NBA Players Who Played In The League The Longest

Throughout NBA history there have been more than 4,400 players, and the average career length is around 4.5 years. This is not surprising considering that basketball is a dynamic, fast-paced, very physical sport, so it is not common to see players over the age of 35 in the league, let alone 40.

However, there are always exceptions, and there have been a handful of players who have stayed in the NBA for a long time, competing at the highest level for 15 or even 20 seasons, which is absolutely admirable. With that said, let's now take a look at the NBA players who have played in the league the longest.

9 Jamal Crawford (20 Seasons)

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Jamal Crawford in the first round of the 2000 NBA Draft, but on the same day of the draft he was traded to the Chicago Bulls, where he played his first four seasons. The guard then played four seasons with the New York Knicks, later being sent to the Golden State Warriors for one season before being traded again, this time to the Atlanta Hawks.

Crawford played one season with the Portland Trail Blazers and then wore a Los Angeles Clippers uniform for five seasons. The three-time NBA Sixth Man played his final three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets.

Team	Seasons	Accolades	Player Efficiency Rating	Win Shares
Los Angeles Clippers	5	2-time Sixth Man Of The Year	15.3	19.6
New York Knicks	5	None	15.4	17.5
Chicago Bulls	4	None	14.4	6.4
Atlanta Hawks	2	Sixth Man Of The Year	16.4	10.7
Minnesota Timberwolves	1	None	13.0	1.3
Phoenix Suns	1	None	11.7	0.2
Portland Trail Blazers	1	None	15.7	2.3
Golden State Warriors	1	None	15.0	2.7
Brooklyn Nets	1	None	33.2	0.1

8 Kobe Bryant (20 Seasons)

The legendary Kobe Bryan played his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers. There is no need to describe Kobe's seasons, as he is simply one of the greatest players of all time. Five championship rings, two-time Finals MVP, 18-time All-Star, five-time scoring champion, 2007-08 season MVP and many other accolades.

Black Mamba recorded 33,643 total points (fourth all-time), averaging 25 points per game, but Kobe was also brilliant defensively, accumulating 1,944 career steals throughout his career.

Team	Seasons	Accolades	Player Efficiency Rating	Win Shares
Los Angeles Lakers	20	5-time NBA Champion, 2-time scoring champion, MVP, 2-time finals MVP, 15-time All-NBA	22.9	172.7

7 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (20 Seasons)

Speaking of NBA legends, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also played 20 seasons, 14 with the Los Angeles Lakers and six with the Milwaukee Bucks. Abdul-Jabbar is currently the all-time scoring leader (38,387), fourth in rebounds (17,440), third in blocks (3,189) and is also the player with the most win shares in history (273.4). In addition, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the player with the most MVP awards of all time, with six, and also has six championship rings.

Team	Seasons	Accolades	Player Efficiency Rating	Win Shares
Los Angeles Lakers	14	5-time NBA Champion, 3-time MVP, finals MVP, 3-time blocking champion, 10-time All-NBA	23.4	158.7
Milwaukee Bucks	6	NBA Champion, 3-time MVP, finals MVP, 2-time scoring champion, blocking champion, 5-time All-NBA	26.7	114.7

6 Kevin Willis (21 Seasons)

Kevin Willis was never a standout player, but he had the consistency that most did not. Willis spent his career with eight teams, which were the Atlanta Hawks (11 years), Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks. Kevin Willis averaged 12.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Willis earned a championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs in the 2002-03 season.

Team	Seasons	Accolades	Player Efficiency Rating	Win Shares
Atlanta Hawks	11	All-NBA	16.4	54.2
Houston Rockets	3	None	16.5	11.5
Toronto Raptors	3	None	14.0	6.4
San Antonio Spurs	2	NBA Champion	13.2	2.5
Miami Heat	2	None	14.6	5.7
Denver Nuggets	1	None	14.1	1.4
Golden State Warriors	1	None	10.9	0.1
Dallas Mavericks	1	None	6.3	0.0

5 Kevin Garnett (21 Seasons)

Kevin Garnett was the fifth overall pick in the 1995 draft. He was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team he played with for 14 seasons. Unfortunately, Garnett was unable to win a championship with the Timberwolves, but he wasted no time celebrating with the Boston Celtics, winning a ring in his first season with the team.

