The Four Players That Span the Entire History of the NBA

Yesterday I posted an incredible fact about LeBron James: he has played against 35% of all of the players that have ever played in the NBA. Wondering about the Great Span of the NBA, I looked for the oldest player from LeBron’s rookie season, then for the oldest player in that player’s rookie season, and so on.

What I found is that just four players span almost the entire 79-year history of the league: Bob Cousy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Willis and LeBron James.

• The NBA was founded in 1946
• Bob Cousy, played 1950-1970 (14 seasons)
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, played 1969-1989 (20 seasons)
• Kevin Willis, played 1984-2007 (21 seasons)
• LeBron James, played 2003-present (22 seasons)

What’s more, all four are still alive: James is 40 years old, Willis is 62 years old, Abdul-Jabbar is 78 years old, and Cousy is 97 years old. Collectively, the four of them have either played with or against almost all of the players that have ever played in the NBA. Incredible.

Tags: basketball · Bob Cousy · Kareem Abdul-Jabbar · Kevin Willis · LeBron James · NBA · The Great Span

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