LeBron James Climbs to Third Place on All-Time Games Played Leaderboard

He further etched his name in the history books by sealing the victory in the final moments of the fourth quarter.

With his starting nod in Portland, James moved past Vince Carter for the third most games played in NBA history. He now sits at 1,542 and counting, 18 behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and 69 behind Robert Parish.

Assuming good health, James can catch Abdul-Jabbar later this season and would become the all-time leader in games played during the 2025-26 season, at which point he would be the only player in NBA history to play in 23 seasons.

James has already played the most postseason games (287) in NBA history.

As for the game, James took over in the fourth quarter and scored eight straight points while the game was in doubt. He sealed the deal from the free-throw line with 5.2 seconds left — his 39th and 40th points.

By scoring at least 40 for the second time since he turned 40 on Dec. 30, James became the only player in NBA history to score at least 40 points multiple times.

James scored 42 against the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 6.

Michael Jordan is the only other player to score 40 points in an NBA game after turning 40. He scored 43 for the Washington Wizards against the then-New Jersey Nets on Feb. 21, 2003, four days after his 40th birthday.