NBA Iron Men of the 2022-23 season

Playing in every game of the NBA season has become a rare and difficult feat. But these are the select few players who pulled it off this season.

The NBA’s regular season has officially drawn to a close.

As we await the first play-in games that commence on Tuesday night, an important question needs to be answered: Who are the Iron Men that played in every single game this season?

Last year, there were five NBA Iron Men who did not miss a game (Mikal Bridges, Kevon Looney, Deni Avdija, Dwight Powell and Saddiq Bey) and this year the number has doubled to 10.

There were also four players who missed just one game this season and deserve a shout-out: Immanuel Quickley, Jevon Carter, Malik Beasley and Terance Mann. Those are the almost Iron Men that played 81 games, and these are the real Iron Men of the NBA that played in all 82.

Meet the NBA Iron Men who played in all 82 games this season:

Kevon Looney, Golden State Warriors

For the second straight season, Kevon Looney is an NBA Iron Man.

In addition to playing in every game for the defending champion Warriors, Looney also averaged a career-high in points (7.0) and rebounds (9.3) per game. Looney recorded 14 double-doubles, nine more than his previous career-high set last season.

Also for a second consecutive year, Looney attempted a grand total of one 3-pointer.

Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors

From getting punched in the face in the preseason to playing all 82 games for the Dubs, Jordan Poole joins teammate Kevon Looney as a 2022-23 Iron Man Warrior.

Poole’s efficiency numbers might have been down (and his turnovers up) this season, but he can still catch fire at a moment’s notice, igniting the Warriors’ Poole Party lineup and putting opponents in a whirlpoole.

In the 14 games that Poole made five or more 3-pointers this season, the Warriors were 12-2.

Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are in the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2005-06 and Harrison Barnes was a part of every single Kings’ game this season.

The Black Falcon also led the Kings in total free throws made with 350, outdoing De’Aaron Fox’s 343. (Surely you can win a bar bet with that one.)

The last time that Barnes was in the playoffs? That would be the 2015-16 season when he was still on the Golden State Warriors, the very team that the Kings face in the first round of this year’s Western Conference Playoffs.

Derrick White, Boston Celtics

Not only did Derrick White play in all 82 games this season for the Celtics, but he also led the team in total blocks.

That’s right, White recorded 76 blocks, a number so good that it lands him in the top 25 in the entire league for total blocks this season. He is the only guard in the top 25 and one of three guards in the top 50 (joined by SGA and Ant-Man.)

Isaiah Hartenstein, New York Knicks

In his first season as a Knick, Isaiah Hartenstein did not miss a day of work.

Prior to playing in 68 games with the Clippers last season, Hartenstein had never appeared in more than 30 games in a season with a team, playing sparingly for the Rockets, Nuggets and Cavs.

Hartenstein looks like he has found a home in New York as Thibs’ trusted backup center.

Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls

For the first time in his 14-year career, Nikola Vucevic is an NBA Iron Man.

Vooch is the oldest player (32) on this list, and his base-level numbers this year look rather similar to last season:

2021-22 Vooch: 17.6 points per game, 11.0 rebounds per game, 3.2 assists per game
2022-23 Vooch: 17.6 points per game, 11.0 rebounds per game, 3.2 assists per game

That’s because they are somehow an EXACT replica.

Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls’ frontcourt did not miss a game this season as Patrick Williams joins Vooch as an NBA Iron Man.

This was a great turnaround for P-Dub who missed nearly five months of last season due to wrist surgery after just the first week of ball. But it should also be noted that he only missed one game in his rookie season in 2020-21.

Kenyon Martin Jr., Houston Rockets

Kenyon Martin Jr. played in every game this season, something that his father never pulled off in the NBA. (Kenyon Martin played more than 75 games just once in 15 years.)

The dunk contest might not have gone as planned for KJ, but he did finish in the top 10 this season in total dunks. He also shot 68 percent on 2-pointers, good for No. 3 in the entire NBA.

Tari Eason, Houston Rockets

Tari Eason was the only rookie to achieve perfect attendance this season. He’s the first rookie to be an NBA Iron Man since Anthony Edwards two years ago. Eason is known for his high energy and hustle, something else he has in common with fellow Rocket Iron Man KJ Martin.

Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns / Brooklyn Nets

The resident Iron Man of the NBA is without a doubt Mikal Bridges.

Because he had already played so many games with the Suns before the trade deadline, Bridges actually played in 83 total games this season. 83!

(Mikal is the first player to play in 83 games since Josh Smith in 2014-15. In 2004-05, Casey Jacobsen played in 84 games. But the NBA record — a record that seriously should never be broken — is Walt Bellamy with 88 games played in the 1968-69 season.)

The NBA determined that since Bridges was not eligible to play in his first Nets game on Feb. 9 due to the trade, it does not count as an official missed game, meaning that his streak of consecutive games played lives on.

Bridges is now at 392 consecutive games — only 800 more games to reach A.C. Green’s All-Time NBA Iron Man record of an unthinkable 1,192 straight games.

Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.