List of NBA seasons played leaders

Carter shooting the ball against a defender
Vince Carter, who began his career with the Raptors, is the first player in NBA history to have played in 22 seasons.
LeBron James with an angry face
LeBron James, who began his career with the Cavaliers, joined Carter as the only other player to have played in 22 seasons.

Only eleven players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) have played 20 or more seasons in their respective careers. In 1985–86, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar broke the previous NBA record of 16 seasons held by Dolph Schayes, John Havlicek, Paul Silas, and Elvin Hayes;[1][2][3] he finished his career in 1988–89 with a then-record 20 seasons played.[4][5] Robert Parish broke the mark in 1996–97, when he retired after 21 seasons,[6][7] and Kevin Willis tied him in his final season in 2006–07.[a][9] They were joined by Kevin Garnett in 2015–16 when he began his 21st season.[10] His Minnesota Timberwolves played their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant, who became the fifth player to reach the 20-season plateau that night.[11] The game was the first time in league history that two opposing players each had at least 20 years of experience.[12] Having played his entire career with the Lakers, Bryant was also the first NBA player to spend 20 seasons with one team.[13] In 2018–19, Dirk Nowitzki surpassed Bryant with 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks.[14] In 2019–20, Vince Carter became the first player to play 22 seasons in the NBA.[15] LeBron James tied this record in 2024–25.[16]

In the NBA, big men typically have longer playing careers than smaller men.[17][18] Older centers and power forwards may have the luxury of pacing themselves while running the court, or they might station themselves in the post.[19][20] Big men Parish, Willis, and Garnett all had relatively minor roles while playing in their respective 21st seasons.[21] On the other hand, guards are tasked with handling the ball full-court and are generally more dependent on traits like speed and quickness that deteriorate with age.[19][20] Bryant was the first guard to play 20 seasons,[13] passing the previous mark of 19 seasons for guards held by John Stockton and Jason Kidd.[22][23] In his final season, he was moved to small forward and surrounded by other ball handlers.[24][25]

  1. ^ Bonk, Thomas (September 28, 1985). "Lakers Move Closer to Signing Kareem for a Year or 2 More". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  2. ^ Johnson, Roy S. (May 22, 1983). "THE LONG-RUN SUCCESS OF KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  3. ^ Goldaper, Sam (February 12, 1984). "HAYES ENJOYING FAREWELL SEASON". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2015.
  4. ^ Murray, Jim (November 17, 1992). "A Chapter Closed, He Is Opening". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Pandian, Ananth (March 6, 2015). "For ticket sales the Lakers will honor Kobe's 20th season". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  6. ^ Armour, Terry (August 26, 1997). "After 21 Seasons, Parish Walks Away". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Bjarkman, Peter C. (2002). Boston Celtics Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing. p. 54. ISBN 9781582615646. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  8. ^ "Kevin Willis Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  9. ^ Carlton, James (July 7, 2015). "Garnett will become just the third NBA player to play 21 seasons". FoxSports.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2015.
  10. ^ "NBA short takes". The Starr-Tribune. October 31, 2015. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017.
  11. ^ Beacham, Greg (October 29, 2015). "Kobe clears another milestone, begins 20th Lakers season". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  12. ^ Holmes, Baxter (October 29, 2015). "Kobe Bryant sets NBA record for seasons played with one franchise". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Top stats to know: Kobe Bryant's statistical legacy". ESPN.com. November 29, 2015. Archived from the original on December 1, 2015.
  14. ^ "Recap:Mavs' Nowitzki Makes Debut in 21st Season Against Suns". The Dallas Morning News. Associated Press. December 13, 2018.
  15. ^ "Hawks' Vince Carter becomes first NBAer to play in 22 seasons". Sportsnet.ca. October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  16. ^ "Most seasons in the NBA: How LeBron James will make history with 2024 Lakers debut". The Sporting News. October 22, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Chalabi, Mona (November 30, 2015). "The Kobe Bryant outlier: how his career compares to the NBA average". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 1, 2015.
  18. ^ Groothuis, Peter A.; Hill, J. Richard (April 2004). "Exit Discrimination in the NBA: A Duration Analysis of Career Length" (PDF). Economic Inquiry. Vol. 42, no. 2. pp. 341–49. ISSN 0095-2583. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 8, 2015.
  19. ^ a b Evans, Rich (March 25, 2001). "Center court: Stock portfolio". Deseret News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  20. ^ a b Friedman, Dave (December 25, 2014). "Kobe Bryant is not as Good as Michael Jordan—So What?". 20 Second Timeout. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  21. ^ Friedman, Dave (November 9, 2015). "The Twilight of Kobe Bryant". Twenty Second Blog. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  22. ^ McWilliams, Julian (October 9, 2015). "Jalen Rose: Kobe Bryant 'Doesn't Want to Take A Back Seat'". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  23. ^ Newman, Pete (October 18, 2015). "The inconsistent season of Kobe Bryant". Sheridan Hoops. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  24. ^ Ahmed, Shakan (September 30, 2015). "Lakers Training Camp: Kobe Bryant Talks Small Forward". NBCLosAngeles.com. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  25. ^ Bresnahan, Mike (January 21, 2016). "Kobe Bryant is selected as an All-Star for the 18th time". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016.


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