Vince Carter, who began his career with the Raptors, is the only player in NBA history to have played in 22 seasons. In the NBA, big men tend to have more time. 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 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. He always adapted to his role and did it, and that's why he stayed in the NBA for 20 years despite being an average player at best. 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. Speaking of NBA legends, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also played 20 seasons, 14 with the Los Angeles Lakers and six with the Milwaukee Bucks.
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. Throughout his 21-year career, LeBron James has proven time and time again that he is one of the best basketball players to ever walk on a court. 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. 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.
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 finished his career in 1988-89 with a record of 20 seasons played. 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. Throughout NBA history, there have been more than 4,500 players and the average career length is about 4.5 years. 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.
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.
