LeBron James has officially played in more NBA games than any other player, while Michael Jordan is now looking up at Kevin Durant on the league’s all-time scoring list.
‘Four more to go,’ Durant said after passing Jordan for fifth in scoring with a 27-point effort in Houston’s win over Miami.
The 37-year-old Durant drained consecutive corner 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to give himself 32,294 career points – two more than Jordan.
Although Durant did briefly raise his arms in triumph after moving Jordan into sixth place, he would later share his long-standing admiration for the six-time NBA champion.
‘MJ has so many great moments,’ Durant said. ‘He just personifies iconic god level – just everything that I believe in, he personifies.’
Jordan did average an NBA-record 30.12 points per game over his career, first all time ahead of Wilt Chamberlain (30.07 ppg). Durant, meanwhile, has averaged 25.7 points a game over his 18-year career.
Kevin Durant smiles after his Rockets beat the Heat as he passed Michael Jordan in scoring
James, of course, holds the all-time scoring records with 43,229 points ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643) and Kevin Durant
Michael Jordan finished his career with 32,292 points and still holds the ppg mark at 30.12
James, of course, holds the record for total points with 43,229 points ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643) and Durant.
The four-time NBA champion also made some history of his own on Saturday.
On a night when his Los Angeles Lakers came back to beat the Orlando Magic, 105-104 on a Luke Kennard 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining, the 41-year-old James also made his record 1,612th regular-season appearance.
And with that, James has surpassed Boston Celtics legend Robert Parish for most games in NBA history.
Already first in points, seasons played, minutes, All-Star selections, field goals, and career earnings, James admittedly wasn’t expecting to pass Parish.
‘It’s not like I’m like writing things down and looking at the record book and saying: “I’m going to get that, I’m going to get that, I’m going to get that.” It just kind of happened,’ James told reporters Saturday. ‘It was not on the list of things that I wanted to accomplish.’
(From left) Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Larry Bird sit on the bench in Boston in 1992
Like James, Parish was known for taking care of his body, which helped him play 21 seasons
Still, beating Parish’s record is a remarkable achievement.
Known as Chief, in a nod to the character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Parish famously teamed with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale to form one of the greatest frontcourts in NBA history. The trio would win three NBA titles with the Celtics in the 1980s and Parish would later add another as a backup on the 1997 Chicago Bulls.
Along the way, Parish became known as one of the best conditioned players in basketball. The Louisiana native practiced martial arts and yoga, while relying on a strict diet throughout his playing career.
Despite all that, Parish’s total minutes fall well short of James’ mark, 60,676 to 45,704. What’s more, James has played in 292 playoff games compared to Parish’s 184.
As for Saturday, James finished with a dozen points, six rebounds and three steals, while teammate Luka Doncic had a game-high 33 points in the dramatic victory.
