Vince Carter has played the most seasons in his career, with 22 seasons. James, 21, 1, 492; 3, Dirk Nowitzki D. The longest-serving player in the NBA is Vince Carter, who played 22 seasons on eight teams: Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks. Speaking of NBA legends, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also played 20 seasons, 14 with the Los Angeles Lakers and six with the Milwaukee Bucks. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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. After the “21 Club”, we have four other basketball greats who played for 20 seasons: Los Angeles Lakers legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the late Kobe Bryant, Jamal Crawford, three-time winner of the NBA's sixth man of the year award, and Udonis Haslem, of the Miami Heat. 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 eight-time All-Star first played with the Toronto Raptors in 1998 and was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1999. 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. 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.
The three-time sixth NBA player played his last three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets. 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.
