As the old saying goes, “Availability is the best ability”. When you are looked at as a player who can make or break a team’s season or the chance at a championship, that means you need to be out there on the court giving your team your best. Today, the players you see below were in the starting lineup as much as humanly possible as their respective teams fought for ultimate glory as NBA champions. Recently, Russell Westbrook was relegated to the bench from the starting lineup for the purpose of a smoother-running offense. This marked the first time in 14 years he had been asked to come off of the bench for a team, stopping his streak at 1,118 games.
- 9. Russell Westbrook – 1,118 Consecutive Starts
- 8. Carmelo Anthony – 1,126 Consecutive Starts
- 7. Patrick Ewing – 1,253 Consecutive Starts
- 6. LeBron James – 1,272 Consecutive Starts
- 5. Chris Paul – 1,304 Consecutive Starts
- 4. Reggie Miller – 1,388 Consecutive Starts
- 3. John Stockton – 1,418 Consecutive Starts
- 2. Kevin Garnett – 1,567 Consecutive Starts
- 1. Karl Malone – 1,635 Consecutive Starts
- Next
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The list below does not include injuries, or Covid related absences. This list is of players that, when they were available, were starters and leaders for their teams. The players below are the definition of impactful with all-time great defenders, scorers, passers, rebounders, and playmakers. These players were looked at as franchise cornerstones at one point in their careers and rightfully so. They are also the players who could have been relied upon in the biggest moments of the biggest games of the season.
Without any more explanation, these are the 9 players in NBA history who have made the most starting appearances in the regular season and playoffs combined.
9. Russell Westbrook – 1,118 Consecutive Starts
For 14 seasons, Russell Westbrook has been one of the best point guards in basketball and a consistent starter. Aside from his rookie season where he appeared in 17 games off of the bench for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook has started every game that he has been available. This includes the last 11 seasons that he had made the playoffs as well. This also includes his time with all 4 teams he has been with during his career, the Thunder, Rockets, Wizards, and Lakers. This past week, that streak was put to an end when Westbrook appeared off of the bench for the Lakers vs. the Nuggets.
In his MVP season that saw him win a scoring title and average a triple-double, Westbrook played and started in 81 games for the Thunder. He averaged 31.6 PPG, 10.7 RPG, and 10.4 APG in those 81 games, making the feat much more impressive than it already was. Westbrook averaged a triple-double on the season 3 more times in his career in 2018, 2019, and 2021. In those seasons, Westbrook appeared and started in at least 65 games all 3 times. What a run by one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game.
8. Carmelo Anthony – 1,126 Consecutive Starts
For years, Carmelo Anthony was the face of both the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks franchises. He evolved into one of the more elite scorers in NBA history, able to punish opponents from all 3 levels on offense. His skill and talent were reflective of his time on the court as well. For the first 15 seasons of his career in the NBA, every game that Anthony was available, he was a starter for Denver or New Yorkin every single game. Even more impressive than that was the first 8 seasons of his career, Carmelo played in at least 65 games every single season and averaged at least 20.0 PPG.
Carmelo Anthony proved over the years to be an elite scorer from everywhere on the floor. If the team needed a clutch 3, give the ball to Carmelo. If the team needed someone to create a shot for themselves from the perimeter or mid-range, give the ball to Carmelo. If someone had to get some work done from the paint and the post, give the ball to Carmelo. Anthony proved time and time again that he could be relied upon in any situation on offense that the team needed him to be. Anthony’s streak came to an end in the 2018-19 season. He appeared in just 10 games for the Rockets and received only 2 starts during his time there.
7. Patrick Ewing – 1,253 Consecutive Starts
Patrick Ewing is one of the greatest players in New York Knicks history and a Top 10 center to ever play the game. He was a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball as a rebounder, finisher, shooter, and rim protector. Ewing’s streak began as a rookie with the Knicks in 1986 when he appeared and started in 50 games for New York and became an All-Star in the process. The streak continued even as he left New York and played in Seattle with the SuperSonics for 79 games. The streak would not end until the 2001-02 season when he appeared in 65 games for the Orlando Magic but would only make 4 starts with the team.
From 1988 through 1993, Ewing played in and started at least 80 games every season with the New York Knicks. Over this time, Ewing averaged 24.4 PPG, 10.5 RPG, and 3.1 BPG and catapulted himself to a Top 10 player in the NBA status. The following 4 seasons, Ewing played and started in at least 76 games for the Knicks each season and maintained his status as a top player in the NBA. He would begin to suffer from painstakingly debilitating injuries in 1998 and be limited to just 64 games over the next 2 seasons combined. He was still a starter when healthy and maybe not as productive on offense but equally impactful as he had always been on defense.
6. LeBron James – 1,272 Consecutive Starts
LeBron James has been labeled as “The Chosen One” ever since he was in high school at St. Vincent St Mary’s. He has carried that label with him for the past 20 seasons in the NBA with the Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers. James has played exactly 1,372 games in his career and has started in every single one of them except for 1 time during the 2008 season with the Cavaliers. When you are as great as he is and expected to deliver a chance at a championship every season, no coach in their right mind would have LeBron come in off of the bench. The streak continues today in season 20 at 38 years old with the Lakers even as the team struggles to find an identity over the past few seasons.