Garnett was the MVP of the 2003-04 season, was the Defensive Player of the Year in the 2007-08 season and participated 15 times in the All-Star game. In his career, KG averaged 17.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

Team	Seasons	Accolades	Player Efficiency Rating	Win Shares
Minnesota Timberwolves	14	MVP, 4-time rebounding champion, 8-time All-NBA	23.7	139.8
Boston Celtics	6	NBA Champion, Defensive Player Of The Year, All-NBA	21.1	48.8
Brooklyn Nets	2	None	13.9	2.8

4 Dirk Nowitzki (21 Seasons)

Dirk Nowitzki is arguably the greatest foreign player in NBA history. He played his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks, leading them to win the championship in the 2010-11 season, and taking Finals MVP honors. In addition, the German Race Car was the MVP of the 2006-07 season.

Dirk Nowitzki averaged over 20 points per game in 13 seasons, and had 12 consecutive seasons with over 500 rebounds. Nowitzki was also an exceptional three-point shooter, making 1,982 threes with a 38.0 percentage. He was also one of the best from the free throw line.

Team	Seasons	Accolades	Player Efficiency Rating	Win Shares
Dallas Mavericks	21	NBA Champion, finals MVP, MVP, 12-time All-NBA	22.4	206.3

3 Robert Parish (21 Seasons)

NBA Hall of Famer Robert Parish made his debut in the 1976-77 season with the Golden State Warriors, then played 14 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning three rings. He then played a couple of seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, and his last season was with the Chicago Bulls, winning the championship as well. In his career, Parish averaged 14.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

Team	Seasons	Accolades	Player Efficiency Rating	Win Shares
Boston Celtics	14	3-time NBA Champion, 2-time All-NBA	19.8	122.4
Golden State Warriors	4	None	19.4	20.6
Charlotte Hornets	2	None	11.4	3.1
Chicago Bulls	1	NBA Champion	14.3	0.9

2 LeBron James (21 seasons)

Throughout his 19-year career, LeBron James has proven over and over again that he is one of the best basketball players to ever step onto a court. He has four championship rings, achieving maximum glory with three different teams. King James will likely end his career as the all-time top scorer, perhaps reaching 40,000 points. As if that weren’t enough, James is among the best in assists, rebounds, steals, blocks. He is simply the complete package. James is synonymous with consistency and durability.

Team	Seasons	Accolades	Player Efficiency Rating	Win Shares
Cleveland Cavaliers	11	NBA Champion, 2-time MVP, Finals MVP, Rookie Of The Year, Scoring Champion, 10-time All-NBA	27.0	154.1
Los Angeles Lakers	6	NBA Champion, Finals MVP, assists leader, 5-time All-NBA	25.1	36.1
Miami Heat	4	2-time NBA Champion, 2-time MVP, 2-time Finals MVP, 4-time All-NBA	29.6	65.3

1 Vince Carter (22 Seasons)

The player who has played in the NBA the longest is Vince Carter, who played 22 seasons among eight teams, the Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks. Unfortunately, Vince Carter was never able to win a championship ring. Carter was the 1998-99 Rookie of the Year and an eight-time All-Star.

Team	Seasons	Accolades	Player Efficiency Rating	Win Shares
Toronto Raptors	7	Rookie Of The Year, 2-time All-NBA	21.8	47.7
New Jersey Nets	5	None	21.0	43.6
Dallas Mavericks	3	None	16.0	13.2
Memphis Grizzlies	3	None	11.4	6.7
Atlanta Hawks	2	None	10.1	1.7
Orlando Magic	2	None	16.9	9.5
Sacramento Kings	1	None	10.8	1.2
Phoenix Suns	1	None	14.2	1.7