THE 10 OLDEST NBA PLAYERS
THE 10 OLDEST NBA PLAYERS
The National Basketball Association has been in existence since 1946 and has the most popular athletes. Over the past decades, we've had several play styles. Earlier, shooters mainly dominated the game, but currently, it's the center position. More others include sharpshooters behind the 3-point line, defensive domination, crafty slashers, and all-round players. Various players have different and outstanding skills bringing them out as the best. With variation in skills, playing styles, coaching, athleticism, and many more, determining the best can be challenging.
Basketball playing is a unique sport starting from rules, regulations, attire, and other things. For instance, the game's outfit is mainly a sleeveless t-shirt or vest and short and basketball shoes. We've recently got players who have sneakers signature lines, including Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, among others. You should know why basketball sneakers on sale have brands written on the logo, and how much sneakers 2020 cost. Most professional players wouldn't hesitate to buy them for the love of the game despite the expenses.
Athletic professionalism can probably be a fulfilling and lucrative career choice for talented or ambitious people. Do you know the average retirement age for most athletes? They mostly retire at 33 years, though some stay in the field longer until they're seen as being 'old.' We've prepared a list of athletes who went home at an age above 40 years. Almost all of them have a legacy and appear on the Basketball Hall of Fame for their performance during their time. Keep reading to learn more.
Nat Hickey: 30th January 1902- 16th September 1979
Hickey is the last Player that last played at age 45. He was also a coach of the Steamrollers team and played in the American Basketball League from 1921-1942. His last game was on 28th January 1948 in Province Steamrollers team, dominating the Guard or forward position in the court during games. He earlier was a coach before deciding to join his team as a player to help boost their performance. During his time, he achieved a two-point score and got five personal fouls. Earlier before coaching, he was an American Basketball League professional player for 21 years in various teams. For instance, Chicago Bruins, Original Celtics, Boston Trojans, all of ABL, and Tri-Cities Blackhawks, Indianapolis Kautskys, and Pittsburgh Raiders of National Basketball League.
Kevin Willis: 6th September 1962- present
Willis is an old basketball player holding the second oldest position in NBA. He played for different teams after joining in 1984, such as Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, and Atlanta Hawks. Kevin played consecutively for over 20 years before taking a break. After that, he went back in 2007 for his last season. While in the Mavericks team, he played five games during his late season. Historically, he's one of the 15 basketball players who scored over 10,000 career bounds and 16,000 points. Isn't that great? In most seasons, his teammates and other people he played with included Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Robert Parish, and Kevin Garnett.
Robert Parish: 30th August 1953- Present
Immediately following graduation from college, Robert Parish joined the NBA IN 1976. He's the third oldest basketballer that played for 21 years consecutively. He last appeared in the court at age 42 in 1997 and had the last game ever on 11th May the same year. He mainly played the center position between 1976 when he joined and 1997 after retirement. He’s well-known for holding a record in NBA more than 1,600 regular season games throughout his profession.
Parish also played for various teams, but the most recalled is Boston Celtics, where he stayed for 14 years. As he was in the team during this time, he attained three NBA Championships. Another achievement is he was voted and ranked among the 50 greatest NBA players' history in 1996. In 2003, he was added to the NBA Hall of Fame. If you fanned Robert Parish, did you ever know his nickname was 'The Chief'? The name came from the made-up chief Bromden- a Native American actor in a movie. He acquired the name from his teammate called Cedric Maxwell of Celtics.
Vince Carter: 26th January, 1977-Present
At 43 years, Vince Carter his still actively playing basketball. His current team is Atlanta Hawks, where he plays the small forward or shooting guard position. Though we mentioned earlier that the list mainly contains players who already retired, Vince Carter is still alive and active. He started playing the game from childhood and made it professional after the NBA draft in 1998 by the Golden State Warriors. He appeared position five overall and got traded for Toronto Raptors. Since the beginning of the 2018-2019 season in the Atlanta Hawks, he has participated in all games, and just celebrated his 43rd birthday early 2020. Some of the teams he earlier joined are Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, and Sacramento Kings. Throughout basketball history, Carter is well considered as the biggest dunker in the game. Most professional athletes are successful and famously known for their philanthropic actions. Vince Carter is among them with an Embassy of Hope Foundation, which provides support to poor Florida, Toronto, and Jersey families.
Dikembe Mutombo: June 25, 1966- Present
Formerly, Dikembe was an NBA player popularly recognized for his great shots blocking and offering a great defense. He even won a championship in the Player of the Year Award several times- four. Among the teams he took part in through his longevity include Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, and Denver Nuggets. Before his retirement, he was among the oldest NBA players. His retired was inspired by the injury he sustained while playing for Houston Rockets- he made the announcement that he'd retire from NBA. Ever since his retirement, he continues to carry out charity and humanitarian activities worldwide. Furthermore, he’s a global ambassador who acquired the position from an appointment by David Stern, the NBA Commissioner in 2009. The post allows him to travel globally in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa mainly to join basketball celebrations in many international events organized by the NBA, such as Basketball without borders. He also has knowledge about most of the game accessories, requirements, and relationships, including where basketball sneakers come from. He got inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in the year 2015.
