HoopsHype ranks the players who averaged the most games played per season in NBA history, playoffs included, to rank NBAs top iron men ever.
In this NBA era plagued by load management and resting during the regular season, it’s doubtful we’re going to see very many Iron Men. For instance, a player who played in 1,192 consecutive games appears on this list, and it’s hard to envision a modern player doing that.
Regardless, there is one active player – a star, at that – who finishes in the Top 10 of this ranking, who you’ll see just below.
Today, we added up games played between the regular season and playoffs to rank the players who appeared in the most games per season in NBA history.
Boston Celtics star and former Duke Blue Devil Jayson Tatum was featured in the most recent edition of Forbes 30 under 30.
The Duke men’s basketball program has produced many stars over the years, but not many are bigger right now than [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] of the Boston Celtics.
Tatum’s new deal, which he signed in July, included $314 million over five years, and Forbes estimated in his profile that he brings in $13 million per year outside of the NBA. Jordan Brand unveiled his third signature shoe in September.
Even outside of endorsement deals, the former third overall pick will be the cover star for NBA 2K25 after he recently starred in the Netflix documentary ‘Starting 5’ released in October.
Simply, Tatum has it made, and the former Blue Devil isn’t done yet, either.
Duke officially inked its third number-one recruiting class of the Scheyer era with four signees, including star forward Cameron Boozer.
The Duke basketball program has relocated to Arizona for Friday’s massive matchup with the Wildcats. While all the focus centers on how the Blue Devils will conquer their first top-25 opponent of this young season, head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] and the rest of this program’s staff will silently be able to let out a sigh of relief.
The early signing period has come, meaning commits from the class of 2025 are now eligible to sign their national letter of intent and officially pledge themselves to their schools for next year.
Duke inked four top prospects on Thursday, and the Blue Devils’ social media posted graphics and videos highlighting the signings of the Boozer twins, Shelton Henderson and Nikolas Khamenia.
Duke didn’t have a single commitment at the start of last month, but Cameron and Cayden Boozer, sons of Duke legend Carlos Boozer, got things rolling by hopping in the boat on October 11. In many ways, they were the biggest domino for Duke’s 2025 recruiting cycle as the Blue Devils would see their other two commitments come on board shortly after that in the following weeks.
Cameron, the nation’s second-ranked player in the 247Sports rankings, is often labeled the most complete high school player regardless of class. He will fit right into the shoes of Cooper Flagg, Zion Williamson, Paolo Banchero, and Jayson Tatum as an “alpha” freshman for Duke to essentially play around next year.
Cayden Boozer is a talented guard in his own right, but he’s less heralded than his twin brother. Cayden is a point guard, a position Duke will have its eye on all offseason, especially if Duke loses the services of Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor at the end of this season. Many believe Cayden could be a multi-year point guard like Tre Jones.
Shelton Henderson, another five-star player, is a high-ceiling wing who best projects as a two-way star. He can slash his way to the hoop and create for himself and others. Henderson is an excellent positional rebounder, and his defense is incredible. He’s also physically mature, and he uses his size well. The best way to describe Henderson is a higher-ceiling version of Sion James in every way.
Lastly, four-star combo forward Nikolas Khamenia officially joins the Blue Devils. He committed less than two weeks after the Boozers did, making him the third member of the class. Khamenia excels playing inside out and has an incredibly high basketball IQ, which allows him to be an elite distributor and playmaker from the wing. He is a perfect connective player because he also shoots the ball well. He can slot in several ways for Jon Scheyer next year, making creating lineups and matchups much easier.
Duke’s class is set to be the top class in the nation for the third time in the Scheyer era. The Blue Devils also paced the 2022 and 2024 recruiting rankings.
Duke isn’t finished, either. There is a real chance that Duke will add one more player to this class in the form of Nate Ament, 247Sports’ No. 4 overall prospect. Ament is another high-ceiling player who stands 6-foot-9 and can handle the ball and shoot at a tremendously high level. His best days of basketball are well in front of him.
Ament will decide after the season and will likely let the process play out until the high school all-star game circuit before committing.
Jayson Tatum came through again for the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime.
Former Duke basketball star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] delivered for the Boston Celtics again on Saturday night, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime for a 126-123 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Tatum, fresh off his first NBA championship with the Celtics last season, seemed to be waiting for teammate Jaylen Brown on a pick-and-roll play, but Brown fell to the floor after making contact with a defender. The former Blue Devil improvised, creating a small amount of space with a few dribbles before launching a shot from close to the midcourt logo.
It found its mark, and the home crowd at TD Garden erupted.
Tatum finished the game with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Toronto forward RJ Barrett, another former Duke Blue Devil, notched a triple-double for the Raptors with 25 points. 15 assists, and 10 rebounds.
The third overall pick from the 2017 NBA draft could be in line for a fourth straight All-NBA First Team nomination. Through 14 games, Tatum is averaging 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
Duke basketball alum Jayson Tatum began the Boston Celtics title defense with a 37-point double-double on Tuesday night.