This streak has been the exact same in the playoffs as well. James has made 266 appearances in the NBA playoffs in his career and started every one of them. If there has been anyone to set an example of consistency and greatness, it has been LeBron James. This current streak of starts started with the aforementioned one game back in 2008. Over this time, James has averaged 27.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 7.7 APG, and 1.5 SPG. James has won 4 championships along the way and 4 Finals MVP awards. He has also earned 14 All-Star appearances and 4 MVP awards to add to his trophy case.
5. Chris Paul – 1,304 Consecutive Starts
The first player we have come across with a chance to move into 4th place on this list is Chris Paul. Currently, Paul has started 1,304 consecutive games in the regular season and playoffs with 5 different teams and has never come off of the bench once. How could he? Paul is quite possibly the best floor general that we have seen over the past 20 years. He commands an offense like a quarterback does in football. He is elite on both sides of the ball and has led every team he has been on, aside from the Rockets, to their franchise-best season in team history.
Whether you love him or hate him, there is no denying his impact on the floor. He is a natural-born leader who players that have shared the floor with him have the utmost respect for. Over his career, Paul has narrowly missed out on opportunities to win championships and MVP awards, which, for some reason, fans hold against him. In his 18-year career, Paul has been a 12-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, 11-time All-NBA selection, and a 9-time All-Defensive Team selection. He has also led the league in assists 5 times and in steals 6 times.
4. Reggie Miller – 1,388 Consecutive Starts
Reggie Miller is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. He ranks 3rd all-time in 3-pointers made and sank the hearts of fans everywhere with his propensity to hit clutch shots. I am sorry for the PTSD, Knicks fans. Miller was drafted in 1987 to the Indiana Pacers where he would spend the entirety of his 18-year career. Miller would earn his way for the first 2 seasons, making 85 appearances off of the bench in the 1988 and 1989 seasons combined. From there on out, whether regular season or playoffs, Miller would never come off of the bench again.
Once Miller became a starter, he started all 82 games for the first 4 seasons in that role. He averaged 22.3 PPG on 38.6% shooting from 3-point range over this time. Over the next 12 seasons, Miller only appeared in less than 70 games once and appeared in 80 games or more 6 times to end his career. Miller went on to become a 5-time All-Star and a 3-time All-NBA Team selection. He would lead the NBA in free throw percentage 5 times and games played 3 times.
3. John Stockton – 1,418 Consecutive Starts
Over time, the contributions of John Stockton have somehow become undervalued and under-appreciated. Stockton was a master of playmaking and made things happen with the ball that not many other point guards in NBA history can lay claim to. His game was not centered around feeding the ball to Karl Malone, as many may think, just ask Jeff Hornacek and Donyell Marshall how they feel about that. For the first 4 seasons of his career, Stockton found himself coming off of the bench in one capacity or another. When his 5th season in 1989 rolled around, everything changed.
Stockton would start all 82 games for the Jazz in 1989 and become an All-Star who led the league in assists and steals. He would lead the NBA in assists for the next 7 years in a row, giving him 9 straight seasons as the NBA’s leading assist man. He would appear and start in all 82 games in a season 12 times in his career after 1989. Stockton would go on to become a 10-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA Team selection, and a 5-time All-Defensive Team selection. Stockton is also the NBA’s all-time leader in total steals and total assists, 2 records we may never see broken in our lifetime.
2. Kevin Garnett – 1,567 Consecutive Starts
Kevin Garnett is one of the best on-court personalities I have ever seen. No one brought the energy and intensity that Garnett did every single night and it definitely hasn’t happened since. Garnett was an elite two-way power forward who basically revamped the position as someone who could run the floor, defend, and shoot from the outside/mid-range. Garnett only ever came off the bench during his rookie season with the Timberwolves, appearing in 80 games but coming off the bench in 37 of them.
Once Garnett became a full-time starter in 1997, he never returned to the bench, even as he played journeyman for the last few seasons in the NBA. From 1998 through 2005, Garnett appeared and started in at least 80 games 7 times. Over this time, he averaged 21.9 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 1.7 BPG. He won his only MVP award in 2004 when he started and played in all 82 games for 39.4 minutes per game. Garnett in his career would be a 15-time All-Star, 9-time All-NBA Team selection, and a 12-time All-Defensive Team selection. He won an MVP award in 2004 with the Timberwolves and a Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 with the Celtics, whom he also won a championship in the same season.
1. Karl Malone – 1,635 Consecutive Starts
Nowadays, you will hear a lot more about Karl Malone’s off-court issues than his on-court ability. It is a shame because Malone was one heck of a basketball player in his prime and as consistent as any coach could hope for out of their star player. Malone didn’t know what load management or taking a night off meant during his career. Malone played 19 seasons in his career and only came off of the bench for 5 games during his rookie season and never came off the bench come playoff time.
If Malone was good to go, chances are he was going to play every night that he possibly could. Malone appeared and started in all 80 games or more in a season, an incredible 16 times in 19 years. He suffered from injuries in 1999 and played just 42 games for the Lakers in 2004. Even with the Lakers, when he was available, he was the starter at 40 years old. That is just how good and dominant Malone was on the court. He became a 2-time MVP, 14-time ALl-Star, 14-time All-NBA selection, and 4-time All-Defensive Team selection. He led the Jazz to back-to-back Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998 and averaged 25.0 PPG and 10.1 RPG for his career.