Kareem Abdul: 16th April 1947- Present
Abdul Kareem s a great player and the fifth oldest in NBA. In around 20 years of his career, Kareem has had records in being the most valuable player six times, NBA all-star 19 times, and NBA Championships six times again plus getting voted twice in NBA MVP finals. Additionally, he's known as the best scorer having 38, 387 points with the most wins in career-1074. He comes next as the second-best gamer after Michael Jordan. The following are some of his deeds during his time in the game before retirement;
Points scored-38,387
Defensive rebounds-9,394
Personal fouls-4,657
Games played-1,560
Goals made- 15,837
Career wins- 1,074
Blocked shots- 3,189
Bob Cousy: 9th August, 1928-Present
Bob Cousy joined NBA in 1950 and played until 1963. His last game was on 6th January 1970, playing the point guard position. He comes six among the oldest basketball players of NBA. He attained greatness through his career, among them is winning the award for the most valuable Player in 1957. He was entirely a Boston Celtics member in his whole 13 years, but the final game found him in Cincinnati Royals. He was also An NBA all-star player 13 times where he coached at Cincinnati Royals. Come 1963, he retired and became the Boston College coach. After that, he moved to Cincinnati Royals again to do the same coaching task. When he was 41 in 1970, he again played for Royals with an attempt to boost their ticket sales, which indeed became better by 77 percent. A great thing about Bob Cousy is he was the first National Basketball Players Association, NBPA, which was started in 1954. The organization is among the oldest in the four sports leagues in North America. They include; NHL, MLB, NBA, and NFL.
Herb Williams
In his basketball span, Herb William's latest day playing was on 25th June 1999 when he was 41 years of age. At that time, his team was New York Knicks, where he dominated as the center and power forward positions. On this list, he's the seventh oldest Player that gamed for NBA for 18 years. In the 1981 draft, Herb Williams got picked up by the Indiana Pacers with the 14th overall selection. While he played four games through his career longevity, he never became as good as before when the Indiana Pacers drafted him. That's why his profession as a basketballer wasn't necessarily regarded to be remarkable. But, he tried because, by the end of his career journey, he had scored over 11,000 points, 1,605 blocks, and more than 6,500 rebounds. He also coached the New York Knicks for one year after he retired from NBA- 2013-2014. Currently, he's the assistant basketball coach for WNBA'S New York Liberty. He may not have made super records like other old players, but he has a name in his college with the Ohio States and other career field goals recorded; 834 points in 114 games, second-most blocked shots and rebounds of 328 and 1,111 respectively.
John Stockton: 26th March 1962- Present
John last played for Utah Jazz in his early 40’s at the point guard position. He played from 1984-2003; 19 years with his last game being scheduled on 30th April 2003 when he turned 41. Most individuals consider him to be among the most exemplary point guards that set records in having the highest steals; 3,265 and assists; 15, 806. Out of the six top assists in NBA history, Stockton has five. The sixth was taken by Isaiah Thomas. This superstar holds names for having the highest number of played games- consecutively in a single team. In 2009, he was received in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as an individual gamer. Moreover, he also appears in the United States Men's Olympic basketball team of 1992- referred to as the 'Dream Team.' Are you aware that John Stockton's family is filled by athletes? Yes. His son was a professional basketballer in college. The grandpa, Hust Stockton, was also an NFL player in his earlier years.
Charles Jones: 3rd April 1957- Present
Charles Jones also has been one of the oldest professionals in NBA, but his impact isn't as much. The only more significant thing is being recognized as a long-serving player in the game's history. He played between 1985 and 2004 as the center and power forward. The last game was on 3rd May 1998 when he had turned 41. In 1979, the Phoenix Suns drafted him but didn't participate in play until he joined Philadelphia 76ers in 1984. Fortunately, in 1995, he won an NBA Championship while in the Houston Rockets team. He later got into four different teams before going back home in 1998. Another unique thing is his three brothers, including Caldwell, Major, and Wil, who also played basketball for the NBA, just like him and Albany.
The bottom line
NBA has allowed most professionals to execute their talents, passion, and love for basketball. Over the years, we’ve had various games, championships, and tournaments on the planet with various basketball players taking part in different seasons. The game is unique, starting from how it's played, the players, positions, scoring, the game rules, sneakers, etc. Today, basketball athletes are taking the lead in designing shoes meant specifically for players at the court. You need to find out how much basketball sneakers cost in their websites, if you wish to own one, either for walking with casual outfit or the game.
The players in the earlier days also played various outstanding roles creating a foundation for the game. They include; John Stockton, Charles Jones, Herb William, Bob Cousy, and many more. Most of them played until in their 40's before they retired. A majority made names that made them popular until today. They even made records various posts and upon retire, and were inducted in the NBA Hall of Fame. It must be fantastic as a reminder, right?
