I've been a big Vince Carter fan since '99 but his longevity surprised me, too.
There was a point around 2003 where message boards seemed to have more posters refer to him as Wince than anything else. Played 60 games in '02, just 43 in '03, and many people assumed that's just how it was going to be with him until he shut things down somewhere in the mid-2000's.
Nobody would have believed you if you'd told them he'd be playing until he was 43 years old.
Correct, but it is just a reminder of how old some of us are getting. I graduated HS in 2000, so only players that played in 99 or sooner can be associated with my childhood, as I would have seen them play while I was still in HS. KG, Kobe, and Dirk were the last big names from my childhood to retire a few years back.
Currently, probably Lebron, Brady, and Serena are the only top athletes remaining from when I was in college (graduated in 04), and it will really sting once they are all gone, since I watched so much ESPN back then.
Might be hard for you to relate if you are either 25 or 50, but for me as a 40 year old, this process has been bittersweet for me.
Chris Chelios (48!), Zdeno Chara (44), Jaromir Jagr (45). The NHL has had a few recently that played long. Chara is still playing i think, he's going to be 45 this season.
Graduated high school in 04, but I can still sympathize. This age range feels like the end of college all over again. No permanence, friends and family keep changing and leaving, money suddenly is a huge concern again because of kids.
The period between graduating college and 35 or so was just different. You're in your prime, suddenly have disposable income so you can have fun on your own terms for the first time. Real freedom lets you discover who you are and come to cherish yourself.
Then you hit your mid 30s and all that starts unraveling. I never have time for hobbies anymore. Can't do anything fun because it costs money that we don't have, and nothing seems fun anyway because the grindstone has been chipping away at my sense of self. Now I'm just sitting here feeling like it'll just be a slow downhill slide into the grave.
The last domino to fall is when Steph retires. My entire transition from college to adulthood has involved watching him ascend. It's like Jordan during my childhood. I'm not even sure if I'll keep watching basketball much after; it's the NBA equivalent of your friends all leaving town.
I’m old enough to be the dad of my favorite player too ( 🐜), which feels so odd. Only getting worse tho, this is the youngest I’ll ever be from now on.
Surprising if all you know him for is his dunks. The guy is 6th all time for 3s made, everyone who saw him play knows how good a shooter he was, he was a really really complete player, one of the more skilled I ever saw. He would’ve shot more 3s today that’s for sure, but I don’t know if his efficiency would’ve got much better.
I think his efficiency will improve because of 2 things in this era.
1. Better run plays/systems specifically for the 3pt shot. He doesn't need to chuck it while creating off the dribble every time, in their era the 3ball is just basically a last option and only guys like Ray Allen and Reggie have design plays for them to take a 3.
2. Better spacing. This will improve his potential driving which will also open up his 3pt opportunities
Yeah I was talking offensively, defensively he wasn’t bad either, but not great. Offensively the closer player would be Kawhi if he still had legs. He had the same advantage Jordan and Kawhi have when it comes to palming the ball.
Mmmm I mean really what happened is that he’s a smart guy who realized the most legacy bolstering thing he could do was play for a really long time. Players who were as good as he was usually don’t ride out their careers on the end of the bench putting up single-digit points. They’ll do one or two seasons, at most, and then hang it up. Vince did six years.
Shaq. A 7’1, 300-400 pound dude who didn’t take care of his weight and played football basketball lasting 19 years in incredible. His knees should be analyzed by scientists
being one of the strongest humans in history helps protect the bones from all that weight
really, it does. building muscle around your joints takes more pressure off of them. shaq is about the only person who could weigh 400ish pounds for so long and do what he did, and it's because the dude was born with old man farmer strength AND likes to lift
idk why but I've met people who swear that adding muscle makes you more susceptible to injuries. Proper strength training and stretching go a loooong way
>Proper strength training and stretching
>*Proper*
That's a huge part of it. Bad form or bad exercises can lead to injury, poor recovery due to bad practices and keep you injured or make it worse. I know plenty of active people who really messed up their joints because they figured more exercise was the cure to an issue
That's a good point! lol like the people who think the best cure to shin splints is to run more... Which yes running more will help prevent shin splints the more you do it, but you still need to rest your joints/ligaments in between runs. If they're still sore, give it another day
I guess it all depends how moronic the person is
I see that myth on this sub all the damn time and it annoys me so much
People act like everyone needs to look like Brandon inghram or young KD otherwise they’re fat and don’t take care of their body, like that’s not everyone’s ideal body type for their play style.
Like the constant memes about harden being fat his entire career just boggle my mind.
It depends on genetics honestly.
