Dec 25, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

nba

LeBron James turns 40: Is the Lakers legend the oldest player to ever play in NBA?

LeBron James is the oldest active player in the NBA, but is the Lakers legend also the oldest player to ever play in the league?

LeBron James is celebrating his 40th birthday today, and he is not showing any signs of slowing down. Despite being in the later stages of his career, LeBron keeps breaking records and setting new benchmarks for younger players. So far this season, he’s averaging 23.5 points, 9.0 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game, and has already recorded 8 triple-doubles.

Even with all his incredible achievements, one question that often comes up is: Is LeBron James the oldest player to ever play in the NBA?

Is LeBron James the oldest player in NBA history?

While LeBron James is the oldest player in the NBA currently, he is not the oldest player to ever play in the league. That record belongs to Nat Hickey, who played for the Providence Steamrollers in 1948.

Hickey was both the coach and player for the Steamrollers. On January 27 and 28, 1948, he played two games at the age of 45 years and 363 days.

Also Read:

To beat this record, LeBron would have to play for at least six more years. While LeBron’s incredible fitness and ability to maintain his level of play make it seem possible, it’s hard to imagine many players reaching the age of 46 in today’s NBA.

For now, LeBron remains the oldest active player in the league, and arguably the greatest as well.

Image Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers

Swati Bhatia

nba

mlb

wnba

I work as a content strategist, specializing in creating engaging content about the NBA, WNBA, and MLB. My main focus is on writing breaking news updates, research-based articles, and covering trending topics. Right now, I’m leading the content team for the NBA, WNBA, and MLB categories at Playoffs English.