MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James was upgraded to available for the Los Angeles Lakers ' game in Miami on Thursday, meaning he is now set to tie Robert Parish for the NBA's all-time games played record.
The Lakers said the 41-year-old James is dealing with left foot arthritis, but would play, as would Luka Doncic — who is dealing with right hip soreness. Austin Reaves (right forearm contusion) was a game-time decision.
James, when the game begins, will tie
Parish's mark of 1,611 games.
“He's competing against Father Time,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “and he's giving Father Time hell.”
James, Doncic and Reaves combined for 84 points in the Lakers' 124-116 win at Houston on Wednesday night. The Lakers flew to Miami after that game, landing at 3:59 a.m. — later than most teams arrive in their next city when facing games on back-to-back days — and got to their hotel shortly after 5 a.m.
But Lakers coach JJ Redick said James, Doncic and others decided before leaving Houston that they would play against the Heat.
“I think there’s just a high level of belief right now and they all want to play,” Redick said.
James went 13 of 14 from the field in the win, tying the best shooting performance of his NBA career. It was the 1,610th regular-season game of his career, one behind Parish's all-time mark.
James hit his right elbow on the court in the final minutes of Wednesday's win, remaining down briefly and grimacing in obvious pain. He told ESPN in the televised on-court interview after the game that he was hoping to play Thursday in Miami — a city he called home for four seasons, during which he won the first two of his four NBA championships.
Parish — who went into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 — has been the outright leader in career games played since April 6, 1996. He played in game No. 1,561 that night, breaking a tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time top spot.
Parish wound up playing 50 more regular-season games, then retired after the 1996-97 season. He started his NBA career with Golden State, then spent more than a decade with Boston before finishing his 21-season run with Charlotte and Chicago.
“No player is better deserving to break that Ironman record, that 1,611 games played record, than LeBron," Parish told Sirius NBA Radio earlier this week. “He deserves it, in my opinion.”
The games played mark will be another entry on the long list of NBA records for James, who already has the league’s all-time top spot in a number of categories including points scored, minutes played, field goals made and field goals attempted.
He’s also the NBA record holder with 23 seasons played, 22 All-Star selections and 21 All-NBA team selections.
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