Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James tied Hall of Famer Robert Parish for the most games played in NBA history on Thursday against the Miami Heat.
James will break Parish’s record on Saturday against the Orlando Magic. Parish praised James’ longevity, saying he deserves to break the NBA’s Iron Man record.
“If anyone is deserving of breaking the Iron Man record, I would say LeBron James is,” Parish told ESPN during a phone call Thursday. “Because he takes such good care of himself. … His approach to fitness and what he puts into his body reflects, or mirrors, how I felt about my fitness and what I ate, how I took care of myself. And so, it’s a testament to not only my longevity, but LeBron’s longevity.”
Parish played in 1,611 games during his legendary career. He set the NBA record for most games played on April 9, 1996.
James, the NBA’s all-time leader in points and field goals, will appear in his 1,612th game against the Magic in Orlando on Saturday.
“It’s not something I set out to do,” James said. “The one thing that I’ve always had in my mind is that you can’t be a leader and you can’t practice what you preach if you’re not available to your teammates. And I’ve always kind of just prided myself on trying to be as available as possible in my career to my teammates, going out on the floor every night and keeping my body intact.”
James has heard Parish’s comments about him and appreciates them. Many NBA legends say negative things about James for whatever reason, so James is thankful that Parish isn’t in that camp.
“Shout out Chief, man,” James said. “I’ve been seeing some of the things that he’s been saying about me, and there’s not a lot of those OGs that talk like that to the generation after them, and also about me personally, so shout out to Chief. He’s super cool. He’s dope. I like him.”
James has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers. He’s a four-time MVP, four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP. The Akron native is argubaly the greatest player in NBA history.
“LeBron is an all-time great,” Parish said. “They got to pull up an extra chair and tell some guys to slide over.”
James, 41, becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason. It’s unknown whether he will retire or continue playing.
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