List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men's professional basketball league of 30 teams in North America (29 in the United States and one in Canada). The NBA was founded on June 6, 1946, in New York City, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).^[1] The league adopted the NBA name at the start of the 1949–50 season when it merged with the National Basketball League (NBL).^[2] The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball, which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) as the national governing body for basketball in the country.^[3] The league is considered to be one of the four major professional sports leagues of North America.^[4]

Dirk Nowitzki played 21 years with the Dallas Mavericks, the most of any NBA player with a single franchise.

The NBA operates on a franchise model in a closed system with no promotion or relegation to other leagues and no affiliated academies for amateur athletes.^[5] The franchises are governed by their ownership and the NBA Board of Governors, allowing for franchises to change locations, team branding, mascots, staff, and player rosters. During the NBA draft, franchises select players who have not previously held a contract in the league and have declared themselves eligible.

In the early years of the league, a player's place on the roster was primarily determined by team ownership and management. In 1970, Hall of Fame player and then-President of the NBA Players Association Oscar Robertson sued the league, putting in motion the establishment of Free Agency in 1976.^[6] With player movement now having multiple decision makers and the constraints of the NBA salary cap, a player and franchise ownership would have to agree to a continuous relationship, taking into the account the player's impact, the team's performance goals, and the financial expectations from both sides, decreasing the likelihood a player would spend more than ten years with the same team.^[7]

The players listed have spent their entire NBA career, of at least 10 seasons played, with one franchise. Dirk Nowitzki holds the record, having played all of his 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. Next is Kobe Bryant, who played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Udonis Haslem, who played for the Miami Heat for all of his 20 seasons in the NBA. Hall of Famer John Stockton spent his entire 19-year playing career with the Utah Jazz, while Tim Duncan also played 19 years solely for the San Antonio Spurs, and Reggie Miller spent 18 NBA seasons with the Indiana Pacers.^[8]

Stephen Curry is the leader among active players, having played 15 seasons with the Golden State Warriors.

All-time list

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Key

Pos.	G	F	C
Position	Guard	Forward	Center

^	Denotes player who is still active in the NBA
*	Denotes player who has been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame
†	Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration[9]

