LeBron James becomes NBA’s all-time leader in minutes played

LeBron James is running out of NBA records to break.

By staying on the court for at least nine minutes Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers star became the NBA all-time leader in minutes played, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s longstanding mark of 57,446. Chris Paul (44,050) is the only other active player with at least 40,000.

James, who turns 40 on Dec. 30, had already surpassed Abdul-Jabbar in points more than a year ago and is still closing in on field goals. Abdul-Jabbar retired with 15,837, while James entered Thursday sitting at 15,045.

Notably, James was the NBA leader in minutes combined from the regular season and postseason before Thursday. With 69,295 minutes logged in games that count, James has spent roughly a month and a half’s worth of time on an NBA court. That total is higher than the career marks of James Worthy and Dennis Rodman combined.

Every milestone further cements James as one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball, but this record comes at an unsteady time for the Lakers. After an encouraging start, the team has lost eight of its last 12 games. The usually steady James missed two of those games due to a foot injury, returning on Sunday.

This season could be significant for James, and not just because he was finally able to play with his son Bronny. After winning the title in 2020, the Lakers have had their struggles while trying to compete with James as their top player, going as far as hiring his podcast partner JJ Redick as their head coach despite a near-total lack of coaching experience. More than most years, their success in 2024-25 comes down to James and what his influence brings them.

James could also enter free agency this offseason if he turns down his $52.6 million player option, or simply retire after years of speculation.