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The fast-paced and intense atmosphere of the NBA leads to a lot of injuries. Several players end up with shortened careers because they are not able to cope with these things.
The playing style also keeps changing from one generation to the next, so the players have to keep adjusting their game to survive in the league. We have seen superstars like Carmelo Anthony not even finding a roster spot in today's NBA after totally fading away with time.
But there have been players over the years who have been at the top of the game for an incredibly long period. These players have logged a vast number of minutes in the NBA and have kept contributing to their team's success well past their prime.
Let's have a look at the 5 players with the most minutes played in NBA history:
#5 Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd is one of the best all-round players in NBA history. Kidd demonstrated multiple skill-sets playing from the point guard position for his team.
He played in a total of 1391 games and logged 50,111 minutes in the NBA. Kidd averaged 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game for his career. The Hall of Famer also made it to the All-Star game on 10 occasions.
Kidd won the 1994-95 Rookie of the Year award. He made the All-NBA team on 6 occasions and the All-Defensive team on 9 occasions.
Kidd had a remarkable career with the New Jersey Nets. He played there for 7 seasons before moving on to play for the Dallas Mavericks.
Kidd won his lone NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2010-2011 season. He eventually retired in the 2012-13 season with the New York Knicks.
#4 Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett is one of the best power forwards to have ever played the game. He played in 1462 games and logged 50,418 minutes in his NBA career.
Garnett had a stellar NBA career, which was laden with accomplishments. He was a 15-time All-Star and a 4-time Total Rebounds champion. Garnett won the MVP award in the 2003-04 season and also won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2007-08.
Garnett won his lone championship with the Boston Celtics in the 2007-08 season. He averaged 17.8 rebounds and 10 rebounds over the course of his career.
Garnett started his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves and played his last season in 2015-16 with the Timberwolves again.
#3 Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki revolutionized the game for power forwards, and he was one of the best shooters ever from the power forward position. Nowitzki played his entire career for the Dallas Mavericks, and is widely considered the greatest player in Mavs' history.
Nowitzki played in over 1522 games in the NBA and logged 51,368 minutes. He was one of the purest scorers that the game has ever seen.
Nowitzki was a 14-time All-Star and also made it to 12 All-NBA teams. He was the Finals MVP in the Mavs' 2010-11 championship victory.
Nowitzki averaged 20.7 points and 7.5 rebounds over the course of his career. He retired in the 2018-19 season.
#2 Karl Malone
Karl Malone is the second-highest scorer in NBA history. He was drafted by the Utah Jazz and played there for 18 seasons.
Malone played in a total of 1476 games and logged 54,852 minutes in his NBA career. He averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds for his career.
The Hall of Famer was selected as the regular season MVP on two occasions but failed to win a championship in his amazing NBA career. He also made it to the All-NBA team on 14 occasions.
Malone retired in his 19th season playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2003-04.
#1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest scorer in the history of the NBA. He played at the center position during the era of the Showtime Lakers, and he leads the league with 6 regular season MVPs. He also made it to 19 All-Star games and received 15 All-NBA selections.
Abdul-Jabbar started his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, and moved to the Lakers in the 1975-76 season. He won a total of 5 NBA championships.
Abdul-Jabbar played in 1560 games and logged 57,446 minutes in his NBA career. He averaged 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game for his career.
Abdul-Jabbar retired after the 1988-89 season with the Lakers.
