During the recent years, it’s common to see NBA superstars leave their original teams to form a superteam elsewhere. While winning a championship with a superteam is still a difficult task, playing for your original team gets more respect given the amount of patience, effort, and investment that takes place to gradually build a championship team without shortcuts.
Although it’s tempting to find greener pastures elsewhere, some superstar players decided to stay put with the organization that helped them become successful in the first place. For this piece, let’s rank the 10 greatest NBA players who only played for a single team.
10. Manu Ginobili
Career stats: 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game
Manu Ginobili may not have the flashiest numbers. However, he makes up for it with excellent decision making on the floor, whether as a shot-maker or facilitator. In fact, he was one of the greatest players in the San Antonio Spurs dynasty. Ginobili won four NBA titles with the Spurs, coming off the bench for the most part. In addition to championship hardware, Ginobili is a Sixth Man of the Year winner and four time NBA All-Star.
9. Isiah Thomas
Career stats: 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game
The Detroit Pistons Bad Boys wouldn’t have found a lot of success without the elite playmaking of Isiah Thomas. Given that Thomas was the centerpiece of the Pistons offense, the team was able to reach three straight NBA Finals appearances, winning the last two. Apart from being a two time NBA champion, Thomas is a Finals MVP, 12 time All-Star, five time All-NBA selection, and once led the league in assists.
8. David Robinson
Career stats: 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game
While the Spurs had to wait for David Robinson after drafting him, the wait was definitely worth it. With the play of Robinson, the Spurs turned from cellar dwellers to championship contenders. Robinson led the Spurs to win two NBA championships. Furthermore, Robinson is a League MVP, 10 time All-Star, and 10 time All-NBA selection.
7. John Stockton
Career stats: 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 10.5 assists per game
Forming a formidable duo with Karl Malone, John Stockton was one of the main reasons why the Utah Jazz were a championship contender in the 90s. Although Stockton wasn't one to impact the game by scoring, he made his presence felt by finding open teammates with precision and made life hard for opposing ball handlers. Stockton is a 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, and five time All-Defensive team member. But more importantly, Stockton is currently the NBA all-time leader in assists and steals.
6. Dirk Nowitzki
Career stats: 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game
Dirk Nowitzki emerged as the best player out of Europe. In fact, he’s responsible for revolutionizing the stretch four. Apart from taking MVP honors in 2007, Nowitzki's greatest achievement would be leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA championship in 2011. Despite going against the likes of Kevin Durant and the Thunder, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, LeBron James and the Heat, Nowitzki’s historic performance ultimately defied the odds.
5. Larry Bird
Career stats: 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game
With Larry Bird starring for the Boston Celtics, the squad became a dynasty in the 80s. Aside from becoming one of the best scorers of the game, Bird delivered when it mattered most. He is a three time NBA champion, two time Finals MVP, 12 time All-Star, and three time League MVP.
4. Magic Johnson
Career stats: 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists per game
It was difficult to choose between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird on which player ranked higher. But given that Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Bird and the Celtics two out of three times for the NBA championship, Johnson sits fourth on this list.
As the focal point of the Lakers’ Showtime era, Johnson led the Lakers to five NBA championships. He was also named Finals MVP three times and League MVP three times. Given that he was a 6’9 point guard, Johnson paved the way for modern day positionless basketball.
3. Tim Duncan
Career stats: 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game
Tim Duncan doesn’t have the flashiest game. However, there’s a good reason why he was one of the focal points of the Spurs dynasty. Dubbed as The Big Fundamental, Duncan served as the main big man for the Spurs in the 2000s and the 2010s. He led them to five NBA championships and was named Finals MVP on three occasions. Furthermore, Duncan is also a 15-time All-Star and two time MVP.
2. Bill Russell
Career stats: 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game
Just looking at his stats alone, one can already tell how dominant Bill Russell was during his era. As a double-double threat, Russell helped the Celtics win 11 NBA titles. Although he never won Finals MVP, given that there was no award in place yet at that time, Russell was obviously the biggest reason why the Celtics dominated for a decade.
1.Kobe Bryant
Career stats: 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game
Although Kobe Bryant was initially drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, he never suited up for them and played for the Los Angeles Lakers his entire career. Bryant finished his career as one of the most lethal scorers of the game, including an 81-point outburst in a Raptors contest, the second most in NBA history. Bryant helped the Lakers win five NBA championships, with him being named Finals MVP on two occasions.
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