This is a list of oldest and youngest National Basketball Association players. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men's professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted its current name at the start of the when it merged with the National Basketball League (NBL). The oldest person ever to play in the NBA was Nat Hickey, a coach who activated himself as a player for a game two days before his 46th birthday. The youngest player ever to play in the NBA was Andrew Bynum, who played his first game only six days after his 18th birthday. The oldest active player is LeBron James, who is currently old. He is the only active player who was born before 1986 and drafted before 2007, as well as the only player to be both on the NBA's list of youngest and oldest players in league history. The youngest active player in the NBA (as of the 2025–26 season) is Cooper Flagg, the 1st overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, who is currently old.
Oldest players
The oldest player ever to play in the NBA was Nat Hickey who played a game in the 1947–48 BAA season when he was 45 years and 363 days old. Hickey, who was coaching the Providence Steamrollers at the time, decided to activate himself and played in a game for the Steamrollers. In his first game as a player for the Steamrollers, he missed all six of his shot attempts and only scored two points from three free throw attempts; he only played in one more game before retiring as a player two days shy of his 46th birthday. The second-oldest player is Kevin Willis, who played 20 seasons (excluding the 1988–89 NBA season he missed due to injury) in the league before he sat out the 2005–06 NBA season and earned a contract with the Dallas Mavericks on April 2, 2007. Willis then played five games for the Mavericks at the age of 44. The third-oldest player is Hall of Famer Robert Parish. Parish, who played with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s, played his last season with the Chicago Bulls at the age of 43. He played in 1,611 regular season games during his 21-year career, which stood as the league record until March 21, 2026, when it was surpassed by LeBron James. When the Bulls won the 1997 NBA Finals, Parish became the oldest player ever to win the NBA championship. There are 36 players who played in the NBA after they turned 40. Following the retirements of Udonis Haslem and Andre Iguodala shortly after the 2022–23 NBA season, the oldest active player is LeBron James.
All-time ^ Denotes player who is still active in the NBA as of the * Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame† Denotes player who is not yet eligible for Hall of Fame considerationA player is not eligible for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame until he has been fully retired for three full seasons. Player Pos Birth date Last game Age Team(s) played (years) Draft (pick) Ref. G/F Providence Steamrollers () Undrafted F/C 1984 (11th) * C 1976 (8th) * G/F 1998 (5th) F/C Miami Heat (–) 2002 (Undrafted) * C 1991 (4th) * C 1969 (1st) ^ F Present 2003 (1st) * G 1950 (3rd) C/F 1981 (14th) * G Utah Jazz (–) 1984 (16th) F/C 1979 (165th) * F 1985 (13th) * F/C Dallas Mavericks (–) 1998 (9th) † F 2009 (26th) * G San Antonio Spurs (–) 1999 (57th) C/F 1980 (35th) G/F 1978 (29th) G 1999 (10th) * F 1994 (3rd) † G 2005 (4th) C/F 1977 (46th) G 2001 (10th) F 1995 (10th) F/C 1989 (36th) G 2000 (8th) C "Present" 2007 (3rd) F/C 1985 (9th) F 1994 (5th) * G 1996 (15th) * G 1984 (3rd) * G 1994 (2nd) G 1999 (8th) † G 2006 (24th) * F/C San Antonio Spurs (–) 1997 (1st) † F 2006 (35th) C/F 1981 (13th)
Active This list includes active players signed to an NBA roster who are or will be at least 35 years old in the current season or year. Player Pos Birth date Age Team(s) played (years) Draft (pick) Ref. F 2003 (1st) C 2007 (3rd) G 2007 (4th) G Golden State Warriors (–present) 2009 (7th) C 2008 (10th) C 2008 (35th) F 2007 (2nd) DeMar DeRozan G/F 2009 (9th) James Harden G 2009 (3rd) Jimmy Butler G/F 2011 (30th) Klay Thompson G/F 2011 (11th) F Golden State Warriors (–present) 2012 (35th) Paul George G/F 2010 (10th) Jrue Holiday G 2009 (17th) Damian Lillard G 2012 (6th) Nikola Vučević C 2011 (16th) Kawhi Leonard F 2011 (15th) Dwight Powell C/F 2014 (45th) Khris Middleton F/G 2012 (39th) G 2013 (10th) Tim Hardaway Jr. G/F 2013 (24th) G 2011 (1st) T. J. McConnell G 2015 (Undrafted) F 2012 (7th) G 2014 (46th) C 2013 (27th)
Youngest players
