Nick Collison will retire after 15th Thunder season, cementing ‘lifer’ status

Get ready for the Nick Collison retirement tour. The longtime Oklahoma City forward has re-signed with the Thunder for one more year, according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania, and will retire after this year, ending what will be a 15-year career with a single team.

Collison was originally drafted by the Seattle Supersonics with the No. 12 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He spent four years there before the franchise was forcefully moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City, but he still qualifies for “lifer” status, we think. The loose definition is a player who was drafted by a team and then plays 10 or more years exclusively with that franchise. Kobe Bryant did it most notably, retiring in 2016 after his 20th season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

For Collison, who is 36, it’s about time. His production and role has been declining every season, and his biggest addition to the Thunder locker room is a veteran voice. Last year, he only played 128 minutes for the entire year, only the second time he didn’t record at least 1,000. The other time was the season before.

However, Collison’s commitment to a single franchise is incredible. Here are the other active lifers in the league right now and what season they’re entering with their respective team.

There are some other players who immediately stand out as potential lifers, too.

If Nowitzki plays another season beyond this one, he’ll be the player who spent the longest time with a single team, besting Bryant by a year. We’ll see if he can make it that far.