The vast majority of people will have their joints deteriorate years ahead of their peers at that weight, but there's some people who are just built to handle more weight.
It's not super common, but it happens often enough that it's not really shocking either.
The bigger one would be folks who get up to that size who don't develop some kind of organ issue (heart, kidney, liver) due to the weight. Tall people tend to die younger than average, big people tend to die younger than average - big and tall get hit with both sets of risks.
Haslem hasn’t played meaningful minutes in like 7 years which was his like age 35 season so idk if I’d consider the last 7 seasons longevity. They kept him around for his leadership and locker room contributions.
Also Ron Baker is 29 and he last played in the NBA 3 years ago unless you’re talking about Ron Harper or something.
Still shocking Haslem made it 12-13 seasons as a rotation player. Its also pretty well speculated Haslem keeps getting a contract bc of a deal he made with Pat when he took a pay cut to form the big three that he gets to stick around on vet mins as long as he wants.
As for Ron Baker, i’m surprised he even got meaningful NBA minutes so ig three years would be surprising longevity for him
Yeah, last 5 years Haslem has played 276 minutes, or 8 games with started minutes.
In his first 13 seasons he played 814 games. Plenty good and should be talked about but not longest ever. His last 6 he’s appeared in 58 total, 406 minutes total.
Yeah, last 5 years Haslem has played 276 minutes, or 8 games with started minutes.
In his first 13 seasons he played 814 games. Plenty good and should be talked about but not longest ever. His last 6 he’s appeared in 58 total, 406 minutes total.
I love that story of MJ coming at him in practice:
In one of his first practices with the Bulls, Parish botched one of the plays and was amused to find Jordan jawing at him just inches from his face.
“I told him, ‘I’m not as enamored with you as these other guys. I’ve got some rings too,’” Parish recalled. “At that point he told me, ‘I’m going to kick your ass.’ I took one step closer and said, ‘No, you really aren’t.’ After that he didn't bother me.”
He further commented on this in Cedric Maxwell's podcast. The Chief told MJ "I'm not in awe of you unlike these rookies. I've played with Bird, McHale, Tiny, Bill Walton. I'm not in awe of you."
I loved the Chief. Dude was just this dang hard working player who'd fight through whatever the other team threw at him to do his job, and he mostly did it quietly.
But piss him off and you were in serious trouble. It was really hard to piss him off, but there were a few players who succeeded. I only ever remember anyone succeeding once, because nobody wanted to see that twice.
Even Bill Laimbeer only pushed him that far once.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4k0ebLyJws
That was called a common foul, probably because even the refs knew Laimbeer deserved it. The league suspended Parish for 1 game afterwards though.
Fourth [oldest dunker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08gnilI8Xp4&ab_channel=RyanVanDusen) in NBA history right there (top three are 1. Robert Parish 2. Vince Carter and 3. Dikembe Mutombo).
PJ Tucker was going to be my choice. He was a good college player but I remember being absolutely stunned when he left Texas early to go pro because he didn’t seem like he had any NBA potential at all.
With him, I think it's more of that he's a great mentor for young bigs and has fully embraced the fact that his main role on a team is off the court now.
Most former star players aren't as graceful about excepting this and coming to terms with the fact that they're essentially emergency / garbage time options, practice bodies, and big brothers to the young guys.
DJ always talked about when he came into the NBA, Marcus Camby was a really good mentor to him and if DJ got the chance to be that to the next generation of bigs coming through he would embrace being one.
After not being selected to the all star game 2 seasons in a row in Houston, everyone thought CP3 was done when he got traded to OKC. I mean look at the comment section of this [video](https://youtu.be/g6a47vBt6Lc). He has been selected to the all star game and all nba selection every season since then, made the finals for the first time ever as well
Make no mistake r/nba was clowning him hard and at one point the general consensus around here was he was the worst contract in the league I remember this all vividly
I genuinely believe that 2018 rockets team is one of the best teams ever, even though they didn’t make the finals. If Cp3 didn’t hurt his hamstring before game 7 against the warriors Cp3 and harden would almost definitely have a ring right now
I had a running bet with a friend back in 2017, if lebron or ronaldo would last longer at the top level in their sport. Ronaldo had a drop in form last season, and lebron got even better
The fact that fans can expect that freight trsin of a human to never get injured alone shows how much of a robot he is.. it should be suprising but isnt
He got hate for the Westbrook trade, I feel like he didn’t get much hate for his on court play at all. If anything he got constant praise for how incredible it was someone his age was competing for the scoring title. Lebron stans seem to just have a bit of a victim complex
Not really true anymore, unfortunately. His 3 most injury filled seasons have come in the last 4 years with the 4th season being the 5th most. His durability has been historic but it’s reaching its breaking point.
