Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James hit another career milestone in Thursday’s 113-100 win over the Sacramento Kings.
After surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leader in regular-season minutes played (starts at 1:50 mark), James joked “they told me I’m old as hell” when discussing the response from his teammates.
James now has 57,471 minutes played in the regular season after logging 34 minutes against the Kings. Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 57,446 minutes has stood since he retired after the 1988-89 season.
When you combine the regular season and playoffs, James’ 69,330 minutes played is nearly 3,000 more than any other player in NBA history. Abdul-Jabbar (66,297 minutes) and Karl Malone (62,759) are the only other players with more than 60,000 total minutes.
“I just set the all-time-leading [mark] in minutes, I am not thinking about this next game yet,” James told reporters when asked about Saturday’s matchup with the Kings. “I’m about to get to this [hotel] room, drink some wine, play some Madden and chill the f–k out.”
James is still playing well this season as he prepares to turn 40 on Dec. 30. He is averaging 22.6 points, 9.0 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game in 25 starts.
After missing back-to-back games due to foot soreness and an excused absence from the team, James has returned to help the Lakers win consecutive games this week over the Memphis Grizzlies and Kings.
It’s the first time the Lakers have won at least two straight games since rattling off six consecutive victories from Nov. 8-19.
The Lakers currently sit in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 15-12 overall record. They will go for a third straight win on Saturday when they play the back end of their two-game series against the Kings at Golden 1 Center.
The Boston Celtics aren't expected to be very active ahead of the NBA trade deadline and for good reason. Boston is one of the best teams in the NBA this season
The Detroit Pistons (21-20) will try to bounce back from a loss to Indiana when they host the surging Phoe
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat mended the fence enough for him to play Friday night, his first game back from a seven-game suspension.Does that mean both sides
The Golden State Warriors have been in dire need of upgrading their frontcourt. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls have been in dire need of blowing up their roster a