Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the title in five seasons;. From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to John Stockton, there have been numerous players who have played in the NBA after 40 years. The average retirement age for NBA players is reportedly 34. However, a handful of players who were well over 34 have managed to stay in the league. For this article, let's take a closer look at the 10 oldest players who have played in the NBA. Herb Williams built a respectable career in the NBA.
The great player scored 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 18 seasons. He played for several teams, including the Indiana Pacers, the Dallas Mavericks, the New York Knicks, and the Toronto Raptors. Bob Cousy was one of the best point guards of his time. In fact, he played a pivotal role in the dominant Boston Celtics dynasty.
He then played 13 All-Star games, 12 NBA team selections, won an MVP and six NBA championships. Kareem holds the record for the most NBA points of all time. Part of that achievement is due to Kareem's long NBA career. He played for 20 seasons and stayed healthy most of the time.
Udonis Haslem is the only active NBA player on this list. Although not a star player like many on this list, Haslem's longevity lies in his presence in the changing rooms. Regarded as the heart and soul of the Heat franchise, Haslem is the only player in his active roster who was part of the organization's three championship wins. Dikembe Mutombo was one of the most important great men of his time.
Known for his defensive presence, Mutombo made life difficult for rival teams during his 18-year career. When it came to important men, Robert Parish was one of the best. While he played consistently throughout his career, Parish also had a long one at 21. In fact, Parish was able to be part of two dynasties over two decades. Kevin Willis had a long and productive NBA career.
In 21 seasons, including one in which he came out of retirement, Willis averaged 12.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. John Stockton spent his entire professional basketball career, which lasted 19 years, as a point guard for the Utah Jazz. Stockton holds the NBA record for most assists (15.80) and steals (3.26) and is considered one of the best point guards of all time. Herb Williams played in the NBA for 18 years and is the seventh-oldest player in history.
Williams was drafted in the first round of the Indiana Pacers draft in 1981, but he didn't necessarily have a notable career. At the end of his playing career, Williams had 11,944 points, 6,509 rebounds and 1,605 blocks. While Herb Williams may not have set any NBA records, he still holds some college career records with the Ohio States Buckeyes, including the most field goals scored in his career (834 in 114 games), the second most rebounds (1.11) and the second most blocked shots (32). Cousy retired as a player in 1963, but went on to coach Boston College and, eventually, the Cincinnati Royals.
In 1970, Cousy returned, at 41, as a Royals player at the end of the season, in an effort to increase ticket sales: ticket sales increased 77 percent. Bob Cousy was the first president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), which was created in 1954. The NBPA is the oldest union of the four major sports leagues in North America (MLB, NFL, NBA). and NHL). Dikembe Mutombo is a former NBA player best known for being one of the best blockers and defensive players of all time and has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award four times.
He is also one of the oldest people to play in the NBA. Mutombo's career lasted 18 years and he played for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets. Carter has played basketball since he was a child and began his professional career when he was chosen fifth in the 1998 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, who traded Carter to Toronto Raptors. So far in his career, Carter has played for several NBA teams, including the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.
In addition to his longevity, Carter is widely considered to be the best dunker in basketball history. Robert Parish was first drafted to the NBA in 1976 after graduating from college and played for 21 consecutive years. Parish is the third-oldest player in NBA history and has a record of 1,611 regular season games during his career. Willis only played five games with the Mavericks at the end of the regular season.
Thanks to his long career, Willis is one of 15 players in NBA history to have scored more than 16,000 points and 11,000 rebounds in his career. Fitness standards have improved, of course, but the means for older NBA players to achieve those standards has improved at a similar rate. The last player to average double digits in a season as the oldest player in the NBA was John Stockton, who averaged 10.8 points with Utah in 2002-03. Nine of the next 12 oldest players in NBA history are heading to the Hall of Fame or are already in consecrated. The boy from Akron, as James still calls himself, is no longer a boy, and the 38-year-old enters this season as the most senior player in the NBA.
The breakneck pace and necessary explosiveness make the NBA a youth league, even though improvements in sports science have allowed players like Chris Paul and LeBron James to thrive well into their thirties. The movement of Dikembe Mutombo's fingers continues to be seen on NBA courts, and modern stars imitate one of the most dominant defensive players in league history. But despite his existence, some players have managed to challenge him by staying in the NBA for much longer than the player average basketball player. During his NBA playing career, Cousy was a 13-time NBA All-Star and won the NBA Most Valuable Player award in 1957. Mutombo played eight All-Star games, three All-NBA selections, six defensive teams, and won the Defensive Player of the Year award four separate times.
The next 10 NBA players retired over the age of 40 and most of them left a lasting legacy in their sport and were included in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
