11 Players Who Should've Played on One Team Their Whole Career

Close your eyes and try to picture this; Tim Duncan, one of the greatest players in basketball history. He's down in the paint, backing down a defender...while wearing a Phoenix Suns jersey. You can't do it, can you? What about an Atlanta Hawks jersey? Not that one either, right? How about anything other than a San Antonio Spurs jersey? It's impossible, isn't it? Some players have become so synonymous with certain teams that it's impossible to imagine them playing for anyone else. Just imagining Kobe Bryant or Magic Johnson not playing for the Lakers is practically out of the question, and guys like Stephen Curry have made it hard to see them any other team. Of course, for guys like Curry, playing for one team their entire career isn't the case. Sometimes they get traded away, sometimes they sign with another team, sometimes they come out of retirement, but whatever way it happens, they are moves that ended career-long runs with one team. With that being said, here are 11 players who should've played for one team their entire career.

Karl Malone

For 18 years between 1985 & 2003, Karl Malone was one of the most unstoppable forces the NBA had ever seen. After being drafted by the Utah Jazz with the 13th pick in the 1985 NBA Draft, the Mailman would establish himself as arguably the best power forward to ever play the game over 18 seasons with the Jazz. During his time with the Jazz, Malone averaged 25.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 52% from the field. Along the way, Malone was selected to 14 all-star appearances, was a member of the All-NBA 1st Team 11 times, the All-Defensive 1st Team three times, and won the MVP Award two times. However, one thing that eluded Malone during those 18 years was the greatest prize of them all; an NBA Championship. Despite making two trips to the NBA Finals over his career in 1997 & 1998, but the Jazz fell both times to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls during their second three-peat, and with John Stockton retiring in 2003, the chances of Malone winning a title with the Jazz looked slim. However, Malone would get one more shot at the elusive NBA Championship...just not with the Jazz.

In 2003, Malone left the Jazz and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, joining Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and the newly acquired Gary Payton. It wasn't hard to see why Malone would join a team that had won three of the last four NBA Championships; it was a ring or nothing. Malone played in only 42 games during the 2003-04 season due to a knee injury and averaged just 13.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field. The Lakers did make NBA Finals behind their super team of Bryant, O'Neal, Malone, and Payton, but fell in five games to the Detroit Pistons. Malone would average 11.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game and shot 45% from the field during the playoffs before a sprained knee took him out of action for the last two games of the NBA Finals. Malone retired after his one season with the Lakers, a season that he probably shouldn't have played. While he's easily the greatest player in Jazz history, his single season with the Lakers is a bit of a blemish for him.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Going from one of the most well-known examples to one that's more of a personal one, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is both one of the greatest and most beloved players in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Drafted by the Cavaliers with the 20th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, the 7'3 Ilgauskas would stay with the Cavaliers for 13 years through everything from injuries and rough times for the team. During his time with the Cavs, Big Z would average 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks while shooting 48% from the field and 31% from three-point range. Ilgauskas was also named to the All-Star team twice as he stayed with the Cavaliers through everything, even returning to the Cavaliers after being traded to the Washington Wizards, who quickly bought out his contract. I'm pretty sure every Cavs fan (myself included) assumed Ilgauskas would retire as a Cav, which made how he ended his career both shocking & heartbreaking.

You see, LeBron James wasn't the only member of the Cavaliers who signed with the Miami Heat in 2010...Zydrunas Ilgauskas followed him there. Playing one season with the Heat, Ilgauskas played under 16 minutes per game and averaged 5 points and 4 rebounds per game while shooting 51% from the field. Unlike James, however, Cavs fans were nowhere near as angry at Ilgauskas, even cheering him in pre-game introductions when Heat played in Cleveland. After the Heat lost in the 2011 NBA Finals, Ilgauskas retired from the NBA after 14 years. While no hard feelings were harbored towards Ilgauskas for leaving, it still would've been nice to see him retire as a lifelong Cavalier.

