A Really Exclusive Sports Club

20-SEASON SALUTE

As Kobe Bryant wraps up his two-decade career as a Laker (10:30 p.m. ET Wednesday on ESPN2), we tip our caps to 11 stars who played 20 seasons with the same team.

Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

SEASON 1: 1995

• The Player: He was drafted sixth overall in 1992 by the New York Yankees and made his debut with the team on May 29, 1995. Jeter played in just 15 games and batted .250, but he opened the next season as the Yankees' starting shortstop -- the first rookie to start at shortstop for New York since Tom Tresh in 1962 -- and was named American League Rookie of the Year. In 1996, the Yankees would go on to win their first of five World Series with Jeter.
• The Game: The Atlanta Braves won their only World Series in 1995, one year after the MLB strike wiped out the entire postseason.
• The World: Timothy McVeigh was arrested and indicted after the Oklahoma City terrorist bombing killed 168 people; "Forrest Gump" won the Academy Award for best picture; and a Los Angeles jury found O.J. Simpson not guilty of murder charges.

SEASON 20: 2014

• The Player: Posting a message on Facebook before the season, Jeter announced that 2014 would be his last season. The message would be a precursor to his new website, The Players' Tribune, which athletes have used to announce their retirements and tell their stories. Jeter, who earned $130,000 as a rookie, made $12 million in his final season. He batted .256 in 145 games and hit a walk-off single in his last game at Yankee Stadium.
• The Game: The San Francisco Giants won their third World Series title in five years. The Washington Nationals, who were the Montreal Expos for the first half of Jeter's career, won the NL East for the second time in three years. Mike Trout, who was 4 when Jeter made his major league debut, won the AL MVP award.
• The World: The shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer set off social unrest in Ferguson, Missouri; Pharrell Williams' "Happy" topped the charts; and the U.S. announced its intention to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba.

In His Words: "From the time I was a kid, my dream was always very vivid and it never changed: I was going to be the shortstop for the NY Yankees. It started as an empty canvas more than 20 years ago, and now that I look at it, it's almost complete. In a million years, I wouldn't have believed just how beautiful it would become." -- from his retirement announcement on Facebook

Darrell Green, Washington Redskins

SEASON 1: 1983

• The Player: Green was drafted with the 28th overall pick in 1983. He returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown the first time he touched the ball in the preseason and introduced himself to a national audience on "Monday Night Football," when he ran down Tony Dorsett to prevent a touchdown in his first regular-season game. He started all 16 games as a rookie and led the team in solo tackles (79) and was fourth in total tackles (109).
• The Game: The Raiders defeated the Redskins to claim the first and only Super Bowl title for a Los Angeles team.
• The World: Sally Ride became the first American woman in space as a Challenger crew member; the FCC approved the first hand-held cellphone; and Toto's "Rosanna" won the Grammy for record of the year.

SEASON 20: 2002

• The Player: Green played in all 16 games during each of his final two seasons and retired just before his 43rd birthday. He recorded one interception in his final season, and in his last game, he had a 35-yard punt return on a trick play.
• The Game: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. The NFL expanded to 32 teams, adding the Houston Texans, and realigned to eight divisions with four teams in each.
• The World: The Department of Homeland Security was created; "A Beautiful Mind" won the Academy Award for best picture; and newcomer Alicia Keys collected five Grammy Awards.

In His Words: "For 20 seasons, I have played cornerback for the best fans. You always kept RFK rocking! And it warms my heart every time I remember you chanting my name at FedExField, 'Darrell, Darrell, Darrell.' This is the best community in the world!" -- in his farewell letter to Redskins fans

Complete list (ESPN.com)