Throughout the history of the NBA, only 10 players have played in 20 or more seasons. This year, Kyle Lowry will join them, becoming the 11th player to have played 20 or more seasons in the league. However, what makes the 2025-26 season special is that, for the first time, there will be three active players with 20+ seasons. LeBron James will play in his 23rd season, Chris Paul in his 21st, and Lowry in his 20th.
LeBron Leads the Way for a Historic NBA Season
In the past several years, we have seen NBA players manage to prolong their careers. Thanks to modern medicine, new lifestyles, diets, training, and everything in between, players are no longer retiring at 33-34 years of age. In fact, both Paul and James will be 40+ when they step on the floor for the 2025-26 season.
To make things even more interesting, there will be two more players in their 19th season in the league, Al Horford and Mike Conley. And then, we have the Year 18 Club, with players like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Nicolas Batum, and Brook Lopez.
The last time we had so many “old” players in the league was when Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, and Kobe Bryant were at the tail end of their careers. But they never played in the same season with 20+ seasons on their belt. Kobe and KG played until 2015-16, Dirk lasted until 2018-19, and Vince retired after the 2019-20 season. 2017-18 was when both Vince and Dirk were in their 20th season in the league.
Can the Trend Continue?
Looking at the next line of players that might achieve 20-plus seasons, Kevin Durant has the biggest chance of the Year 18 club to get there. Al Horford has hinted this might be his last season, meaning he will stop at 19. Russ is having a hard time finding a team, making it unrealistic to believe he will be along for three more seasons. Batum and Love serve as veteran presences on the bench rather than playing minutes, and they are nearing the end as well. It will be a while before we see three players in their 20th season or more playing at the same time.
A Testament to LeBron’s Longevity
If everything goes well in the 2025-26 NBA season, LeBron will have a historic year in the NBA. He has a chance to become the undisputed longevity record holder in league history, with three more on the line for James.
- Most career win shares: Currently, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leads with 273.41, LeBron is second with 271.38.
- Most games played: Robert Parish is first with 1,611, LeBron is second with 1,562, and he needs 49 games to match it.
- Most field goals made: Kareem leads with 15,837, LeBron trails with 15,488. Last season, LBJ made 651 field goals, meaning he can surpass the record.
With those three longevity records, there will be few that he hasn’t matched—for example, most rebounds and most assists. But he is in the top-10 in those categories. Plus, he is a scorer, not a passer or rebounder. In any case, his longevity records will stand for many years to come.
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