LeBron James turns 40. List of oldest NBA players of all time

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will soon become the 32nd player to play in the NBA at the age of 40.

The four-time MVP became the oldest active player in the league after Udonis Haslem and Andre Iguodala retired after the 2022-23 season.

James averaged 23.5 points, 9 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 28 games this season.

He will continue his climb up the list of the league’s oldest players in the 22nd season of his career. Danny Schayes is the youngest member of the 40-year-old club and played his last game just three days after turning 40. Nat Hickey is the oldest player to play in the NBA at 45 years and 363 days.

James will be the only player on the 40-man club who is also among the 31 youngest players to ever play in the NBA. He began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 29, 2003 at the age of 18 years and 303 days.

PJ Tucker, Chris Paul and Taj Gibson are the only other active 39-year-old players who have a chance to join the 40-year-old club.

LeBron’s greatest moments:LeBron James turns 40. It was a breathtaking, fantastic and brilliant life.

Here are some of the most notable players playing at age 40.

* Statistics per game

∎ (Season he turned 40: 1986-87) 78 starts, 31.3 minutes*, .564 FG%, 17.5 points*, 6.7 rebounds*, 2.6 assists*, 1.2 blocks *

Abdul-Jabbar won his fifth NBA championship at the end of the 1986-87 season. He retired in 1989 at the age of 42. The Lakers legend held the NBA’s career scoring record for nearly 39 years, finishing his career with 38,387 points before being passed by LeBron James in February 2023.

∎ (Season he turned 40: 2002-03) 82 games (67 starts), 37 minutes, .445 FG%, 20 points*, 6.1 rebounds*, 3.8 assists*, 1.5 steals*

The longtime Chicago Bulls star decided to return to the NBA in 2001 after a three-year hiatus and spent two seasons with the Washington Wizards. Jordan is often considered the league’s best player, having won six NBA championships and five MVP awards.

Bob Cousy, Cincinnati Royals

∎ (1969-70) 7 games played, 4.9 minutes*, .333 FG%, 0.7 ppg*, 0.7 rebounds*, 1.4 assists*

Cousy, then 41, returned to the field for seven games for the Cincinnati Royals during the 1969-70 season. The longtime Boston Celtics star retired after the 1963 season. He coached for Cincinnati from 1969 to 1972.

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

∎ (2018-19) 51 games, 15.6 minutes, .359 FG%, 7.3 points*, 3.1 rebounds*, 0.7 assists*

Nowitzki played the entire 2018/19 season at the age of 40. He retired after that season after spending his entire 21-year career in Dallas. He was named Finals MVP in 2011 after leading the Mavericks to their first NBA championship.

Karl Malone, Los Angeles Lakers

∎ (2003-04) 42 starts, 32.7 minutes, .483 FG%, 13.2 points*, 8.7 rebounds*, 3.9 assists*

Malone turned 40 before his final season in the NBA and moved to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the only season he did not play for the Utah Jazz. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Steve Nash, Los Angeles Lakers

∎ (Season he turned 40: 2013-14) 15 games, 20.9 minutes, .383 FG%, 6.8 points*, 5.7 assists*, 1.9 rebounds*

Nash finished his career with two seasons in Los Angeles. The Hall of Famer won the NBA MVP title in 2005 and 2006 and led the league in assists five times.

List of oldest NBA players of all time

player	birth date	Last game	Old
Nat Hickey	January 30, 1902	January 28, 1948	45 years, 363 days
Kevin Willis	September 6, 1962	April 18, 2007	44 years, 224 days
Robert Parish	August 30, 1953	May 11, 1997	43 years, 254 days
Vince Carter	January 26, 1977	March 11, 2020	43 years, 45 days
Udonis Haslem	June 9, 1980	June 7, 2023	42 years, 363 days
Dikembe Mutombo	June 25, 1966	April 21, 2009	42 years, 300 days
Kareem Abdul Jabbar	April 16, 1947	June 13, 1989	42 years, 58 days
Bob Cousy	August 9, 1928	January 6, 1970	41 years, 150 days
Herb Williams	February 16, 1958	June 25, 1999	41 years, 129 days
John Stockton	March 26, 1962	April 30, 2003	41 years, 35 days
Charles Jones	April 3, 1957	May 3, 1998	41 years, 30 days
Karl Malone	July 24, 1963	June 13, 2004	40 years, 325 days
Dirk Nowitzki	June 19, 1978	April 10, 2019	40 years, 295 days
Manu Ginobili	July 28, 1977	April 24, 2018	40 years, 270 days
Rick Mahon	September 21, 1958	May 23, 1999	40 years, 244 days
John Long	August 28, 1956	April 20, 1997	40 years, 235 days
Jason Terry	September 15, 1977	April 28, 2018	40 years, 225 days
Grant Hill	October 5, 1972	May 3, 2013	40 years, 210 days
James Edwards	November 22, 1955	May 27, 1996	40 years, 187 days
Joe Johnson	June 29, 1981	December 22, 2021	40 years, 176 days
Kurt Thomas	October 4, 1972	March 18, 2013	40 years, 165 days
Clifford Robinson	December 16, 1966	May 12, 2007	40 years, 147 days
Jamal Crawford	March 20, 1980	August 4, 2020	40 years, 137 days
Charles Oakley	December 18, 1963	April 2, 2004	40 years, 106 days
Juwan Howard	February 7, 1973	April 17, 2013	40 years, 69 days
Steve Nash	February 7, 1974	April 8, 2014	40 years, 60 days
Michael Jordan	February 18, 1963	April 16, 2003	40 years, 58 days
Jason Kidd	March 23, 1973	May 18, 2013	40 years, 56 days
Andrew Miller	March 19, 1976	May 12, 2016	40 years, 54 days
Tim Duncan	April 25, 1976	May 12, 2016	40 days, 17 days
Danny Schayes	May 10, 1959	May 13, 1999	40 years, 3 days
LeBron James	December 30, 1984	Active	40 years old

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LeBron James turns 40. List of oldest NBA players of all time

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