Who Played in the NBA the Longest?

In this post, we will take a look at the NBA player who played the longest. We will also look at some other players who played a long time in the NBA.

Robert Parish

Robert Parish played in the NBA for 14 seasons from 1976 to 1980 with the Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, and Boston Celtics. He was a member of the Warriors team that won the NBA Championship in 1975, and he was also a member of the Celtics team that won the NBA Championship in 1981. Parish is one of only two players in NBA history to play in 1,000 games with two different teams.

Robert Parish’s NBA career

Robert Parish played in the NBA for an impressive fourteen seasons, from 1976 to 1997. That is the fourth longest career in NBA history, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Garnett, and Vin Baker.

Parish was drafted in the first round of the 1976 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. He played eight seasons for the Warriors, winning an NBA championship with them in 1975. He then spent nine seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning three more NBA championships with them. In his last season, 1997, he briefly played for the Charlotte Hornets before returning to the Celtics for one final game.

In his career, Robert Parish averaged 14.5 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Robert Parish’s teams

Robert Parish played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Boston Celtics from 1980 to 1987, the Charlotte Hornets from 1988 to 1996, and the Chicago Bulls in 1997. After his playing career, he served as an assistant coach for the bulls from 1998 to 2002.

Parish was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He attended Centenary College of Louisiana from 1974 to 1976. In 1976, he was drafted in the first round of the NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. He played for the Warriors for four seasons before being traded to the Celtics in 1980.

With the Celtics, Parish won three NBA championships (1981, 1984, and 1986). He was named to nine NBA All-Star teams and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

In 1996, Parish signed with the Hornets and became one of only a handful of players to play 1,000 games with two different teams. He retired after the 1997 season with a total of 1,611 games played, which is an NBA record.

Kevin Willis

Kevin Willis’s NBA career

Kevin Willis is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 21 seasons. He was a member of the Atlanta Hawks for 12 seasons, and also played for the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets. Willis was an NBA All-Star in 1992 and won an NBA championship with the Spurs in 2003. He is one of only 12 players to play in 1,500 or more NBA games.

Willis began his professional career in 1984 after being selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the NBA draft. He quickly became one of the Hawks’ most important players, averaging double-figures in points and rebounds for 11 consecutive seasons. In 1992, Willis was named an All-Star for the first time. The following year, he helped the Hawks reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1970.

Willis spent 12 seasons with the Hawks before being traded to the Miami Heat prior to the 1996–97 season. He spent two seasons with Miami before being traded again, this time to the Houston Rockets. Willis would spend just over a year with Houston before being traded again, this time to the Golden State Warriors. After one season with Golden State, Willis was traded back to Atlanta.

Willis spent three more seasons with Atlanta before being traded to Toronto in 2002. He played one season with Toronto before being released and signing with Chicago. After one season with Chicago, Willis signed as a free agent with San Antonio. He won his only NBA championship while with San Antonio in 2003. Willis played two more seasons with San Antonio before signing as a free agent with Denver prior to the 2005–06 season. He played two seasons with Denver before retiring from professional basketball in 2007.

Kevin Willis’s teams

Willis was drafted 11th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1984 NBA draft. He played with the Hawks for 12 seasons until 1996. In his time with Atlanta, he became one of the best power forwards in the league, averaging a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. He also played in the 1988, 1989, and 1990 NBA All-Star Games. Willis was traded to the Miami Heat in 1996 and he would play there for two seasons. After brief stints with the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, Willis signed with the Detroit Pistons in 1999. In his first season with Detroit, Willis won an NBA championship. He would play with the Pistons until 2006 when he was traded back to Atlanta. Willis would retire from basketball after one season back with the Hawks.

Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan, who played for the San Antonio Spurs for his entire 19-year career, is the longest-tenured player in NBA history. Duncan played in 1,392 regular-season games and 251 playoff games, more than any other player in NBA history. He was a 15-time All-Star, a two-time NBA MVP, and a three-time NBA Finals MVP. He won five NBA championships, more than any other player in NBA history.

Tim Duncan’s NBA career

Tim Duncan, who played his entire 19-year NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs, is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time. He was a two-time NBA MVP, a three-time NBA Finals MVP, and a 15-time NBA All-Star. He helped lead the Spurs to five NBA Championships, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Tim Duncan’s teams

Tim Duncan played for the San Antonio Spurs for his entire NBA career. He was drafted by the Spurs in 1997 and played with the team until his retirement in 2016. In his 19 seasons with the Spurs, Tim Duncan won 5 NBA Championship titles.