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. Speaking of NBA legends, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also played 20 seasons, 14 with the Los Angeles Lakers and six with the Milwaukee Bucks. 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. King James is already the all-time leading scorer (40,474 points) and will be the scoring king for a long time.
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. 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. 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. Throughout the history of the NBA, there have been more than 4,500 players, and the average length of the Career is about 4.5 years.
The three-time sixth NBA player played his last three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets. NBA Hall of Famer Robert Parish made his debut in the 1976-77 season with the Golden State Warriors, then played 14 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning three rings. 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. Throughout his 21-year career, LeBron James has proven time and time again that he is one of the best basketball players who has stepped on a court.
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. 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. 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.
