5 NBA teams that lasted less than compared to how long LeBron James has been in the NBA

LeBron James is in his 20th season in the NBA and is playing at an unprecedented level for someone who has played this long. He became just the ninth player in league history to reach that milestone when the 2022-23 campaign opened.

While the longevity has been impressive on an individual scale, his endurance to outlast a few franchises is somewhat unbelievable. James' 20-year stint in pro basketball has outlasted at least five teams.

After putting up 48 on the Rockets, LeBron James now has a 40+ point game against EVERY NBA franchise except the Clippers.

Still getting it done in Year 20 👑 twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/08dSMtBw3C

Here are five teams that disbanded way before LeBron James even reached his two decades of brilliance on the basketball court:

#5 St. Louis Bombers

The St. Louis Bombers were one of the teams that played for the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946. In 1949, the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form what became the National Basketball Association (NBA.)

After the 1949-50 NBA season, the Bombers disbanded. The franchise made it to the playoffs in each of their three years with the BAA. They lost in the first round to the Philadelphia Warriors — who became the Golden State Warriors — in 1947 and the semifinals in 1948.

In 1949, they lost to the Rochester Royals in the Division Semifinals before missing the playoffs after that. Six years later, in 1955, the Milwaukee Hawks based their franchise in St. Louis.

An advertisement for 83¢ tickets to see the Chicago Stags play the St. Louis Bombers on Jan 1. 1947.

The Bombers won 103-90. https://t.co/8pJrq02LlK

LeBron James, in his fourth season, carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

#4 Indianapolis Olympians

The Indianapolis Olympians were one of the founding teams in the NBA after the merger of the BAA and the NBL in 1949. They were created to take the place of the Indianapolis Jets, who were originally called the Indianapolis Kautskys.

The franchise played under the tag “Olympians” as the team was led by Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, Wallace Jones and Cliff Barker. They were key pieces of the 1948 U.S. men’s basketball team that bagged the gold medal.

The Olympians had a dismal campaign during the 1952-53 season but still reached the playoffs. However, the team folded after that.

The longest game in @NBAHistory was a regular-season game: Jan. 6, 1951: 6OT (78 minutes) Indianapolis Olympians 75, Rochester Royals 73. The Royals (photo) would eventually win the @NBA championship that season in a thrilling seven-game series over the @NYKnicks https://t.co/bfI3XFORcx

In 1976, the Indiana Pacers continued that legacy after the ABA merged with the NBA.

In LeBron James’ first seven years in Cleveland, his most famous Olympic teammate was none other than four-time NBA champ Shaquille O’Neal.