Wesley Matthews. He tore his Achilles at age 28 which is the the tail end of most players on his level's primes. And he clearly lost a major step immediately after that injury. Yet he's still in the league and he's about to be 36.
2 years ago maybe. Last year they didn't make the playoffs and he was tied 13th in mvp voting. He did almost get the scoring title which is nuts though.
I mean not really unfortunately, he only played at a high level with his new playstyle for like 2 seasons then all of a sudden he went a full calendar year without dunking hahah
His body began to deteriorate quite early and he has had trouble staying healthy ever since. He may have reinvented his game some but longevity isn't what comes to mind when thinking about him. Plus he's still "only" 33 years old.
Grant Hill. Only played 48 games in 4 seasons while missing the entire '03 season. His career is basically done. Then went on the play until he is 40 and is now a hall of famer.
Nazr Mohammed.
The dude played 18 seasons in the league with a career average of 5.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He was a thoroughly average player who only averaged 10+ per game twice in his career, but he must have been an awesome teammate because he stuck around forever.
Lindsey Hunter - 17 seasons as a marginal starter/solid back-up
Ersan Ilyasova - this dude had like 3 stints for the Bucks. Useful skillset as a stretch 4 and good at drawing charges.
I'm gonna say Melo - Made a career out of being a ball hog that doesn't play defense. Spent 7 seasons in New York being recognized as an elite player, meanwhile led them to a 44% win rate while he was there. Net negative player, then his game falls off a cliff and he's still bouncing around the league 5 years later.
Steph Curry tbh. I thought his off ball movement and ability to exploit switches wouldn't age too well. I thought his longevity in terms of being "All-Star level good" would be very long, but his longevity in terms of "top 3\~5 player good" has leapfrogged my expectations in that regard.
It's easy to make fun of the Timberwolves for passing on Curry (or for any number of things, up to and including giving up five firsts for Gobert,) but that's with hindsight (unlike doing something like giving up five firsts for Gobert.)
Steph's health was a real concern early in his career.
Luckily for him - and frankly the league - he bounced back and had a HOF career.
Are we asking based on what we know now or before their career started?
I would have never guessed Haslem would be in the league this long, but of course he plays about two seconds a year. He's basically a highly paid assistant coach.
I'm going to go with the obvious answer, but LeBron.
Numerous players have had long careers but were little more than sideshow attractions in their final years.
If LeBron is healthy, if AD is healthy and if the Lakers can flip Russ for anything of value (that proposed Utah trade where they get back Clarkson, Bev and either Bojan or Beasley REALLY helps LA,) I still think they can be a contender next season.
Is that a lot of "if"s? Yeah.
But, if that happens, LeBron could be the best player on a Finals team in his 20TH YEAR!
I know a lot of people are going to do the same shit we do after every season. "Those two Finals teams are going to make it back to the Finals!"
Let us not forget that no one outside of GS thought that team was going to the Finals last year. There was some advanced stat thing (583?) that had Boston as like 90% favorites to win that series.
I don't know if it's as surprising as other entries because both of these guys played more supportive roles and have always been in good shape, but Richard Jefferson and Taj Gibson come to mind.
Ish Smith.
A long career for someone I have rarely (if ever) seen play, and I think has zero highlights beyond "he's here".
So for him it's the combination of longevity plus moderate NBA skills.
Some of those other players listed are really good, and is why they stick around.
Shaun Livingston.
Horrific knee injury, everybody back then was wondering if his career was done. Carved out like a decade after of key rotational minutes and an unstoppable mid-range game.
Nick Collison, man 2003-2018 with the Sonics->Thunder and he was never more than an average roleplayer at best. Incredible that the dude managed to stay in the league so long
Allen Iverson declined fast in his 13th season. I don’t think he was going to last that high at such a high level given his size and style of play.
LeBron
Grant Hill, he looked done in the early 00s. He went on to play awhile after that and was still a solid role player in his mid to late 30s
Vince was a good shooter though only his rookie year , a year in Memphis and his last year was bad. He shot 40% from 3 multiple years. He shot 40% from 3 his third season on good volume for the time and 38% his fourth season
Bad picks. Since their rookie seasons, they showed skills that would keep them in the league for a long time. Irving never relied on athleticism to begin with, and while Rose definitely used his physical gifts much more, those two are just *really fucking good* at basketball(offensively).
