LeBron surpasses Michael Jordan in career minutes

In his quest to catch the ghost of Michael Jordan, LeBron James has finally caught up to His Airness ... at least in one category.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star surpassed Jordan in combined regular season and playoff minutes in the first half of Monday's contest against the Dallas Mavericks.

Here are the updated stats following the game:

Jordan registered 48,485 minutes over 15 NBA seasons. He took four years off during his pro basketball career, playing baseball in 1993-94 and retiring for three seasons before making a return to the NBA. The Hall of Famer is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time, having racked up numerous awards, including five MVPs and six championships.

Related: LeBron says he's chasing Jordan's greatness, not his 6 rings

James, who has four MVPs and three titles of his own, is already fourth in NBA history in playoff minutes played, but 32nd in the regular season. At 32 years old, the 14th-year vet still has plenty left in his tank and a spring or two in his step:

King James finished with 23 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds in 37 minutes, but the defending champs fell to the Mavs 104-97.