Duke basketball alum [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] opened the 2024-25 season on Tuesday night by picking up right where he left off.
Tatum scored 37 points and added 10 assists against the New York Knicks in the season opener, helping the Boston Celtics to a 132-109 victory.
The best former Blue Devil in the league made 14 of his 18 attempts from the floor, including eight of his 11 3-point attempts, and pulled down four rebounds. The Celtics, as a team, tied an NBA record with 29 3-pointers for the game.
Tatum won his first NBA championship with the Celtics at the end of last season, putting a stamp on one of the best seasons in league history. Boston finished with a 64-18 record, seven more wins than any other team and 14 more than any other Eastern Conference franchise. The Celtics only lost three games between their four playoff series, and Tatum led the team in points, assists, and rebounds over the title run.
Tatum, the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, later won his second consecutive Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Paris, making him the first Blue Devil with two of those on his mantle.
Jon Scheyer claims he beat former Duke star and All-NBA player Jayson Tatum last summer in a game of one-on-one.
Most folks in the college basketball world would agree Duke’s Jon Scheyer, at 37 years old, is the head coach most likely to win a game of one-on-one against an active player.
But that doesn’t make his recent claim – that he beat Boston Celtics star and former Blue Devil Jayson Tatum one-on-one last summer – any less shocking.
Scheyer made the claim during ACC media day while speaking with reporters at The Field of 68.
“Next time you’re trading messages with Jayson Tatum, ask him who won the last game of 1-on-1 we played,” Scheyer said. “I played Jayson 1-on-1 last summer and beat him.”
Scheyer was a 5-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American out of high school before spending four seasons playing for Coach K at Duke, where he was a second-team All-American and All-ACC member while leading the Blue Devils to a national title in 2010.
The head coach played professionally overseas for a few years before returning to Durham as a Duke assistant in 2014. He was in that role in 2016-17 during Tatum’s one and only season with the Blue Devils.
Few would be surprised if a then 29-year-old Scheyer beat Tatum one-on-one while he was a teenager, but if Scheyer truly took down the NBA superstar last summer – sandwiched between two of Tatum’s three All-NBA First Team appearances – well, perhaps Scheyer should have been given a longer look by NBA scouts.
Netflix released the “Starting 5” documentary on Wednesday, including the moment Jayson Tatum discovered he’d be on the cover of NBA 2K25.
Former Duke basketball star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] will be on the cover of NBA 2K25, and Netflix captured the moment he heard the news.
In a new documentary “Starting 5”, which premiered this week, Tatum’s son, Deuce, walked up to him with a birthday present. The Boston Celtics star opened it up to find a piece of paper revealing that he’d be on the cover, prompting Tatum to drop his head into his hand.
“To share that moment with my mini-me and my best friend, that is a special moment I had with Deuce,” Tatum said in the narration.
Tatum won his first NBA championship with the Celtics this year, defeating fellow Blue Devils [autotag]Kyrie Irving[/autotag] and [autotag]Dereck Lively II[/autotag] in the Finals. Tatum led Boston in points, rebounds, and assists throughout the playoffs, joining a historic list of players to accomplish that feat, before heading to Paris to win his second consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Best birthday gift ever 🥹 @jaytatum0 found out he's the #NBA2K25 Cover Star in special fashion 💚
The Boston Celtics are again firmly in “championship-or-bust” mode this season, with the high financial stakes adding pressure to their title aspirations. Fresh off their 2023-24 NBA title, led by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics now have …
The Boston Celtics are again firmly in “championship-or-bust” mode this season, with the high financial stakes adding pressure to their title aspirations. Fresh off their 2023-24 NBA title, led by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics now have their sights set on building a dynasty. But with back-to-back championships eluding all teams since the Warriors of the glory days, Boston faces the challenge of maintaining their edge and avoiding complacency.
Key players like Tatum and Derrick White have been locked into contract extensions, signaling that the Celtics are all-in. Tatum, who averaged 26.9 ppg last season and continues to refine his game, remains the centerpiece of the team. His work this offseason with trainer Drew Hanlen to improve his three-point shooting shows his commitment to leading Boston’s pursuit of another title. Brown, with his ability to attack the basket, complements Tatum, while two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday, with the help of Brown and White, anchors the defense with his elite play and ability to lockdown opposing team’s star players.
However, the enormous cost of keeping this championship-caliber roster intact looms large. The team is projected to face a staggering $500 million payroll and luxury tax burden by the 2025-26 season. With ownership changes potentially on the horizon, including a rumored sale by team governor Wyc Grousbeck, the financial pressure is mounting. The Celtics have the talent to repeat as champions, but anything short of a title could be seen as a failure, especially given the exorbitant cost of their roster.
Joe Mazzulla was happy Jayson Tatum didn’t win Finals MVP too.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Prince J. Grimes.