Hakeem Olajuwon

As the man who led the Houston Rockets during their greatest period of success, Hakeem Olajuwon is almost unarguably the greatest player in the history of the franchise. Drafted with the #1 pick in the 1984 draft, Olajuwon would spend 17 seasons with the Rockets, quickly turning the team into one of the best in the entire league. During his tenure in Houston, Olajuwon averaged 22.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 51% from the field. Along the way, Olajuwon was selected to the All-Star game 12 times, the All-NBA 1st Team six times, the All-Defensive 1st Team five times, won the 1994 MVP award, won the Defensive Player of the Year twice, led the league in rebounding two times and blocks three times, and led the team to two consecutive NBA Championships, winning Finals MVP both times. The Hall of Famer would likely go down as the greatest player to ever spend their entire career with the Rockets. However, Hakeem Olajuwon didn't actually play in Houston for his entire career. People probably forget that Olajuwon actually played one season in a different team's jersey for the first time since 1984.
Opting to rebuild following the beginning of the millennium with the additions of Steve Francis & Cuttino Mobley, the 39-year old Olajuwon was clearly not in the Rockets' long-term picture for the future of their team. Olajuwon found himself on the Toronto Raptors following a trade in 2001, with the Rockets getting a first round pick and a second-round pick in the process. Well past his prime, Olajuwon averaged career lows of 7.1 points, 6 rebounds per game, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 46% from the field. Following a first-round elimination in the playoffs, Olajuwon hung up his sneakers for good. His run in Toronto was highly forgettable, which is probably how Rockets fans want it to stay.

Brandon Roy

Of all of the players on this list, Brandon Roy easily had the shortest career of anyone. Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 6th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, Roy was quickly shipped to the Portland Trail Blazers for the 7th pick Randy Foye. Roy went on to establish himself as the best player on the Trail Blazers' roster and a potential all-time great. Spending the first five years of his career with the Trail Blazers, Roy averaged 19 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 46% from the field and 35% from three-point range. Roy also won the Rookie of the Year award in his rookie season, made the All-Star team three times and made both the All-NBA 2nd & All-NBA 3rd teams one time each during his time in Portland. However, a variety of injuries over his career hampered Roy big time, forcing him into an early retirement in 2011 at just 26 years old. One year later, however, Roy was willing to give the NBA another shot.

After undergoing a platelet-rich plasma procedure to keep his knees healthy, Roy announced he was attempting to make a comeback to the NBA. Unfortunately, due to the Trail Blazers using their amnesty clause on Roy to clear up salary cap space, he was unable to return to Portland. Roy would end up signing with the team that originally drafted him, the Minnesota Timberwolves, for the 2012-13 season. Unfortunately, Roy's comeback would be cut very short, as five games into the season, Roy required knee surgery, ending his season. Roy averaged just 5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game and shot just 31% from the field and missed every three-pointer he attempted in his one season with Minnesota. The Timberwolves waived Roy after the season, and Roy retired for good. While you can commend Roy for giving the NBA one last shot, it did hurt a bit to see Roy so far removed from what he used to be, and it especially hurt to see Roy playing in something other than a Trail Blazers' jersey.

Dominique Wilkins

As arguably the greatest player to ever suit up for the Atlanta Hawks, Dominique Wilkins created a legacy during his career as one of the greatest players not just in the franchise's history, but in NBA history. Originally drafted by the Utah Jazz with the 3rd pick in the 1982 Draft, the Hawks made a draft trade for Wilkins, sending John Drew and Freeman Williams to Utah in the process. Over the next 12 years, Wilkins would lead the Hawks to their most successful period in history. In his 11 and a half seasons with the Hawks, Wilkins averaged 26.4 points, 6.9 rebounds,  and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field and 32% from three-point range. Along the way, Wilkins was selected to the all-star game nine times, made the All-NBA 1st team in 1986, the All-NBA 2nd team 4 times, and led the league in scoring for the 1985-86 season. Wilkins is so synonymous with the Atlanta Hawks that many people probably thought Wilkins played his entire career with them. I did too, but not only did Wilkins play for a team besides Atlanta, but he played for four other teams in the NBA.

