Top 5 NBA players in terms of percentage of regular season games played

Regardless of the reason, not being able to play a certain number of games is a natural part of an NBA player's career. However, some players are more durable than others, and there are a few individuals who can play through injuries or are miraculously able to avoid getting hurt altogether.

Players who can show up for every game seem to be becoming rarer nowadays, especially due to load management. In fact, the league is even trying to take measures to reduce load management for superstars.

While this might seem like an issue now, there was a time in the league when load management was not a thing. Fans were likely to see their favorite players suit up, even if they were playing through pain.

There are a few NBA payers who have stood out due to the number of games they played without missing any time.

Here are the top 5 players with the highest percentage of regular season games played (over 1,000 career games played).

5 NBA players with the highest percentage of regular season games played

#5, Chet Walker

Chet Walker joined the NBA in 1962 as part of the Syracuse Nationals, one year before they became the Philadelphia 76ers. After seven years with the 76ers, he joined the Chicago Bulls for six seasons.

Throughout his thirteen-year NBA career, he played in 1,032 games out of a possible 1,057 (97.64%). He played all 82 games in three different seasons: 1967-68, 1968-69, and 1973-74. Additionally, he never played less than 76 games in a year.

#4, Gary Payton

Gary Payton had an incredible ability to strip the ball away from opposing players, earning him the nickname "The Glove." Payton was more than just a defensive player tho, as he was also deadly on offense. Furthermore, he was one of the most durable NBA players ever.

He played for 18 seasons for five different teams and he played 1,335 games. Those 1,335 games were out of a possible 1,361, meaning Payton played in 98.13% of games.

#3, John Stockton

John Stockton is one of the most loyal NBA players of all time, having played all 19 seasons of his career with the Utah Jazz. During this time, he amassed a total of 15,806 assists. While this is certainly an incredible feat, it was helped by the fact that Stockton barely missed any games.

Throughout his 19-year career, he was eligible to play 1,526 games. Out of these 1,526, he played 1,504. This means he played in 98.59% of all his possible games.

#2, Elvin Hayes

Elvin Hayes joined the league in 1968 as a part of the San Diego Rockets. He also joined the team now known as the Washington Wizards, back when they were the Baltimore Bullets.

Hayes had a 16-year NBA career wherein he played an impressive 1,303 regular season games out of a possible 1,312 (99.31%). Elvin Hayes only missed nine games throughout his career. Equally as impressive is the fact that he never played less than 80 games in a single season.

#1, A.C. Green

The NBA player who has played the highest percentage of regular season games is A.C. Green. Green played the first nine years of his career with the LA Lakers, the team that drafted him. He also had stints with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and the Miami Heat, bringing his total number of seasons in the league to 17.

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During these 17 years, he played 1,278 regular season games out of a possible 1,281. This brings his percentage of games played up to a whopping 99.77%, the highest among all NBA players who have played at least 1,000 career games.