# 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). The league adopted the NBA name at the start of the 1949–50 season when it merged with the National Basketball League (NBL). 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. The league is considered to be one of the four major professional sports leagues of North America.
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. 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. 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
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.
Stephen Curry is the leader among active players, having played 15 seasons with the Golden State Warriors.

## All-time list

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 |
NBA players who have spent their career at one franchise :
| Rank | Seasons | Player | Pos. | Team | Career | Notes |
| 1 | 21 | Dirk Nowitzki* | F/C | 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. |
| 2 | 20 | Kobe Bryant* | G/F | Los Angeles Lakers | 1996–2016 | Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 and traded to the Lakers. |
| 2 | 20 | Udonis Haslem$^†$ | F/C | Miami Heat | 2003–2023 | Went undrafted in 2002, but signed as a free agent with the Heat a year later |
| 4 | 19 | Tim Duncan* | F/C | San Antonio Spurs | 1997–2016 | — |
| 4 | 19 | John Stockton* | G | Utah Jazz | 1984–2003 | — |
| 6 | 18 | Reggie Miller* | G | Indiana Pacers | 1987–2005 | — |
| 7 | 16 | Manu Ginóbili* | G | San Antonio Spurs | 2002–2018 | Drafted by the Spurs in 1999, but did not enter the NBA until 2002 |
| 7 | 16 | John Havlicek* | F/G | Boston Celtics | 1962–1978 | — |
| 7 | 16 | Stephen Curry^ | G | Golden State Warriors | 2009–present | — |
| 10 | 15 | Dolph Schayes* | F/C | 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 |
| 10 | 15 | Hal Greer* | G/F | Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers | 1958–1973 | — |
| 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 |
| 12 | 14 | 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 |
| 12 | 14 | Jerry West* | G | Los Angeles Lakers | 1960–1974 | — |
| 12 | 14 | Joe Dumars* | G | Detroit Pistons | 1985–1999 | — |
| 12 | 14 | 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 |
| 17 | 13 | Bill Russell* | C | Boston Celtics | 1956–1969 | Drafted by the St. Louis Hawks in 1956 and traded to the Celtics |
| 17 | 13 | Satch Sanders* | F | Boston Celtics | 1960–1973 | — |
| 17 | 13 | Wes Unseld* | C/F | Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets | 1968–1981 | — |
| 17 | 13 | Calvin Murphy* | G | San Diego / Houston Rockets | 1970–1983 | — |
| 17 | 13 | Fred Brown | G | Seattle SuperSonics | 1971–1984 | — |
| 17 | 13 | Alvan Adams | C/F | Phoenix Suns | 1975–1988 | — |
| 17 | 13 | 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 |
| 17 | 13 | 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 |
| 17 | 13 | Kevin McHale* | F | Boston Celtics | 1980–1993 | — |
| 17 | 13 | Isiah Thomas* | G | Detroit Pistons | 1981–1994 | — |
| 17 | 13 | Jeff Foster | F/C | Indiana Pacers | 1999–2012 | Drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 1999 and traded to the Pacers |
| 17 | 13 | Draymond Green^ | F | Golden State Warriors | 2012–present | |
| 29 | 12 | Sam Jones* | G/F | Boston Celtics | 1957–1969 | — |
| 29 | 12 | Michael Cooper* | G/F | Los Angeles Lakers | 1978–1990 | — |
| 29 | 12 | James Worthy* | F | Los Angeles Lakers | 1982–1994 | — |
| 29 | 12 | Nate McMillan | G/F | Seattle SuperSonics | 1986–1998 | — |
| 29 | 12 | Rik Smits | C | Indiana Pacers | 1988–2000 | — |
| 29 | 12 | Giannis Antetokounmpo^ | F | Milwaukee Bucks | 2013–present | |
| 35 | 11 | Bob Pettit* | F/C | Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks | 1954–1965 | — |
| 35 | 11 | Jack Twyman* | G/F | Rochester / Cincinnati Royals | 1955–1966 | — |
| 35 | 11 | Al Attles* | G | Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors | 1960–1971 | — |
| 35 | 11 | Rudy Tomjanovich* | F | San Diego / Houston Rockets | 1970–1981 | — |
| 35 | 11 | 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 |
| 35 | 11 | Mark Eaton | C | Utah Jazz | 1982–1993 | — |
| 42 | 10 | Vern Mikkelsen* | F/C | Minneapolis Lakers | 1949–1959 | — |
| 42 | 10 | Paul Arizin* | G/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 |
| 42 | 10 | 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 |
| 42 | 10 | Cliff Hagan* | G/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 |
| 42 | 10 | Willis Reed* | F/C | New York Knicks | 1964–1974 | — |
| 42 | 10 | Bill Bradley* | G/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; also played professional basketball overseas with the Olimpia Milano in Italy for one season before joining the Knicks |
| 42 | 10 | Tom Boerwinkle | C | Chicago Bulls | 1968–1978 | — |
| 42 | 10 | Allen Leavell | G | Houston Rockets | 1979–1989 | — |
| 42 | 10 | Darrell Griffith | G | Utah Jazz | 1980–1985, 1986–1991 | Missed the 1985–86 season due to injury |
| 42 | 10 | Nikola Jokić^ | C | Denver Nuggets | 2015–present | Played overseas in the 2014–15 season. |
| 42 | 10 | Myles Turner^ | C | Indiana Pacers | 2015–present | |
| 42 | 10 | Devin Booker^ | G | Phoenix Suns | 2015–present | |
| 42 | 10 | 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 | 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^ | F | 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 |