NBA History: 5 Most loyal players of all time

Loyalty is very rare in the sports world and the NBA is no different. For a player to spend his entire career with a single franchise, it requires the support of the team, the management, its fans and the desire of the player to represent the team every time he steps on the court.

Every team wants star players, someone who could help them in the pursuit of a title. These teams are willing to give big-money contracts, making it very difficult for the players to stay with one team for their entire career.

In the same way, every player wants to be the leader of his own team and win championships with them, like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and many more. These guys want to create their own legacy and for that, they had to sacrifice their loyalty.

Regardless of this, there are few players who stayed loyal throughout the years. In this list, we will take a look at those players who have spent their entire NBA career, with one franchise.

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#5 Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers (1987 to 2005)

Reggie Miller

Reggie Miller played his 18-year NBA career for the Indiana Pacers. He is widely considered as the greatest Indiana player of all time. Reggie was selected as the 11th pick in the first round of 1987 NBA Draft by the Pacers. A clutch player, Miller was known for his precise three-point shooting under high pressure. At a time, he held the record for most career 3-pointers made.

Miller featured in 1,389 games for the Pacers, averaging 18.2 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game. He is one of the finest shooters in the NBA and made more than 2,500 3-pointers in his career.

Reggie was a 5-time NBA All-Star, he led the league twice in three-point field goals made and also led the league in free throw percentage five times. For his contribution and loyalty to the Pacers, Miller's No. 31 was retired by the team in 2006.

#4 John Stockton, Utah Jazz (1984 to 2003)

NBA Hall of Fame Induction Weekend

John Stockton is remembered as one of the most consistent and durable players of all time. The 10-time NBA All-Star was selected by the Utah Jazz as the 16th pick of the first round in the 1984 Draft and stayed with the franchise for 19 seasons. John was a legendary playmaker and led the league in assists 9 times.

Stockton holds the record for most career assists in NBA history with 15,806 assists and averaged more than 10 assists per game. He also has the most steals in the history of the league (3,265) and was a two-time steals leader. Stockton was a decent scorer, averaging 13.1 points per game.

During Stockton-s 19-year career, the Jazz made the NBA Playoffs every season in every season. He led the team to their only two NBA Finals appearances.

On May 2, 2003, Stockton announced his retirement. His number 12 jersey was retired by the Jazz. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

#3 Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (1997 to 2016)

Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan is considered the greatest power forward of all time. Selected as the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, he was destined to become a legend. In his rookie season, he averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year.

During his 19-year stay with the Spurs, Duncan achieved numerous accolades. He is a five-time NBA Champion (he is the only player to win the title in three different decades), a two-time NBA MVP and was named Finals MVP three times.

Regarded as one of the most consistent players in the NBA, Duncan finished his career with a double-double career average in points (19 ppg) and rebounds (10.8 rpg). Tim holds the distinction of being the only player in NBA history to be selected to both All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams during his first 13 seasons. Timmy retired on July 11, 2016, and the Spurs retired his No. 21 jersey.

#2 Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (1996 to 2016)

Kobe Bryant with his family

Kobe Bryant entered the NBA directly after high school and was the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. Kobe played at the shooting guard position, and he is the only guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons.

Kobe was initially drafted up by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. His playing style drew comparisons to Michael Jordan, and he was often compared to the latter. Bryant holds a plethora of records and is known as the greatest player of his generation. He is the Lakers' all-time leading scorer.

The Black Mamba led the Lakers to five NBA titles and won the Finals MVP two times. He was voted the 2008 NBA MVP and was named NBA All-Star 18 times (ranks second behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 19).

In his last NBA game against Utah Jazz, Bryant scored 60 points and became the oldest player to score 60 or more points in a game at 37 years old. Kobe finished his career averaging 25 points. 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Both of his jersey numbers 8 and 24 were retired by the Lakers.

#1 Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (1998 to 2019)

Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk Nowitzki is regarded as one of the greatest foreign-born players in NBA history. He started his career playing with DJK Würzburg (a second-division German professional team), playing at the power forward position. After coming to attention in 1998, Dirk declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft. He was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks as the ninth selection in the first round of 1998 NBA Draft but was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where he spent the rest of his career.

At 7 foot tall, Dirk was an excellent shooter. He scored more than 30,000 points and is Mavericks' all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, field goals, 3-pointers, and free throws made. He became the NBA MVP in 2007 (the first European player to win the award) and is a 14-time NBA All-Star.

Dirk led the Mavericks to 15 playoff appearances and won the NBA Championship in 2011, where he was named as the Finals MVP. He is the only player to record at least 31,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, 1,000 steals, and 1,000 blocks.

Nowitzki announced his retirement on April 9, 2019, ending his 21-year stay with the Mavericks. He broke Bryant's record for the most seasons played with a single team.