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Dave McMenamin, ESPN writer
SACRAMENTO, California – After LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leader in regular season minutes played on Thursday, Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick congratulated the 39-year-old star in the locker room in front of the team.
His teammates’ reception following Los Angeles’ 113-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings was a little more relaxed.
“They told me I’m too old and all that,” James said after logging 34 minutes to bring his career total to 57.471, moving Abdul-Jabbar to No. 2 with 57.446.
James, a 22-year-old veteran, is the oldest active player in the league and has finally shown signs of aging this season, recently missing eight days from the team to rehabilitate a left foot injury.
However, he has put together two effective performances since returning to the lineup, with the Lakers winning both games against teams they compete with in the Western Conference standings: the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento. He had 19 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds against the Kings after scoring 18, 8 and 8 against the Grizzlies.
“His voice is what we missed in the two games he was away, on both ends of the floor,” said Anthony Davis, who finished with 21 points and season highs in rebounds (19) and blocks (6). “I mean, he’s a natural leader when it comes to the game, and when the time comes where it can seem chaotic, he’s able to take control and just get into something and try to execute it as best as possible.”
It wasn’t long ago that the Lakers’ entire season was starting to feel chaotic, with Los Angeles losing seven of nine games and then James leaving the lineup for two games to rest.
But the Lakers have bounced back with wins in three of their last four games, and their defense has been a strength rather than a weakness as it had been during the losing streak.
“For the group, I really felt like this might be my favorite win we’ve had all season,” Redick said.
Added Davis: “We’re playing desperate, especially on the defensive end. And it’s showing.”
Austin Reaves led Los Angeles in scoring with 25 points, and three other players besides James and Davis scored in double figures: D’Angelo Russell finished with 16 points, Gabe Vincent had 12 and Rui Hachimura contributed 10.
And James was able to enjoy the feat of minutes coming full circle, back in the same city where he played his first NBA regular season game in 2003.
“It’s a great honor, obviously, any time I’m associated with some of the greats who have ever played this game,” James said. “I’ve been available to my teammates. I’ve been able to do this at a high level for two decades. And to continue to put myself in the record books in this game of basketball that I love so much and in the best league in the world is great and it’s very humiliating”.
Los Angeles will stay in Sacramento to finish Saturday’s two-game series, but James said he wasn’t ready to face that contest yet.
“I just established the all-time leader [mark] “In minutes, I’m still not thinking about the next game,” he said. “I’m about to get to this [hotel] room, drink some wine, play Madden and relax.