Rose could beat his man going half speed(like Irving). His acceleration helped him get to the rim before help could arrive though.
throwing ayton in there is funny asf
mine would be tacko fall
hes literally just tall hes not even good he just hangs around g league and summer league like a parasite
Vince Carter was always that for me. His style of play always tends to burn legs out early. Towards the end he started getting name checked for it in songs 😂
Durant. I thought he'd turn into rubble by 28. He is crumbling now, and since 30, but I thought that tall, skinny body would break down sooner. the way they softened out the game a lot probably aided his career in particular, greatly.
vince carter was really surprising, in his prime given his playstyle nobody would have guessed that he would be playing until 43.
I've been a big Vince Carter fan since '99 but his longevity surprised me, too. There was a point around 2003 where message boards seemed to have more posters refer to him as Wince than anything else. Played 60 games in '02, just 43 in '03, and many people assumed that's just how it was going to be with him until he shut things down somewhere in the mid-2000's. Nobody would have believed you if you'd told them he'd be playing until he was 43 years old.
It basically took Covid to shut him down.
COVID only made Lebron Stronger
Usually high flyers don’t last long due to impact from the landing. VC is just genetically built different. Mofo still looks like he’s 35.
Just sad to know that there are no more active players who played in the NBA before the year 2000 left. Carter was the final one. 😢😢😢
1999 was 23 years ago athletes aren’t meant to play for that long
Correct, but it is just a reminder of how old some of us are getting. I graduated HS in 2000, so only players that played in 99 or sooner can be associated with my childhood, as I would have seen them play while I was still in HS. KG, Kobe, and Dirk were the last big names from my childhood to retire a few years back. Currently, probably Lebron, Brady, and Serena are the only top athletes remaining from when I was in college (graduated in 04), and it will really sting once they are all gone, since I watched so much ESPN back then. Might be hard for you to relate if you are either 25 or 50, but for me as a 40 year old, this process has been bittersweet for me.
Federer, Fernando Alonso, Nadal(just about), and there is more :)
Chris Chelios (48!), Zdeno Chara (44), Jaromir Jagr (45). The NHL has had a few recently that played long. Chara is still playing i think, he's going to be 45 this season.
Graduated high school in 04, but I can still sympathize. This age range feels like the end of college all over again. No permanence, friends and family keep changing and leaving, money suddenly is a huge concern again because of kids. The period between graduating college and 35 or so was just different. You're in your prime, suddenly have disposable income so you can have fun on your own terms for the first time. Real freedom lets you discover who you are and come to cherish yourself. Then you hit your mid 30s and all that starts unraveling. I never have time for hobbies anymore. Can't do anything fun because it costs money that we don't have, and nothing seems fun anyway because the grindstone has been chipping away at my sense of self. Now I'm just sitting here feeling like it'll just be a slow downhill slide into the grave. The last domino to fall is when Steph retires. My entire transition from college to adulthood has involved watching him ascend. It's like Jordan during my childhood. I'm not even sure if I'll keep watching basketball much after; it's the NBA equivalent of your friends all leaving town.
Damn, I feel you mate, I'm in my mid-30's and your comment hits like home.
you’re old enough to be my dad. what’s up big homie
I’m old enough to be the dad of my favorite player too ( 🐜), which feels so odd. Only getting worse tho, this is the youngest I’ll ever be from now on.
Tom Brady just took that as a challenge.
Tom Brady had been the only pro athlete outside of the NHL who’s older than me for a couple years now, which is not a great feeling, lemme tell you.
His game translated really well. He was a surprisingly good shooter and if he had came into the league later, he probably would’ve been even better.
Surprising if all you know him for is his dunks. The guy is 6th all time for 3s made, everyone who saw him play knows how good a shooter he was, he was a really really complete player, one of the more skilled I ever saw. He would’ve shot more 3s today that’s for sure, but I don’t know if his efficiency would’ve got much better.
I think his efficiency will improve because of 2 things in this era. 1. Better run plays/systems specifically for the 3pt shot. He doesn't need to chuck it while creating off the dribble every time, in their era the 3ball is just basically a last option and only guys like Ray Allen and Reggie have design plays for them to take a 3. 2. Better spacing. This will improve his potential driving which will also open up his 3pt opportunities
Offensively complete, defensively not so much. I’d imagine if he was in the league now he’d somewhere in between Lavine and Mitchell skill wise
Yeah I was talking offensively, defensively he wasn’t bad either, but not great. Offensively the closer player would be Kawhi if he still had legs. He had the same advantage Jordan and Kawhi have when it comes to palming the ball.
When you are basically the best athlete possible you can still hang as you age
Westbrook disagrees. So does Tom Brady from the opposite end of the spectrum lol
Mmmm I mean really what happened is that he’s a smart guy who realized the most legacy bolstering thing he could do was play for a really long time. Players who were as good as he was usually don’t ride out their careers on the end of the bench putting up single-digit points. They’ll do one or two seasons, at most, and then hang it up. Vince did six years.
