LeBron James Breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Record as NBA’s All-Time Minutes Leader

There are no more NBA records for LeBron James to break.

The Los Angeles Lakers player broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 57,446 minutes played by being on the court for at least nine minutes on Thursday, becoming him the NBA’s all-time leader in minutes played. The only other active player with at least 40,000 is Chris Paul (44,050).

James finished Thursday with 34 minutes, 19 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in a 113-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings, bringing his career total to 57,471.

More than a year ago, James, who turns 40 on December 30, overtook Abdul-Jabbar in points and continues to go closer to field goals. James arrived Thursday sitting at 15,045 while Abdul-Jabbar retired with 15,837.

Notably, prior to Thursday, James led the NBA in both regular season and postseason minutes. James has played on an NBA court for about a month and a half, accruing 69,295 minutes in games that count. That sum exceeds the combined career totals of Dennis Rodman and James Worthy.

James’s status as one of the best basketball players of all time is further cemented by each accomplishment, but the Lakers are experiencing instability at the moment. The club has lost eight of its last 13 games after getting out to a strong start. Due to a foot injury, the typically reliable James missed two of those games before making a comeback on Sunday.

James might have a big season, and it’s not only because he got to play with his kid Bronny at last. The Lakers have struggled to contend with James as their best player since winning the championship in 2020. They even went so far as to appoint his podcast partner JJ Redick as head coach despite having almost no coaching expertise. Their performance in 2024–25 depends more on James and the impact he has than in previous years.

After years of speculation, James may decide to retire or decline his $52.6 million player option, which would allow him to join free agency this offseason.