By suiting up for the '18-'19 season at age 40, Dirk Nowitzki joined a diverse and illustrious group of players that kept at it in the NBA into middle age.
1) Dirk Nowitzki
2) Vince Carter
The '18-'19 season is the 21st of Nowitzki's and Carter's careers, tying them with Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, and Kevin Garnett for the all-time record. But Nowitzki, who turned 20 just a few days before he was drafted by the Bucks (and immediately traded to the Mavericks) in 1998, can also claim four years of pro experience in his native Germany, having started with DJK Wurzburg at age 16. Carter, who was drafted four spots ahead of Nowitzki in 1998, turned 22 during his rookie season with the Raptors, after playing through his junior season at North Carolina. Neither player fit the traditional mode of a career with the potential longevity of 21 seasons and counting. Carter was a dynamic, high-flying superstar from the start, winning Rookie of the Year and a thrilling All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, but his thrilling aerial acrobatics and scoring burden seemed anathema to a player that would still be active at age 40. Meanwhile, the lithe and inexperienced Nowitzki was getting pushed around by more athletic power forwards and centers in his rookie year, and struggling to adapt to NBA schemes and strategies. Carter seems to be just a superhuman marvel, as he not only lasted to age 40 but was still an effective scorer who could awe fans with occasional dunks and reverse layups. He turned 40 while playing for the Grizzlies during the '16-'17 season, and a few weeks after his birthday scored 24 points in a win over the Bucks. As for Nowitzki, he bulked up, developed one of the most reliable offensive weapons in league history with his fadeaway jumper, and averaged 12.0 points per game in '17-'18. They are the only active players in the '18-'19 season whose career started in the '90s.
3) Kevin Willis
At 44 years and 224 days, Willis finished up his career as the oldest player in league history (arguably; see #25 below) when he suited up for the Mavericks in their final '06-'07 regular season game. It was the end of a 23-year career that included two comebacks, one in 1989 from a devastating knee injury and one in 2007 mostly to secure his place as the oldest player in history. He also holds the distinction of being the oldest player to win his first NBA title, at age 40 in 2003 with the Spurs. Willis was known for his incredible off-season work-out programs that allowed him to play well into his 40s, and was still one of the strongest players in the league even in his advancing age. Originally drafted by the Hawks in 1984, he returned to the franchise for the '04-'05 season to complete his career as the NBA's third oldest all-time player, but was coaxed out of retirement by a center-depleted Mavericks team in 2007. Willis played just five games for Dallas, but it was good enough to pass Robert Parish as the all-time oldest player to play more than one game in a season.
4) Bob Cousy
Playing without the benefit of modern conditioning and nutrition, many of the NBA's top stars from the '50s didn't manage to last very long into their 30s, let alone their 40s. George Mikan retired at 29 (then returned and retired again at 31), Bob Pettit at 32, Ed Macauley at 31, and Neil Johnston at 30. Cousy, benefiting some from playing point guard, which was less wear-and-tear on his body than battling inside as a forward or center, lasted to the age of 34 before retiring in 1963. Fans openly wept at his final home game in Boston Garden, and Cousy even fielded a congratulatory call from president John F. Kennedy. The Celtics went on to win their fifth straight title that spring, of course, and Cousy hung up his sneakers, transitioning immediately into coaching. He guided Boston College for six successful seasons before returning to the NBA to coach the Cincinnati Royals. Having admittedly taken the job more for the money than the challenge, Cousy was overwhelmed and unsuccessful in the pro ranks from the start. He struggled to connect with the younger generation (though the roster did include his former rival Oscar Robertson) and failed to improve the lagging attendance for the troubled franchise. As a result, team ownership begged Cousy to suit up for a few games to gin up ticket sales, and he sadly obliged, logging seven games of meager play. Though Cousy, then 41, played less than five minutes per game, it did actually boost attendance. But it wasn't enough to turn things around financially for the team, and they moved to Kansas City two years later.
