In top sports, and therefore basketball and the NBA years are not important at all. Whether someone is young or old does not mean anything at all. To succeed in a sport requires many factors and age is the least important.
We are witnesses that today in the NBA we have the opportunity to watch a large number of players aged 35+ who provide really fantastic games.
So we are not talking about players who are mere participants, but players who play at a top-level and lead their teams to great results. One of the best players of today and many fans and experts will say the best player of all time, LeBron James is even 37 years old but he still plays great.
Currently, the oldest active player in the NBA is Udonis Haslem, who plays for the Miami Heat and is 41 years old. However, he has not played too many minutes in recent years.
Oldest Players entering the 2021/22 season
| Name | Team | Age* | DOB | NBA Experience |
| Udonis Haslem | Heat | 41 | 6/9/1980 | 19 |
| Andre Iguodala | Warriors | 37 | 1/28/1984 | 17 |
| Carmelo Anthony | Lakers | 37 | 5/29/1984 | 19 |
| LeBron James | Lakers | 36 | 12/30/1984 | 19 |
| Paul Millsap | Nets | 36 | 2/10/1985 | 16 |
| P.J. Tucker | Heat | 36 | 5/5/1985 | 11 |
| Chris Paul | Suns | 36 | 5/6/1985 | 17 |
| Taj Gibson | Knicks | 36 | 6/24/1985 | 13 |
| Trevor Ariza | Lakers | 36 | 6/30/1985 | 18 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | Nets | 36 | 7/19/1985 | 15 |
Top 10 oldest players in NBA history
10. Charles Jones
Charles Jones was a member of the champion generation of the Houston Rockets, which won the NBA title in 1995. Jones was selected as the 165th pick in the 1979 draft by the Pheonix Suns. He played in power forward and center positions. In addition to Houston, he played for the Detroit Pistons, Washington Bullets, Chicago Bulls, and Philadelphia 76ers.
He was known for his ability to shoot-blocking and recorded over 1000+ blocks in his career. He ended his career in the mentioned Rockets, and he played his last game when he was 41 years and 30 days old.
9. John Stockton
John Stockton is one of the best point guards of all time to ever play in the NBA. All his career Stockton played for only one club, the Utah Jazz. From the mentioned team, Stockton was drafted as the 16th pick in 1984. Stockton played for Utah for almost two decades. He was the NBA’s best assistant nine times. Twice he was the best ball thief.
He won two gold medals with the USA at the Olympic Games. He finished his career in 2003 and played his last game at the age of 41 and 35 days. During his career, he wore the number 12, which was withdrawn from use a year after he retired.
8. Herb Williams
Herb Williams is a former American basketball player who has played for as many as 18 seasons in the NBA. Williams played in the strongest basketball league in the world from 1981 to 1999. Herb was selected as the 14th pick in the 1981 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. During his career, he played in the center position, and in addition to Indiana, he played for several other NBA teams.
He played for the Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors and twice played for the New York Knicks. He finished his career in the mentioned club in 1999, and a few years later he returned to the club as an assistant coach. He played his last game at the age of 41 years and 129 days.
7. Bob Cousy
Bob Cousy is a former legendary Boston Celtics basketball player. He played as many as 13 seasons for this team and won six championship titles. He played in the position of a point guard. He was selected as the third pick in the 1950 NBA Draft by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. In addition to six championship titles, he recorded 13 appearances at the NBA All-Star. He was the best assistant in the league eight times.
During his career in Boston, he wore the number 14, which was withdrawn from use after he finished his career. He played for the Cincinnati Royals last season and later coached that team alongside Boston. He played his last game at the age of 41 and 150 days.
6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Abdul-Jabbar is one of the best players of all time who played in the center of the NBA. Jabbar is the player who scored the most points in NBA history (38, 387). He was a great rebound, a blocker with a distinctive skyhook shoot.
During his career, he played for two teams. Kareem played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. He was selected by the Bucks as the first pick in the 1969 NBA Draft. He won six championship titles. He played in the NBA All-Star as many as nineteen times.
Jabbar won the MVP title six times. He played in the NBA for almost two decades and played his last game for the Los Angeles Lakers when he was 42 years and 6 days old.
5. Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo played in the NBA for less than two decades and played for as many as six clubs. Mutombo was selected as the fourth pick in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. He played in the center position and in addition to Denver he played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks.
The former celebrated Congolese basketball player has participated in the NBA All-Star eight times. He won the title of the best defensive player in the league four times. He was the best rebound twice during his career, and in three seasons he achieved the most blocks.
He wore the number 55 jersey and the jersey with that number was withdrawn from use by the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets. He played his last game for Houston in 2009 when he was 42 years and 300 days old.
4. Vince Carter
Carter played in the NBA for over twenty years and finished it two seasons ago when he played his last game in the Atlanta Hawks jersey. He began his career in 1998 when he made his NBA debut playing for the Toronto Raptors. He then played for seven other clubs. In addition to the aforementioned clubs, he also played for the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Sacramento Kings.
Vince played in the position of shooting guard and was known for great dunks and a great shot for three points. He participated in the NBA All-Star eight times and with an unforgettable dunk, he won the NBA All-star slam dunk contest in 2000. He played his last game for the Atlanta Hawks when he was 43 years and 37 days old.
3. Robert Parrish
Parrish has played at the center of the NBA for more than two decades. He was selected as the eighth pick in the 1976 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. Wearing the number 0 jersey, he performed alongside the aforementioned Warriors for the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls.
The jersey with that number has been withdrawn from use when it comes to the Boston Celtics. Parrish has won four championships during his career. He had the opportunity to play in the NBA All-Star nine times.
Parrish holds the record for the number of games played in the NBA since he collected as many as 1,611 games. He played his last game for the Chicago Bulls in the championship season at the age of 43 years and 254 days.
2. Kevin Willis
Willis is another player who has played in the NBA for over two decades. Willis has played for as many as eight clubs. He began his career with the Atlanta Hawks who selected him as the eleventh pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. After ten years at this club, Willis moved to the Miami Heat.
He then played for the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks. With the Spurs, he won his only championship title in 2003. He played his last game for the aforementioned Mavericks in 2007 when he was 44 years and 224 days old.
1. Nat Hickey
Nat Hickey is the oldest player to ever play in the NBA. Hickey was the coach of the Providence Steamrollers in 1948 and then reactivated as a player and played two games. He was then 45 years and 363 days old.
He did not score a single point in the first game because he missed all six shots and recorded five fouls. During his career, he played for many clubs. In 1926 he won the ABL champion title. After finishing his playing career, he started coaching. Hickey was of Croatian origin and in addition to basketball, he also played baseball.
