Who Has Been in the NBA the Longest?
We all know that professional basketball is a long and grueling season. But who has been in the NBA the longest? We did a little research and found out who the iron men of the NBA are.
Introduction
In order to qualify for this list, players must have played in at least one NBA game. This list only includes players who are still active, meaning they haven’t retired yet. The player with the longest career is not necessarily the oldest player;players may have had long careers but may not have played in recent years. The list is current as of the 2019-2020 season.
##1. Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki is a German professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. He is a 14-time All-Star and the only European-born player in NBA history to receive the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP). He is also one of seven players who have won an NBA Championship and an MVP award. Nowitzki led the Mavericks to 15 NBA Playoffs berths, including 13 50+ win seasons and 12 trips to the Western Conference Finals or NBA Finals. He ranks 6th all time in scoring with 31,560 points and holds many other notable records for his franchise. He has played his entire 21-year career with the Mavericks, setting an NBA record for most seasons spent with a single team.
Nowitzki was signed by the Milwaukee Bucks after being selected 9th overall in the 1998 NBA Draft but was traded to Dallas shortly afterwards. He had an immediate impact on the Mavericks, winning co-Rookie of the Year honors with Carmelo Anthony during his first season while starting all 82 games for Dallas. He slowly improved his game over his next few seasons before exploding into stardom in 2002–03, leading Dallas to their first ever Western Conference Finals appearance while being named to both the All-NBA Second Team and All-Star teams for the first time in his career. His play continued to improve over the next few years as he established himself as one of the best players in both franchise history and all of basketball; he was named MVP in 2006–07 after leading Dallas to their first ever 70+ win season and their first NBA Finals appearance since 1988, where they lost to Miami Heat in six games. After another trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2007–08, Nowitzki helped lead Dallas to their first ever NBA Championship in 2010–11, defeating LeBron James and Miami Heat in six games while being named Finals MVP along the way; he became just sixth player all-time receive both awards during their career, joining Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan on that prestigious list
Nowitzki continued to play at a high level throughout his thirties despite suffering various injuries; he was again named First Team All-NBA and All-Star multiple times while also winning another gold medal as a member of Germany’s national team at EuroBasket 2015. At 37 years old during 2015–16 season, he became just fifth player all time score 30 points at least 15 times during their age 37 or older season en route another trip to Western Conference Finals where they eventually lost to eventual champion Golden State Warriors despite leading 2–1 series lead early on; it would be Dirk’s last hurrahs as serious injuries limited him over next two seasons before finally retireing following 2018–19 campaign as beloved figure not just Dallas but also entire league after 21 illustrious seasons .
Robert Parish
Robert Parish played for the Boston Celtics from 1980 to 1987, before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets. He then played for the Hornets until 1988, when he was traded back to the Celtics. He remained with the Celtics until he was traded to the Chicago Bulls in 1996. He played with the Bulls for two seasons before retiring in 1997. In total, Parish played in 1,611 NBA games, which is the fourth-most in NBA history.
Kevin Willis
Kevin Willis is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 21 seasons. He was drafted 11th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1984 NBA draft and went on to play for eight different teams during his career. Willis is one of only four players in NBA history to play at least 1,400 games and he currently ranks fourth on the league’s all-time list of games played. He also ranks in the top ten of several other categories, including minutes played, rebounds, and blocked shots.
A.C. Green
At the top of the list is A.C. Green, who played in a remarkable 1,192 games over the course of his 16 seasons in the league. That’s an average of 74.5 games per season, and it’s a record that is unlikely to ever be broken. Green was a model of durability and consistency throughout his career, and he was rewarded with three NBA Championships as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Darrell Griffith
Darrell Griffith was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 1st round (ninth overall) of the 1980 NBA Draft. He played in the NBA for 10 years from 1980 to 1990, all with the Jazz.
Conclusion
Nowitzki is the longest tenured player in the NBA, currently in his 21st season with the Mavericks. He’s played an additional 12 seasons with Dallas than the next-closest player on the list, Kobe Bryant (who played 20 seasons with the Lakers).
Here are the top 10 longest-tenured NBA players of all time:
1. Dirk Nowitzki (21 seasons)
2. Kobe Bryant (20 seasons)
3. Tim Duncan (19 seasons)
4. Kevin Garnett (21 seasons)
5. Manu Ginobili (16 seasons)
6. Tony Parker (18 seasons)
7. John Stockton (19 seasons)
8. Karl Malone (19 seasons)
9. Reggie Miller (18 seasons)
10. Jason Kidd (19 season
