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

---

#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.

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.

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.