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With young, athletic players dominating the league, we look at the 5 oldest veterans still making their mark in the NBA. Honorable mentions would be:
1. Jamal Crawford, Minnesota Timberwolves,37 years.
2. Udonis Haslem, Miami Heat, 37 years.
3. Richard Jefferson, Cleveland Cavaliers,37 years.
4. Pau Gasol, San Antonio Spurs, 37 years.
5. David West, Golden State Warriors, 37 years.
Also read: Oldest NBA Players ever
That aside, without any further ado, here are the five oldest players headed into the 2017-18 NBA season:
#5 Damien Wilkins - 37 years
Wilkins was born on 11th January 1980. He is the nephew of NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins. He was picked up by the Seattle Sonics as an undrafted rookie in 2004. Besides being plagued by injuries, Wilkins has been a journeyman in the NBA, plying his trade on several teams mostly on a short-term basis over the course of his 12-year career. He also had stints in China, Venezuela, and the NBA D-League.
On August 15, 2017, Wilkins signed with the Indiana Pacers returning to the NBA for the first time since 2013. This would signal his 13th basketball career season.
#4 Dirk Nowitzki - 39 years
Born on 19th June 1978, Dirk was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 9th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft and immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He has notched an impressive 18 seasons. He has led his team to 15 playoff appearances including the franchise's first Finals appearance in 2006 and only championship in 2011. He is very loyal to the Mavericks to a fault.
As he reaches the twilight years of his career, he’ll go down as one the greatest power forwards to play the game. He is the first European player to start in an All-Star Game, as well as the first to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (2007). Nowitzki is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history and the sixth player to achieve over 30,000 regular-season points. Nowitzki is the only player to record at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, 1,000 steals, 1.000 blocks and 1,000 3-point field goals.
#3 Jason Terry - 40 years
He was born on 15th September 1977. Terry became an NBA champion with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 while playing the sufficient role of a sixth-man. He has made the third-most three-point field goals in NBA history.
Atlanta Hawks (1999–2004): After winning the NCAA championship with the University of Arizona in 1997, the Atlanta Hawks drafted him with the 10th overall pick in the 1999 draft. In the 2000–01 season, Terry emerged as the team's best player, averaging 19.7 points, and leading the club in steals, assists, and free throws made.
Dallas Mavericks (2004–2012): After a rough first few months, Terry established himself as the Maverick’s number one guard off the bench. He won the 6th man of the year award in 2009 while playing for the Mavericks.
He had stints with: Boston Celtics (2012–2013), Brooklyn Nets (2013–2014), Houston Rockets (2014–2016) and Milwaukee Bucks (2016–present).
#2 Manu Ginóbili - 40 years
Born on 28th July 1977, Manu will go down as one of the greatest 6th men of all time after he calls it a career. His loyalty has enabled him to enjoy a successful career with four NBA championships in San Antonio. He is part of arguably the greatest trio to play the game alongside Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. A great coach in Gregg Popovich chose to deploy him as a sixth man in an effective system, and he redefined the role becoming a reliable game changer.
He is one of only two players, along with Bill Bradley, to have won at least a Euro League title, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal. Outside the NBA, he holds several individual and team honors. His stint with Italian side Kinder Bologna was particularly productive; he won two Italian League MVP awards, the EuroLeague Finals MVP and the 2001 EuroLeague championship and Triple Crown.
The San Antonio Spurs selected him with the 57th overall pick in 1999. He joined the Spurs in 2002 in what could end up as the biggest draft steal in NBA history.
Entering his 15th career season as a member of the Spurs, we’ll be keen to see how his usage will be.
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#1 Vince Carter - 40 years
Born on 26th January 1977, Vince Carter played for 3 years at the University of North Carolina. While there, he twice reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before being selected as the fifth overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, who traded him to the Toronto Raptors.
He was a highlight reel, entertaining crowds with his leaping ability and slam dunks over anyone in his path to the rim. It took injuries for him to really work hard and develop other aspects of his game. Through his 18-year career, he has played for six organizations breaking various records wherever he went.
Toronto Raptors (1998–2004); he earned his 1999 rookie of the year accolades here, won the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest in an epic showdown, as well as leading the Raptors to their first three playoff appearances.
New Jersey Nets (2004–2009): He helped the Nets to three playoff runs and is currently in the top 10 of nineteen different all-time Nets statistical categories, including points, points per game (1st all-time of NBA Nets), defensive rebounds, assists, turnover rate, 3-point field goals, offensive rating, player efficiency rating, and win shares,while missing only 11 games in that spell.
Orlando Magic (2009–2010): His spell in Orlando marked the only time he made it to the Eastern Conference finals playing the role of a go-to scorer while taking pressure off Dwight Howard.
Phoenix Suns (2010–2011): Carter scored his 20,000th point as a member of the Suns while forming a successful backcourt with Steve Nash.
Dallas Mavericks (2011–2014): while in Dallas, he became the 10th player in NBA history to make 1700 career 3-pointers.
Memphis Grizzlies (2014–2017): He passed Steve Nash on the NBA’s all-time games played list for 31, Charles Barkley for 24th in career points scored and tied A.C. Green for 25th on the NBA games list.
He is currently a member of the Sacramento Kings heading into his 19th season. On August 18, 2017, during the Players Voice Awards, the NBA Players Association named him as the Most Influential Veteran.
Guess the Lakers players!
