Listing the only 5 NBA players to feature in 1500+ regular-season games

Having a long career in the NBA is difficult. Having a long and successful career is almost beyond comprehension. To play for a long time, NBA players require incredible determination and dedication to maintain high-level performances. In many cases, luck is also a huge part of the equation.

NBA players are only as good as their bodies can take the grind. The history of the league is filled with good careers that have come to a grinding halt. There are also careers that have never taken off or fulfilled their potential because of injuries. These reasons alone are enough to highlight the impressive longevity of the greats on this list.

Recognizing that the body is the player’s biggest and most valuable asset is not lost on the entire NBA. Players like LeBron James spend millions every year to stay in shape. Coaches and team executives impose load management to prolong a player’s career or make him available in the games that matter the most.

A tribute to the longest-tenured players seems to be right. The whole basketball world applauds their unbelievable accomplishments through years of hard work and professionalism.

The Iron Men of the NBA

#5 John Stockton - 1504 career games

John Stockton is one of those rare players who spent his entire career playing for only one team. The Stockton to Malone connection is the most recognizable phrase associated with the Utah Jazz. The Jazz and and the NBA are unlikely to ever see another duo that will be as good and as loyal to a single franchise.

Expand Tweet

Perhaps unknown to many, John Stockton was part of the legendary draft class that included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon. He finished his career with the Jazz in 2003. He is the NBA’s all-time leader in assists and steals. Stockton's all-time assists made in a single season (1,164) and average in a season (14.5) are still unbroken to this day.

#4 Dirk Nowitzki - 1522 career games

Dirk Nowitzki went toe to toe against LeBron James in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Drafted in 1998 by the Dallas Mavericks as the 9th overall pick, Dirk Nowitzki would lead the franchise to its only championship in 2011. That year, the Mavericks pulled one of the biggest upsets in the history of the game. On the league’s biggest basketball stage, Nowitzki led Dallas past a spectacular Miami Heat team that had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Expand Tweet

Basketball players and fans attributed the one-legged fade-away jump shot to Dirk. In Nowitzki’s arsenal that jump shot turned into one of the deadliest and most unguardable shots to ever grace the league. At 7’0 and with a high-arching release, defenders could only hope Nowitzki is going to miss. He stands 6th in the all-time scoring list, ahead of Wilt Chamberlain and just after Michael Jordan.

#3 Vince Carter - 1541 career games

Vince Carter going for a dunk in a game against the Sacramento Kings.

Vince Carter holds the NBA record for most seasons played in the NBA with 22. To put Carter’s longevity into perspective, Zion Williamson, Talen Horton-Tucker and Coby White weren’t even born when the Toronto Raptors drafted Vince in 1998.

Carter is an eight-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA player. He is best known for his rim-rocking dunks that captivated not just the NBA, but the entire basketball world.

One of his most iconic dunks was against France at the 2000 Summer Olympics. The “Dunk of Death” reverberated around the world when Carter posterized the 7’2 French center, Frederic Weis.

Although, he never won an NBA championship, no one can question Carter’s greatness and love for the game of basketball.

#2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 1560 games

Los Angeles Lakers icons - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the late Kobe Bryant.

Originally named Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a generational talent that basketball was privileged to see. Abdul-Jabbar’s name will always be part of the GOAT conversation. His mind-boggling career numbers are hard to refute.

Expand Tweet

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks first in all-time points scored with 38,387, MVP awards with six, and All-Star selections with 19. In 20 seasons playing for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers respectively, he only failed to make the NBA All-Star once. Once. He only failed to make the 1978 All-Star selection because he missed games trying to recover from a broken hand.

Say “Skyhook” and every basketball fan will say, Jabbar or Kareem. The hook was one of the game’s most iconic and demoralizing shots opponents had to deal with. It was a shot everyone in the gym knew was coming, but couldn't be stopped. One of the greatest ever almost feels like an understatement when it comes to Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

#1 Robert Parish - 1611 games

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs Robert Parish was a big part of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry in the 80s. [Credit: Skyhook Foundation]

The Chief played for four teams in his long NBA career. The majority of those years were spent with the legendary Boston Celtics team in the 80s where he formed with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, one of the greatest front lines ever assembled.

Three of Parish's championships were with the Celtics before he rounded up his collection with Michael Jordan and the spectacular Chicago Bulls in 1997.

Robert Parish was not spectacular. He was remarkably consistent and the backbone on defense of those great Celtics teams. The 80s featured some of the game’s best big men like the aforementioned Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone. The 7’1 center and 8x All-Star was seemingly always in the mix of those titanic battles.

Expand Tweet

Parish never wanted the spotlight on him. He just went into his business helping the teams he played for win games and was the consummate professional’s professional.