The Brooklyn Nets have only been based in the New York borough since the start of the 2012-13 season. However, the franchise traces its history back to 1967, when it played in the American Basketball Association as the New Jersey Americans.
The franchise adopted the Nets name the following season and joined the NBA in 1976. Since its inception, seven players have played at least 500 games with the Nets. Below are its five all-time leaders in games played:
1. Buck Williams
A native of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Buck Williams played college basketball at Maryland and was selected third overall by the Nets in the 1981 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-8 power forward won Rookie of the Year in 1981-82 after averaging 15.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
He made the All-NBA team the following year as he averaged 17 points and a career-best 12.5 rebounds per game. Williams spent eight seasons with the Nets and played a total of 635 games, during which time he averaged 16.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Regarded more for his offensive capabilities earlier in his career, Williams made the All-Defensive Second Team in 1987-88. He earned the distinction three more times during his seven-season tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers. He retired in 1998 following two seasons with the New York Knicks.
2. Brook Lopez
The only player still active on this list is Brook Lopez. The native of North Hollywood, California was selected by the Nets as the 10th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft after playing two seasons at Stanford University. Like Williams, he earned All-Rookie distinction following his first season in the league as he averaged 13 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1 assist per game.
Lopez played 562 games over nine seasons with the Nets and averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. He is the franchise’s all-time leading point scorer with 10,444. Buck Williams and Vince Carter rank second and third, respectively.
An effective post player early in his career, Lopez reformed his game during his final season with Brooklyn in 2016-17 to become more of a perimeter scorer. He made 134 of 387 attempted three-point shots that season for a success rate of 34.6. For comparison’s sake, Lopez attempted only 31 three-point shots during his prior eight seasons in the league. This past season, as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, he attempted a career-high 512 three-pointers.
3. Mike Gminski
Selected by the Nets with the seventh overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, Gminski played 550 games with the team through eight seasons. He averaged 11.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
The 6-foot-11 center played at Duke University before being drafted by the Nets and later played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, and the Milwaukee Bucks. His best full season with the Nets came in 1985-86, when he averaged 16.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
He averaged 16.9 points and 9.4 rebounds through 34 games with the team in 1987-88. However, he was traded along with Ben Coleman to the 76ers midway through the season in exchange for Tim McCormick, Roy Hinson, and a Second Round pick in the 1989 NBA Draft.
4. Jason Collins
Jason Collins played 532 games with the Brooklyn/New Jersey franchise during two stints with the team. He was selected 18th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. However, he was subsequently dealt to the Nets along with Richard Jefferson and Brandon Armstrong in exchange for Eddie Griffin. He played for the Nets until 2008, when he was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies, and later returned to Brooklyn in February 2014.
During his time with the Nets, Collins averaged 4.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. Off the court, he holds distinction as being the first active professional athlete to come out as gay. He did this through a Sports Illustrated article in 2013 prior to returning to the Nets to finish his career.
5. Chris Morris
An alumnus of Auburn University, Chris Morris was selected by the Nets with the fourth overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft. He was named to the 1988-89 All-Rookie team after averaging 14.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
The 6-foot-8 small forward and shooting guard averaged a career-best 14.8 points per game the following season and achieved a career-high 6.6 rebounds per game in the 1990-91 season. Morris played a combined 510 games with the Nets through seven seasons and averaged 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2 assists per game.
Morris signed a contract with the Utah Jazz in 1995 and spent three seasons with the team before finishing his career in 1999 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. He accumulated 6,762 total points with the Nets and ranks eighth all-time in that category.