LeBron James has played the most seasons in his career with an active player, with 21 seasons. LeBron James is the oldest player in the NBA at 39 years old as he prepares to enter his 22nd season. He has played in the league since the 2003-04 season, when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him in the first overall selection. 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 its first four seasons.
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. Being first in the overall draft comes with a lot of pressure and, unfortunately for these NBA players, it was just too difficult to handle. Getting to the NBA is very difficult, because you have to be very talented, work hard and, in addition, be lucky, even if some people say that luck doesn't exist. NBA Hall of Famer Robert Parish debuted in the 1976-77 season with the Golden State Warriors, then played 14 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning three rings.
A study by The Game Day claims to have found the best NBA players of all time, placing Michael Jordan and LeBron James out of the top five. In his first game as a player with the Steamrollers, he failed his six shooting attempts and scored only two points in three free throw attempts; he only played one more game before retiring as a player two days before his 46th birthday. The longest-serving player in the NBA is Vince Carter, who played 22 seasons on eight teams: the Toronto Raptors, the New Jersey Nets, the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, the Dallas Mavericks, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks. In the past, a college player had to complete his four years of college eligibility before he could enter the league through the NBA draft or as a free agent.
From college basketball betting during the season with spreads, money lines or parlays, to off-season NBA futures, such as NBA championship odds or NBA MVP odds, there are a variety of markets for everyone, regardless of their basketball or sports betting experience. To stay in the NBA, you have to prove that you're one of the best players in the world and that you're up to the league's standards. While many struggle to stay in the NBA even for one season, some can play in the league for a long time. The Pistons won the 2004 finals and Miličić became the youngest player to win the NBA championship, with only five days left until his 19th birthday.
Haslem was never an outstanding player, but in his prime he was a decent power forward, and then he was a solid bench player in the second half of his career. Throughout NBA history, there have been more than 4,500 players and the average length of a career is about 4.5 years. Speaking of NBA legends, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also played 20 seasons, 14 with the Los Angeles Lakers and six with the Milwaukee Bucks.
