Here’s numerical proof of the King’s longevity.
LeBron James during the Lakers’ 116–110 win over the Grizzlies on Dec. 15, 2024. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has been around for a long, long, long time. In a sense, it seems hard to believe he was ever young.
On Thursday, he set the NBA record to prove it.
James is now the NBA’s all-time leader in minutes played, having broken Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mark Thursday during the Lakers’ game against the Sacramento Kings.
Abdul-Jabbar played 57,446 minutes during his illustrious career; James has now played 57,447 and counting. That is over 957 hours of basketball—a little under 40 days’ worth, which equates to approximately 0.3% of James’s life.
Hall of Fame forwards Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett round out the top five.
James, who will turn 40 on Dec. 30, broke Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record on Feb. 7, 2023.
The elder statesman continues to operate at a high level, averaging 22.8 points, eight rebounds and 9.1 assists per game this season.