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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James reflected on becoming the league’s all-time leader in regular-season minutes played with an Instagram post and photo that also paid homage to NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain.
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LeBron James posted this after setting the NBA record for the most minutes played in the regular season 😂 pic.twitter.com/qjwbo3UFyx
James, of course, was mimicking Chamberlain after he scored 100 points in a single game against the New York Knicks in 1962.
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On this day in 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points, the most ever in an NBA game 🤯
61 years later, the record remains. Will anyone ever break it? pic.twitter.com/FEnX0G1a4k
James has now played 57,471 minutes, surpassing previous leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57,446).
James, who turns 40 on Dec. 30, is in his 22nd NBA season, averaging 22.6 points, 9.0 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game. He’s averaging 35.0 minutes per game for the 15-12 Lakers, who sit seventh in the Western Conference.
It’s incredible how productive he’s been a few years into his third NBA decade. He’s averaged 37.9 minutes per game over his career and 35.0 MPG this season. James is also first in scoring all time with 41,040 points. He’s the only player to pass 40,000 career points all time.
Currently, James is also fifth in games played (1,517), and he could very well could be second on that list by the time the season ends. Abdul-Jabbar is second on the list at 1,560 games, and the Lakers have 55 games left this year. NBA center Robert Parrish is first all time with 1,611 games played.
Ultimately, minutes played is another accolade under James’ belt, but for now, he’s hoping to lead the Lakers to greater success and perhaps another playoff run. They’ve fared well lately, winning three of four. The Sacramento Kings are up next, with a road game on Saturday.
