In the NBA, especially today, seeing an NBA player spend his entire career with one team is almost impossible. It is even rarer to see them rack up over 1,000 games played with that same team during their NBA careers between the regular season and NBA playoffs combined. Below, we have found the 10 NBA players who were able to play in the most games in NBA history between the NBA playoffs and regular season combined.
What makes this feat even more impressive are the things each player accomplished during these seasons with their respective franchises. Some of these players even had other stops in their careers in which they played both regular season and playoff games, but still rank among the players with the most such games in one uniform. The amount of games they accumulated with one franchise is just one of the reasons they are considered to be among the greatest players in that franchise’s history.
As we count down the players with the most games played with one team between the playoffs and regular season, we will also point out the greatest accomplishments they achieved as well as how successful their teams were as a result.
These are the NBA players who played the most regular season and playoff games combined for just one team.
10. Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics – 1,238 Games Played
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Paul Pierce is a legend in the City of Boston for the 15 years of service he dedicated to the Celtics franchise. From playing all 82 games after being the victim of a stabbing to the NBA championship he was finally able to deliver in 2008, Paul Pierce earned his spot among the Boston Celtics hierarchy.
During the regular season, Paul Pierce played in 1,102 games for the Celtics which included seven seasons in which he appeared in at least 80 games. In his career during those games, he averaged 21.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. This led to 10 playoff appearances in 15 seasons for Pierce with two appearances in the NBA Finals.
Pierce would appear in 136 games during the NBA playoffs for the Celtics with career averages of 20.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. His most memorable playoff run would come in 2008 when he led the Celtics to their first NBA championship since 1986. In a series win over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, Pierce would win Finals MVP averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game on 43.2% shooting overall and 39.3% shooting from three. Pierce would also make the NBA Finals with Boston in 2010 but fall to the same Lakers team in seven games.
9. Hakeem Olajuwon – Houston Rockets – 1,317 Games Played
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When the Houston Rockets selected Hakeem Olajuwon with the first pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, the thought was they were going to build their franchise around the big man in hopes of capturing their long-awaited NBA championship. Eventually, they would do just that as Olajuwon spent 17 seasons with the team from 1984-85 through 2000-01 winning as he became one of the very best players to ever step foot on an NBA court.
During the regular season, Olajuwon would play 1,177 games for the Rockets over the course of those 17 seasons. During that time, Hakeem would stake his claim as the greatest player in franchise history with 22.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 3.2 blocks per game. With his incredible production, Olajuwon would earn one MVP award, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, three block titles, 12 All-Star appearances, 12 All-NBA Team selections, and nine All-Defensive Team selections. His work was not done there.
Thanks to his regular season dominance, Hakeem led the Rockets to 14 different appearances in the NBA playoffs. He averaged 26.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game in those 14 playoff runs, appearing in three NBA Finals series. In 1994 and 1995, Olajuwon would help the Rockets capture back-to-back NBA championships while taking home Finals MVP both times in wins over the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic. It is still the only two NBA championships in Houston Rockets history.
8. Tony Parker – San Antonio Spurs – 1,424 Games Played
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Tony Parker may just forever remain one of the most underrated point guards in NBA history. Although he spent most of his career next to the great Tim Duncan, Parker contributed nearly as much to the success of the Spurs in his 17 seasons of service to the franchise from 2002 through 2019.
In his 17 seasons with the Spurs, Parker would appear in 1,198 games during the regular season with only 47 of those games coming off the bench. He averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 assists, and 0.9 steals per game in his Spurs career shooting 49.2% from the field. Over time, he would make six All-Star appearances for San Antonio as well as four selections to the All-NBA Team.
One of the most impressive feats during Parker’s career as a member of the Spurs is that they never missed the NBA playoffs in those 17 years. Parker would appear in 226 total games during his playoff career with them, winning four NBA championships along the way. His best playoff run would come in one of those championship runs in 2007. That season, Parker would lead the Spurs to a four-game sweep of the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals and claim Finals MVP honors with 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on 56.8% shooting from the field.
7. John Havlicek – Boston Celtics – 1,442 Games Played
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John “Hondo” Havlicek is the first of many players on this list who spent their entire careers with the same NBA franchise. Havlicek played 16 seasons in the NBA, all with the Boston Celtics from 1963 through 1978 appearing in 1,270 regular season games. Havlicek would appear in at least 80 games in 11 of those 16 seasons and played in all 82 games five times.
During the regular season with the Celtics over the years, Havlicek averaged 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 43.9% shooting from the floor. He earned 13 All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, and eight All-Defensive Team selections over his career while also leading the NBA in games played and minutes played twice.
Havlicek is one of the winningest players in NBA history with a perfect 8-0 record in the NBA Finals while making 172 playoff appearances. He won six championships in seven years from 1963 through 1969 as well as two more in 1974 and 1976. The 1974 Finals would be his greatest series as a member of the Celtics with his only Finals MVP win coming in a seven-game series win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Havlicek would win Finals MVP with 26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on 42.9% shooting from the field.
6. Reggie Miller – Indiana Pacers – 1,533 Games Played
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Reggie Miller is one of the greatest three-point shooters in the history of the NBA, ranking fourth in NBA history in three-pointers made with 2,560 made in his 18-year career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller played a total of 1,389 games with Indiana from 1988 through 2005 averaging 18.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. During that time, Miller would be selected to five All-Star teams and three All-NBA Teams as well.
