List of oldest and youngest NBA players
This is a list of oldest and youngest National Basketball Association players. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men's professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[1] The league adopted its current name at the start of the 1949–50 season when it merged with the National Basketball League (NBL).[2] The oldest person ever to play in the NBA was Nat Hickey, a coach who activated himself as a player for a game two days before his 46th birthday. The youngest player ever to play in the NBA was Andrew Bynum, who played his first game only six days after his 18th birthday. The oldest active player is LeBron James, who is currently 39 years, 168 days old. The youngest active player in the NBA is Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson, the 45th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, who was born on December 17, 2004.
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Key
edit| Pos | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
Oldest players
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The oldest player ever to play in the NBA was Nat Hickey who played one game in the 1947–48 season when he was 45 years and 363 days old.[3] Hickey, who was coaching the Providence Steamrollers at the time, decided to activate himself and played in a game for the Steamrollers. In his first game as a player for the Steamrollers, he missed all six of his shot attempts and only scored two points from three free throw attempts; he only played in one more game before retiring as a player two days shy of his 46th birthday.[4] The second-oldest player is Kevin Willis, who played 20 seasons (excluding the 1988–89 season he missed due to injury) in the league before he sat out the 2005–06 season and earned a contract with the Dallas Mavericks on April 2, 2007.[5] Willis then played five games for the Mavericks at the age of 44.[4] The third-oldest player is Hall of Famer Robert Parish. Parish, who played with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s, played his last season with the Chicago Bulls at the age of 43.[6] He played in 1,611 regular season games during his 21-year career, more than any other player in NBA history.[4] When the Bulls won the 1997 Finals, Parish became the oldest player ever to win the NBA championship. There are 31 players who played in the NBA after they turned 40. Following the retirements of the then-42-year-old Udonis Haslem and Andre Iguodala shortly after the 2022–23 season,[7] the oldest active player is the aforementioned LeBron James.
All-time
edit| ^ | Denotes player who is still active in the NBA as of the 2023–24 season |
| * | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| † | Denotes player who is not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration[8] |
| § | 1st time eligible for Hall of Fame in 2024[9] |
| Player | Pos | Birth date | Last game | Age | Team(s) played (years) | Draft (pick) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nat Hickey | G/F | January 30, 1902 | January 28, 1948 | 45 years, 363 days | Providence Steamrollers (1948) | Undrafted | [10] |
| Kevin Willis | F/C | September 6, 1962 | April 18, 2007 | 44 years, 224 days | 8 teams
| 1984 (11th) | [11] |
| Robert Parish* | C | August 30, 1953 | May 11, 1997 | 43 years, 254 days | 1976 (8th) | [12] | |
| Vince Carter* | G/F | January 26, 1977 | March 11, 2020 | 43 years, 45 days | 1998 (5th) | [13] | |
| Udonis Haslem† | F/C | June 9, 1980 | June 7, 2023 | 42 years, 363 days | Miami Heat (2003–2023) | 2002 (Undrafted) | [14] |
| Dikembe Mutombo* | C | June 25, 1966 | April 21, 2009 | 42 years, 300 days | 1991 (4th) | [15] | |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* | C | April 16, 1947 | June 13, 1989 | 42 years, 58 days | 2 teams | 1969 (1st) | [16] |
| Bob Cousy* | G | August 9, 1928 | January 6, 1970 | 41 years, 150 days | 2 teams | 1950 (3rd) | [17][18] |
| Herb Williams | C/F | February 16, 1958 | June 25, 1999 | 41 years, 129 days | 4 teams
| 1981 (14th) | [19] |
| John Stockton* | G | March 26, 1962 | April 30, 2003 | 41 years, 35 days | Utah Jazz (1984–2003) | 1984 (16th) | [20] |
| Charles Jones | F/C | April 3, 1957 | May 3, 1998 | 41 years, 30 days | 1979 (165th) | [21] | |
| Karl Malone* | F | July 24, 1963 | June 13, 2004 | 40 years, 325 days | 2 teams | 1985 (13th) | [22] |
| Dirk Nowitzki* | F/C | June 19, 1978 | April 10, 2019 | 40 years, 295 days | Dallas Mavericks (1998–2019) | 1998 (9th) | [23] |
