Unveiling the NBA’s all-loyalty teams

NBA second-team all-loyalty: Kyle Lowry, Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, Draymond Green, and Joel Embiid.

Before signing with the Miami Heat, Kyle Lowry spent nine seasons with the Toronto Raptors and established himself as the greatest player in franchise history. Alongside DeMar DeRozan, Lowry helped turn the Raptors into a perennial playoff team, and then, with Kawhi Leonard, helped deliver a championship to the North. While he won’t retire as a Raptor, it’s clear that both he and the franchise have a deep respect for one another.

After missing two and a half seasons of basketball, fans gave Klay Thompson a standing ovation upon his return to the court, knowing just how hard he had worked to get back.

That underscores how beloved and respected Thompson is, not only by Warriors fans but by NBA fans in general, with Thompson’s shooting ability and off-court personality having also played a role. He’ll now enter his 11th season with the team, and hopefully, be closer to the Thompson of old. This comes as both he and the Warriors look to win a fifth championship, which would only add to his lore.

The decision to trade DeRozan was a controversial one among Raptors fans, who had seen him develop into one of the best players in the NBA. DeRozan, himself, had a difficult time getting over being traded away from the team that he had been drafted by and had spent eight seasons with.

That shows just how much Toronto meant to him, and he might’ve spent the rest of his career with the team had G.M. Masai Ujiri not traded him for Leonard.

That ultimately proved to be the right decision, but it underlines that loyalty doesn’t always go both ways.

For as polarizing of a player as Draymond Green can be, few doubt his loyalty. Green, like teammates Curry and Thompson, has been with the Warriors for at least a decade and is a member of one of the NBA’s winningest trios. While Curry and Thompson’s success was somewhat expected since they were both lottery picks, Green’s was far from a sure thing.

He was selected 34th overall in the 2012 NBA draft and has scratched and clawed his way to get to where he is now. That type of determination has given the Warriors some grit, and he’s been key to their four championships. It remains to be seen whether he’ll remain in the Bay Area, as he seeks a long-term contract extension. However, even if he does ultimately leave the team, he’s more than proven where his loyalty lies.

Given how his career started, Joel Embiid’s emergence as an MVP-caliber player is incredibly impressive. Embiid sat out his first two seasons with injuries and played well in his third season before being shut down with yet another injury. From then on, Embiid has proven himself to be among the most dominant players in the NBA and has given Philly fans something to root for after the 76ers’ infamous “trust the process” era.

His comeback story, in addition to his big personality, seems to fit the city well, with Embiid embracing the city and them embracing him back. All that’s missing from elevating him to legendary status is something Embiid seems deadset on delivering. A championship.

All in all, it’s become increasingly common for star players to demand trades, leading to the sentiment that NBA players have no loyalty. Despite that, the aforementioned players have proven themselves to be both great as well as loyal.