In an NBA career, is it possible for any superstar to always be the team's first core? Being the team leader involves not only outperforming the rest of the team in statistics but also considering influence. Therefore, combining these two aspects and adding a minimum of a 10-year career, the number of players who have achieved this can be counted on one hand.
Bill Russell played 13 seasons for one team, averaging 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds per game. The "Ring King" is one of the greatest players in Celtics history and was always the team's first core throughout his career. Although he averaged only 9.9 points in his last season, he still managed to grab 19.3 rebounds per game, which was due to his playing style. In contrast, Chamberlain, his contemporary, played second fiddle to West later in his career, hence not making the list.
Michael Jordan played 13 seasons for two teams, averaging 30.1 points per game. The "Basketball God" was the first core of both the Bulls and the Wizards. Since his first season in the NBA, Chicago has been dedicated to cultivating Jordan, and as a rookie, he could score 28.2 points! In his last two seasons, at the ages of 39-40, Jordan was still the leader of the Wizards, scoring 22.9 points in the first season and 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals in the second year!
Magic Johnson played 13 seasons for one team, averaging 19.5 points and 11.2 assists per game. Johnson is one of the greatest Lakers players. In his 13 years of career, he was always the team's first core, which allowed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to achieve remarkable success later in the Lakers, including winning the Finals FMVP! However, from a tactical standpoint and his influence within the team, Magic remained the leader.
Larry Bird played 13 seasons for one team, averaging 24.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Bird is another totem figure for the Celtics. From stepping into the NBA in 1979 until leaving the stage in 1992, his season average score never fell below 19 points, and he was always the core figure of the Green Army at that time. In the 1980s, he staged the most classic "Yellow-Green Battle" with the Lakers' Magic, which remains legendary to this day.
Who else? Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, or Stephen Curry? None of them, because O'Neal played under Dwyane Wade in the Heat, Duncan's tactical status declined in the later part of his career, averaging only 25.2 minutes per game in his last season, with stats remaining at 8.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, considered as retiring. As for Kobe, he started from the bench, and Curry was even overlooked in the early days of the Warriors.
LeBron James? There is some controversy, mainly in the 2010-11 season when James moved from the Cavaliers to the Heat. Although his average stats were 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists, the original core of the Heat, Wade, also had an average of 25.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. At that time, both Miami fans and the media believed it was still Wade's team, which is due to the influence, hence it is debatable!
Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, and others have played too few seasons, and there are still uncertainties in the future. As for Kevin Durant, during his three seasons with the Warriors, the situation was similar to James, hence no current player made the list!