Midway through the 1993-94 season, the 1st place Hawks shocked everyone when they traded Wilkins (still their leading scorer at the time) to the Los Angeles Clippers for Danny Manning and a 1st round pick. While coach Lenny Wilkens stated that management thought Manning would help the team more in the long run, it's not unlikely that the Hawks didn't want to give the 35-year old Wilkins a multi-year contract. Wilkins would finish out his season with the Clippers, putting up fantastic numbers in the process. In the 25 games he played as a Clipper, Wilkins averaged 29.1 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 45% from the field and 25% from three-point range. Despite the addition of Wilkins, the Clippers ended with an abysmal 27-55 record for the year. Following that season, Wilkins would leave in free agency.

Wilkins would sign with the Boston Celtics, averaging 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 42% from the field and a surprising career-best 39% from three-point range. Following a 1st round exit at the hands of the Orlando Magic, Wilkins opted to leave rebuilding Celtics for the EuroLeague for a year, winning the EuroLeague Championship and the Greek Cup with Panathinaikos. Wilkins returned to the NBA in 1996 and signed with the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 18.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 0.6 steals while shooting 42% from the field and 29% from three-point range as the Spurs finished with a terrible 20-62. Man, the Spurs doing bad. That's just...weird. Anyways, Wilkins left for Europe again, playing for Fortitudo Bologna for one season before coming back to the NBA, signing with the Orlando Magic. However, Wilkins would only play 27 games for the Magic, averaging just 5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.1 steals while shooting 38% from the field and 26% from three-point range. Wilkins finally retired following the 1998-99 season, ending a five and a half year stretch Hawks' fans likely want to forget.

Paul Pierce

When you think the modern day Boston Celtics, there is no one more synonymous with the team than Paul Pierce. Drafted by the Celtics with the 10th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, Pierce would play in the legendary green-and-white for 15 seasons, building a legacy for himself as one of the best players in not just the modern day, but as one of the best players in the entire franchise's history. During his decade and a half in Boston, Pierce averaged 21.8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 45% from the field and 37% from three-point range. Along the way, Pierce made the all-star team 10 times, the All-NBA 2nd Team once, the All-NBA 3rd Team three times, and led the Celtics to a victory in the 2008 NBA Finals, winning the Finals MVP in the process. As his #34 jersey was recently retired by the Celtics, the four years he played away from Boston are years everyone would like to forget.

Following a disappointing first round exit in the playoffs in 2013, the Celtics made big personnel shifts during the offseason. Along with letting head coach Doc Rivers out of his contract, the Celtics traded away both Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets for five players and essentially their entire future in the form of three first-round picks. Pierce's single season with the Nets was decent, averaging 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 45% from the field and 37% from the field. Nets managed to make it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals thanks to a clutch block by Pierce in Game 7 against the Toronto Raptors, but they fell to the Miami Heat in five games.

Pierce would leave Brooklyn during the offseason and signed with the Washington Wizards on a two-year deal, but only played in one season, averaging 11.9 points, 4 rebounds, and 0.6 steals per game while shooting 45% from the field and 39% from three-point range. Pierce would make it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the second year in a row but would lose to the Atlanta Hawks in six games. Pierce opted out of contract during the offseason and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he played the final two seasons of his career between 2015 and 2017. During that time, Pierce averaged just 5.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.4 steals per game while shooting 37% from the field and 32% from three-point range. Announcing the 2016-17 season would be his last, Pierce played just 25 games during the season and saw his career end on a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Utah Jazz in seven games.

