NBA Media Day is the current hot topic. And who wants to wait for any other good time to talk about the oldest NBA players (active)? So, football adorers, you’ll surely get clung to this list while you explore some of the greatest NBA players of history.
Where newcomers join the NBA, many previous players step down as well. Yet, some oldest active players are currently a part of the sport. In this article, we’ll talk about the oldest active NBA players in history.
The NBA has been grinding hard to find over the past decades for talents to represent teams in major leagues, including the Olympics. No doubt only one is going to win in a competition but what matters the most is the blood and sweat one puts in. This has incredibly affected the history of the NBA.
The team of the NBA Association thus has not forgotten how skillfully the oldest NBA players have been playing and how much sweat they have put in to make their teams stand the competition with time.
8 Oldest NBA Players (Active) In History
Age is not a barrier to the NBA, and this is quite evident as many oldest NBA players entered the 2022 NBA league, and many are ready to be a part of the same in the next coming year.
1. Udonis Haslem
Haslem’s NBA career took off in 2003 when he was playing for Miami Heat in most of its Rookie Challenges. The 42-year-old lad garnered 12.0 points on an average high in 2007-08. Miami spent over 2.5 Million USD the previous year to not lose Haslem. And as per Yahoo Sports, this deal got up to 2.9 Million USD for this year. That’s quite intriguing. After all, he didn’t give up the sport even after severely injuring his ankle in 2008.
2. Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala, 38, is the swingman and first elected Vice President of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). He has been an active basketball player since 2004 and has vividly represented the Golden State Warriors.
The year 2012 marks Andre’s presence at the global level as he won NBA All-Star and was on NBA All-Defensive Team twice the same year. He recently rejoined Golden State Warriors after a break and raked in his 4th championship cup.
3. Carmelo Anthony
Another oldest NBA player who is still actively participating in NBA League Tournaments is Carmelo Anthony. He entered the NBA world in 2003 and spread his wings in its history and has played for many teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks, and Denver Nuggets. He was the reason the Denver Nuggets won their very first Conference Cup Finals in 2009.
4. LeBron James
Famously known as King James, LeBron has won 4 NBA Championships, 4 NBA MVP Awards, 2 Olympic Medals, and 3 All-Star MVP Awards, making him one of the greatest basketball players of all time. At present, James, one of the oldest NBA players, has accepted a deal with Los Angeles Lakers, which fetched him 97.1 Million USD. This contract alone made LeBron James one of the highest-paid athletes in the history of the NBA, with 528.9 Million USD earnings.
5. P. J. Tucker
P.J. Tucker’s NBA records are as strong as he himself is physically and mentally. He started off in 2006 with Toronto Raptors and played for Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers (also regarded as Sixers), Donetsk, Aris, and Brose Bamberg, among many others.
Tucker won the 2007-08 MVP Trophy and led Hapoel Holon to a league title while playing Israeli Premier League.
He garnered a plethora of awards and accolades during his NBA tenure and is still a part of the Sixers under a three-year-long contract which raked in 33.2 Million USD for him.
6. Paul Millsap
Paul Millsap played for the Philadelphia 76ers this year in February. Before that, he was a part of the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, and Utah Jazz.
As a part of the Denver Nuggets, he earned 90 Million USD in 2017. The 2016 Hawk’s season opener signed a deal with Brooklyn Nets in the preceding year. However, Paul, altogether with James Harden, got swapped with Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond of the Philadelphia 76ers as a part of the deal.
7. Chris Paul
Paul, one of the best point guards of all time, laid his foot forth in basketball in 2005. The one-of-a-kind NBA Rookie has served NBPA for eight consecutive years starting from 2013 and was ranked as the third-best player in Sports Illustrated and Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN). Last year in August, Paul signed a 120 Million USD contract with Phoenix Suns.
The then 36-year-old scored 20,000 points and 10,000 assists against Los Angeles Lakers and became 1st player in league history to make such a record. In total, Chris has played for five teams in total, including Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets.
8. Russell Westbrook III
Last but not the least, Russell Westbrook III has been a part of NBA history since 2008. Westbrook has been an Olympic Star a plethora of times. He earned a gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympic Team in London but didn’t go ahead to join the 2016 Olympic Team.
He has been awarded several triple-doubles in his career. He presently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers and opted in for a 47 Million USD contract for 2022-23 and was formerly a part of the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
In its 76 years long hauling journey, the NBA has seen many tremendous changes, but the biggest hit of the sport is that it has not let its old players slip down for over a decade now. The NBA Association thus enjoys fame for being the team who knows how to retain their talent with the whole heart.
The above article has listed the eight active oldest NBA players. Mention in the comment section which of the above-listed NBA players is your favorite.