Game Recap: Lakers 113, Kings 100
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James surpassed six-time NBA MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most minutes played in league history Thursday, adding another major record to his career resume.
Already the all-time leader in career points, James surpassed Abdul-Jabbar with 34 minutes in L.A.’s 113-100 victory over Sacramento, giving him 57,471 in 1,517 games played.
Aside from passing Abdul-Jabbar in the win, James also crossed the 10,000-point threshold with the Lakers. He ranks No. 13 in team history (10,002) and needs 600 more points this season to move ahead of Hall of Famer Jamaal Wilkes (10,601) for No. 10. Along the way, he’d also pass Hall of Famers George Mikan (No. 11, 10,156 points) and Vern Mikkelsen (No. 12, 10,062).
Congrats to @KingJames of the @Lakers for becoming the NBA’s all-time leader in TOTAL MINUTES PLAYED in the regular season! pic.twitter.com/XsiKE57OjB
— NBA (@NBA) December 20, 2024
Welcome to the LA 10K club, King 👑 pic.twitter.com/sp02RZUQTQ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 20, 2024
“It’s just a commitment to the craft and to the passion and love I have for the game,” James said after Thursday’s 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.”
In addition to his record 11,838 playoff minutes, James has played roughly 70,000 total minutes — the equivalent of 1,458 full games — since he entered the NBA out of high school as the No. 1 overall pick in 2003.
He also holds the NBA records for career field-goal attempts and turnovers while ranking fourth in assists, eighth in steals and 29th in rebounds.
Abdul-Jabbar retired in 1989 with 57,446 minutes played. Karl Malone (54,852), Dirk Nowitzki (51,368) and Kevin Garnett (50,418) round out the top five.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