Scottie Pippen

While the Chicago Bulls owe the majority of their success throughout the 90s to Michael Jordan (and I'll get to him shortly, the contributions of Scottie Pippen cannot go unnoticed. Originally drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 5th pick in the 1987 NBA Draft, Pippen found his way to the Bulls as a draft day trade that sent 8th pick Olden Polynice to the Sonics, and since then everyone (except for Olden Polynice) has agreed that the Bulls made the right call by making the deal. Through the first 11 seasons of his career, Pippen averaged 18 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field and 33% from three-point range. During that time, Pippen also made the all-star team seven times, the All-NBA 1st Team three times, the All-Defensive 1st team 8 times, led the league in steals for the 1994-95 season, and won six NBA Championships. Even during Jordan's first retirement, Pippen was still able to lead the Bulls into the playoffs, putting up the best numbers in his entire career. However, following Jordan's second retirement, Pippen's tenure as a Chicago Bull came to an end.
Long before Sam Hinkie ever decided to trust the process, Bulls' general manager Jerry Krause used a similar strategy following the end of the Michael Jordan-era in Chicago. Opting to rebuild, Krause mad several moves to prepare better for the future. Krause let Dennis Rodman leave in free agency and traded away several veterans on the team, such as Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, and of course, Scottie Pippen, who was traded to the Houston Rockets for Roy Rogers, who would never play another game following the trade. While the trade paired Pippen with future Hall of Famers Charles Barkley & Hakeem Olajuwon, the team struggled with chemistry and went in 31-19 during the shortened 1998-99 season, during which Pippen averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field and 34% from three-point range, and also made the All-Defensive 1st Team. Following a first-round exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, Pippen all but demanded a trade, citing Barkley's selfishness and lack of desire to win as his reason, and ended up on the Portland Trail Blazers.
Pippen would spend the next four seasons of his career with the Trail Blazers, averaging 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 44% from the field and 32% from three-point range and made the All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2000. While the Blazers did make the Western Conference Finals in 2000 (thanks to a clutch 3-pointer by Pippen in Game 5 of the second round over the Utah Jazz), the Blazers had little success with Pippen, suffering three first-round exits in the playoffs. After those four years, Pippen returned to the Bulls via free agency for one last season. Pippen played just 23 games and averaged 5.9 points, 3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.9 steals per game and shot 38% from the field and 27% from three-point range. The Bulls, now one of the worst teams in the league following Krause's rebuild. had an utter disaster of a season, going 23-59 on the year. Pippen retired following that season, and his time away from the Bulls is time all Bulls' fans likely want to forget about.

Dwyane Wade

Unlike everyone else on this list, Dwyane Wade is the only player on this list who is still currently active, but I feel like he fits the criteria for this list pretty well. Drafted by the Miami Heat with the 5th overall pick, Wade was quick to create a legacy for himself and came out as arguably the second-best player from that draft class (besides LeBron James, of course.) Even with LeBron James as a member of the Heat as well, few would argue that when you think of the Miami Heat, you think of Dwyane Wade. During the first 13 seasons of his career, Wade averaged 23.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 49% from the field. During that time, Wade made the all-star game 12 times, the All-NBA 1st Team two times, and helped lead the Heat to three NBA Championships, earning the Finals MVP Award in 2006. Wade looked set to be a career member of the Heat. Dwyane Wade had other ideas, however.
During the 2016 offseason, Wade opted to leave the Heat after 13 seasons following a contract dispute and signed with his hometown Chicago Bulls on a two-year deal. Wade was still able to put up good numbers in his first season with the Bulls, averaging 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 43% from the field. However, the chemistry in Chicago was not good, with Wade being part of the problem. Wade, along with Jimmy Butler & Rajon Rondo, was even fined during the season for criticizing the effort of younger members of the roster. Following his first season with the Bulls, the team bought out Wade's contract as part of a rebuild. Wade would sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers three days later, reuniting him with LeBron James.
In an incredibly forgettable run that lasted just over half a season, Wade started just three games and averaged 11.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and .9 steals per game while shooting 46% from the field. Just like in Chicago, chemistry issues led to Wade's departure from the Cavaliers, as he was traded back to the Miami Heat as part of a roster overhaul. While Wade is back in Miami, his time away from Miami is likely a time people would like to forget.

