LeBron James has reflected on becoming the NBA's joint-leading appearance maker after equalling the record set by Robert Parish, who saluted "an all-time great".

The 41-year-old made his 1,611th appearance during the regular season, as the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to eight matches in a 134-126 victory over the Miami Heat.

It was the latest achievement of a glittering career for four-time NBA champion and leading points scorer James, who also boasts the most All-Star appearances, four Finals MVPs and four regular-season MVPs.

And he marked the occasion with a triple-double, recording 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

"It's not something I set out to do," James said about the record. "The one thing that I've always had in my mind is that you can't be a leader, and you can't practice what you preach if you're not available to your teammates.

"I've always just prided myself on trying to be as available as possible in my career to my teammates, going out on the floor every night and keeping my body intact."

Parish also paid tribute to James, while assessing where he ranks among his former teammates Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.

He told ESPN: "They've got to make room for LeBron. LeBron is an all-time great. They got to pull up an extra chair and tell some guys to slide over.

"If anyone is deserving of breaking the iron-man record, I would say LeBron James is.

"He takes such good care of himself. His approach to fitness and what he puts into his body reflects, or mirrors, how I felt about my fitness and what I ate, how I took care of myself.

"So, it's a testament to not only my longevity, but LeBron's longevity."

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— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 20, 2026

Meanwhile, Luka Doncic led the way for the Lakers with 60 points – tying his second-highest tally in an NBA game, and becoming the first Los Angeles player to achieve the feat since Kobe Bryant 10 years earlier.

The NBA's leading scorer surpassed the 30-point mark for an eighth successive game, and reached half a century for the second time in his last five outings.

"It was pretty impressive, especially an away game in Miami," said Doncic, who was pleased to share the moment with his teammates and some vocal Lakers supporters.

"You hear the whole crowd chanting: 'MVP!' That's what I think every player wants to hear. I got a lot of goosebumps, so it was pretty special.

"You see everybody celebrating on the bench. It shows that we care a lot about each other. And that's what great teams do. It just makes my heart happy seeing them celebrate my 60-point game."

Lakers coach JJ Redick also saluted the six-time NBA All-Star.

"He's playing as well as anyone in basketball," Redick said about Doncic. "He's really elevated his play at a really important time for our team. He's elevated the play of his teammates.

"I think there's a trust level that we all have – coaches, teammates – with him closing games for us. He's been fantastic, and I think he's one of the best and should be in the MVP conversation.

"Hopefully, people will start talking about that because he's having as good a season as anyone."