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The NBA has seen its fair share of grizzled veterans who have played well into their forties. Four of the names on this list were former All-Stars who extended their playing careers by becoming role players.
As the league gets younger, many of these older statesmen of the game have become important pieces for a team. They may no longer have the skills they consistently displayed during their peak years, but their experience and voice have been no less impactful.
Here are 5 of the NBA’s remarkable veterans who continued to impact the game past the age of forty
#5 Dikembe Mutombo
The NBA family is keeping Dikembe Mutombo and his family in their thoughts and prayers as the Hall of Famer is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. Well past his retirement, “Deke” has never stopped caring for the game by becoming the league’s Global Ambassador for basketball.
Mutombo spent 18 years playing as a pro for six NBA teams. He had a very limited offensive game but was a giant on the defensive end. “Mt. Mutombo” led the league in blocks for three straight seasons from 1993-94 to 1995-96. His trademark finger wag has become one of the most iconic and identifiable moves in basketball history.
Dikembe Mutombo is best known for winning four Defensive Player of the Year Awards, a record he shares with Ben Wallace. He played his last season with the Houston Rockets in 2009 at the age of 43. In 2015 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
#4 Vince Carter
Vince Carter is considered by many to be the greatest dunker the NBA has ever seen. It’s a recognition that puts him above the likes of Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, two of the greatest rim-rattlers in league history.
Half-man, half-amazing Carter played for 22 seasons as a pro basketball player. He was an icon in Toronto and was beloved by Raptors fans before he was traded to the New Jersey Nets. Carter was the 1998-99 Rookie of the Year and ended his career with eight All-Star selections.
“Air Canada” was a big-time superstar in his prime who was usually the offensive hub of the teams he played on. Later in his career, he took on a supporting role as he extended his career.
Vince Carter played his last season just when the pandemic hit in 2020 with the Atlanta Hawks. He was 43 years old and the only player to play in four different decades when he hung up his jersey. “Vinsanity” is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2024.
#3 Robert Parish
![Robert Parish was one of the NBA's best big men in the '80s. [photo: YouTube]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/10/d31ee-16660592325200-1920.jpg)
Robert Parish was the anchor in the middle of those great Boston Celtics teams in the ‘80s. He was part of Boston’s legendary frontline that included the great Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. These three were the main reasons why those Celtics squads were considered one of the greatest teams ever assembled.
Parish was already 23 years old when he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 1977. The Warriors decided to rebuild and traded “The Chief” to the Celtics for the No.1 and No.13 picks of the 1980 draft. In his first year with the C’s, he played a vital role in helping Boston to their first championship since 1976.
The Hall of Famer won three championships in Boston before adding a fourth one while playing alongside Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1997. He holds the record of being the oldest player to be part of a championship team.
#2 Kevin Willis
![Kevin Willis was the second-oldest player in NBA history. [photo: Tire Review Magazine]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/10/2fb77-16660582978160-1920.jpg)
The Atlanta Hawks picked Kevin Willis at No. 11 in the 1984 NBA draft. He was part of probably the greatest draft class in league history that featured the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.
Willis spent more than a decade with the Hawks, where he earned his only All-Star selection during the 1991-92 season. He became a journeyman after his stint with the Hawks. “Devo” bounced around the league without winning a championship.
It wasn’t until he arrived in San Antonio as a backup big man who he finally earned a well-deserved NBA championship ring. He rode the coattails of Tim Duncan and helped the Spurs hoist the 2003 crown.
After a brief retirement in 2005-06, he returned to play for the Dallas Mavericks for one more season. He retired in 2007 at age 44.
#1 Nat Hickey
![Nat Hickey [left] was 45 when he played two games in the BAA. [photo: Medium]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/10/6282b-16660586791004-1920.jpg)
Nat Hickey is a name that’s almost forgotten in NBA history. He rightfully gets credit for being the oldest player in the NBA.
The Croatian-American was the coach of the Providence Steamrollers that played under the Basketball Association of America (BAA). In 1948, he played two games for the team, making him an official player of the league at age 45.
Hickey is better known in baseball circles, where he was a minor leaguer for 15 seasons as a player and two as a manager.
