Why Pat Riley will never let the Heat tank, plus why Miami will be 'aggressive as hell' to improve roster
Pat Riley vows to stay with the Heat and improve the roster aggressively.
Bub Carrington of the Washington Wizards completed the 2025-26 NBA season with 82 games played, maintaining his streak of never missing a game in his career. He is one of only 18 players to achieve this feat this season.
Apr 5, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) reacts after making a three point basket during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit:
Washington Wizards point guard Bub Carrington closed the 2025-26 season with 20 points and nine assists in an unassuming loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The stat line stands out as one of his stronger performances of the year â but thatâs not the impressive part. The appearance marked Carringtonâs 82nd game of the season, adding him to a list of just 18 players league-wide to do so this year.
The season finale also kept his two-year streak alive. The sophomore has never missed a game in his NBA career â a rare feat in a league where the pace of play is rising, and availability is falling.
His durability also puts him in exclusive company within franchise history. So, looking back, who is Bub chasing to land among the Wizardsâ greatest iron men?
The franchiseâs most decorated player was exhibiting greatness in more ways than outlet passes and relentless rebounding. âs reliability anchored the Bulletsâ identity as one of the leagueâs toughest teams throughout the 1970s.
Bub Carrington is a point guard for the Washington Wizards who has never missed a game in his NBA career, making him a notable player for his durability.
Only 18 players managed to play all 82 games during the 2025-26 NBA season.
An 'Iron Man' in the NBA refers to a player who consistently plays every game of the season, demonstrating exceptional durability and availability.
In the last game of the 2025-26 season, Bub Carrington scored 20 points and provided nine assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Pat Riley vows to stay with the Heat and improve the roster aggressively.

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Spending his entire 13-year career in Baltimore and D.C., Unseld led the franchise in total games played (984). Like Carrington, he played in every game in his first two years. Unlike Carrington, Unseld played at least 70 games 11 times and all 82 in four of them, all while capturing MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same campaign.
The 6-foot-7 center transformed the franchise right away. He boosted the Bullets by 21 wins in his rookie year and led them to the associationâs second-best defensive rating.
In the 1977-78 championship season, Unseld played 80 games and delivered tireless efforts in the Finals series against the Seattle SuperSonics. He logged 40 minutes in Washingtonâs Game 7 victory away from home, barely scraping by Seattle 105-99, and earned Finals MVP.
Across his career, Unseld played an average of 36 minutes per game and put Washington on the map before the team fell into irrelevance in the years to come.
The Big E formed the other half of Washingtonâs two-headed snake in its glory days. Elvin Hayes was a dominant interior force on both ends of the floor. He made eight consecutive All-Star games in Baltimore/Washington and led the champion Bullets in scoring.
What isnât discussed as much is how consistently he played to get there.
In his 16-year NBA career, Hayes incredibly never played fewer than 80 games in a season. He totaled eight seasons without missing a game and didnât miss a contest until his fifth year. The astounding longevity helped him accumulate the second most games played in franchise history with 731.
Hayes appeared in all 21 games of Washingtonâs championship run, averaging 21.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks while logging a heavy 41.3 minutes per game. In Game 7, he tallied 12 points and eight boards before fouling out, helping secure the championship.
In 1984, Hayes retired as one of the best players in franchise history and one of the greatest power forwards ever. And through only missing nine games in 16 years, he became the epitome of on-court dependability.
Greg Ballard wonât be found on many leaderboards. The small forward was nothing more than a strong role player early in his career. But the one leaderboard he sits near the top of is total games played in Washington, in fourth with 643.
Ballard became such a reliable option through efficient scoring, 47.2% for his career, and energy on the glass, averaging as much as eight per game. He recorded five 82-game seasons in Washington and never played fewer than 75 during his tenure.
Following Unseldâs retirement and Hayesâ departure, Ballard stepped into a larger role.
His scoring skyrocketed to 18.8 points per game in 1981-82, and his usage rate rose four percent from his rookie year. He was no longer the benchwarmer on the 1978 championship squad. Ballard played 37 minutes per game and became the face of a struggling team.
One of the standout games of Ballardâs career came in an overtime loss against the Portland Trail Blazers. He erupted for a career-high 38 points and 15 rebounds on 59% shooting. Fittingly, he played every game that season, reflecting the consistency that defined his career.
The post Who Are the Washington Wizardsâ All-Time Iron Men? appeared first on The Lead.