Giannis Antetokounmpo leaving the Bucks changes more than the title race. It also kills one of the longest active player-franchise runs in the league. After 13 seasons, 895 regular-season games, two MVPs, one championship, one Finals MVP, and basically the whole modern Bucks era, Giannis is now with the Heat. That still feels weird to write.
The Bucks were Giannis’ whole NBA life. They drafted him at No. 15 in 2013, developed him from a skinny project into a superstar, and won the 2021 championship with him as the face of everything. Now that run is over, and the list of active players who have stayed with one franchise for their whole career gets thinner again.
This list is only for active players who have spent their entire NBA career with one franchise. So no Trae Young, no Jaren Jackson Jr., no Michael Porter Jr., no Coby White, because all of them changed teams in this 2026 timeline.
Here are the longest-tenured active NBA players with a single franchise after Giannis’ trade from the Bucks.
10. Ja Morant, 7 Seasons
Ja Morant gets the final spot, but honestly, this one feels shaky. The Grizzlies drafted him No. 2 in 2019, and he has spent seven seasons with the franchise. He has played 327 regular-season games, which is low compared with the rest of this list, but that is where the league is now. Guys move fast. Even a 2019 draft pick can already enter the top 10.
The talent is still there. Morant’s career line is 22.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. That is elite guard production when he is right.
But the last few years have been messy. Injuries, suspensions, trade rumors, and a Grizzlies team that looks ready to reset. In 2025-26, Morant played only 20 games and had 19.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists. The passing was still there, but the scoring efficiency was ugly: 41.0% from the field and 23.5% from three.
That is why his place here might not last long. Brian Windhorst reported the Grizzlies are expected to try to trade him this offseason. So yes, Morant qualifies today, but this feels more temporary than safe.
9. Bam Adebayo, 9 Seasons
Bam Adebayo has been with the Heat for nine seasons, and now his loyalty looks even more interesting after Giannis arrived in a blockbuster trade.
The Heat took him No. 14 in 2017, and he has played 640 regular-season games with the franchise. He was never the loudest star, but he became the Heat’s defensive identity. Switches, help rotations, short-roll passes, rebounds, screens, all the ugly stuff that wins games.
Last season, Adebayo put up 18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. He also added 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks, while becoming the second all-time scorer in a single game in NBA history. The field-goal percentage was 49.0%, which is not great for a center, but Bam is not a normal center.
His value is defense and versatility. He can guard in space, cover mistakes, and still play as a connector on offense. That matters even more now because the Heat have Giannis next to him. The spacing can get weird, yes, but the defense can be nasty.
Adebayo has already reached two Finals with the Heat. Now he gets another chance with a superstar frontcourt. He is No. 9 now, but if he stays, he can climb fast.
8. Jayson Tatum, 9 Seasons
Jayson Tatum already has nine seasons with the Celtics, and that sounds weird because he still feels like a younger star.
The Celtics drafted him No. 3 in 2017. Since then, he has played 601 regular-season games, won the 2024 championship, made multiple All-NBA teams, and became the face of the franchise.
The 2025-26 season was strange because of the injury situation. Tatum played only 16 games, but he still had 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. The efficiency was not normal for him: 41.1% from the field and 32.9% from three. That is rough, but it also came with the context of coming back and not looking fully himself yet.
The Celtics were still +118 in his minutes, so the impact was there even when the shot wasn’t perfect. That is Tatum. His size, rebounding, passing, and gravity still matter.
Now the Celtics have Jaylen Brown trade noise all over the place, so Tatum is even more clearly the center of everything. If Brown leaves, this becomes fully Tatum’s team again.
Nine seasons, one title, and still in his prime. He might climb very high on this list.
7. Jamal Murray, 9 Seasons
Jamal Murray is one of the biggest reasons the long-term rebuild worked. The Nuggets drafted him No. 7 in 2016, and he has played 611 regular-season games with them. He missed a full year because of the ACL injury, so the game count is lower than it could be, but the impact is obvious.
He is the second half of the Jokic-Murray machine. The Nuggets won the 2023 championship because that two-man game became impossible to guard.
Murray’s 2025-26 season was definitely his best. He had 25.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists, shooting 48.3% from the field, 43.5% from three, and 88.7% from the line. That is elite guard shooting with an All-Star selection.
The true shooting was 62.2%, which is crazy for a player taking hard pull-ups and late-clock shots. He also finished at +431, which shows how strong the Nuggets were with him in rhythm.
The issue with Murray is always health. When he is right, he is a playoff killer. When he is not, the Nuggets look too Jokic-dependent.
Still, nine seasons with one franchise, one title, and a perfect star partnership is a big deal.
6. Jaylen Brown, 10 Seasons
Jaylen Brown is the most unstable name on this list right now. He has 10 seasons with the Celtics after being drafted No. 3 in 2016. He has played 674 regular-season games, won the 2024 championship, won Finals MVP, and became one of the league’s best wings.
Last season was his best scoring year: 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. He shot 47.7% from the field, 34.7% from three, and had a 57.3% true shooting mark. He carried a lot more offense because Tatum missed time, and the usage was heavy.
