Cleveland Cavaliers icon LeBron James broke Robert Parish's record for games played.
On Saturday (3/21) against the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers icon LeBron James played in his 1,612th regular-season game, breaking Hall of Famer Robert Parish's iron-man record.
Parish, who played in 1,611 games during his legendary career, congratulated James during an interview with HoopsHype.
"The longevity, the dependability, the reliability that LeBron is currently displaying, I think it's a testament to how he takes care of himself," Parish said. "You know, he takes his fitness serious, diet and fitness. That's a philosophy that I subscribe to. Actually, I still subscribe to that philosophy. I believe in taking care of yourself.
"And also, when you take care of yourself to the level that LeBron and I did, it's less likely you're going to sustain a significant injury. You're definitely going to have your bumps and bruises and occasional ankle sprain or a temperamental back, but in terms of blowing out the knee, Achilles, they don't happen as much with guys that really focus on taking care of themselves. It's important. Matter of fact, more than important, it's paramount that you take care of yourself. Period."
James has played for the Cavaliers (twice), Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. He's been in the NBA since 2003.
The 41-year-old James is now the NBA's all-time leader in games played, points, field goals and minutes. He's a four-time MVP, four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP.
James is arguably the greatest player in NBA history. The 22-time All-Star becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason for the first time since 2018. It's unknown whether James will retire or continue playing next season.
James has career averages of 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. It will be fascinating to see if he returns to the Cavaliers this offseason to play with James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
James last played for Cleveland during the 2017-18 season. He guided the franchise to the NBA Finals, where the Golden State Warriors won in four games.
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