The Best Ability

LeBron James played his 1,612th regular-season game Saturday night against Orlando. More games than Robert Parish. More than anyone who’s ever suited up in the NBA.

Nobody broke down a specific play afterward. Nobody circled a highlight. The record tracks something quieter — twenty-three years of showing up. Forty-one years old and still on the court, still producing, still leading.

He told reporters afterward: “The best thing you can have for your teammates is availability.”

Availability. That one word carries more weight than any stat line.

I think about that in my own life. I coach middle schoolers and write blog posts. The stage is smaller. The principle holds.

The best thing I can give my kids is being in the room. Coaching the practice. Driving to the game. Asking a question at dinner even when I get a one-word grunt back.

The best thing I can give my faith is opening the Bible when I don’t feel like it. Praying when the words feel like they’re bouncing off the ceiling. Sitting in the pew when sleep sounds better.

LeBron spends over a million dollars a year on recovery, nutrition, and sleep. Robert Parish said the record fits because LeBron “takes such good care of himself.” I’m not spending a million on anything. But I’m trying to build a daily writing habit, and it works the same way. You don’t write when you feel inspired. You write so inspiration has somewhere to land.

1,612 games. A decision made over and over.

Show up today. For your team. For your family. For your craft.