Patrick Ewing

While he was never able to win an elusive championship ring during his career, Patrick Ewing has still gone down as arguably the greatest power forward in NBA history, and as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Playing in the NBA for 17 years, Ewing became synonymous with the New York Knicks, going down as possibly the greatest player in the history of the franchise. Drafted by the Knicks with the first overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft (a draft pick that was obtained 100% legitimately with no controversy surrounding it whatsoever), Ewing would play with the Knicks for 15 seasons and quickly dominated the league. During his time with the Knicks, Ewing averaged 22.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, a steal, and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 51% from the field. Along the way, Ewing made the all-star team 11 times, the All-NBA 1st Team once, the All-NBA 2nd Team six times, the All-Defensive 2nd Team three times, and won the 1986 Rookie of the Year. Ewing even had his #33 jersey retired by the Knicks, putting him in the same class as fellow Knicks' legendary big man Willis Reed. Unlike Reed, however, Ewing did not spend his entire career in New York.

After 15 years with the Knicks, Ewing was shipped to the Seattle SuperSonics as part of a four-team, 12 player, 5 draft pick trade. Playing for the Sonics for only one season, Ewing averaged 9.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 43% from the field. After missing out on the playoffs by just one game, Ewing left the Sonics during the offseason and signed a two-year deal with the Orlando Magic. However, Ewing only played one season with the Magic, averaging just 6 points, 4 rebounds, 0.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 44% from the field. Following the 2001-02 season, Ewing officially retired.

Michael Redd

Michael Redd might not have achieved the legend status that most of the players on this list reached, but Milwaukee Bucks fans likely have fond memories of arguably their best player during the 2000s. Drafted by the Bucks with the 43rd pick in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft, Redd spent his entire career establishing himself as one of the biggest draft steals in NBA history. Playing in 11 seasons with the Bucks, Redd averaged 20 points, 4 rebounds and a steal per game while shooting 45% from the field and 38% from three-point range. During that time, Redd also made the all-star team in 2004 and made the All-NBA 3rd Team for the 2003-04 season. While Milwaukee didn't achieve much success during Redd's tenure, Redd still played great basketball as a member of the Bucks. However, his run with the Bucks didn't last his entire career.

Redd's career in Milwaukee ended on a sour note, as injuries limited the then 31-year old to only playing in just 28 games over two seasons. Following the 2010-11 season, Redd departed from Milwaukee and signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns. Redd managed to stay healthy enough to play in 51 games during his one season with the Suns, averaging 8.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.3 steals per game while shooting 40% from the field and 32% from three-point range. After going unsigned in two straight offseasons, Redd officially retired in 2013. Redd, like Brandon Roy, probably should've hung it up when the injuries started mounting up instead of leaving the team he spent his entire career on and playing a forgettable season with another team.

Michael Jordan

I mean...who else could I end this list on? Of all the players who should've only played on one team their entire career, is there any more obvious choice than Michael Jordan. Drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 3rd pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, Michael Jordan would spend 14 years establishing himself as the greatest player to ever play the game. During his tenure with the Bulls, Jordan would average 31.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 51% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Along the way, Jordan was named a 12-time all-star, a five-time MVP, a member of the All-NBA 1st Team 10-times, the All-Defensive 1st Team a record nine times, the Defensive Player of the Year in 1988, and a six-time NBA Champion and Finals MVP. When Jordan hung up the sneakers for the second time in 1999, he had nothing left to prove...which made what happened four years later hard to watch.

In 2001, Jordan, then the Washington Wizards' President of Basketball Operations, decided to suit up for the Wizards for the first time since 1999 at the age of 38. While Jordan was still able to perform at a high level, even making two more all-star appearances in his two seasons with the Wizards, it was clear that Jordan was far from his prime. In those two years, Jordan averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 43% from the field and just 24% from three-point range. Both seasons saw the Wizards go 37-45 and missed the playoffs both times, the only two seasons Jordan had where his team didn't make the playoffs. Jordan finally retired for good in 2003, but those final two years are often seen as a blemish on his legendary career.