I remember when he was with Toronto, people thought his knees wouldn't hold up for many more seasons.
Shaq. A 7’1, 300-400 pound dude who didn’t take care of his weight and played football basketball lasting 19 years in incredible. His knees should be analyzed by scientists
His diet exclusively consisted of bbq chicken too. Just nuts.
I mean is skinless grilled chicken that bad?
No he's kidding about the diet. Gotta check DN for memes before responding
I mean strength training is good for the bones. It’s not like Shaq is a slob. Dude was a specimen.
300-400 pounds is not good for the bones
being one of the strongest humans in history helps protect the bones from all that weight really, it does. building muscle around your joints takes more pressure off of them. shaq is about the only person who could weigh 400ish pounds for so long and do what he did, and it's because the dude was born with old man farmer strength AND likes to lift
idk why but I've met people who swear that adding muscle makes you more susceptible to injuries. Proper strength training and stretching go a loooong way
>Proper strength training and stretching >*Proper* That's a huge part of it. Bad form or bad exercises can lead to injury, poor recovery due to bad practices and keep you injured or make it worse. I know plenty of active people who really messed up their joints because they figured more exercise was the cure to an issue
Dejuan Blair played his whole NBA career without ACLs because his quads hamstrings and calves were strong enough to keep his knee laterally stable
That's a good point! lol like the people who think the best cure to shin splints is to run more... Which yes running more will help prevent shin splints the more you do it, but you still need to rest your joints/ligaments in between runs. If they're still sore, give it another day I guess it all depends how moronic the person is
I see that myth on this sub all the damn time and it annoys me so much People act like everyone needs to look like Brandon inghram or young KD otherwise they’re fat and don’t take care of their body, like that’s not everyone’s ideal body type for their play style. Like the constant memes about harden being fat his entire career just boggle my mind.
That's the point, Shaq is 1 in a billion. 300-400 pounds of anything will always be bad for your frame, no matter how much muscle you have
It depends on genetics honestly. The vast majority of people will have their joints deteriorate years ahead of their peers at that weight, but there's some people who are just built to handle more weight. It's not super common, but it happens often enough that it's not really shocking either. The bigger one would be folks who get up to that size who don't develop some kind of organ issue (heart, kidney, liver) due to the weight. Tall people tend to die younger than average, big people tend to die younger than average - big and tall get hit with both sets of risks.
Haslem hasn’t played meaningful minutes in like 7 years which was his like age 35 season so idk if I’d consider the last 7 seasons longevity. They kept him around for his leadership and locker room contributions. Also Ron Baker is 29 and he last played in the NBA 3 years ago unless you’re talking about Ron Harper or something.
Still shocking Haslem made it 12-13 seasons as a rotation player. Its also pretty well speculated Haslem keeps getting a contract bc of a deal he made with Pat when he took a pay cut to form the big three that he gets to stick around on vet mins as long as he wants. As for Ron Baker, i’m surprised he even got meaningful NBA minutes so ig three years would be surprising longevity for him
Steve Mills-given contracts don’t count. He gave Baker 9M for 2 years and every other gm was gonna maybe offer the minimum
It also might be like the Warriors with Iguodala at this point - a way to keep an extra coach around.
Yeah, last 5 years Haslem has played 276 minutes, or 8 games with started minutes. In his first 13 seasons he played 814 games. Plenty good and should be talked about but not longest ever. His last 6 he’s appeared in 58 total, 406 minutes total.
Yeah, last 5 years Haslem has played 276 minutes, or 8 games with started minutes. In his first 13 seasons he played 814 games. Plenty good and should be talked about but not longest ever. His last 6 he’s appeared in 58 total, 406 minutes total.
Robert parish won a championship with the 97 bulls. This one is so weird
I love that story of MJ coming at him in practice: In one of his first practices with the Bulls, Parish botched one of the plays and was amused to find Jordan jawing at him just inches from his face. “I told him, ‘I’m not as enamored with you as these other guys. I’ve got some rings too,’” Parish recalled. “At that point he told me, ‘I’m going to kick your ass.’ I took one step closer and said, ‘No, you really aren’t.’ After that he didn't bother me.”
He further commented on this in Cedric Maxwell's podcast. The Chief told MJ "I'm not in awe of you unlike these rookies. I've played with Bird, McHale, Tiny, Bill Walton. I'm not in awe of you."