| Manu Ginóbili* | G | July 28, 1977 | April 24, 2018 | 40 years, 270 days | San Antonio Spurs (2002–2018) | 1999 (57th) | [24] |
| Rick Mahorn | C/F | September 21, 1958 | May 23, 1999 | 40 years, 244 days | 4 teams
| 1980 (35th) | [25] |
| John Long | G/F | August 28, 1956 | April 20, 1997 | 40 years, 235 days | 4 teams
| 1978 (29th) | [26] |
| Jason Terry | G | September 15, 1977 | April 28, 2018 | 40 years, 225 days | 1999 (10th) | [27] | |
| Grant Hill* | F | October 5, 1972 | May 3, 2013 | 40 years, 210 days | 1994 (3rd) | [28] | |
| James Edwards | C/F | November 22, 1955 | May 27, 1996 | 40 years, 187 days | 8 teams | 1977 (46th) | [29] |
| Joe Johnson† | G/F | June 29, 1981 | December 22, 2021 | 40 years, 176 days | 7 teams
| 2001 (10th) | [30] |
| Kurt Thomas | F | October 4, 1972 | March 18, 2013 | 40 years, 165 days | 9 teams | 1995 (10th) | [31] |
| Clifford Robinson | F/C | December 16, 1966 | May 12, 2007 | 40 years, 147 days | 1989 (36th) | [32] | |
| Jamal Crawford | G | March 20, 1980 | August 4, 2020 | 40 years, 137 days | 2000 (8th) | [33] | |
| Charles Oakley | F/C | December 18, 1963 | April 2, 2004 | 40 years, 106 days | 5 teams
| 1985 (9th) | [34] |
| Juwan Howard | F | February 7, 1973 | April 17, 2013 | 40 years, 69 days | 8 teams
| 1994 (5th) | [35] |
| Steve Nash* | G | February 7, 1974 | April 8, 2014 | 40 years, 60 days | 3 teams
| 1996 (15th) | [36] |
| Michael Jordan* | G | February 17, 1963 | April 16, 2003 | 40 years, 58 days | 2 teams | 1984 (3rd) | [37] |
| Jason Kidd* | G | March 23, 1973 | May 18, 2013 | 40 years, 56 days | 4 teams
| 1994 (2nd) | [38] |
| Andre Miller | G | March 19, 1976 | May 12, 2016 | 40 years, 54 days | 1999 (8th) | [39] | |
| Tim Duncan* | F/C | April 25, 1976 | May 12, 2016 | 40 years, 17 days | San Antonio Spurs (1997–2016) | 1997 (1st) | [40] |
| Danny Schayes | C/F | May 10, 1959 | May 13, 1999 | 40 years, 3 days | 1981 (13th) | [41] |
Active
editThis list includes active players who are or will be at least 35 years old in the current year.
Youngest players
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NBA players usually come from U.S. college basketball. In the past, a college player had to complete his four-year college eligibility before he could enter the league through the NBA draft or as a free agent. In the 1970s, the league began to allow college underclassmen and high school players to enter the league. However, the trend of drafting high school players only began in the mid 1990s. This has led to more younger players entering the league directly after high school graduation. In 2005, the league and the players' union agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement that includes a minimum age limit which requires that players who wish to enter the league must be at least 19 years old on December 31 of the year of the draft, and at least one year removed from high school. International players who did not play college basketball also have to be at least 19 years old on the same date to be able to play in the NBA.[77] Despite a trend toward drafting younger players, the NBA has a higher average age than it had in the 1980s.[78] However, since the NBA introduced the minimum age limit in 2005, the league's average age has decreased in the past few seasons.[79] The youngest player to ever play in the NBA was Andrew Bynum who played his first game at the age of 18 years and 6 days old.[80] Bynum, who was also the youngest player ever selected in the NBA Draft, went into the NBA straight out of high school.[81] Jermaine O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, both drafted in 1996, were the second- and third-youngest players. Serbian Darko Miličić was the youngest player ever to play in an NBA Finals game.[82] He played for the Detroit Pistons in Game 3 of the 2004 Finals at the age of 18 years and 356 days old. The Pistons won the 2004 Finals and Miličić became the youngest player ever to win the NBA championship, being only five days away from his 19th birthday at the time. There are currently 30 players who played in the NBA before they turned 19. Nineteen of them came to the league straight out of high school, while seven of them are international players who never played basketball in the U.S. high schools or colleges before they entered the NBA, and four players, Devin Booker, Joshua Primo, Jalen Duren and GG Jackson played one year of college before entering the NBA all while remaining 18 years old throughout the process.