5) Herb Williams
His career can be easily bifurcated into his days toiling away as a productive center for mostly lousy Pacers and Mavericks teams, and his days as a backup to Patrick Ewing on the title-contending '90s Knicks. Williams was a first round pick of Indiana in 1981 and almost immediately their starting center. He finished in the top 10 in the NBA in blocks per game four times during his years in Indiana, and averaged as many as 19.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game during the '85-'86 season. But the Pacers reached the playoffs just once in his seven years with the team, a first round loss in 1986, and a subsequent stop with the Mavericks yielded just one more playoff appearance over the ensuing four years (also a first round loss, in 1990). He was already 34 years old when he signed with the Knicks in 1992, but stuck with the franchise for the rest of the decade, as one of the league's premier backup centers. New York reached the playoffs all seven seasons he was there, including appearances in the 1994 NBA Finals against the Rockets, and the 1999 NBA Finals against the Spurs, where Williams logged a few minutes of play at age 41 before finally retiring.
6) Jason Kidd
Joining the club late in the '12-'13 season with the Knicks, Kidd actually played on his 40th birthday on March 23rd of 2013, netting three points, three rebounds, and two assists in a win over the Raptors. After helping New York reach the second round of the playoffs that spring, Kidd retired and transitioned directly into coaching, taking over immediately as head coach of the Bucks. He was drafted second overall by the Mavericks in 1994, and there must have been something in the water that year at the draft ceremony, as Kidd is one of lottery picks from that day, along with Grant Hill and Juwan Howard, to last until age 40 in the NBA. All three of them actually retired in 2013 but Kidd, who left California after his sophomore season, was slightly younger than Howard, who played three seasons at Michigan, and Hill, who made it through his senior year at Duke. Though he won Rookie of the Year, Kidd was traded by Dallas in 1996 and became one of the league's biggest stars playing for the Suns and Nets. He returned to the Mavericks 12 years after they initially traded him away, and at age 38 won the first title of his NBA career with the '10-'11 team.
7) Charles Oakley
If you're going to play in the NBA into middle age you've got to be tough, and few came tougher than Oakley. Drafted out of Virginia Union in 1985, he lasted nearly two decades in the league before finally retiring in 2004. He spent most of that time as a role player, renowned for his defense, rebounding, and especially intimidation. Oakley led the league in total rebounds twice, early in his career as a member of the Bulls, and averaged 10+ rebounds per game in six seasons. His habitual work-out regimen can certainly be attributed for his lasting in the NBA until turning 40, but it's also worth considering that his reputation as a fearsome enforcer may have saved wear-and-tear on his body as opponents were fearful of engaging him. After 18 seasons in the league, including 15 playoff appearances, one NBA Finals trip in 1994 with New York, and one All-Star nod, Oakley seemed to be finished at age 39 when he went unsigned for the '03-'04 season. But he inked a 10-day contract late in the season with the Rockets, just a few months after his 40th birthday, and appeared in seven games. In retirement Oakley moved into some coaching, lots of hanging out with Michael Jordan on golf courses and in casinos, and was feigning a comeback in 2007 at age 44, but apparently didn't receive any contract offers that caught his fancy.
8) Karl Malone
9) John Stockton
They will forever be inexorably linked with each other, teammates starting in '85-'86, when Malone was 22 and Stockton was 23, until the end of the '02-'03 season, when Stockton retired at age 41 while Malone, who would turn 40 that ensuing summer, played one more season with the Lakers. They played together in 1,412 regular season games, 172 playoff games, and 12 NBA Finals games, but famously never won an NBA title. They can take some solace in having won two gold medals together as part of the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic basketball teams, the latter coming when Stockton was already 34 years old. Stockton turned 40 late in the '01-'02 season, and though he wasn't quite the same player anymore he could still fill up the stat sheet, scoring 20 points with six assists on his 40th birthday, a March 26th win over the Rockets. He was the first point guard to stay active into his 40s and became the first player to put up 10 or more assists in a game in his 40s, something he wound up accomplishing 28 times (only Steve Nash has also done it, and he only pulled it off twice). After Stockton retired in 2003, Malone signed a contract with the Lakers just a week before turning 40. He was still able to average 20+ points per game at age 39, but something seemed to fall apart after reaching the magic number of 40, as the '03-'04 season turned out to be the worst of Malone's career. He struggled throughout the year with injuries and seemingly lackadaisical play (setting off thousands of "mailing it in" jokes), and the Lakers eventually were upset by the Pistons in the NBA Finals, denying Malone his title. Despite being 41 years old and coming off major knee surgery, there were rumors Malone was going to return for the '04-'05 season with the Spurs for one more title run, but instead the Mailman officially announced his retirement in February of 2005, ending one of the lengthiest and greatest careers the league has ever seen.