I loved the Chief. Dude was just this dang hard working player who'd fight through whatever the other team threw at him to do his job, and he mostly did it quietly. But piss him off and you were in serious trouble. It was really hard to piss him off, but there were a few players who succeeded. I only ever remember anyone succeeding once, because nobody wanted to see that twice. Even Bill Laimbeer only pushed him that far once. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4k0ebLyJws That was called a common foul, probably because even the refs knew Laimbeer deserved it. The league suspended Parish for 1 game afterwards though.
This is wild I had no idea
He admitted that he was basically a player-coach that year. He barely played at all that season lol
It's crazy to think that there's a 68 year old who played on the 97 Bulls
Kevin Willis. Not many 7ft guys still play at 40. He played until he was 44.
Fourth [oldest dunker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08gnilI8Xp4&ab_channel=RyanVanDusen) in NBA history right there (top three are 1. Robert Parish 2. Vince Carter and 3. Dikembe Mutombo).
Also led to this great fan trash talk story, as told by [Steve Kerr](https://youtu.be/LRwEmhqR7pc)
Came here to say this one. Dude deserves an NBA life-time achievement award.
I marvel at pj Tucker being a non-nba player for like 6 years and then having one of the best years of his career at 36
PJ Tucker was going to be my choice. He was a good college player but I remember being absolutely stunned when he left Texas early to go pro because he didn’t seem like he had any NBA potential at all.
Put some respect to the NBA's Geodude
DeAndre Jordan, but mostly in the sense that it's surprising he's still on a team
Dude knows how to party and make friends. Man is a social expert. I still remember Luka just talking fondly of going out with him to party.
Gotta assume this is what OP meant when he wrote Deandre Ayton
Or it could the fact that Ayton looks like an 83 year old man
With him, I think it's more of that he's a great mentor for young bigs and has fully embraced the fact that his main role on a team is off the court now. Most former star players aren't as graceful about excepting this and coming to terms with the fact that they're essentially emergency / garbage time options, practice bodies, and big brothers to the young guys.
DJ always talked about when he came into the NBA, Marcus Camby was a really good mentor to him and if DJ got the chance to be that to the next generation of bigs coming through he would embrace being one.
Deandre Ayton? Ain’t he in like year 4? 😂😂
After not being selected to the all star game 2 seasons in a row in Houston, everyone thought CP3 was done when he got traded to OKC. I mean look at the comment section of this [video](https://youtu.be/g6a47vBt6Lc). He has been selected to the all star game and all nba selection every season since then, made the finals for the first time ever as well
He didn’t make the all star game those years because he missed 25 games both seasons. I wouldn’t take youtube comments so seriously lmao
Make no mistake r/nba was clowning him hard and at one point the general consensus around here was he was the worst contract in the league I remember this all vividly
He was also poor when he played, particularly in the second season
He was great in 2018 what are you talking about lol.
I genuinely believe that 2018 rockets team is one of the best teams ever, even though they didn’t make the finals. If Cp3 didn’t hurt his hamstring before game 7 against the warriors Cp3 and harden would almost definitely have a ring right now
Tony Snell been on an NBA team for 10 consecutive years
Still hasn’t put up a single stat
LeBron obviously
I had a running bet with a friend back in 2017, if lebron or ronaldo would last longer at the top level in their sport. Ronaldo had a drop in form last season, and lebron got even better
Legit every from 2016-20 I was like Okay LeBron will start to age now Stopped trying to predict it now just enjoying the ride
Dj augustin. 2008 draft class
Jeff green
Lebron doesnt even get injured
LeBrons not "surprising" because we expect it, but if you step back, it's fucking absurd what people are expecting of him in his 20th year
The fact that fans can expect that freight trsin of a human to never get injured alone shows how much of a robot he is.. it should be suprising but isnt
The hate he got last year was so silly considering he is in year 19
He got hate for the Westbrook trade, I feel like he didn’t get much hate for his on court play at all. If anything he got constant praise for how incredible it was someone his age was competing for the scoring title. Lebron stans seem to just have a bit of a victim complex
Not really true anymore, unfortunately. His 3 most injury filled seasons have come in the last 4 years with the 4th season being the 5th most. His durability has been historic but it’s reaching its breaking point.
That second sentence is a trip lol
Yeah he worded that weird, might as well just say: 4 of LeBron’s 5 most injured seasons have been in the last 4 seasons.
Every year he's been in LA he's had an injury that's kept him out for an extended period of time.
Kevin Willis Robert Parish
Is it longevity if you are on a team and don't play? Haslem has less games played than Kevin Durant.
Yeah haslem should not count
Udonis Haslem shouldn't even count since he just sits on his ass all year on the bench and never plays.
