The NBA season is starting up again soon and some players are getting up there in age. Here are the 8 oldest NBA players that you should keep an eye on and learn from.
After such a weird NBA season in 2019-20, a new season will soon be starting.
Last season, we saw the oldest NBA player (at that time), Vince Carter, make his exit from the league.
He had a great career, where he did so much for the basketball community in Canada and brought so much excitement to fans.
Even in his final years, he shocked the crowd in the stadiums and made them scream “Ooo, wee!” and “Oh my!”
But now that he’s gone, who will take on his reign as the awesome old man basketball player?
Well, lucky for all of you, I was curious about this question too.
So, I made a list –here are the best old dudes to play in the NBA this season (it’s not in any particular order, but I’m sure you can decisively figure out who the top 3 oldest NBA players are):
Udonis Haslem
Udonis Haslem is an OG. Seriously, he entered the NBA in 2002 and has been playing with the same team (Miami Heat) for 18 seasons.
He’s a tough player who will do the dirty work (rebound, defend the post, screens, etc.). It’s because of his will and hustle that the Miami Heat were able to win multiple titles during their glory days.
He battled the giants in the paint, rumbled with superathletes for rebounds, and got rings during the journey.
With all this experience, he will most likely play a big factor as a player-coach.
This season, I don’t see Haslem playing many minutes.
He’s getting up there in age and doesn’t have quite the same athleticism as he once did. But he still has a huge IQ and has garnered respect from the younglings.
So, he’ll be tutoring them throughout, while getting on the court every once in a while to show that he still ball.
Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala is one of those players that can do everything.
At around 6 foot 6, he can defend almost every position, make plays, and shoot. And this is what he’s been doing off the bench ever since Steve Kerr took over head coaching duties in Golden State.
And I don’t see this role changing for him this season as he laces it up again with the Miami Heat.
Iggy will continue to come off the bench and do whatever his team needs him to, albeit with fewer minutes.
I also think that he’ll start being more of a player-coach this season too. He’ll probably offer mentorship to some of the young guys, like Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson.
Carmelo Anthony
The 2019-20 NBA season was a redemption season for Carmelo Anthony. Many teams had written him off as a selfish player who couldn’t play in this generation’s basketball.
And boy, did he prove the haters wrong.
He started in all of the games he played with the Portland Trailblazers and helped them make the playoffs.
Anthony gave the team a scoring boost and snatched the heck out of rebounds (watch him scream “I GOT IT!” here).
And I see him doing the same thing in the 2020-21 season.
His minutes may drop a tad and he may come off the bench, but he’ll continue to bully defenders in the paint, step into mid-range jumpers, shoot the occasional three, and snatch the heck out of rebounds.
He basically will continue to be Carmelo Anthony (but with less explosiveness).
Marc Gasol
Marc Gasol is a great versatile player with high I.Q.
This season, he is joining a new team (the Los Angeles Lakers) but he’ll most likely be doing the same things he did with the Toronto Raptors in the past couple of years.
He’s going to be the enforcer on the defensive end, locking down the paint, and an everything-man on the offensive end.
He’ll pop the three, dish the ball, create screens, and fight for rebounds.
Like Anthony, Marc Gasol will continue to be Marc Gasol (but with less athleticism).
LeBron James
Okay, so LeBron is going to be LeBron. This hasn’t changed at all ever since his rookie season 15 plus years ago. He’s a freak athlete and a once-in-a-lifetime type of player.
LeBron James is a legend (and is one of the 3 best oldest NBA players – nah, he’s the best).
But with that said, he is entering his late 30s soon. And age can play a factor in his performance… what am I saying?
This is LeBron James I’m talking about.
Nothing’s going to change. He’s still going to posterize defenders, dish flashy passes, and exploit the opponent’s weaknesses. He’s too talented and intelligent not to.
He may, however, play fewer minutes in the regular season and may start implementing load management. Maybe.
But other than that, LeBron gonna be LeBron and that’s that.
LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldridge is a master at the post-up fadeaway and mid-range jump shot.
He’s been doing it his entire career and it really has not hit a snag yet. The decline of his athleticism hasn’t affected it and defenders haven’t really been able to stop it.
You can expect him to continue doing this throughout the remainder of his career. Oh, and he also added a smooth 3-point shot to his tool belt as well.
The only flaw that he has is his defence. And with him slowly losing his speed, quickness, and explosiveness, you shouldn’t expect him to improve much (or at all) on this end of the court.
But his offence is a thing of beauty and he will continue to get buckets for the San Antonio Spurs this season.
Dwight Howard
In his heyday, Dwight Howard was one of the best bigs in the game. But injuries happened. And (I think) his ego hindered his performance as well.
But last season, he redeemed himself. Howard showed that he is willing to take a smaller role off the bench and that he can still play basketball.
Though his game isn’t as refined as the likes of current modern bigs such as Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid (his new teammate), Anthony Davis (his former teammate), or Karl-Anthony Towns, he still has some useful skills that he’s mastered throughout the years.
So this season, expect Howard to man the post and deter shots, grab rebounds, and dunk in putbacks.
He’ll probably also screen a bunch for the smaller guys (and Ben Simmons) on the Philadelphia 76ers.
Chris Paul
Chris Paul is Point God, and like LeBron, CP3 gonna be CP3.
He’ll be entering his 16th season but will be joining a new team, the Phoenix Suns.
He may not have the ball as much this season (a result of playing with Devin Booker), but Paul will continue to do the same things he’s been doing when he does.
And isn’t it kind of crazy how he doesn’t look like he’s lost a step at all? Paul still plays like how he played in his prime (but more refined).
He still comes off of screens for his elbow jumper, still reads the court at a high level for plays, and still has the same tenacity and annoyance on defence.
His old man game (and the other players’), I think, can be attributed to his I.Q. and mastery of the fundamentals.
If he hadn’t put a lot of emphasis on the basic things and just worked on all the exciting things, I don’t think he would be as good and effective as he is now.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this list shows that you (especially new players) need to hone in your basketball fundamentals and IQ before you go off and learn all the cool and fancy skills.
It’s what these 8 oldest NBA players did and see how much it’s helping them in the latter part of their career?
So, go and master the fundamentals. You’ll thank me for it later.
P.S. If you’re an older player who is not exactly at your physical peak, check out this article on how to reduce aches and pains after playing basketball.
