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List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise

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The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men's professional basketball league of 30 teams in North America (29 in the United States and one in Canada). The NBA was founded on June 6, 1946, in New York City, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the NBA name at the start of the when it merged with the National Basketball League (NBL). The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball, which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) as the national governing body for basketball in the country. The league is considered to be one of the four major professional sports leagues of North America.

The NBA operates on a franchise model in a closed system with no promotion or relegation to other leagues and no affiliated academies for amateur athletes. The franchises are governed by their ownership and the NBA Board of Governors, allowing for franchises to change locations, team branding, mascots, staff, and player rosters. During the NBA draft, franchises select players who have not previously held a contract in the league and have declared themselves eligible.

In the early years of the league, a player's place on the roster was primarily determined by team ownership and management. In 1970, Hall of Fame player and then-President of the NBA Players Association Oscar Robertson sued the league, putting in motion the establishment of Free Agency in 1976. With player movement now having multiple decision makers and the constraints of the NBA salary cap, a player and franchise ownership would have to agree to a continuous relationship, taking into the account the player's impact, the team's performance goals, and the financial expectations from both sides, decreasing the likelihood a player would spend more than ten years with the same team.

The players listed have spent their entire NBA career, of at least 10 seasons played, with one franchise. Dirk Nowitzki holds the record, having played all of his 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. Next is Kobe Bryant, who played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Udonis Haslem, who played for the Miami Heat for all of his 20 seasons in the NBA. Hall of Famer John Stockton spent his entire 19-year playing career with the Utah Jazz, while Tim Duncan also played 19 years solely for the San Antonio Spurs, and Reggie Miller spent 18 NBA seasons with the Indiana Pacers.

Stephen Curry is the leader among active players, having played 16 seasons with the Golden State Warriors.

All-time list

Key

PositionGuardForwardCenter
†Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration
RankSeasonsPlayerPos.TeamCareerNotes
121*FDallas Mavericks–Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1998 and traded to the Mavericks. Nowitzki played for the German club DJK Würzburg from 1994 to 1998.
220*GLos Angeles Lakers–Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 and traded to the Lakers.
†FMiami Heat–Went undrafted in 2002, but signed as a free agent with the Heat a year later
419*F/CSan Antonio Spurs–—
*GUtah Jazz–—
618*GIndiana Pacers–—
717^GGolden State Warriors–present—
816*GSan Antonio Spurs–Drafted by the Spurs in 1999, but did not enter the NBA until 2002
*F/GBoston Celtics–—
1015*FSyracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers–Drafted by the New York Knicks in 1948, but opted to play for the Nationals in the NBL before moving to the NBA with the Nationals in 1949
*GSyracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers–—
1214F/CSeattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder–Drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in , however, he missed the due to injury
*FMinneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers–Retired in November 1971 due to injury after only playing 9 games in the
*GLos Angeles Lakers–—
*GDetroit Pistons–—
*CSan Antonio Spurs–Drafted by the Spurs in 1987, but did not enter the NBA until 1989 due to his commitment with the Navy
^FGolden State Warriors–present
1813*CBoston Celtics–Drafted by the St. Louis Hawks in 1956 and traded to the Celtics
*FBoston Celtics–—
*CBaltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets–—
*GSan Diego / Houston Rockets–—
GSeattle SuperSonics–—
CPhoenix Suns–—
*FBoston Celtics–Drafted by the Celtics in 1978, but did not enter the NBA until 1979, after his college graduation
*GLos Angeles Lakers–,Came out from retirement in January 1996 and played 32 games in the
*FBoston Celtics–—
*GDetroit Pistons–—
CIndiana Pacers–Drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 1999 and traded to the Pacers
^FMilwaukee Bucks–present
3012*GBoston Celtics–—
*GLos Angeles Lakers–—
*FLos Angeles Lakers–—
GSeattle SuperSonics–—
CIndiana Pacers–—
3511*FMilwaukee / St. Louis Hawks–—
*FRochester / Cincinnati Royals–—
*GPhiladelphia / San Francisco Warriors–—
*FSan Diego / Houston Rockets–—
*FPhiladelphia 76ers–Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972, but opted to play in the ABA before joining the 76ers after the ABA–NBA merger in 1976
CUtah Jazz–—
^CDenver Nuggets–presentJokić played for the Serbian club Mega Basket from 2012 to 2015.
^GPhoenix Suns–present
4410*FMinneapolis Lakers–—
*FPhiladelphia Warriors–, –Missed the and due to military service; also played for the Camden Bullets of the minor league Eastern Professional Basketball League after retiring from the NBA
GSyracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers–Drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1954 and traded to the Nationals, but did not enter the league until 1956 due to military service
*FSt. Louis Hawks–Drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1953 and traded to the Hawks, but did not enter the league until 1956 due to military service
*CNew York Knicks–—
*FNew York Knicks–Drafted by the Knicks in 1965, but did not enter the NBA until 1967 due to a prior academic commitment in England; also played professional basketball overseas with the Olimpia Milano in Italy for one season before joining the Knicks
CChicago Bulls–—
GHouston Rockets–—
GUtah Jazz–, –Missed the due to injury
^CPhiladelphia 76ers–presentMissed his first two years in the league because of injury.
^G/FBoston Celtics–present

