Since LeBron James joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018, he has broken records and passed new milestones seemingly every game.
And now, with the Lakers’ deep playoff run stretching to a Game 6 of the NBA Finals, James set another record. When he took the court Sunday night, James passed former Laker Derek Fisher for the most playoff games in NBA history with 260.
It was inevitable that James would eventually reach this milestone due to his success in the playoffs, and it came on a night where the Lakers clinched the championship.
Reaching 260 playoff games played is a remarkable feat that not only shows James’ ability to win in the postseason, but also the longevity that he has maintained — and at a high level. During his illustrious 17-year career, James has been in the postseason 14 times, missing the playoffs the first two seasons of his career and last year with the Lakers, largely due to injury.
Appearing in 260 playoff games over 14 appearances gives James an average of 18.6 games per postseason. The lowest number of games that James has ever played in a single postseason is 11, and that came in 2010 in his final season with the Cleveland Cavaliers before joining the Miami Heat.
That season, James got past the first round but was defeated by the Boston Celtics in the Conference Semifinals in six games. That spurred the decision to go play for the Heat.
In the 2020 playoffs, James is playing a career low in minutes per game. Despite that, he’s still averaging his second-highest rebounds and assists per game.
While Father Time remains undefeated, James is putting forth an impressive effort to fight it off. With each season, James seems to add something to his game to allow him to play at a high level no matter his age.
James not thinking about legacy
Despite almost daily conversations about what a fourth championship ring would do for James’ legacy, he has not focused on it, only doing what he can to win a title for the Lakers.
“I don’t really think about it too much. I think the story will be told how it’s supposed to be told and be written how it’s supposed to be written. I don’t live my life thinking about legacy,” he said.
“The game of basketball will pass me by. There will be a new group of young kids and vets and rookies throughout the course of this game. So I can’t worry about that as far as on the floor.”
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