MIAMI — LeBron James broke the NBA record for most regular-season games played on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), taking the court for his 1,612th in the Los Angeles Lakers last-gasp 105-104 victory against the Orlando Magic.
The 41-year-old basketball icon's appearance took him one clear of the mark of 1,611 held by Robert Parish since his retirement in 1997.
The four-time NBA champion had equaled Parish's tally on Thursday in stunning fashion, posting a triple-double in the Lakers' win over the Heat in Miami.
It had looked as if James' milestone appearance on Saturday would be tinged with disappointment with Orlando poised to end the Lakers' eight-game winning streak, leading 104-102 with three seconds on the clock.
But a sensational buzzer-beating three-pointer with 0.6sec remaining from Luke Kennard rescued the Lakers to make it nine consecutive victories. The Lakers improved to 46-25 to tighten their grip on third place in the Western Conference.
James finished with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 33 points but picked up a costly 16th season technical foul which triggers a suspension that will rule him out of Monday's showdown with the Detroit Pistons.
"We'll try and get that rescinded," Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Doncic's foul.
Austin Reaves finished with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting.
James, playing his unprecedented 23rd season, already holds a host of NBA records, including points scored, field goals made and field goals attempted and the longest streak of regular-season games with at least 10 points scored — 1,297 — in history.
James said his preparations for Saturday's record-breaking performance had been no different to the previous 1,611 games.
"It was a regular prep day," James said. "I know once I stepped on the floor that I was breaking the record, and that's a pretty cool thing.
"I said the other night, the best thing you can do for your teammates is to be available and I've tried to be available throughout my career, two decades plus, for my guys."
Including playoff games, James has amassed a total of 1,904 fixtures during his career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a distant second with 1,797 appearances while Parish is third on 1,795.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points and the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder beat Washington, 132-111, following a second-quarter melee that resulted in four ejections.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander added seven assists and three rebounds to his seventh 40-point effort of the season.
Chet Holmgren added 18 points and 10 rebounds while Isaiah Hartenstein had nine points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Thunder own the NBA's best record at 56-15 and are on an 11-game win streak while the Wizards have the league's second-worst record at 16-54 and lost their 15th game in a row.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points in the first half to extend his NBA record streak of games with 20-or-more points to 131 in a row.
The win though was overshadowed by a wild melee in the first half that led to a flurry of ejections.
The altercation, which halted the game for 11 minutes, came with 27 seconds remaining in the second quarter just after Oklahoma City grabbed a 68-63 lead.
Thunder forward Jaylin Williams held the ball after the basket and twice bumped into Washington's Justin Champagnie.
Oklahoma City's Ajay Mitchell came up to confront Champagnie and was smacked in the face for his trouble to ignite the brawl. AFP