure with.
The All-Star Game has not been competitive in recent years and the league is looking for a fix as ratings continue to decrease. As big of a topic as the All-Star format is though, James believes the issue goes even deeper and has to do with 3-point volume increasing.
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