Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James now has a ton of mileage on his legs, but that hasn’t stopped him from making history yet again by playing 1500 regular season games in his 22-year career, with his latest game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Moreover, he becomes only the sixth player in NBA history to play 1,500+ games in his career. Still, LeBron James has an uphill battle ahead of him, as the Lakers play without Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies.
Check out which players have played 1,500+ games in the NBA through these infographics from the NBA and ClutchPoints, shared on X, formerly Twitter.
The Lakers star goes strong
Facing the Grizzlies’ young team, it’s hard to imagine how LeBron James has played over 1500 games in his 22-year career, which might end with the Lakers, since they drafted his son Bronny 55th overall in the 2024 draft.
The oldest player in the NBA has noticeably slowed down, especially this year, as he isn’t able to blow by defenders to finish at the rim as effectively as he did when he was younger.
This season, his field goal percentage has gone down to 48.6%, thanks to shooting more mid-range jumpers, but his three-point shooting has gone up to 44.4% on high volume.
Likewise, the King had figured out, in his Heat days, that he couldn’t rely solely on his strength and athleticism forever, especially as he approached his 30s. So, he rounded out his game by learning post moves from Hakeem Olajuwon, and improving his wonky outside shooting.
Yet, at his age, fans shouldn’t expect him to carry most of the offensive load, especially during the season. After all, LeBron has said that he prefers to coast during the regular season to prepare his body for the playoffs, where every game matters.
Balancing the load
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New Lakers head coach JJ Redick understood this, finally, as he decided to make AD the centerpiece of the offense. At this point of his career, LeBron is the second option on a team, and if they rely on him as the first-option for too many games, that means the team is in trouble.
With AD as the offensive hub, the Lakers roared to a 3-0 start, though they did cool off and go 1-3 on their five-game road trip, which finishes with the Grizzlies.
The Grizz aren’t as dominant as they were two seasons ago, but Ja Morant has returned to form, and the Lakers’ guards do not have the foot speed to stay in front of him.
Moreover, the lack of Davis’ rim protection means he could simply attack the basket for layups or fouls. The Purple and Gold will have to be creative in finding ways to go home with a victory, or else they’ll go right back where they started.