The Oldest NBA Players in History

The oldest player in NBA history is Nat Hickey, who took the court for the Providence Steamrollers in January 1948 at 45 years old. He set the mark almost by accident, activating himself off the bench while serving as the team’s coach.

Basketball demands explosive athleticism, so most careers fade by the mid-30s. A rare few defied that, playing into their 40s through a mix of skill, discipline and smart minute management. Here is the full leaderboard of the oldest players in NBA history, the story behind the record, and the modern stars, led by LeBron James, still adding to it. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

The record holder: Nat Hickey at 45

Nat Hickey’s record is a quirk of basketball’s early days. In 1948, as coach of the struggling Providence Steamrollers, he added himself to the active roster and played two games at 45 years old, going 0-for-6 from the field but drawing free throws. His stint was more novelty than comeback, but it made him, at 45 years and 363 days in his final game, the oldest man ever to play in the NBA. The record has stood for more than 75 years.

The full leaderboard of the oldest NBA players

The table below ranks the oldest players in NBA history by their age in their final game. Active players are noted.

Rank	Age	Player	Final season
1	45	Nat Hickey	1948
2	44	Kevin Willis	2007
3	43	Robert Parish	1997
4	43	Vince Carter	2020
5	42	Udonis Haslem	2023
6	42	Dikembe Mutombo	2009
7	42	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	1989
8	40	LeBron James*	2025
9	40	Dirk Nowitzki	2019
10	40	Jason Kidd	2013

Ages reflect how old each player was in his final NBA game. Kevin Willis, at 44, is the oldest of the modern era, while Nat Hickey’s 1948 appearance remains the outright record.

Kevin Willis and the modern longevity kings

Kevin Willis played 21 NBA seasons and appeared in a game at 44 in 2007, making him the oldest player of the modern era. Just behind him, Robert Parish and Vince Carter both played at 43. Carter’s career is especially staggering: 22 seasons spread across four decades, the only player to achieve that. Their durability is a reminder that elite big men and wings can adapt their games as athleticism fades, much like the giants on our tallest NBA players of all time list.

LeBron James and the active chase

The most compelling name on the current list is LeBron James, who turned 40 in December 2024 and remained an All-Star-level player. No superstar has sustained that level of production so deep into his career, and if he keeps playing, he could rise past Carter and Parish toward Willis. His combination of conditioning and skill echoes the smaller, savvier players celebrated in our shortest NBA players of all time leaderboard, where longevity also came down to craft over size.

Why the record matters

Playing in the NBA at 40 or beyond is a triumph of preparation over time. Nat Hickey’s odd 1948 appearance holds the record, but the more meaningful marks belong to players like Willis, Carter and now James, who stayed genuinely competitive against opponents half their age. Longevity is a shared theme across sports, mirrored by the oldest NFL players in history, where kickers stretched careers past 45. The best of these veterans still leave their names across the record book, including the most rebounds in NBA history.

The short version: Nat Hickey is the oldest player in NBA history at 45, set in 1948, with Kevin Willis (44) the oldest of the modern era. As of the 2025 season, 40-year-old LeBron James is the oldest active player and still climbing.