With Kevin Durant’s transfer request shaking the entire NBA up, one of the side effects has been the start of another conversation about loyalty in the NBA. The poster child for staying loyal to a franchise, Damian Lillard, has spoken about how things have changed in the league in this aspect, addressing the fact that players no longer seem to be playing for the name on the front of the jersey.
But in an era dominated by conversations about legacy and mostly how many rings players have, stars have made it a habit of moving to better situations if they can. LeBron James is a pioneer of this, his decision in 2010 had a lot to do with how things have turned out in today’s league. In recent years, the likes of Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Kevin Durant have all followed suit.
So with that in mind, it’s fitting to take a look at which players have bucked the trend and stayed loyal to their teams for the longest. And this isn’t counting the role players, just players that have been NBA All-Stars.
“This is real loyalty.”
“It’s actually crazy how long Steph Klay and Dray been playing together.”
“Don’t let KD see this.”
“Kobe, Duncan, and Dirk would be proud of these guys.”
“Giannis is just a little behind these guys.”
“LeBron ruined the league man.”
“These guys are GOATs for their franchises.”
“Fr, they forgotten that it’s about the team.”
“Loyalty matters a lot to the fans.”
“All of them will go down as heroes.”
‘Warriors don’t count they champions. These dudes aren’t.”
The Golden State Warriors trio leads the way, with Curry spending 13 seasons with the organization to go along with Klay’s 11 and Draymond’s 10. Damian Lillard is tied for 3rd place with 10 for the Trail Blazers, while Bradley Beal has spent a decade with a poor Washington Wizards team.
The Top 3 names on the list are a testament to what can be accomplished if players stay involved with their own franchises and build from the bottom up. The Warriors championship is a good thing for the league in that regard, and it remains to be seen if it will influence some younger stars to give it a proper go with their teams.