All-time
edit| ^ | Denotes player who is still active in the NBA as of the 2023–24 season |
| * | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Player | Pos | Birth date | First game | Age | Team(s) played (years) | Draft (pick) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Bynum | C | October 27, 1987 | November 2, 2005 | 18 years, 6 days | 2005 (10th) | [83] | |
| Jermaine O'Neal | F/C | October 13, 1978 | December 5, 1996 | 18 years, 53 days | 1996 (17th) | [84] | |
| Jim Browne | C | October 3, 1930 | November 30, 1948 | 18 years, 58 days | 2 teams | Undrafted | [85][86] |
| Kobe Bryant* | G | August 23, 1978 | November 3, 1996 | 18 years, 72 days | Los Angeles Lakers (1996–2016) | 1996 (13th) | [87] |
| Darko Miličić | C | June 20, 1985 | October 31, 2003 | 18 years, 133 days | 2003 (2nd) | [88] | |
| Stan Brown | F | June 27, 1929 | November 13, 1947 | 18 years, 139 days | Philadelphia Warriors (1947–1948, 1951–1952) | Undrafted | [89][90] |
| Bill Willoughby | F/C | May 20, 1957 | October 23, 1975 | 18 years, 156 days | 1975 (19th) | [91] | |
| Tracy McGrady* | G/F | May 24, 1979 | October 31, 1997 | 18 years, 160 days | 1997 (9th) | [92] | |
| Yaroslav Korolev | F | May 7, 1987 | November 4, 2005 | 18 years, 181 days | Los Angeles Clippers (2005–2007) | 2005 (12th) | [93] |
| Andris Biedriņš | C | April 2, 1986 | November 5, 2004 | 18 years, 217 days | 2 teams | 2004 (11th) | [94] |
| C. J. Miles | G/F | March 18, 1987 | November 14, 2005 | 18 years, 241 days | 2005 (34th) | [95] | |
| Amir Johnson | F | May 1, 1987 | January 24, 2006 | 18 years, 268 days | 2005 (56th) | [96] | |
| Darryl Dawkins | C | January 11, 1957 | October 27, 1975 | 18 years, 289 days | 4 teams | 1975 (5th) | [97] |
| Joe Graboski | F/C | January 15, 1930 | November 6, 1948 | 18 years, 296 days | Undrafted | [98][99] | |
| Joshua Primo | G | December 24, 2002 | October 20, 2021 | 18 years, 300 days | 2 teams | 2021 (12th) | [100] |
| LeBron James^ | F | December 30, 1984 | October 29, 2003 | 18 years, 303 days | 3 teams
| 2003 (1st) | [42] |
| Jonathan Bender | F | January 30, 1981 | December 10, 1999 | 18 years, 314 days | 2 teams | 1999 (5th) | [101] |
| GG Jackson^ | F/C | December 17, 2004 | October 30, 2023 | 18 years, 317 days | Memphis Grizzlies (2023–present) | 2023 (45th) | [102] |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo^ | F | December 6, 1994 | October 30, 2013 | 18 years, 328 days | Milwaukee Bucks (2013–present) | 2013 (15th) | [103] |
| Eddy Curry | C | December 5, 1982 | October 31, 2001 | 18 years, 330 days | 4 teams | 2001 (4th) | [104] |
| Dwight Howard | C | December 8, 1985 | November 3, 2004 | 18 years, 331 days | 7 teams
| 2004 (1st) | [105] |
| Josh Smith | F | December 5, 1985 | November 3, 2004 | 18 years, 334 days | 5 teams
| 2004 (17th) | [106] |
| Jalen Duren^ | C | November 18, 2003 | October 19, 2022 | 18 years, 335 days | Detroit Pistons (2022–present) | 2022 (13th) | [107] |
| Sekou Doumbouya | F | December 23, 2000 | November 23, 2019 | 18 years, 335 days | 2 teams | 2019 (15th) | [108] |
| Martell Webster | G/F | December 4, 1986 | November 4, 2005 | 18 years, 335 days | 2005 (6th) | [109] | |
| Robert Swift | C | December 3, 1985 | November 3, 2004 | 18 years, 336 days | Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder (2004–2009) | 2004 (12th) | [110] |
| Dragan Bender | F/C | November 17, 1997 | October 26, 2016 | 18 years, 344 days | 2016 (4th) | [111] | |
| Maciej Lampe | F | February 5, 1985 | January 23, 2004 | 18 years, 352 days | 3 teams | 2003 (30th) | [112] |
| Al Harrington | F | February 17, 1980 | February 5, 1999 | 18 years, 353 days | 7 teams | 1998 (25th) | [113] |