Of his 18 seasons with Indiana, 15 of them were spent competing in the NBA playoffs for a total of 144 games. He was one of the few NBA stars who rose to the occasion in the NBA playoffs with 20.6 points per game on 44.9% shooting overall and 39.0% shooting from three. Miller was never able to lead the Pacers to the NBA championship falling victim mostly to the Bulls dynasty during the 1990s. Miller did appear in one NBA Finals in his career, a 4-2 series loss to the Lakers in 2000 in which he averaged 24.3 points per game on 41.3% shooting.
5. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers – 1,566 Games Played
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With 20 years of his life dedicated to the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant became both a cultural and global icon for generations of basketball fans all over the world. Originally drafted by the Charlotte Hornets out of high school in 1996, Bryant would be traded to the Lakers just a few weeks later, and the rest is history.
Bryant would play a total of 1,346 games in the regular season with the Lakers, averaging 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Bryant would be named MVP once in 2008 as well as an All-Star 18 times with two scoring titles, 15 All-NBA Team selections, 12 All-Defensive Team selections, and four All-Star Game MVP awards. Bryant played in at least 80 games five times in his career including three seasons in which he played all 82 games.
The NBA playoffs is where Kobe Bryant really shined in his NBA career with the Lakers appearing in seven NBA Finals in total and taking home five NBA championships. Bryant was named Finals MVP in both 2009 and 2010 in wins over the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics. In his 220 career playoff games, Bryant would average 25.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 44.8% shooting from the field.
4. Karl Malone – Utah Jazz – 1,606 Games Played
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In the history of the NBA, only four players have ever played in at least 1,6000 regular season and playoff games combined for one team. The first of these players is Karl Malone who played 19 seasons in the NBA in total. The first 18 seasons of his career would come with the Utah Jazz from 1986 through 2003. He would appear in 1,434 total regular season games, winning two MVP awards along with 17 seasons of at least 80 games played and 14 All-Star selections, 14 All-NBA Team selections, and four All-Defensive Team selections.
During the regular season in his Jazz career, Malone averaged 25.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game on 51.7% shooting from the field. Malone would lead the Jazz to a playoff appearance in every season he spent with the team and averaged 26.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game on 46.3% shooting.
Malone would lead the Jazz to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998 but fell to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls each time. Malone would also appear in the NBA Finals in 2004 with the Lakers but fall to the Detroit Pistons, giving him a career record of 0-3 in the championship series.
3. Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs – 1,643 Games Played
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Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward in the history of the NBA and he earned that title over a 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs. Duncan would appear in 1,392 games in the regular season averaging 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. Duncan would play in at least 80 games six times and in all 82 games twice.
During the regular season, Duncan would earn two MVP awards, Rookie of the Year, 15 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA Team selections, and 15 All-Defensive Team selections. He would also add an All-Star Game MVP in 2000 capping off one of the greatest runs in a player’s first three seasons in NBA history. Duncan was far from just a regular season MVP though as we would see in 18 playoff appearances over the course of his career.
In 18 appearances in the NBA playoffs, Duncan would play 251 games and averaged 20.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. Duncan would lead the Spurs to a total of five NBA championships including four in his first 10 seasons in the league. Of those five championships, Duncan would be named Finals MVP three times including his second season in 1999 when the regular season was shortened to 50 games. Duncan proved time and time again that he is one of the greatest playoff performers ever and easily the greatest player in the history of the Spurs.
2. Dirk Nowitzki – Dallas Mavericks – 1,667 Games Played
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In NBA history, there have been only two players to play over 1,650 games with the same team in the regular season and playoffs combined. One of those players is the GOAT of the Dallas Mavericks franchise, for now, Dirk Nowitzki. In 21 seasons of NBA service, Nowitzki appeared in 1,522 regular season games averaging 20.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Nowitzki earned the title of Mavericks GOAT by becoming the greatest 7-foot shooter ever with the ability to spread the floor to the perimeter and knock down threes as well as a signature one-legged fadeaway that was virtually impossible to defend. In his regular season career, Nowitzki would win the 2007 MVP award along with 14 All-Star selections and 12 All-NBA Team selections.
Of his 21 seasons in the NBA, Nowitzki was able to lead Dallas to the playoffs 15 times. He accumulated 145 games played in the playoffs with his first 10 appearances falling short of his goal of becoming an NBA champion. In 2011, Nowitzki would finally break through with a playoff run for the ages. He would lead the Mavericks to their first and only championship by taking down the Miami Heat in six games in the NBA Finals. He would also claim Finals MVP honors with 26.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game on 41.6% shooting overall and 36.8% shooting from three.
1. John Stockton – Utah Jazz – 1,686 Games Played
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The all-time leader for games played for one team between the regular season and playoffs is none other than John Stockton of the Utah Jazz. Stockton played 19 seasons in the NBA, all for the Jazz, and became one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. Stockton would appear in 1,504 regular season games in his career on the way to becoming the NBA’s all-time leader in both assists and steals.
During his regular season career, Stockton would play all 82 games an incredible 16 times. He would average 13.1 points, 10.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game for his career with the Jazz along with nine assists titles from 1988 through 1996 and two steals titles as well. Stockton would make a total of 10 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA Teams, and five All-Defensive Teams in his 19 seasons as well, putting forward one of the best careers for a point guard that we have ever seen.
Stockton and the Jazz would advance to the NBA playoffs in every season he was on the court for them from the time he was 22 years old to the time he was 40. Stockton would average 13.4 points, 10.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game in 182 career playoff games, ranking 16th overall in career playoff games played. He would make two appearances in the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 but fell to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games on both occasions.
