Entire career with the Spurs

After David Robinson retires after the 2002-03 season, the diminishing club of athletes who have spent their entire careers with the same teams became even smaller. 
Combined with the retirements of Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. in baseball, the era of the one-team career appears to be about over. 

"When you look back at the people who came into the league at the same time as David, probably under 2 percent of all those guys stayed with their franchises," said Keith Kreiter, a player agent with Edge Sports International in Chicago. "He's such an exception." 

Of players in pro basketball, baseball, football and hockey, 14 who have retired in the past 10 years with Hall of Fame credentials spent their entire careers with the same teams. Just three are from the NBA — Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Isiah Thomas. 

"These guys are not a dying breed, but a dead breed of athlete," said Howard Bloom, publisher of the online journal Sports Business News. 

"There's no sense of loyalty with athletes to anything but the almighty dollar." 

The advent of free agency means athletes have less motivation to stay with the same teams throughout their careers, said Gil Brandt, former player personnel director of the Dallas Cowboys. 

"There are players today who want to stay with their teams, but we have agents now telling them they can get a better deal elsewhere," said Brandt, whose 1975 Super Bowl team had one player who had been with another team. 

"I think there are guys who would prefer to stay for less money in somewhere they liked — like San Antonio or Dallas or Green Bay." 

Salary-cap or budget restrictions mean some players can suddenly find themselves adrift in mid-career. 

The latest collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and its players was designed to reverse the trend. Players who re-sign with their teams can receive larger annual raises than if they change teams, Kreiter said. 

"You saw it when Paul Pierce re-upped with the Celtics, when Chris Webber re-upped with Sacramento," he said. "In a seven-year contract, that can make a big difference in a contract." 

Still, to stay with the same team throughout his NBA career is a testament to Robinson's character and loyalty, Bloom said. 

"The way David Robinson has carried himself is an example that we should hold up to our kids," he said.