Only ten players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) have played 20 or more seasons in their respective careers. 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;[1][2][3] he finished his career in 1988–89 with a then-record 20 seasons played.[4][5] Robert Parish broke the mark in 1996–97, when he retired after 21 seasons,[6][7] and Kevin Willis tied him in his final season in 2006–07.[a][9] They were joined by Kevin Garnett in 2015–16 when he began his 21st season.[10] His Minnesota Timberwolves played their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant, who became the fifth player to reach the 20-season plateau that night.[11] The game was the first time in league history that two opposing players each had at least 20 years of experience.[12] Having played his entire career with the Lakers, Bryant was also the first NBA player to spend 20 seasons with one team.[13] In 2018–19, Dirk Nowitzki surpassed Bryant with 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks.[14] In 2019–20, Vince Carter became the first player with 22 seasons in the NBA.[15]
In the NBA, big men typically have longer playing careers than smaller men.[16][17] Older centers and power forwards may have the luxury of pacing themselves while running the court, or they might station themselves in the post.[18][19] Big men Parish, Willis, and Garnett all had relatively minor roles while playing in their respective 21st seasons.[20] On the other hand, guards are tasked with handling the ball full-court; in addition, guards are more dependent on traits like speed and quickness that deteriorate with age.[18][19] Bryant was the first guard to play 20 seasons,[13] passing the previous mark of 19 seasons for guards held by John Stockton and Jason Kidd.[21][22] In his final season, he was moved to small forward and surrounded by other ball handlers.[23][24]
| ^ | Active NBA player |
| * | Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| † | Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration[b] |
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NBA statistical leaders
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