For Scott, No. 1,000 Is ‘Pretty Cool’

Byron Scott’s grand night, 13-plus seasons in the making, came Sunday when he became the 37th person in NBA history, and only the eighth still in the league, to play in 1,000 career games.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” the Laker guard said. “A thousand games in a career--that’s a pretty good milestone for me.

“It shows longevity, no doubt about it. On a personal level, it shows that I’ve kept myself in shape and been dedicated to the game.”

It also shows perseverance.

“It’s interesting how it came about,” said Laker assistant coach Kurt Rambis, Scott’s former teammate. “Nobody wanted him here at first, nobody wanted the trade [with the San Diego Clippers in 1983] to happen. The players and the fans, because Norm [Nixon] was so popular.

“He came to that first training camp and everybody knocked him down all the time, but he kept getting up. The next thing you know, he has a great career here, goes to a couple of other places, comes back here and is more popular than ever.”

Robert Parish is No. 1 on the all-time and active lists at 1,571 games. Scott has played in 773 games for the Lakers, seventh-best in team history.