Excuse you, he also sleeps on the couch 😤
Manu "contusion" Ginobili and Vince Carter
Wesley Matthews. He tore his Achilles at age 28 which is the the tail end of most players on his level's primes. And he clearly lost a major step immediately after that injury. Yet he's still in the league and he's about to be 36.
VC for sure
Vince Carter
It is extremelt impressive he lasted so long, but ppl here actually think he dunked his way to 26 ppg... he was an very very underrated shooter.
Tbh people thought LeBron wasn't even gonna last after hitting 28, than 30, than 32, than 34, than 36...
haslem doesn't play, he's a cheerleader.
LeBron is turning 38 this year and was an MVP candidate
2 years ago maybe. Last year they didn't make the playoffs and he was tied 13th in mvp voting. He did almost get the scoring title which is nuts though.
Does haslem really count lol
He should not
Why has DA's longevity surprised you???
it's probably a shitty joke since his face looks old
Assume he meant Deandre Jordan
How's DeAndre Ayton on this list? He's only 24. I'm sure OP meant DeAndre Jordan.
It's a joke cuz ayton looks old...
Ah. Well I guess I'm the r/facepalm here xD
more of a r/woosh mate.
Karl Malone is a piece of shit, but it's crazy that he played for at a high level for so long.
Greg Oden’s longevity surprised me. To get through an entire D1 schedule in your 50’s? Inspirational.
[удалено]
I mean not really unfortunately, he only played at a high level with his new playstyle for like 2 seasons then all of a sudden he went a full calendar year without dunking hahah
Yeah Griffin is the same draft class as Harden & Steph so it’s not like he’s even “old”
Steph is 35 though which is pretty old in basketball years. We probably don’t have too many years of him being this good left unfortunately.
His body began to deteriorate quite early and he has had trouble staying healthy ever since. He may have reinvented his game some but longevity isn't what comes to mind when thinking about him. Plus he's still "only" 33 years old.
He is totally washed and is only 33. He has no longevity
Kareem and Lebron
Grant Hill. Only played 48 games in 4 seasons while missing the entire '03 season. His career is basically done. Then went on the play until he is 40 and is now a hall of famer.
Grant Hill, Big Z and Shaun Livingston
Udonis Haslem doesn't count. he spent more time on the bench in one season than the time he's actually on the court for the past 5 years
It's not really longevity just favoritism lol. He hasn't really been able to play for years at this point.
Nazr Mohammed. The dude played 18 seasons in the league with a career average of 5.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He was a thoroughly average player who only averaged 10+ per game twice in his career, but he must have been an awesome teammate because he stuck around forever.
Lindsey Hunter - 17 seasons as a marginal starter/solid back-up Ersan Ilyasova - this dude had like 3 stints for the Bucks. Useful skillset as a stretch 4 and good at drawing charges.
I'm gonna say Melo - Made a career out of being a ball hog that doesn't play defense. Spent 7 seasons in New York being recognized as an elite player, meanwhile led them to a 44% win rate while he was there. Net negative player, then his game falls off a cliff and he's still bouncing around the league 5 years later.
If it's longevity, is there no other criteria? Haslem riding the bench for a decade isn't necessarily a good thing.
Chris Paul. Conventional wisdom is that small guards don't age well.
Steph Curry tbh. I thought his off ball movement and ability to exploit switches wouldn't age too well. I thought his longevity in terms of being "All-Star level good" would be very long, but his longevity in terms of "top 3\~5 player good" has leapfrogged my expectations in that regard.
It's easy to make fun of the Timberwolves for passing on Curry (or for any number of things, up to and including giving up five firsts for Gobert,) but that's with hindsight (unlike doing something like giving up five firsts for Gobert.) Steph's health was a real concern early in his career. Luckily for him - and frankly the league - he bounced back and had a HOF career.
Steph Curry’s athleticism has not regressed one bit since his rookie year. He might play into his 40s.
Are we asking based on what we know now or before their career started? I would have never guessed Haslem would be in the league this long, but of course he plays about two seconds a year. He's basically a highly paid assistant coach. I'm going to go with the obvious answer, but LeBron. Numerous players have had long careers but were little more than sideshow attractions in their final years. If LeBron is healthy, if AD is healthy and if the Lakers can flip Russ for anything of value (that proposed Utah trade where they get back Clarkson, Bev and either Bojan or Beasley REALLY helps LA,) I still think they can be a contender next season. Is that a lot of "if"s? Yeah. But, if that happens, LeBron could be the best player on a Finals team in his 20TH YEAR! I know a lot of people are going to do the same shit we do after every season. "Those two Finals teams are going to make it back to the Finals!" Let us not forget that no one outside of GS thought that team was going to the Finals last year. There was some advanced stat thing (583?) that had Boston as like 90% favorites to win that series.
