LeBron James' longevity is extraordinary. The Los Angeles Lakers star is already 41 years old and in his 23rd year in the league, and yet he's still playing at a high level. On Thursday night, James tied Robert Parish's record for most games played in his career.

After starting in the Lakers' game against the Miami Heat, LeBron has played in a total of 1,611 games, tying Parish's record. James is sure to break that record this season and then some, provided that he plays the rest of the year.

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Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, James has played in 23 seasons in his NBA career. While the Lakers star missed a few games here and there, the sheer volume of his years played meant that he was bound to break this record sooner or later. James' games played are spread out with stints in Cleveland, Miami, and Los Angeles.

This longevity of his is the biggest reason why many fans consider him the greatest player in NBA history. Even at age 41, the Lakers star is still averaging a cool 21.4 points per game on efficient shooting (51.4% shooting from the field). He's also adding 6.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. While he's not the focal point of the Lakers offense like he used to be, he's still an integral piece to their run this season.

Due to his age, there are talks around the league about James' potential retirement after this season. While the Lakers star hasn't explicitly said that he'll be retiring after the 2025-26 season, that decision still looms over every fan's heads as the season progresses. For now, though, he and the Lakers are focused on winning another championship. Los Angeles enters their game against Miami as the third seed in a brutally competitive Western Conference, and are on track to make it to the postseason.