LeBron James is showing no real signs of slowing down in his record 23rd NBA season and at age 41. In the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 134-126 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday, he recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, and he has adapted rather well to his new role as their third scoring option.
He’s now on the verge of breaking yet another league record. Thursday was his 1,611th career regular-season game, which tied him with Hall of Fame center Robert Parish for the most ever. Parish sent a message to James before Thursday’s game as the latter was set to tie the former’s record.
“No player is better deserving to break that iron man record, that 1,611 games played record, than LeBron,” Parish said. “He deserves it, in my opinion.”
Parish was one of the more underrated star centers in basketball history. He broke into the NBA during the 1976-77 season with the Golden State Warriors before getting traded to the Boston Celtics in 1980. He spent 14 seasons with the Celtics and won three championships in his first six seasons with them. Along with fellow Hall of Famers Kevin McHale and Larry Bird, Parish formed the greatest starting frontline in basketball history.
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He ended up playing 21 seasons, and he wrapped up his career by winning a fourth ring with the Chicago Bulls in 1997. In his prime, Parish was an excellent low-post scorer, a strong rebounder and a capable shot-blocker who could run the floor as well as any big man. For his career, he averaged 14.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Robert Parish reacts to LeBron James tying his career NBA games record