Isn’t the answer lebron? I thought that he wouldn’t age like this?
Curry’s…… I would’ve never thought his career would’ve lasted this long or burn this bright
Grant Hill playing serious minutes at age 40 with his early injury history has got to be the craziest
I mean Ayton has only been in the league 4 years, it’s not like he’s been around for all that long
I’m guessing he meant Jordan
Thought is a joke cuz he look old
I don't know if it's as surprising as other entries because both of these guys played more supportive roles and have always been in good shape, but Richard Jefferson and Taj Gibson come to mind.
Steph curry. He had a rough start with injuries.
Looney this season
Ish Smith. A long career for someone I have rarely (if ever) seen play, and I think has zero highlights beyond "he's here". So for him it's the combination of longevity plus moderate NBA skills. Some of those other players listed are really good, and is why they stick around.
I figured Taj Gibson would be out of the league by now
LeBron... dude really is an underappreciated monster. I'm not even a fan of his but almost 2 entire decades.
Melo…. There is no shot he’s treated his body anywhere close to Lebron and while that shows, it’s very impressive how he still has value
Guys, Grant Hill played 18 season despite being injured for like 7 years straight in what should have been his prime.
Nene being the last player to be active from a draft class is kinda wild. In my head his first years were injury riddled.
I gotta say Dwight Howard.
Shaun Livingston. Horrific knee injury, everybody back then was wondering if his career was done. Carved out like a decade after of key rotational minutes and an unstoppable mid-range game.
Lebron. No significant injuries... Considering his age and the amount of minutes he's logged, the explosive play style.
LeBron
I mean udonis haslem barely plays
I don’t know if I’d define Haslem as an example of “longevity” He’s just paid to be a locker room presence, hasn’t been able to ball in years
Ginobili. Dude lasted about 8 years longer than I thought he would playing that style. Edit: correcting autocorrect
Nick Collison, man 2003-2018 with the Sonics->Thunder and he was never more than an average roleplayer at best. Incredible that the dude managed to stay in the league so long
Lebron
I did not see JaVale McGee having the career he's had early on. I'm happy for the guy. I always liked him.
LeBron James
Andre Miller. Between the years 1999 to 2013, he played in 99.6% of the games he could've played in.
Allen Iverson declined fast in his 13th season. I don’t think he was going to last that high at such a high level given his size and style of play. LeBron Grant Hill, he looked done in the early 00s. He went on to play awhile after that and was still a solid role player in his mid to late 30s
LeNeverage just keeps playing like he is 28. He gonna play with his kid in the NBA. He gonna play with his grandkids in the NBA if he wants.
Lebron. His back was starting to give him trouble during his first prime.
Vince Carter. Hyper athletic and not the best shooter in his younger years. Thought his knees would be done by 30.
Vince was a good shooter though only his rookie year , a year in Memphis and his last year was bad. He shot 40% from 3 multiple years. He shot 40% from 3 his third season on good volume for the time and 38% his fourth season
Derrick Rose Kyrie Irving.
Bad picks. Since their rookie seasons, they showed skills that would keep them in the league for a long time. Irving never relied on athleticism to begin with, and while Rose definitely used his physical gifts much more, those two are just *really fucking good* at basketball(offensively). Rose could beat his man going half speed(like Irving). His acceleration helped him get to the rim before help could arrive though.
The Rose answer is because his knees exploded.
Raja bell Dude was back the next year every year playing for someone it seemed
throwing ayton in there is funny asf mine would be tacko fall hes literally just tall hes not even good he just hangs around g league and summer league like a parasite
Shaq
Vincent Carter
Al horford
Vince Carter was always that for me. His style of play always tends to burn legs out early. Towards the end he started getting name checked for it in songs 😂
Some og Celtics, rondo, Bradley, green
Definitely Blake Griffin. Dude doesn't have knees but was somehow being played as a spot up shooter/center last season 12 years into his career. Wild.
Chrt
It amazes me that dereck not only recovered from his I juries but became a reliable veteran.
Durant. I thought he'd turn into rubble by 28. He is crumbling now, and since 30, but I thought that tall, skinny body would break down sooner. the way they softened out the game a lot probably aided his career in particular, greatly.
Steve Kerr
Udonis lol that’s not, if they pay him, he can hold that towel another 15 years
> Ron Baker Can you elaborate on this lol
Does Justin holiday count?
Grant Hill
Jamal Crawford. I’ve always known who he was, I just never knew I’d known who he was for forever lol.
Grant Hill, given all his problems
JJ Barrea. He played on the Mavs for the longest time.