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LeBron James is in his 20th season in the NBA and is playing at an unprecedented level for someone who has played this long. He became just the ninth player in league history to reach that milestone when the 2022-23 campaign opened.
While the longevity has been impressive on an individual scale, his endurance to outlast a few franchises is somewhat unbelievable. James' 20-year stint in pro basketball has outlasted at least five teams.
Here are five teams that disbanded way before LeBron James even reached his two decades of brilliance on the basketball court:
#5 St. Louis Bombers
The St. Louis Bombers were one of the teams that played for the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946. In 1949, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form what became the National Basketball Association (NBA.)
After the 1949-50 NBA season, the Bombers disbanded. The franchise made it to the playoffs in each of their three years with the BAA. They lost in the first round to the Philadelphia Warriors — who became the Golden State Warriors — in 1947 and the semifinals in 1948.
In 1949, they lost to the Rochester Royals in the Division Semifinals before missing the playoffs after that. Six years later, in 1955, the Milwaukee Hawks based their franchise in St. Louis.
LeBron James, in his fourth season, carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.
#4 Indianapolis Olympians
The Indianapolis Olympians were one of the founding teams in the NBA after the merger of the BAA and the NBL in 1949. They were created to take the place of the Indianapolis Jets, who were originally called the Indianapolis Kautskys.
The franchise played under the tag “Olympians” as the team was led by Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, Wallace Jones and Cliff Barker. They were key pieces of the 1948 U.S. men’s basketball team that bagged the gold medal.
The Olympians had a dismal campaign during the 1952-53 season but still reached the playoffs. However, the team folded after that.
In 1976, the Indiana Pacers continued that legacy after the ABA merged with the NBA.
In LeBron James’ first seven years in Cleveland, his most famous Olympic teammate was none other than four-time NBA champ Shaquille O’Neal.
#3 Chicago Stags
The Chicago Stag’s lifetime in the BAA and the NBA was similar to that of the St. Louis Bombers. They played three seasons with the former and then one season with the latter before disbanding.
The biggest difference between the two was that the Stags were the more successful team. They never missed the postseason throughout their basketball life and even reached the 1947 BAA Finals where they lost to the Philadelphia Warriors.
In their last season called as the “Stags,” they lost to the Minneapolis Lakers in the Division Finals. In June 1950, the franchise was purchased by Abe Saperstein, who owned the famous Harlem Globetrotters. He renamed the team the Chicago Bruins.
A controversial disagreement with then NBA Commissioner Maurice Podoloff ended the deal with the Bruins. It wasn't until 1961 that an NBA franchise returned to Chicago when the Packers were born.
LeBron James was in his third season when the Chicago Bulls wore retro Stags jerseys as part of the league’s “Hardwood Classics.”
#2 Washington Capitols
The Washington Capitols started as part of the BAA from 1946-47 to 1948-49. With the merger of the BAA and the NBL, they became part of the NBA from 1949-1950 to 1950-51.
They reached the postseason for four straight years and appeared in the 1949 finals where they lost to the Minneapolis Lakers, who had George Mikan. Unknown to many, the team was coached by the legendary Red Auerbach from 1946-49.
Auerbach led the Capitols to a 17-game winning streak in the BAA’s inaugural season. It was a record that stood until 1969.
Washington wasn't represented in the NBA until 1973 by the Baltimore Bullets, who became the Washington Bullets and eventually the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards lost to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in three straight postseason matchups. From 2005-06 to 2007-08, Washington won a total of four games during three playoff series.
#1 Baltimore Bullets
The Baltimore Bullets started in the American Basketball League (ABL) where they made the finals for three straight years. They won the ABL championship in 1946. The Bullets joined the BAA before the start of the 1947-48 season.
In their inaugural appearance in the BAA, they promptly bagged the crown by beating the Philadelphia Warriors, making them the only defunct NBA championship team.
As great as they were in the ABL and the BAA, they couldn’t replicate their success after the merger starting the 1949-50 season. They only reached the playoffs in 1953 when they lost to the New York Knicks.
They folded after the 1954-55 season. The Chicago Zephyrs moved to Baltimore in 1963 and resurrected the Bullets. They kept that name even when they moved to Washington in 1973.
