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Experience is a great asset to have in the NBA. Many former players talk about the importance of having a veteran leader on a squad, even if it just to guide young players. An experienced player in his prime can be a valuable for any NBA team with title aspirations. In this article, we will take a look at the 10 oldest players in the 2020-21 NBA season.
10 Oldest players in today's NBA
Young athletes drive the NBA and most big professional leagues, and it seems that younger players are taking big leaps quicker. However, we still see veterans who can dominate. LeBron James will be 36 years old in a couple of days, and he remains the NBA's best player.
Experience can help a team get through the tough times of a long regular season. It is also a great tool in the postseason when the mental aspect of the teams is as important as any execution on the court.
Let us take a look at the 10 oldest players in the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
#10 Trevor Ariza - Born on June 30th, 1985 - 35 years old
Trevor Ariza is currently a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even though he is not with the team for personal reasons, he remains an active figure in the 2020-21 NBA season.
The 35-year-old has been in the NBA since 2004. The New York Knicks selected him with the 43rd overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft. The Knicks traded Ariza to the Orlando Magic in 2006, and he played with the Magic until 2007 when he got traded to the LA Lakers.
Ariza started 23 games for the LA Lakers in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, and his 11 points per game helped the team win the NBA championship.
After leaving the LA Lakers in the 2009 Free Agency, Ariza has played for the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, and the Sacramento Kings.
#9 Chris Paul - Born on May 6th, 1985 - 35 years old
A future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, Chris Paul has been in the NBA for 15 years. He is 35 years of age, but he remains one of the NBA's top point guards. In the 2020-21 NBA season, Paul is a member of the Phoenix Suns.
He started his career with the New Orleans Hornets, who selected him with the fourth overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft. After six years at New Orleans, Paul played six seasons with the LA Clippers.
Then, he played a couple of years with the Houston Rockets. With Houston, CP3 got close to making it to his first NBA Finals appearance in 2018, but the team fell short after he injured his hamstring.
The Rockets traded him to the OKC Thunder for Russell Westbrook. In his only year at OKC, he guided them to an unlikely spot in the NBA Playoffs.
Paul averages 19 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds per game in 1022 career appearances.
#8 P.J. Tucker - Born on May 5th, 1985 - 35 years old
P.J. Tucker has played 655 games in his NBA career. The 35-year-old started his career in 2006 after the Toronto Raptors selected him in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft.
He played only 17 games for the Raptors in the 2006-07 NBA season before he was waived. From 2007 to 2012, Tucker played in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy, and Germany.
On August 1st, 2012, the Phoenix Suns signed Tucker, and he made his return to the NBA at 27 years of age. He spent almost five years with the Suns and earned a multi-year contract from the team.
In 2017, a trade sent him back to Toronto. In the 2017 offseason, he signed a multi-year contract with the Houston Rockets, and he remains a key part of the team's dynamic in the 2020-21 NBA season.
#7 Paul Millsap - Born on February 10th, 1985 - 35 years old
The 2020-21 NBA season is the 15th season in the career of 35-year-old Paul Millsap. The forward has been playing for the Denver Nuggets since 2017, and he remains a solid starter.
The Utah Jazz selected Millsap in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft. He spent his first seven years in Utah.
He became an NBA All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks. He played four years at Atlanta and made four All-Star teams and one All-Defensive team.
In 2017, Millsap signed with the Denver Nuggets and had helped the team reach the NBA Playoffs in the past two seasons.
He averages 14 points and seven rebounds per game in 998 regular-season appearances.
#6 Marc Gasol - Born on January 29th, 1985 - 35 years old
Marc Gasol is playing in his 13th NBA season. Gasol was a second-round pick of the 2007 NBA Draft. His current team, the LA Lakers, made that selection. He was part of a trade package sent to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for his brother Pau.
Gasol became an All-Star at Memphis, won a Defensive Player of the Year Award,, and helped them reach a couple of deep postseason runs. He got traded to the Toronto Raptors in the 2018-19 NBA season and won the NBA championship with the squad.
Marc has been selected to three All-Star games and was part of two All-NBA teams.
#5 LeBron James - Born on December 30th, 1984 - 36 years old
'The King' turns 36 on December 30, but does not show any sign of slowing down. Arguably the greatest player in NBA history, James still continues to improve his game and is the reigning NBA Finals MVP.
LeBron James has played for three teams in his illustrious NBA career: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, and his current team, the LA Lakers.
James led the three franchises to four NBA championships and earned the Finals MVP trophy all four times, the only player to achieve this feat in NBA history.
Last year, James led the NBA in assists at age 35 and led the LA Lakers to their record-equalling 17th NBA championship.
James averages 27 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds per game and is playing his 18th NBA season.
#4 J.J. Redick - Born on June 24th, 1984 - 36 years old
J.J. Redick is playing in his 15th NBA season, and the efficient shooter remains a solid weapon. Today's three-point shooting NBA also fits Redick perfectly.
Redick was the 11th pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, and he made his NBA debut with the Orlando Magic.
With the Magic, he played in the 2009 NBA Finals. Redick was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013, and Milwaukee traded him to the LA Clippers at the end of the 2012-13 NBA season.
Redick played four years as a starter for LAC before signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2017. After two years at Philly, Redick signed with his current team, the New Orleans Pelicans.
The 36-year-old has made more than 1,800 three-pointers in his career and has a career 3-point accuracy of 42%.
#3 Carmelo Anthony - Born on May 29th, 1984 - 36 years old
Another future Hall-of-Famer, Carmelo Anthony, remains in the NBA even after his stock reached a career-low in 2019.
Anthony played with the Denver Nuggets in his first eight NBA seasons before a trade sent him to the New York Knicks. With Denver and the Knicks, Anthony averaged 25 points per game in 14 seasons.
Then, Anthony played a year for the OKC Thunder and signed with the Houston Rockets. 'Melo' played just 10 games for the Rockets in the 2018-19 NBA season and was eventually traded to the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls waived him on February 1st, 2019, and he spent more than nine months without an NBA team. The Portland Trail Blazers signed him in November 2019, and the 36-year-old remains with them.
#2 Andre Iguodala - Born on January 28th, 1984 - 36 years old
Andre Iguodala has played more than 1,130 games in his NBA career. The Miami Heat forward is 36 years of age and is a role player today. However, he was an All-Star in his early days and even got Finals MVP recognition in 2015, when he played with the Golden State Warriors.
Iguodala started his career in 2004 and has played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat. With Golden State and Miami, Iguodala has played in each of the last six NBA Finals.
#1 Udonis Haslem - Born on June 9th, 1980 - 40 years old
Udonis Haslem is the oldest player in today's NBA. The 40-year-old has played his entire NBA career with his home team, the Miami Heat.
Haslem played four years at Florida before entering the 2002 NBA Draft. Even though he went undrafted, he made his NBA debut just a year later and has been a part of the Heat's three championship-winning teams.
He is the Heat's all-time leader in total rebounds with 5,754.
Also read: Top 5 contenders to win the Sixth Man of the Year award | NBA 2020-21
