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The 2025-26 NBA season is officially underway, and as is the case with every campaign, there are some records and milestones that are worth keeping an eye on thanks to the players (and coaches) who appear to be within striking distance.
These records could be broken by the time the 2025-26 NBA season comes to an end
There’s obviously no way to predict how the NBA season is going to unfold, but there are plenty of trends we can look at when trying to forecast what’s going to go down over the course of the year—including some records that could end up being broken by the time it wraps up.
Most Regular Season Games Played: LeBron James
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LeBron James already holds a slew of NBA records, and he’ll add another to his résumé when he suits up for the Lakers for the first time for what will be his 23rd season—those most longest any player has lasted in the league (he caught up to Vince Carter, who retired after 22, last year).
No player in NBA history has played more games between the regular season and the playoffs than LeBron, as he has appeared in 1,562 and 292 of those contests, respectively, for a total of 1,854. That second number firmly puts him in first place in that category, but he still trails Robert Parish when it comes to regular season games; he needs to play in 49 to tie the record of 1,611 and will set a new mark to beat upon his 50th.
Most Field Goals Made: LeBron James
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Oh look, it’s LeBron again.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the distinction of being the top-scoring player in NBA history for close to 35 years before LeBron eclipsed his total of 38,387 on February 8, 2023 (James currently has 42,184).
LeBron got some help from his prowess at the free-throw line; he trails only Karl Malone in that category with 8,649, while the Lakers legend sits in a tie for 13th with 6,712. However, he can also credit his ability to shoot from beyond the three-point line, which didn’t arrive in the NBA until Kareem was halfway through his career (although that wasn’t a huge development for the big man, who made exactly one of them while playing).
Abdul-Jabbar subsequently still holds the record for the most field goals made at 15,837, while LeBron trails him by 349 with 15,488. Based on his career pace, it will take James around 35 games to get there, so it also looks like there will be a new leader in that category by the end of the season.
First Player To Hit 5,000 Three-Pointers: Steph Curry
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I know this is less of a record and more of an achievement, but I still think it’s worth mentioning.
There isn’t a single player in NBA history who has mastered the art of shooting from behind the arc better than Steph Curry, who became the first player to make 4,000 three-pointers in the regular season last year. He also has the most in postseason history with 650 and headed into the season with a total of 4,708.
He’s historically been good for around four per game, and if he can maintain that pace, he should become the first player to make 5,000 between the regular season and the playoffs by the time the postseason rolls around.
Most Triple-Doubles In NBA History: Nikola Jokic
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This one is admittedly a stretch, as Nikola Jokic will be competing against an active player who already holds the record for the most triple-doubles in NBA history: Russell Westbrook, who enters the season with 203 under his belt.
Jokic, on the other hand, has 164, which puts him in third place behind Oscar Robinson’s 181. The Nuggets superstar has averaged one every four-and-a-half games over the course of his career, but he set a personal best with 34 of them last season.
Westbrook holds the record for the most triple-doubles in a season with 42, and if Jokic figures out a way to match or surpass that, he would end up moving into first place. Of course, that rests on the assumption Westbrook isn’t able to keep adding to his total after signing with the Kings, but there are some questions surrounding his usage when you consider it looked like he might not be able to find a home in the league this season before inking a deal with Sacramento right before it got underway.
It seems like it’s only a matter of time until Jokic does take first place in this particular category. I will be a bit surprised if that ends up being the case at the end of the season, but it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Most Points By A Point Guard: Russell Westbrook
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Speaking of Russell Westbrook…
The list of the top scorers in NBA history is dominated by legendary big men, versatile forwards, and guards who primarily relied on their teammates to get them the ball as opposed to running the court.
However, there are also some guys known for their prowess as a point guard who’ve worked their way up that list. No one at that particular position has scored more points than the 26,710 Oscar Robertson ended up with, but Russell Westbrook only needed 506 to pass him while entering the season with 26,205.
Again, there are some questions about how much playing time he’ll be getting, but if the man who averaged 13.3 points last season can at least hit double digits in that category, it will only take him around 50 games.
Most Playoff Losses As A Coach: Doc Rivers
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You usually don’t want to be at the top of a list of bad things, although this is one of those cases where being in contention is more of a testament to your talents and longevity as opposed to a reflection of your coaching career; being in the conversation means you’ve consistently led teams to the postseason over an extended period of time.
Nothing sums up that reality better than the fact that the legendary Gregg Popovich currently has the most playoff losses in NBA history with 114 (the man who led the Spurs to five championships is third on the list of all-time wins with 170).
Doc Rivers is sitting in second place with 112, so if the Bucks make the playoffs this year, he’ll almost certainly end up at the top unless they can match the 16-1 run the Warriors went on en route to winning a title in 2017.
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