The Five Players
| Player |
Rookie Year |
Final Year |
| Max Zaslofsky |
1946/47 |
1955/56 |
| Bill Russell |
1956/57 |
1968/69 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
1969/70 |
1988/89 |
| Karl Malone |
1985/86 |
2003/04 |
| LeBron James |
2003/04 |
Present |
Max Zaslofsky (1946-56)
→
Bill Russell (1956-69)
→
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-89)
→
Karl Malone (1985-2004)
→
LeBron James (2003-Present)
From the NBA's Beginning to Today
Max Zaslofsky: 1946-47 to 1955-56
Every single season in NBA history has featured at least one of these five NBA
players. Max Zaslofsky played for the Chicago Stags from their and the BAA's
inception in 1946 until the Stags disbanded in 1950, one year after the BAA and
NBL merged to form the NBA. He then played with the New York Knicks from 1950
until 1953. He split the 1953-54 season between the Baltimore Bullets, Milwaukee
Hawks and Fort Wayne Pistons. Zaslofsky played the final two full seasons of his
career with the Pistons before retiring in 1956.
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
The season after Zaslofsky retired, Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics.
Russell spent his entire 13-year NBA career with the Celtics, winning 11 NBA
championships. He retired at the end of the 1968-69 season. As Russell left the
NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar entered the league as a rookie.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 1969-70 to 1988-89
During his first few seasons in the NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played under his
birth name, Lew Alcindor, before converting to Islam and changing his name to
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He played with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1969 until 1975
before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975. Kareem spent the remainder of
his career with the Lakers before retiring in 1989.
Karl Malone: 1985-86 to 2003-04
Karl Malone joined the NBA as a first-round pick of the Utah Jazz in 1985.
He had a stellar career with the Jazz, winning two MVP awards and leading the
team to two NBA Finals. Malone left the Jazz after the 2002-03 season and
played his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 2004.
LeBron James: 2003-04 to Present
The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted 18-year-old local product LeBron James first
overall in 2003. James played for the Cavaliers until 2010, when he "took his
talents to South Beach" and joined the Miami Heat. He played for the Heat for
four seasons and led them to the NBA Finals in all four, winning two NBA
championships.
James rejoined the Cavaliers in 2014. After leading Cleveland to four straight
NBA Finals and the franchise's first NBA championship, he joined the Los Angeles
Lakers for the 2018-19 season.
An Unbroken Connection Through NBA History
The remarkable part of the list is how the careers overlap. Zaslofsky was there
when the BAA began play in 1946. Russell entered the league immediately after
Zaslofsky's final season. Abdul-Jabbar arrived as Russell's career ended. Malone
entered the NBA while Abdul-Jabbar was still playing, and James entered during
Malone's final season.
As a result, only five players are needed to create an unbroken chain stretching
from the first BAA season through the modern NBA. Their careers connect vastly
different eras of professional basketball—from the Chicago Stags and the NBA's
earliest years to Russell's Celtics dynasty, Kareem's Lakers, Malone's Utah Jazz
and the LeBron James era.