NBA players who have spent their career at one franchise

Rank	Seasons	Player	Pos.	Team	Career	Notes
1	21	Dirk Nowitzki*	F	Dallas Mavericks	1998–2019	Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1998 and traded to the Mavericks. Nowitzki played for the German club DJK Würzburg from 1994 to 1998.[10]
2	20	Kobe Bryant*	G	Los Angeles Lakers	1996–2016	Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 and traded to the Lakers.[11]
		Udonis Haslem†	F	Miami Heat	2003–2023	Went undrafted in 2002, but signed as a free agent with the Heat a year later[12]
4	19	Tim Duncan*	F/C	San Antonio Spurs	1997–2016	—[13]
		John Stockton*	G	Utah Jazz	1984–2003	—[14]
6	18	Reggie Miller*	G	Indiana Pacers	1987–2005	—[15]
7	16	Manu Ginóbili*	G	San Antonio Spurs	2002–2018	Drafted by the Spurs in 1999, but did not enter the NBA until 2002[16]
		John Havlicek*	F/G	Boston Celtics	1962–1978	—[17]
		Stephen Curry^	G	Golden State Warriors	2009–present	—[18]
10	15	Dolph Schayes*	F	Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers	1949–1964	Drafted by the New York Knicks in 1948, but opted to play for the Nationals in the NBL before moving to the NBA with the Nationals in 1949[19][20]
		Hal Greer*	G	Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers	1958–1973	—[21]
12	14	Nick Collison	F/C	Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder	2004–2018	Drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2003, however, he missed the 2003–04 season due to injury[22][23]
		Elgin Baylor*	F	Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers	1958–1971	Retired in November 1971 due to injury after only playing 9 games in the 1971–72 season[24]
		Jerry West*	G	Los Angeles Lakers	1960–1974	—[25]
		Joe Dumars*	G	Detroit Pistons	1985–1999	—[26]
		David Robinson*	C	San Antonio Spurs	1989–2003	Drafted by the Spurs in 1987, but did not enter the NBA until 1989 due to his commitment with the Navy[27][28]
17	13	Bill Russell*	C	Boston Celtics	1956–1969	Drafted by the St. Louis Hawks in 1956 and traded to the Celtics[29]
		Satch Sanders*	F	Boston Celtics	1960–1973	—[30]
		Wes Unseld*	C	Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets	1968–1981	—[31]
		Calvin Murphy*	G	San Diego / Houston Rockets	1970–1983	—[32]
		Fred Brown	G	Seattle SuperSonics	1971–1984	—[33]
		Alvan Adams	C	Phoenix Suns	1975–1988	—[34]
		Larry Bird*	F	Boston Celtics	1979–1992	Drafted by the Celtics in 1978, but did not enter the NBA until 1979, after his college graduation[35][36]
		Magic Johnson*	G	Los Angeles Lakers	1979–1991, 1996	Came out from retirement in January 1996 and played 32 games in the 1995–96 season[37]
		Kevin McHale*	F	Boston Celtics	1980–1993	—[38]
		Isiah Thomas*	G	Detroit Pistons	1981–1994	—[39]
		Jeff Foster	C	Indiana Pacers	1999–2012	Drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 1999 and traded to the Pacers[40]
		Draymond Green^	F	Golden State Warriors	2012–present
29	12	Sam Jones*	G	Boston Celtics	1957–1969	—[41]
		Michael Cooper*	G	Los Angeles Lakers	1978–1990	—[42]
		James Worthy*	F	Los Angeles Lakers	1982–1994	—[43]
		Nate McMillan	G	Seattle SuperSonics	1986–1998	—[44]
		Rik Smits	C	Indiana Pacers	1988–2000	—[45]
		Giannis Antetokounmpo^	F	Milwaukee Bucks	2013–present
35	11	Bob Pettit*	F	Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks	1954–1965	—[46]
		Jack Twyman*	F	Rochester / Cincinnati Royals	1955–1966	—[47]
		Al Attles*	G	Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors	1960–1971	—[48]
		Rudy Tomjanovich*	F	San Diego / Houston Rockets	1970–1981	—[49]
		Julius Erving*	F	Philadelphia 76ers	1976–1987	Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972, but opted to play in the ABA before joining the 76ers after the ABA–NBA merger in 1976[50][51]
		Mark Eaton	C	Utah Jazz	1982–1993	—[52]
42	10	Vern Mikkelsen*	F	Minneapolis Lakers	1949–1959	—[53]
		Paul Arizin*	F	Philadelphia Warriors	1950–1952, 1954–1962	Missed the 1952–53 and 1953–54 seasons due to military service; also played for the Camden Bullets of the minor league Eastern Professional Basketball League after retiring from the NBA[54][55]
		Al Bianchi	G	Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers	1956–1966	Drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1954 and traded to the Nationals, but did not enter the league until 1956 due to military service[56][57]
		Cliff Hagan*	F	St. Louis Hawks	1956–1966	Drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1953 and traded to the Hawks, but did not enter the league until 1956 due to military service[58][59]
		Willis Reed*	C	New York Knicks	1964–1974	—[60]
		Bill Bradley*	F	New York Knicks	1967–1977	Drafted by the Knicks in 1965, but did not enter the NBA until 1967 due to a prior academic commitment in England;[61] also played professional basketball overseas with the Olimpia Milano in Italy for one season before joining the Knicks[62]
		Tom Boerwinkle	C	Chicago Bulls	1968–1978	—[63]
		Allen Leavell	G	Houston Rockets	1979–1989	—[64]
		Darrell Griffith	G	Utah Jazz	1980–1985, 1986–1991	Missed the 1985–86 season due to injury[65][66]
		Nikola Jokić^	C	Denver Nuggets	2015–present	Played overseas in the 2014–15 season.
		Myles Turner^	C	Indiana Pacers	2015–present
		Devin Booker^	G	Phoenix Suns	2015–present
		Kevon Looney^	C	Golden State Warriors	2015–present

Future candidates

Active NBA players who have spent their career at one franchise (less than 10 years)

Player	Pos.	Team	Years	Draft	Seasons	Notes
Joel Embiid^	C	Philadelphia 76ers	9	2014, 3rd	2016–present	Missed his first two years in the league because of injury.
Jaylen Brown^	G/F	Boston Celtics	9	2016, 3rd	2016–present
Jamal Murray^	G	Denver Nuggets	8	2016, 7th	2016–present	Missed the entire 2021–22 season due to injury.
Jayson Tatum^	F	Boston Celtics	8	2017, 3rd	2017–present
Bam Adebayo^	C	Miami Heat	8	2017, 14th	2017–present
Jaren Jackson Jr.^	F	Memphis Grizzlies	7	2018, 4th	2018–present
Trae Young^	G	Atlanta Hawks	7	2018, 5th	2018–present
Anfernee Simons^	G	Portland Trail Blazers	7	2018, 24th	2018–present
Mitchell Robinson^	C	New York Knicks	7	2018, 36th	2018–present
Duncan Robinson^	G/F	Miami Heat	7	2018, undrafted	2018–present

See also

• Sports portal

• NBA records
• List of NBA seasons played leaders
• List of one-club men in association football
• List of one-club men in rugby league
• List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
• List of NHL players who spent their entire career with one franchise
• List of National Football League players who spent their entire career with one franchise