Retired Players With Just One NBA Team: Who’s the Best?

By: Jonathan Howard, Staff Writer
March 19, 2025

If you ever want to start a never-ending debate in a room of sports fans from different age brackets, simply ask: “Who is the greatest basketball player of all time?”

You’ll undoubtedly get a narrow but varied list of responses depending on the age of the person giving their opinion. Someone in their 60s might mention Julius Erving or Bill Russell, while a generation younger might say Michael Jordan, and another generation younger might vote for LeBron James.

I’ll blame the internet here, but this debate is rarely enjoyable. Rather than celebrating achievements, it often turns into a discussion about where other players fell short.

For this reason, I submit a more enjoyable and challenging debate: Which retired NBA player — who only suited up for one team — is the best?

Understanding the Player Pool

Make no mistake — this debate is quite challenging.

Thanks to his longevity in the league, we’ve seen stories over the past couple of years talking about how many players LeBron James (who is not eligible for this debate) has played against. From these stories, we’ve learned that more than 4,800 players have suited up for at least one NBA game over the course of the league’s history.

With the help of gulp Wikipedia, we can narrow the player pool down to fewer than 50 players. Incredibly, we’re looking at roughly one percent of all NBA players.

So many of the best players in history have played for multiple teams — even if they made their name with one particular franchise.

• LeBron James? Out.

• Michael Jordan? Out.

• Shaquille O’Neal? Way out.

Who Qualifies?

As mentioned earlier, there’s a list of just under 50 players who:

• Are retired

• Finished their careers playing with just one team

• Had careers worthy of being mentioned among the league’s best

The list includes legends such as John Havlicek, Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, and Dirk Nowitzki — among many others.

But in my mind, there's only one who stands out as the best of the best.

Who’s Number One?

In NBA history, there are plenty of instances where trades went sideways — and decisions left general managers with regret.

One of the most infamous examples is when the Portland Trail Blazers selected Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft. That decision drastically altered the futures of both the Blazers and the Bulls.

• The Bulls went on to win six NBA titles with Jordan leading the way.

• Meanwhile, Bowie suffered multiple injuries, and the Blazers are still searching for a championship.

In my mind, the only decision rivaling that blunder came in 1996, when former Charlotte Hornets GM Bob Bass selected Kobe Bryant with the 13th pick in the NBA Draft — only to trade him to the Lakers for Vlade Divac.

Bass, feeling his team needed a center, famously told Bryant that the Hornets “couldn’t have used him anyway.”

And with that, Bass gave away the greatest player to ever suit up for just one NBA team.

Kobe Bryant’s Legacy

Kobe Bryant went on to lead the Lakers to five NBA championships.

Individually, he was named:

• NBA MVP once (2008)

• NBA Finals MVP twice (2009 and 2010)

• First Team All-NBA 11 times

He finished his career with more than 33,000 points, 7,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists.

From a championships and accolades standpoint, other players can match Bryant — particularly Bill Russell and John Havlicek, who spent their entire careers with the Boston Celtics during their 1960s dynasty.

However, what makes Bryant stand out in my mind is that he achieved this success while playing in one of the most competitive eras in NBA history.

During Bryant’s prime:

• Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and Manu Ginobili were winning multiple titles in San Antonio.

• Dirk Nowitzki was building the Dallas Mavericks into a Finals contender.

• John Stockton was still a tenacious point guard in Utah.

Bryant carved his legacy during one of the most competitive periods in NBA history — and nobody can argue with that.