Who Is The Best Player To Spend Their Entire Career With One Team?

So earlier today this tweet popped up while listening to Big If True on Power 85. It’s a great question but posed horribly here. Simply put who is the best athlete to play their entire career with one team?

This is obviously in honor of Larry Fitzgerald signing another deal with the Cardinals and coming back for his 16th year with the team. He’s great. No doubt about that. He’s going to be a Hall of Famer. He’s been one of the most consistent players in the NFL for these 16 years.

But, there are plenty of other answers.

It got me thinking as to what the correct answer would be.

Obviously with basketball you could bring up Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Bill Russell and I’d even go Dirk right away too. I’d accept all those answers over Fitz.

If you want to focus on just football, some names that I’d take over Fitz include Lawrence Taylor, Tom Brady, Dan Marino and John Elway. Possibly even Barry Sanders.

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My mind instantly went to basketball and Tim Duncan and that’s my answer. He spent all 19 years with the Spurs (while flirting with the Magic that one time). He won the MVP twice. He was a 10x First Team All-NBA player. He was an 8x All-Defensive First Team. He’s someone who could obviously play two ways while also winning titles.

I know there are baseball and hockey guys too. But, fuck Derek Jeter if that’s your answer. I won’t accept that. I refuse to acknowledge how good he is and will just bring up he was sub-par defensively. I’ll stand by that as long as I can.

So what is your answer? Who is the best athlete to spend his entire career with just one team?