They say age is only a number, but when you’re an NBA player, that number matters a lot. Few athletes are able to play beyond their forties. The NBA has no Tom Brady or Zdeno Chara because legends seldom play until their mid-40s. The current crop of the NBA’s oldest players is really rather young, but there is still a handful out there having an effect on NBA squads.
Here are some of the oldest Active NBA players entering the 2022-23 season:
Who are the oldest active NBA players?
1. Udonis Haslem, 42 years old
Haslem, best known as an enforcer for the Big 3 Miami Heat in the early 2010s, is still with the team as considered the best Oldest active NBA players. He’s been with the Dolphins since joining as an undrafted free agent in 2003, giving him the franchise’s longest-tenured player.
Haslem has only appeared in 58 games over the previous six years, virtually serving as an assistant coach at this stage in his career. Last season, he participated in 13 games, accumulating 32 points and 15 fouls in 83 minutes of playing.
2. Andre Iguodala, 38 years old
Before formally retiring, Iguodala will return to the Golden State Warriors for his 19th and final season in 2022-23.
The NBA Finals in 2015 MVP began his career in 2004 with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he spent eight seasons before spending a year with the Denver Nuggets and seven seasons with the Warriors. In 1,223 career regular season games, Iggy has averaged 11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. He is a three-time champion, two-time All-Defense, and one-time All-Star.
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3. Carmelo Anthony, 38 years old
Anthony’s inclusion on this list looked implausible only a few years ago. Anthony, the third overall choice in the 2003 draught, spent his first 14 seasons with the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks. After a terrible season with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017-18, Anthony joined the Houston Rockets for 2018, where he played just 10 games before the organisation requested him not to return, and he looked to be exiled from the league.
The Portland Trail Blazers took a chance on him with a non-guaranteed deal in 2019, and he quickly established himself as a solid bench player. Last season, Anthony averaged 13.3 points per game off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers, showcasing his ability to contribute even as a free agent.
4. LeBron James, 37 years old
As James adds to his credentials as one of the finest and active NBA players of all time, he climbs the list of the NBA’s oldest active players. James has 18 All-Star appearances, 18 All-NBA bids, six All-Defensive teams, four MVPs, four championships, and four Finals MVPs in 19 NBA seasons. He’s also on his way to becoming the NBA’s all-time best scorer, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by only 1,325 points.
King James is just concerned with winning more titles these days. Over the course of 19 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers, James has averaged 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in 1,366 regular-season games. He’s also played in the most postseason games in league history, 266. To keep his body in shape, James, who turns 38 in December, may need to reduce his workload during the regular season.
5. Paul Millsap, 37 years old
Millsap, drafted in the second round in 2006, has outperformed all expectations in his 16-year career. His seven seasons with the Utah Jazz were fantastic, as he developed into a starting-calibre forward, but everything changed in 2013 when he signed with the Atlanta Hawks. He was an All-Star with the Hawks in each of his four seasons, averaging 17.4 points and 8.3 rebounds.
Millsap’s breakout season with the Hawks was rewarded when he signed a three-year, $90 million contract with the Denver Nuggets in 2017. He never had the same success in four seasons with Denver, when he was reduced to a supporting position. He spent time with the Brooklyn Nets and the Sixers last season after being included in the Ben Simmons-James Harden trade, but he’s now a free agent.
Who is the oldest NBA player ever?
1. Nat Hickey, 45 years old
The oldest NBA player of all time was born in 1948. Nat Hickey coached the Providence Steamrollers in 1947-48, although he was promoted to the active roster after the club went 4-25. He appeared in just two games before his 46th birthday, scoring two points, accumulating five fouls, and shooting a combined 0 for 6 from the field in two defeats.
The stats seem dreadful, but Hickey established a record that still stands today, 73 years later.
2. Kevin Willis, 44 years old
Unlike Hickey, Kevin Willis had a long NBA career until retiring in 2007 at the age of 44. Willis’ career began in 1984 when he was drafted 11th overall by the Atlanta Hawks. He lasted in Atlanta for 11 seasons, averaging 14.1 points and 9.7 rebounds. Willis was selected to his only All-Star Game in 1992 after averaging 18.3 points and 15.5 rebounds that season.
Willis played the second part of his career as a competent role player after being transferred to the Heat in 1994. He then played for the Warriors, the Houston Rockets (twice), the Toronto Raptors, the Nuggets, the San Antonio Spurs, the Hawks (again), and the Dallas Mavericks. Willis, who was 40 at the time, won a championship with the Spurs in 2003, averaging 2.6 points off the bench in 18 postseason games.
3. Robert Parish, 43 years old
Robert Parish, who retired in 1997, just before his 44th birthday, was the oldest NBA player elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Parish began his career with the Warriors and played four seasons with them before being traded to the Boston Celtics. He played the following 14 seasons in Boston, where he won three championships and was named an All-Star 14 times. Parish, together with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, created one of the first “Big 3’s” in NBA history.
Parish spent his final three NBA seasons as a reserve. He spent two years with the Charlotte Hornets behind Alonzo Mourning before finishing his career with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and the Chicago Bulls in 1996-97. At the age of 43, he played in only two postseason games, but the Bulls won the NBA Finals, and Parish received his fourth ring before retiring that summer. Parish holds the record for the oldest player to win a title.
4. Vince Carter, 43 years old
Vince Carter had several modifications during the course of his 22-year career. Carter was a Raptors standout in his early years, including memorable performances in the Slam Dunk Contest and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. After a tumultuous exit from Toronto and subsequent trade to the then-New Jersey Nets, he gradually transitioned from a superstar to a role player.
Carter retired in 2020 after playing for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, and Atlanta Hawks. Carter played his final game in March 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic looming, and sank a 3-pointer on the Hawks’ final possession. He will almost definitely join Parish in the Basketball Hall of Fame whenever he gets eligible.
5. Dikembe Mutombo, 43 years old
Dikembe Mutombo was a Hall of Fame NBA player prior to his appearance in this famous ad. He was chosen fourth overall by the Nuggets in 1991 and spent five seasons with them before joining the Hawks in 1996. In nine seasons with the Nuggets and Hawks, Mutombo averaged 12.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game, earning Defensive Player of the Year four times.
Mutombo was traded to the Sixers in 2001, just in time for the team’s run to the NBA Finals. Due to injuries and ageing, his play deteriorated dramatically in the years that followed. Mutombo finished his career with the Nets, Knicks, and Rockets before retiring in 2009 at the age of 43. In 2015, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
So all these are the Oldest Active NBA Players Who Are Entering In 2022-23. Do let us know what’s your throughts.