10) James Edwards
Nicknamed "Buddha" for his signature Fu Manchu and general stoicism, Edwards also followed the religious prophet's habit of longevity, lasting 19 years in the NBA, and his meandering life's journey, playing for eight different teams in his career. Edwards was drafted by the Lakers in 1977 with the 46th pick (the second latest pick of a player that lasted until age 40, behind only Charles Jones) and later played for the Pacers, Cavaliers, Suns, Pistons, Clippers, Lakers again, Trail Blazers, and Bulls. Able to play effectively at both power forward and center, he was a reliable scorer early in his career, averaging as much as 16.7 points per game in '81-'82, but later took on a secondary role. In his capacity as a role player Edwards won three titles, two with the Pistons in 1989 and 1990, and one with the Bulls in 1996. It was early during that '95-'96 season, his final one, that he turned 40, celebrating his birthday by playing four minutes as the Bulls defeated the Spurs to start 3-0 (they would eventually finish a record 72-10). Though he didn't appear in any NBA Finals games that year, Edwards did become the second oldest player to ever win a title, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, though he would passed one year later by Robert Parish, who chased his own ring with the next season's Bulls team.
11) Andre Miller
At some point late in his career he picked up the nickname "The Professor" and Miller wound up doling out lessons up until the age of 40 before retiring in 2016. His 40th birthday came late in the '15-'16 season, his denouement with the Spurs, and he was a DNP-coach's decision on that milestone in a Spurs upset of Golden State. Miller did make six regular season appearances for San Antonio after turning 40, and five more in the playoffs before finally retiring. For years, he was the league's best player (and possibly of all-time) without a second round playoff appearance, but Miller finally remedied that in 2014 when he reached the second round at age 38 as John Wall's backup point guard on the Wizards. He ultimately played for nine teams (including three separate stints with the Nuggets) over 17 seasons, and though he was never an All-Star (he's the highest rated player on our list without an All-Star appearance), Miller was the league assist leader in '01-'02, and is 10th all-time in career NBA assists.
12) Dikembe Mutombo
Due to not attending college until the age of 21, Mutombo was celebrating his 25th birthday the night before getting selected fourth overall by the Nuggets in the 1991 NBA Draft. Even though he had never played competitive basketball before his time at Georgetown, Mutombo still came to the NBA as a fully formed shot blocking monster, thanks in part to his advanced age. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Larry Johnson, and in '94-'95 won his first of four Defensive Player of the Year awards. His 18 NBA seasons also included 10 All-Star Games (including in 2002, at the age of 35), three shot blocking titles, two rebounding titles, and NBA Finals appearances in 2001 with the 76ers and 2003 with the Nets. His age 40 season came in '06-'07 with the Rockets, and the Congolese star was still an effective rebounder and shot blocker mainly off the bench, but occasionally filling in as a starter for the oft-injured Yao Ming. During one of those games when he was filling in for Yao that season, Mutombo became the oldest player in NBA history to record 20+ rebounds per game. He also played significant minutes for the Rockets in the 2008 playoffs at age 41, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game, and could have probably played to 45 or older. But Mutombo ruptured his quadriceps in a freak injury during the 2009 playoffs, forcing him to retire just a few weeks before his 43rd birthday.
13) Jason Terry
This list is mostly split between superstars that utilized conditioning and other factors to lengthen their careers, and role players that avoided star-level wear-and-tear, helping them play for years beyond their prime. Terry falls somewhere in between. He was never an All-Star, and though scoring was his prime directive on the court, he never averaged 20+ points per game in a season. But Terry was the heart and soul of the Mavericks for many years, including when he won Sixth Man of the Year in '08-'09 and when he was the team's second leading scorer in the playoffs when they pulled off their shocking 2011 NBA Finals upset over Miami. Flitting between the starting lineup and bench throughout his career, Terry was also versatile in his position on the floor, logging big minutes at both guard positions. He could certainly score but was also a solid passer and play maker, averaging as many as 7.4 assists per game in '02-'03. Three days after his 40th birthday he re-signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and played in 51 games during the '17-'18 season, acting as a mentor to the Bucks' various budding young stars.
14) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
It's one thing to play into your 40s and another to actually still play well at that age. Much has been made about Kareem's "retirement tour" distracting the Lakers and possibly preventing a three-peat for the team in '88-'89, but the fact remains that at age 41 he was still starting at center and averaging double-digit points. Abdul-Jabbar has claimed he refined his signature sky-hook in fifth grade, and 30 years later it was still unstoppable at the highest levels of the sport. He was also certainly not hanging around just for statistical accolades, as he had already eclipsed the all-time scoring mark in 1984 (passing Wilt Chamberlain). And though he wasn't the same player anymore, the Lakers were still going to their man in the middle in clutch playoff situations, including the 1988 Finals where he hit the series-clinching free throws against the Pistons at the age of 41. The most astonishing part of Kareem's late-career success is the amount of pure mileage he had already put on his body. Not only did he play 1,560 regular season games in 20 seasons, he also played in the postseason 18 times, with his teams reaching at least the Conference Finals round 14 times, and the NBA Finals 10 times.
15) John Long
Though he was a star at both the high school level and college level in Detroit, Long was still derided by fans when the Pistons drafted him in the second round in 1978. Detractors were quick to point out that head coach Dick Vitale had probably just drafted him because he also coached him in college at Detroit Mercy. Long nonetheless became one of the Pistons' best players through the disastrous Vitale years into the early Bad Boys era. He had a couple brief stints with the Pacers and Hawks, and two returns to Detroit, one as part of the '88-'89 title team. After a second comeback with the Pistons in '90-'91 ended with Long getting waived, he figured his NBA career was over at that point at the age of 34. He spent his time playing exhibition ball (including a barnstorming tour with a retired Magic Johnson through Europe) until his old friend and teammate Isiah Thomas coaxed him out of retirement in 1996. Now coaching the Raptors, Thomas needed someone to imbue a steady influence on his young stars, including Tracy McGrady, who had been born the year after Long's pro career started in 1978. Long, then aged 40, also taught the youngsters his signature economical jumper, and then showed them how to use it properly when he hit a game-winner in an early season match-up against Washington.
16) Grant Hill
If you had asked Hill, or any NBA fan about Hill, circa 2001, if he expected to still playing 12 years later as a 40-year-old, the answer would have probably been a depressing sigh. Anointed as an NBA superstar before he ever took the court, Hill quickly developed into one of the league's best players until a severe ankle injury limited him to 135 games out of a possible 410 between 2000 and 2006. He came back a less dynamic player, but one who concentrated on the little things, especially defense and passing, and sustained himself as a role player for seven more seasons, peaking in '09-'10 when he helped Phoenix reach the Conference Finals. Hill turned 40 in October of 2012, then played in 29 games for the Clippers in '12-'13 season before retiring. Along with Jason Kidd and Juwan Howard, he is one of three members of the draft class of 1994 that played until age 40 and retired in 2013.
17) Michael Jordan
Though few believed at the time that it was permanent, Jordan's first retirement in 1993 came at the age of 30. After coming back to win three more titles with the Bulls, his second retirement, in 1998 at the age of 35, seemed much more invariable. But, based on what we've later come to understand is a personality trait bordering on sociopath behavior, Jordan just couldn't leave well enough alone. Three seasons removed from his last NBA game, he came back at the age of 38 to play for the Washington Wizards (with whom he had been working for in a front office capacity), announcing that his salary would be donated to relief efforts for the 9/11 attack victims. Now a little heftier and slower and playing small forward, he didn't look too good in his first season back but was as popular as ever. He returned healthier in '02-'03, and eight days after putting on a star performance in the 2003 All-Star Game (with 20 points and five rebounds, after accepting Vince Carter's offer to replace him in the starting lineup), Jordan officially joined the forty-and-over club. In his second after turning 40, he put up 43 points and 10 rebounds in a win over the Nets, becoming the first player over 40 to score 40+ points in a game. Maybe even more impressive is that just two nights later, in an overtime loss to Dallas, he logged 52 minutes of playing time, scoring 30 points.