The problem is the rest. The Celtics lost in the first round after blowing a 3-1 lead. Brown’s contract is also huge: $57.1 million, $61.0 million, and $65.0 million over the next three seasons. That is why his name is in trade rumors even after a career year.
He is still a Celtics legend because of the title. That won’t change. But after Giannis left the Bucks, nobody should act like long runs are safe forever.
Brown is No. 6 today. He might not be here for long.
5. Joel Embiid, 10 Seasons
Joel Embiid has been with the 76ers for 10 seasons, but his career feels longer and shorter at the same time. The 76ers drafted him No. 3 in 2014, but he missed the first two seasons with injuries. That is why he has only 490 regular-season games. For someone drafted in 2014, that number is low.
Still, when Embiid plays, he is one of the best players in the league. Last season, he had 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 38 games. He shot 48.9% from the field, 33.3% from three, and 85.4% from the line.
The scoring is still elite. The problem is always the same: health. Embiid has an MVP, scoring titles, All-NBA seasons, and a crazy per-minute résumé. But the 76ers have never reached the conference finals with him. That is the part that keeps hanging over the whole era.
Still, 10 seasons with one franchise is rare. The 76ers built everything around him, from the Process years to the title pushes. He is not the best loyalty story because there has been a lot of playoff pain. But he is still a one-team superstar.
4. Devin Booker, 11 Seasons
Devin Booker has been with the Suns for 11 seasons now. They drafted him No. 13 in 2015, and he has played 737 regular-season games for them. He lived through the losing years, became an All-Star, scored 70 in one game, reached the 2021 Finals, and then watched the roster get rebuilt around him more than once.
Booker had 26.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists last season. He shot 45.6% from the field, 33.0% from three, and 87.3% from the line. The free throws are always elite, but the three-point number being that low matters. For the Suns to be serious, Booker has to be closer to his better shooting seasons.
Still, he is one of the best shot-makers in the league. His career line is 24.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, and he already has more than 18,000 career points.
The Suns have not always helped him well. That is the frustrating part. He stayed through a lot, and the franchise has had many chances to build the right team.
After Giannis leaving the Bucks, Booker’s run feels more rare. A star guard staying this long with one team is not normal anymore.
3. Nikola Jokic, 11 Seasons
Nikola Jokic is the best player on the list. The Nuggets drafted him No. 41 in 2014, and he has played 810 regular-season games with the franchise. That is wild. A second-round pick became a three-time MVP, a champion, a Finals MVP, and the whole system of one of the best offenses ever.
His 2025-26 season was stupid again: 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists. He shot 56.9% from the field and led the league in both rebounds and assists. That is not normal. That is video game stuff.
The Nuggets had the No. 1 offense in the league at 122.6 points per 100 possessions, and Jokic is the reason. Every handoff, every post touch, every pass, every fake, everything starts with him.
He is not just loyal because he stayed. He stayed and won. That is the big difference. The Nuggets built around him, kept Murray, found the right pieces, and got the 2023 championship.
After Giannis left the Bucks, Jokic is probably the best small-market loyalty example in the league.
2. Draymond Green, 14 Seasons
Draymond Green has been with the Warriors for 14 seasons, and honestly, he only makes sense there.
The Warriors drafted him No. 35 in 2012. Since then, he has played 949 regular-season games, won four championships, won Defensive Player of the Year, made eight All-Defensive teams, and became one of the smartest defenders ever.
His stats never look normal. Last season, Green had 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. He shot 41.8% from the field and 32.6% from three. That doesn’t scream star, but Draymond has never been about basic box-score stuff.
He is the defensive brain. He calls coverages, switches, helps, screens, passes, and knows where Curry wants the ball before Curry even gets there.
The Warriors dynasty doesn’t happen without him. Curry is the face, but Green was the chaos defender and connector who made the small-ball lineups work.
Now he is old, the Warriors are not the same, and the margin is smaller. But 14 seasons with one franchise is insane now.
Green is annoying, loud, smart, flawed, and still tied forever to Warriors history.
1. Stephen Curry, 17 Seasons
Stephen Curry is alone at the top. The Warriors drafted him No. 7 in 2009. Since then, he has played 1,069 regular-season games, won four championships, two MVPs, one Finals MVP, and changed how basketball is played.
That is not just tenure. That is one player changing the whole sport from one franchise.
Curry is also still producing. Last season, he had 26.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 43 games. He shot 46.8% from the field, 39.3% from three, and 92.3% from the line. The true shooting was 63.7%.
At his age, that is insane. He still made 4.4 threes per game on 11.3 attempts. Defenses still panic when he crosses half-court. He is not young anymore, and the Warriors are not the dynasty version, but Curry still bends the whole floor.
His career numbers are ridiculous: more than 26,000 points, more than 6,700 assists, and more than 4,000 made threes. He is the greatest shooter ever, and he did all of it with one franchise.
Giannis leaving the Bucks makes Curry’s run feel even bigger.
He is the face of the Warriors, the system, the dynasty, and the reason their whole modern history changed.
Nobody active is close to this now.