| Devin Booker^ | G | October 30, 1996 | October 28, 2015 | 18 years, 363 days | Phoenix Suns (2015–present) | 2015 (13th) | [114] |
Active
edit| Player | Pos | Birth date | Age | Team(s) played (years) | Draft (pick) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG Jackson | F | December 17, 2004 | 19 years, 181 days | Memphis Grizzlies (2023–present) | 2023 (45th) | [102] |
| Dariq Whitehead | F | August 1, 2004 | 19 years, 319 days | Brooklyn Nets (2023–present) | 2023 (22nd) | [115] |
| Bilal Coulibaly | F/G | July 26, 2004 | 19 years, 325 days | Washington Wizards (2023–present) | 2023 (7th) | [116] |
| Noah Clowney | F/C | July 14, 2004 | 19 years, 337 days | Brooklyn Nets (2023–present) | 2023 (21st) | [117] |
| Cam Whitmore | F | July 8, 2004 | 19 years, 343 days | Houston Rockets (2023–present) | 2023 (20th) | [118] |
| Rayan Rupert | G/F | May 31, 2004 | 20 years, 15 days | Portland Trail Blazers (2023–present) | 2023 (43rd) | [119] |
| Nick Smith Jr. | G | April 18, 2004 | 20 years, 58 days | Charlotte Hornets (2023–present) | 2023 (27th) | [120] |
| Sidy Cissoko | F | April 2, 2004 | 20 years, 74 days | San Antonio Spurs (2023–present) | 2023 (44th) | [121] |
| Jordan Walsh | F | March 3, 2004 | 20 years, 104 days | Boston Celtics (2023–present) | 2023 (38th) | [122] |
| Amari Bailey | G | February 17, 2004 | 20 years, 119 days | Charlotte Hornets (2023–present) | 2023 (41st) | [123] |
| Dereck Lively II | C | February 12, 2004 | 20 years, 124 days | Dallas Mavericks (2023–present) | 2023 (12th) | [124] |
| Scoot Henderson | G | February 3, 2004 | 20 years, 133 days | Portland Trail Blazers (2023–present) | 2023 (3rd) | [125] |
| Emoni Bates | F/G | January 28, 2004 | 20 years, 139 days | Cleveland Cavaliers (2023–present) | 2023 (49th) | [126] |
| Anthony Black | G | January 20, 2004 | 20 years, 147 days | Orlando Magic (2023–present) | 2023 (6th) | [127] |
| Victor Wembanyama | C/F | January 4, 2004 | 20 years, 163 days | San Antonio Spurs (2023–present) | 2023 (1st) | [128] |
| Leonard Miller | F | November 26, 2003 | 20 years, 202 days | Minnesota Timberwolves (2023–present) | 2023 (33rd) | [129] |
| Taylor Hendricks | F | November 22, 2003 | 20 years, 206 days | Utah Jazz (2023–present) | 2023 (9th) | [130] |
| Gradey Dick | G/F | November 20, 2003 | 20 years, 208 days | Toronto Raptors (2023–present) | 2023 (13th) | [131] |
| Jalen Duren | C | November 18, 2003 | 20 years, 210 days | Detroit Pistons (2022–present) | 2022 (13th) | [107] |
| Keyonte George | G | November 8, 2003 | 20 years, 220 days | Utah Jazz (2023–present) | 2023 (16th) | [132] |
| Cason Wallace | G/F | November 7, 2003 | 20 years, 221 days | Oklahoma City Thunder (2023–present) | 2023 (10th) | |
| Julian Phillips | F | November 5, 2003 | 20 years, 223 days | Chicago Bulls (2023–present) | 2023 (35th) | |
| Brice Sensabaugh | F/G | October 30, 2003 | 20 years, 229 days | Utah Jazz (2023–present) | 2023 (28th) |
See also
editReferences
edit- General
- "Player Season Finder: For single seasons; played in the NBA/BAA; in the regular season; from 1946–47; in last season; sorted by descending age". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- "Player Season Finder: For single seasons; played in the NBA/BAA; in the regular season; in 2013–14; is active; sorted by descending age". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- "Player Season Finder: For single seasons; played in the NBA/BAA; in the regular season; from 1946–47; in rookie season; sorted by ascending age". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- "Player Season Finder: For single seasons; played in the NBA/BAA; in the regular season; in 2013–14; is active; sorted by ascending age". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Specific