
He played for UNC when I was a teenage hoops fanatic and entered the NBA the year before I went to college. With 4,509 total players ever playing in the NBA at the time of Carter’s retirement, that means Carter has played against 37% of the players in league history. Here is a crazy stat for you: during his 22-season career, Vince Carter played with or against 1,672 total NBA players. Saw Michael Jordan un-retire, then re-retire.Witnessed five dynasties: The Spurs, The Lakers (twice), the Heat (I’ll consider your argument against), and the Warriors.Never made it to the NBA Finals in 22 seasons.Entered the league during a lockout and still won Rookie of the Year.Many young fans never knew him at his peak.Ĭarter’s career spanned so many different generations of talent, dynasties, and storylines: Carter’s career included many phases-the high flyer, the star, the diva, the role player, the veteran shooter. When Vince Carter left fans speechless after his gravity-defying 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, you never would have believed that he would be in the league for another two decades. It is an unmatched experience, however, that no one can take away from you-whether you won Finals MVP or never saw the court during the Playoffs. Now, winning an NBA title doesn’t necessarily mean that you had an accomplished career. % of Players With An NBA Title: 11%Īround 1-in-10 players have ever won an NBA title, making the title club another exclusive group. That would still only make up 0.003% of the history of the league. Let’s say that all of the above players make it to the 20-season club. That group may have some company in a couple of years if the following players continue for a few more years: This list makes up 0.0018% percent of all of the players who ever played in the league it’s the epitome of rarified air. To me, though, a close second would be the 20-season club-and that club is pretty exclusive: Sure, the Hall of Fame is the highest achievement in your basketball career. Here are some interesting numbers behind the 4,000+ NBA players: Players In NBA History Who Played 20+ Seasons: 8 Since the league’s inception in 1946 through the 2018-19 season, 4,374 players have suited up for at least one NBA game. The past two NBA seasons have been unlike any other because of COVID and the global pandemic, which is one reason for the jump in roster spots.Īs I think about total players each season, I am curious how many players in total have played an NBA game. The current 2020-21 season doesn’t end until later this summer-but the total number of players this season increased by nine players. So, between all of the movement and the increase of available roster spots during the playoffs (that number increases from 15 to 20), we end up with 529. While it doesn’t come close to Major League Baseball rosters (with minor-league call-ups and available roster spots), basketball rosters still have some flexibility. So, how is the total number of players off by almost seventy? As we stated earlier, that number comes out to 450. League teams are allowed to carry 15 roster players during the regular season.

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Players In NBA History Who Played 20+ Seasons: 8ĭuring the 2019-20 season, the league’s last full season, five hundred and twenty-nine players suited up for at least one game in the NBA.