Future candidates

PlayerPos.TeamYearsDraftSeasonsNotes
^GDenver Nuggets92016, 7th–presentMissed the entire 2021–22 season due to injury.
^FBoston Celtics92017, 3rd–present
^CMiami Heat92017, 14th–present
^FMemphis Grizzlies82018, 4th–present
^CNew York Knicks82018, 36th–present
^FOrlando Magic72017, 6th–presentMissed the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons due to injury.
^FCharlotte Hornets72018, 12th–presentDid not play in the 2022–23 season.
^GMemphis Grizzlies72019, 2nd–present
^GCleveland Cavaliers72019, 5th–present
^GChicago Bulls72019, 7th–present
^GMiami Heat72019, 13th–present
^FMemphis Grizzlies72019, 21st–present
^FSan Antonio Spurs72019, 29th–present
^FBrooklyn Nets72019, 31st–present
^GOklahoma City Thunder72019, Undrafted–present
^GMemphis Grizzlies72019, Undrafted–present
^CMinnesota Timberwolves72019, Undrafted–present
^FCleveland Cavaliers72019, Undrafted–present
^FNew Orleans Pelicans62019, 1st–presentMissed the entire 2021–22 season due to injury.

References

General

Specific

References

  1. Goldaper, Sam. "The First Game". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
  2. "1949–50 Season Overview: Powerful Lakers Repeat". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
  3. "Inside USA Basketball". USA Basketball.
  4. Pennington, Bill. (April 4, 2003). "Drugs; Anti-Doping Executive Plans to Prod Pro Leagues". The New York Times.
  5. (18 April 2010). "Steve James: The Twenty20 franchise system simply will not work". Daily Telegraph, London, UK.
  6. (28 June 2019). "Free agency is a lie that keeps NBA players shackled to teams".
  7. (7 September 2016). "How free agency changed NBA team building".
  8. Shapiro, Michael. (July 23, 2018). "Dirk Nowitzki Set To Make History For Most Seasons With One Team". Spots Illustrated.
  9. A player is not eligible for induction into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] until he has been fully retired for three calendar years.
  10. "Dirk Nowitzki Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  11. "Kobe Bryant Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  12. "Udonis Haslem Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  13. "Tim Duncan Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  14. "John Stockton Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  15. "Reggie Miller Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  16. "Stephen Curry Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  17. "Manu Ginobili Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  18. "John Havlicek Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  19. "Dolph Schayes Bio". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
  20. "Dolph Schayes Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  21. "Hal Greer Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  22. (October 4, 2003). "First-rounder needs shoulder surgery". ESPN.com.
  23. "Nick Collison Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  24. "Elgin Baylor Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  25. "Jerry West Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  26. "Joe Dumars Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  27. Anderson, Dave. (May 18, 1987). "Sports of the Times; The Robinson Plot Thickens". The New York Times.
  28. "David Robinson Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  29. "Bill Russell Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  30. "Tom Sanders Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  31. "Wes Unseld Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  32. "Calvin Murphy Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  33. "Fred Brown Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  34. "Alvan Adams Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  35. "Larry Bird Bio". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
  36. "Larry Bird Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  37. "Magic Johnson Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  38. "Kevin McHale Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  39. "Isiah Thomas Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  40. "Jeff Foster Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  41. "Sam Jones Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  42. "Michael Cooper Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  43. "James Worthy Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  44. "Nate McMillan Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  45. "Rik Smits Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  46. "Bob Pettit Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  47. "Jack Twyman Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  48. "Al Attles Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  49. "Rudy Tomjanovich Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  50. "Julius Erving Bio". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
  51. "Julius Erving Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  52. "Mark Eaton Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  53. "Vern Mikkelsen Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  54. "Paul Arizin Bio". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
  55. "Paul Arizin Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  56. (February 18, 2002). "Suns Add Al Bianchi to Coaching Staff". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
  57. "Al Bianchi Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  58. McCallum, Jack. (October 24, 2008). "Wait over, Oden is ready to go". Time Warner Company.
  59. "Cliff Hagan Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  60. "Willis Reed Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  61. Mann, Jack. (February 7, 1966). "Just A Guy At Oxford". Time Warner Company.
  62. "Bill Bradley Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  63. "Tom Boerwinkle Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  64. "Allen Leavell Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
  65. "1985–86: "The Mailman" Delivers A Winning Season". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
  66. "Darrell Griffith Statistics". basketball-reference.com.
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