The world’s greatest athletes draw motivation from just about anything, big or small. We know that. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise Tuesday to hear Jayson Tatum say he’ll use his experience in this summer’s Olympics as motivation for the upcoming season.
Being benched in two of five games as a recent NBA champion and All-NBA First Team player isn’t a perceived slight. It’s a slight. Intentional or not.
What he said next, though, was a little surprising to hear.
“I talk to Joe [Mazzulla] a lot. Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn’t win Finals MVP and that I didn’t play in two of the games in the Olympics,” Tatum said. “So, that was odd. But if you know Joe, it makes sense.”
Jayson Tatum on Olympics: “In real time, it was tough. I talked to Joe (Mazzulla) a lot. Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn’t win Finals MVP and that I didn’t play two of the games in the Olympics. So that was odd. But if you know Joe, it makes sense.” pic.twitter.com/wq2Hk8EADK
I don’t know Joe. Aside from what he chooses to share with reporters. Like how he watches The Town entirely too much and how he’s probably put more thought into robbing a bank than the average person has. But even the little tidbits we get from the Boston Celtics head coach are enough to understand why he would take joy in his players facing difficult challenges.
This is the same man who was “excited” about a borderline dirty play against Tatum in April, because he wanted to see how his team responded. Mazzulla obviously believes these little obstacles make players better. He would be more disappointed if Tatum didn’t draw motivation from not winning Finals MVP and not being a part of the Olympic rotation.
How far that motivation actually goes remains to be seen. Tatum has been working on fixing his jump shot, which could make the 26-year-old a more lethal player than he already is. So, he’s clearly not resting on his laurels. But he also doesn’t have much to complain about. As Tatum said himself, he won a championship, signed the biggest contract in NBA history and landed the cover of NBA 2K25. Life is good.
“Did I need any extra motivation coming into the season. No. I’m not going to give anybody in particular credit that they’re motivating me to come into the season,” Tatum said.
Motivated or not, the Celtics are the best team in the NBA. They’re +300 favorites at BetMGM to repeat as champions. If they simply play up to the level they’re capable and stay healthy, they’ll be right there in the mix for a title at the end. Tatum can’t manufacture the type of motivation players who haven’t won can.
That’s likely why Mazzulla was happy. Because he knows players that more recently come up short, like Joel Embiid, Paul George, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton and Donovan Mitchell, are extra motivated. And now they’re hunting the Celtics. Boston can’t afford to let up now.
JJ Redick’s Lakers starting 5
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
JJ Redick was on a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast with Zach Lowe, and he revealed what his starting lineup is going to be for the Los Angeles Lakers when the season starts.
It’ll be LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura.
Surprisingly, it’s a lineup former Lakers coach Darvin Ham didn’t play at all during the first half of the 2023-24 season. But as FTW’s Bryan Kalbrosky wrote, it was a very effective lineup once he did come around to it:
“As noted by Redick, the five players mentioned above went “23-10” during their games together last season.
When he was head coach of the Lakers, per Basketball-Reference.com, Ham did not play this five-man group until January 21. That realization somehow took until more than halfway through the season.
Los Angeles has outscored opponents by 9.46 points per 100 possessions in the 547 minutes that this unit has played alongside one another, via PBPStats. It is a data-backed group that performs well on both sides of the ball.”
Sometimes good coaching is just a matter of doing the simple things, like sticking with what works. Good on Redick for doing just that to get things started.
Time will tell if he’s able to make the necessary adjustments when things aren’t working as well.
While he was doing all of the little things right, the decision from Kerr didn’t come from nowhere, though. It originated largely because Tatum was in the middle of a shooting slump on the court, dating back to the postseason. That includes shooting an absolutely putrid 19.4 percent on his pull-up jumpers in the NBA Finals.
Tatum shot 56-for-188 (29.8 percent) on the whole in the postseason, per Synergy, despite helping Boston win the NBA championship. He was 0-for-10 on jumpers during the exhibition games for Team USA, and then went 0-for-6 once the Olympics began.
There is good news, though. During a recent profile, Ramona Shelburne wrote about what Tatum has done to address this issue (via ESPN):
“Indeed Tatum had, even though he’d just returned the night before from a weeklong trip to China with Jordan Brand. “It was easy to get up early,” Tatum told ESPN, noting the jetlag would kick in later in the day. And he said it would also allow him to pick up his son, Deuce, from school.
But Tatum wasn’t just there at 6 that first week. He had been doing two-a-days with his longtime skills coach Drew Hanlen and physical therapist Nick Sang to address a mechanical issue in his jumper that had come up early last season and reared its head again during the playoffs and Olympics.”
Then during his recent media day availability, Tatum acknowledged that he was playing well but it was not the right time to fix the issues with jump shot.
However, with some time before the regular season begins, Tatum now has the time to fix the “mechanical issue” with his jumper that led to his shooting slump.
This could get him back on track to dominate for the Celtics and it is good news for his fans that he is at least aware of the problem and actively trying to fix it.
