In 1985-86, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar broke the previous NBA record of 16 seasons held by Dolph Schayes, John Havlicek, Paul Silas and Elvin Hayes; he ended his own. A study published in 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 1985-86, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar broke the previous record of 16 NBA seasons held by Dolph Schayes, John Havlicek, Paul Silas and Elvin Hayes; he finished his career in 1988-89 with a record of 20 seasons played. Speaking of NBA legends, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also played 20 seasons, 14 with the Los Angeles Lakers and six with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Throughout NBA history, there have been more than 4,500 players and the average career length is about 4.5 years. Unfortunately, Garnett couldn't win a championship with the Timberwolves, but he wasted no time celebrating with the Boston Celtics, earning a ring in his first season with the team. 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 three-time sixth NBA player played his last three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets.
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. 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 his 21-year career, LeBron James has proven time and again that he is one of the best basketball players to ever walk on a court. Robert Parish, a member of the NBA Hall of Famer, made his debut in the 1976-77 season with the Golden State Warriors, and then played 14 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning three rings.
King James is already the all-time leading scorer (40,474 points) and will be the scoring king for a long time. Only ten players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) have played 20 or more seasons in their respective careers. To stay in the NBA, you must prove that you are one of the best players in the world and that you live up to the league's standards. 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.
He always adapted to his role and fulfilled, and that's why he stayed in the NBA for 20 years despite being an average player at best.