NBA players usually come from U.S. college basketball. In the past, a college player had to complete his four-year college eligibility before he could enter the league through the NBA draft or as a free agent. In the 1970s, the league began to allow college underclassmen and high school players to enter the league. However, the trend of drafting high school players only began in the mid-1990s. This has led to more younger players entering the league directly after high school graduation. In 2005, the league and the players' union agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement that includes a minimum age limit which requires that players who wish to enter the league must be at least 19 years old on December 31 of the year of the draft, and at least one year removed from high school. International players who did not play college basketball also have to be at least 19 years old on the same date to be able to play in the NBA. Despite a trend toward drafting younger players, the NBA has a higher average age than it had in the 1980s. However, since the NBA introduced the minimum age limit in 2005, the league's average age has decreased in the past few seasons. The youngest player to ever play in the NBA was Andrew Bynum who played his first game at the age of 18 years and 6 days old. Bynum, who was also the youngest player ever selected in the NBA Draft, went into the NBA straight out of high school. Jermaine O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, both drafted in 1996, were the second- and third-youngest players. Serbian Darko Miličić was the youngest player ever to play in an NBA Finals game. He played for the Detroit Pistons in Game 3 of the 2004 Finals at the age of 18 years and 356 days old. The Pistons won the 2004 Finals and Miličić became the youngest player ever to win the NBA championship, being only five days away from his 19th birthday at the time. There are currently 34 players who played in the NBA before they turned 19. Nineteen of them came to the league straight out of high school, while ten of them are international players who never played basketball in U.S. high schools or colleges before they entered the NBA, and five players, Devin Booker, Joshua Primo, Jalen Duren, GG Jackson and Cooper Flagg played one year of college before entering the NBA all while remaining 18 years old throughout the process.
All-time ^ Denotes player who is still active in the NBA as of the 2026–27 NBA season* Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Player Pos Birth date First game Age Team(s) played (years) Draft (pick) Ref. C 2005 (10th) F/C 1996 (17th) C Undrafted * G Los Angeles Lakers (–) 1996 (13th) C 2003 (2nd) F Philadelphia Warriors (, ) Undrafted F/C 1975 (19th) * G/F 1997 (9th) F Los Angeles Clippers (–) 2005 (12th) C 2004 (11th) G/F 2005 (34th) F 2005 (56th) C 1975 (5th) F/C Undrafted C Toronto Raptors () 2024 (57th) G 2021 (12th) ^ F 2003 (1st) ^ F Dallas Mavericks (–present) 2025 (1st) F 1999 (5th) ^ F/C Memphis Grizzlies (–present) 2023 (45th) ^ F Milwaukee Bucks (–) 2013 (15th) C 2001 (4th) * C 2004 (1st) F 2004 (17th) ^ C Detroit Pistons (–present) 2022 (13th) F 2019 (15th) G/F 2005 (6th) C Seattle SuperSonics / Oklahoma City Thunder (–) 2004 (12th) ^ F Chicago Bulls (–present) 2025 (12th) F/C 2016 (4th) ^ C Minnesota Timberwolves (–present) 2025 (17th) F 2003 (30th) F 1998 (25th) ^ G Phoenix Suns (–present) 2015 (13th)
Active This list shows the 20 youngest active players in the current season who have appeared in an NBA game.
Player Pos Birth date Age Team(s) played (years) Draft (pick) Ref. F Memphis Grizzlies (–present) 2026 (3rd) F San Antonio Spurs (–present) 2026 (20th) F Memphis Grizzlies (–present) 2026 (21st) G Detroit Pistons (–present) 2026 (17th) G Los Angeles Clippers (–present) 2026 (5th) C Boston Celtics (–present) 2026 (27th) F Washington Wizards (–present) 2026 (1st) F Phoenix Suns (–present) 2026 (30th) G Utah Jazz (–present) 2026 (2nd) G Atlanta Hawks (–present) 2026 (8th) F Dallas Mavericks (–present) 2025 (1st) F Chicago Bulls (–present) 2025 (12th) F Milwaukee Bucks (–present) 2026 (13th) G Sacramento Kings (–present) 2026 (7th) C Minnesota Timberwolves (–present) 2025 (17th) G New Orleans Pelicans (–present) 2025 (7th) C Phoenix Suns (–present) 2025 (10th) F Utah Jazz (–present) 2025 (5th) G Cleveland Cavaliers (–present) 2026 (34th) F Toronto Raptors (–present) 2026 (19th) F Chicago Bulls (–present) 2026 (4th)
See also NBA records List of NBA career games played leaders List of NBA seasons played leaders List of oldest professional athletes by sport List of oldest Major League Baseball players List of oldest National Hockey League players
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