Seniority can be a double-edged sword for athletes. Some, like good wine, go to more with the passage of time taking advantage of their experience and knowledge of the game, while others suffer to maintain their level as their physical capacities diminish. However, even in the latter case, veteran voices have historically been highly regarded in the NBA locker room at the level of mentoring, which causes that in certain cases the careers of some players are prolonged even when their performance is well below what it used to be.
Will that be the case for the oldest men in the competition? Or have they known how to keep the shape and continue to fight? That’s what we’ll look at in the annual review of the five oldest contract players in the NBA.
Paul Millsap
Last minute entry on the list, as the fifth as the fifth place was for Marc Gasol until his departure from the league just a few days ago. This has made the new Nets player climb, three days younger than the Spanish center and with 15 seasons of experience behind him (this will be the 16th).
Millsap came to the NBA in 2006 from the hand of the Utah Jazz, and after the first two somewhat more discreet years he gradually grew until he ended up becoming an All-Star player four times in a row during his time with the Hawks. This was possibly the best stage of his career, because since his departure from Atlanta, although he continued to be an important piece in the Nuggets, he was finding more and more difficulties to occupy a leading role and already, at 36 years old, he looks like a man. relegated to minor tasks. We will see, however, if in Brooklyn he manages to show that he still has a lot of basketball to give and helps New Yorkers in their search for the ring.
LeBron James
For those who have grown up in his era, it must be painful to see that the king already occupies this place on the list. Despite the fact that his achievements and performances put the passage of time in question, the Lakers will turn 37 in December, an age that begins to make the question of “how long?” Inevitable. Many predicted the start of decline after the 18-19 season, in which the Angelenos were out of the playoffs, and the following season responded with a ring and a Finals MVP. This time, the elimination in the first round has raised these voices again. Will they be right this time?
The truth is that, whatever happens, we are facing a man whose career and legacy there is no point in trying to summarize in two paragraphs. It should only be added that, despite occupying the fourth position in terms of age, he is the active player who has played the most games in the NBA, with more than 100 advantage over his pursuers, who are the next two on this list. .
Carmelo Anthony
Many gave him up for dead a couple of seasons ago, but, after a difficult stage with that transfer to Houston, the forward has managed to reinvent himself and regain a place in the NBA. His role is obviously less than the one he had in his golden age in Denver and New York, but his time with the Blazers has done him wonderfully to put his basketball back in value and show that, although there was a time when it seemed that no, it has enough quality to add much more than what remains.
At 37 years old, this season with the Lakers could be his last great opportunity to win a championship ring, which would undoubtedly be a beautiful swan song for a career that fell in love with many at the time but lost followers with him. pass of the time. All in all, an undeniable track record and legacy.
Andre Iguodala
Another one of those timeless looking for a final clasp to a round trajectory. After two seasons (one and a half rather) in Miami in which it has not provided the boost that Florida’s expected, the forward returns this season to Golden State, where he was part of one of the best teams in history and where he consecrated as one of those men that everyone wanted on their team. Because, even if numerically his best years took place in Philadelphia, there is no doubt that it is his time with the Warriors that has raised his career to very high levels.
Iguodala was for several years the paradigm of a player who performs well above what the numbers say. Hard-working, intelligent, without exceeding his duties and always understanding what he had to do. The ideal role player who reached his moment of glory with that MVP of the 2015 Finals returns to what was his home in search of one last dance. There, with some of the teammates with whom he achieved glory on three occasions, he will seek to show that he can add more than he has done in recent years.
Udonis Haslem
Is Haslem the oldest player or a qualified assistant? Such an apparently absurd question makes sense for the pivot, who at 41 has now been in a role for several seasons that has little to do with his athletic performance. However, in Miami they seem to greatly appreciate his work in making his teammates better and creating identity in the locker room, which has led him to continue on the staff of what has been his only franchise in his 19 seasons in the NBA.
With 45 games played in the last five years, nobody expects anything from him other than this role, which he himself seems to have assumed naturally. The only question seems to be how long it will continue with this type of contract.
(Cover photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
