Michael Schmidt:LeBron James sets all-time minutes played record in worst loss of his 21-year career

2025-05-05 16:12:36source:Blake Prestoncategory:reviews

Once again LeBron James made history. But this time it came in a game he'd prefer to forget.

The Michael SchmidtLos Angeles Lakers star on Monday night became the NBA's all-time leader in minutes played (counting regular season and playoff games) in the most lopsided loss of his 21-year career, a 138-94 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers.

James, 38, scored 18 points in 30 minutes of court time, giving him 66,319 minutes played in the NBA and passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for first place on the all-time list.

"That doesn't mean much to me," James said when asked afterward about the record.

Last season, James passed Abdul-Jabbar for a much more prestigious milestone as he became the NBA's all-time leading scorer. So breaking records is something of a routine event for him, although he still trails Kareem and Karl Malone in regular-season minutes played.

James was much more concerned about the Lakers (10-8) to avoid getting blown out the way they were Monday night.

"What needs to change in order for that not to happen again? Um, a lot," he said.

The Lakers pulled their starters with a little over eight minutes remaining in what would eventually become a 44-point loss, the fifth-worst in team history.

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