Five NBA players who stood out for their loyalty
In this day and age, loyalty is not a quality valued as much as it should be. Especially in industries that are making a lot of money like the NBA. Now, the players and the clubs are doing business, and every decision is taken considering the money issue. A player that stays his whole career with one team is considered a rarity.
However, in the past 40 seasons, there are five players which stayed with only one team for more than 19 years. These are John Stockton, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Udonis Haslem.
John Stockton started his career in 1984, and played for Utah Jazz until his retirement, in 2003. Although he didn’t manage to win any titles, he is considered one of the best players in NBA history, having nine consecutive seasons in which he led the league in assists. He was part of the Dream Team which won the gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Also, four years later, he played at the Atlanta Olympics, where Team USA won again.
In that year, a young star was entering the league. Kobe Bryant pulled some strings to get drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers but it was all worth it. During 20 years, he won five NBA titles, two Olympic gold medals, and a ton of other achievements. Bryant evolved during that time and was the closest thing ever to Michael Jordan. He inspired the world with his work ethic, and his intelligence was off the charts. The accident which happened on the 26th of January 2020, in which Kobe, Gianna, and six others lost their lives left a deep pain in our souls.
One of Bryant’s biggest rivals was Tim Duncan, who also won five titles. The big man got drafted one year later than Kobe, in 1997, and spent 19 years playing for the San Antonio Spurs. Duncan is a 15 times NBA All-Star and was part of the All-NBA first team ten times. Also, he was named the MVP of the league twice, in 2002 and 2003.
Another MVP of the league present in this list is Dirk Nowitzki. Born in Wurzburg, Germany, Nowitzki was one of the best international players that played in the NBA. He was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and became a legend of that franchise. In 2011, he led his team to the NBA title, defeating the big three of Miami Heat: LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Another opponent from that final is Udonis Haslem. He has been playing for the past 19 years in NBA, for the Miami Heat. Haslem won three titles alongside Dwayne Wade and is a well-respected veteran. Although he isn’t at the level of the other legends from this list, Haslem has a respectable average of 7.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
These five players deserve our admiration for their dedication to one club and the sacrifices they made for their teams.
*photo: bleacherreport.com
