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Longevity in the NBA postseason favors players who are often in the right place and at the right time. It’s about players whose teams always find success in the league by making a deep playoff run year after year and those players who have been in the year for over 15 years. Most of these players have won multiple NBA titles and in fact, the players in the Top 10 have won at least three NBA titles. Most of these guys will end up in the Naismith Hall of Fame and some of them already are.
Let’s take a look at the players who developed a knack for not being sent home early during their NBA careers:
Derek Fisher, 259 games
Derek Fisher tops our list and he is the perfect example of a player who was always at the right place and at the right time. D-Fish was drafted by the Lakers in 1996 and played with the Purple and Gold until 2004. L.A. made the playoffs in each of those eight years and went to the NBA Finals four times during that period while making at least the second round in the other four years. After playing for Golden State and Utah, Fisher returned to the Lakers from 2008-12 and the team went to the NBA Finals three times during that period and made the second round in the year they didn’t. He was also a member of the OKC Thunder team that went to the NBA finals in 2012. But don’t think that Fisher just rode the good teams he played for. He made many big baskets for the Lakers during his career.
Tim Duncan, 251 games
The San Antonio Spurs are the most successful NBA team in the last two decades. The team has made the playoffs in 22 consecutive seasons beginning 1997-98 which was Tim Duncan’s rookie season. After San Antonio made him the top overall pick in 1997, the Spurs transformed into one of the best teams in the history of the NBA. San Antonio’s five NBA titles rank only next to the Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, and Warriors. The Spurs made the playoffs in every season Duncan played for and the made it to the NBA Finals six times, losing just once in 2013 in a seven-game series. The Big Fundamental retired in 2016 despite still being able to contribute to his team. Had he played in one more season, he would’ve been the #1 player on this list as San Antonio made the Western Conference Finals in 2017.
Robert Horry, 244 games
Robert Horry and Derek Fisher are the only two players on this list that never played for an All-Star team. But when you talk about winning NBA titles, Horry has more rings than anyone on this list. Horry didn’t just ride along as well. He was always a key contributor to the championship teams he played for. Big Shot Bob was a unique player. He would lag around during the regular season and then would always come up big during the postseason. When he was a sophomore with the Rockets, he made several big three-pointers that helped the Rockets win championship games. During his stint with the Lakers, he bailed out Kobe and Shaq on several occasions. He also had some heroic championship games with the Spurs. Horry made the NBA Finals seven times and never played for a team that missed the playoffs.
LeBron James, 239 games
LeBron James is the only active player on our list and could be on top of this list before his career is over. James has been in the league since he was 18 and in his first 16 seasons, his teams have made the postseason 13 times from 2006 until 2018 when he transferred to the Los Angeles Lakers. King James’ Lakers were the second team that clinched a playoff berth this season and as we said earlier, he could very well be on top of this list as early as the end of this season if the Lakers make a deep playoff run. He has played in a total of nine NBA championships and has won three rings.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 237 games
Kareem Abdul Jabbar is one of only six NBA players to play at least 20 NBA seasons. Abdul-Jabbar started his career for the Milwaukee Bucks and finished it with the Showtime Lakers. Jabbar is considered as the best center of All-Time and he won a total of six NBA titles during his 20 year NBA career. At the age of 24 in 1971, he led the Bucks to their first NBA title. He was traded to the Lakers where he played his final 15 seasons. He would help Magic Johnson’s Showtime team win five NBA titles during the 1980s decade. Jabbar’s teams made the playoffs 18 times in 20 years and they got past round one 14 times while making the NBA Finals on 10 occasions.
Tony Parker, 226 games
Tony Parker was the San Antonio Spurs’ first-round pick in 2001. He was part of all but one of San Antonio’s champion teams. When David Robinson left, Parker, Duncan, and Manu Ginobili formed a successful trio that made the Spurs the most successful NBA franchise since 2000. The Spurs made the postseason in each of Parker’s 17 years in the league. They made six trips to the NBA Finals and were eliminated in the first round in only four instances. Parker saw a total of seven Game 7s during his storied career with the Spurs.
Kobe Bryant, 220 games
Kobe Bryant is the greatest Lakers player of all-time. The Black Mamba entered the league at the age of 18 and straight out of high school. He played a total of 20 NBA seasons, all with the Lakers. He and Dirk Nowitzki are the only players to play at least 20 seasons with just one NBA team. Bryant helped the Lakers win a total of five NBA titles and they went to the Finals on six different occasions. He made 15 trips to the NBA postseasons and played in five different seasons, his teams played at least 21 playoff games.
Manu Ginobili, 218 games
Manu Ginobili played alongside Tim Duncan and Tony Parker during the Spurs’ championship years. Ginobili was San Antonio’s second-round pick in 1999 out of Argentina. He played in a total of 23 professional basketball seasons in Europe and the United States and is one of only two players in the history of the game to win a Euroleague title, NBA championship, and Olympic Gold medal. The 2008 NBA Sixth Man of the Year retired in 2018 but not after playing winning four NBA titles and making five NBA championship appearances.
Shaquille O’Neal 216 games
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most dominant forces ever in the NBA. At 7-1 and over 300 pounds, he was one of the biggest players in the history of the league but probably the most agile big man we’ve ever seen. Save for his poor free-throw shooting, O’Neal was unstoppable inside the basketball court. He played in a total of 19 NBA seasons and for a total of six NBA teams. He won three straight NBA titles with the Lakers from 2000-02 and he also helped the Miami Heat win their first-ever NBA title in 2006.
Scottie Pippen 208 games
Scottie Pippen was perhaps the best number two player ever. Pippen played Robin to Michael Jordan’s Batman but even Jordan said he didn’t win a single title without Scottie Pippen. The two helped the Chicago Bulls become a dynasty during the 1990s, leading the team to six NBA titles. Pippen played in a total of 17 NBA seasons. He spent 12 years with the Bulls, one with the Houston Rockets, and four with the Portland Trail Blazers. He made the playoffs in 16 straight seasons. Pippen appeared in at least 16 postseason games in eight different seasons.