18) Cliff Robinson
Thanks to the interlocking careers of Clifford Trent Robinson and Clifford Ralph Robinson, we actually had a Cliff Robinson playing in the NBA for almost 30 consecutive years. Clifford Ralph (no relation to Clifford Trent), or Cliff, for short, was in the league for 18 years himself, missing the playoffs in just one of them. He played in the NBA Finals in two of his first three years in the league, with Portland in 1990 and 1992, was an All-Star in 1994, and averaged 20+ points per game in three different seasons. Robinson missed two games or less in 14 of the seasons he played, including the '05-'06 season, during which he turned 39. His longevity and reliability is even more impressive when considering his myriad off-court issues, from DUIs to assault convictions, to reckless driving tickets, to marijuana suspensions. His 40th birthday came in December of 2006 while he was rehabbing his knee, hoping to return to action for the Nets in his 18th and final season. He did eventually come back in January of 2007, playing effectively off the bench at power forward and center, helping the Nets reach the second round of the playoffs.
19) Steve Nash
With a headlong style, typically played at breakneck speed, Nash in his prime certainly didn't look like a player that would last 18 seasons. But his detailed workout techniques, which he's since been imparting to young point guards like Lonzo Ball, set him up for continuing success all the way to age 40. The two-time MVP and five-time assists leader was durable in his prime, never missing more than seven games during the regular season between '01-'02 and '11-'12, before leg, back, and hamstring issues caused him to sit out large chunks of his final two seasons with the Lakers. Like several players on this list he was also a late bloomer, with his breakout season coming in '01-'02 as he turned 28 years old. Though he played in just 15 games for the Lakers in '13-'14, one of those appearances was on his 40th birthday, and it was arguably his best performance of the season, with 19 points and five assists in a win over the 76ers. He planned on playing one final season in '14-'15, but decided to retire after suffering a back injury during the preseason. Nash famously never reached the NBA Finals despite playing in four Conference Finals, but turned down an offer to suit up for the title contending Cavs in 2015, at the age of 41.
20) Robert Parish
Nicknamed "Chief" early in his career for his affinity, both physically and in temperament to the character from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Parish actually seemed to look younger as he got older (compare this picture to this one) and stayed productive into his 40s. He played in a record 1,611 regular season games (plus 184 playoff games) in 21 seasons. To put that in perspective: the original "Star Wars" (A New Hope) was released in theaters during his rookie season, and Episode I started filming just weeks after he retired. Parish often credited his lifelong martial arts training as the basis of his longevity, and whatever he did certainly worked for him. In the first game of the '95-'96 season he became just the second player, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to play continuously to age 42, and in '96-'97 he became the first player to reach age 43 (only Kevin Willis has joined, and passed him since). He turned 40 right before the '93-'94 season, which was his 14th and final season with the Celtics, during which time he played in five NBA Finals, winning three titles, and missed just 42 total games. Upon signing with the Hornets in 1994, Parish wasn't quite the same player anymore at age 41, but still put in decent minutes as a mostly backup center. He signed with the Bulls right after his 43rd birthday in 1996, and won a fourth title with Chicago before retiring.
21) Charles Jones
Though Jones' NBA career lasted 15 seasons, he played in just 726 games over that span, an average of 48 per season. That does include 32 game appearances after passing the age of 40 late in the '96-'97 season. A shot-blocking specialist, Jones was one of four siblings who played at Albany State (though they all grew up in Arkansas, the brothers were ignored by local universities that weren't eager to recruit black players) and reached the NBA, along with Caldwell, Major, and Wil. Though Caldwell had the most successful and lengthiest career, Charles is the one who stayed active to age 41. He came into the league late, starting off at 26 years old for the 76ers in '83-'84, after getting drafted in 1979, then subsequently signed and cut by three different franchises. Though he played in just one game in his rookie season - for three total minutes - and averaged just 2.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for his career, Jones did appear in every NBA season between '83-'84 and '97-'98. Most of his prime came with the Bullets, for whom he was the starting center for five seasons, and he also suited up for the Sixers, Bulls, Pistons, and Rockets. He won a championship in 1995 as a member of the latter team, and turned 40 while playing for Houston in 1997. Though he didn't contribute much for the Rockets, Jones was still on the roster in '97-'98, and even played in four playoff games that season at age 41.
22) Juwan Howard
Though he was never as big of an NBA star as his Fab Five Michigan teammates Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, Howard far outlasted both of them, playing in 19 seasons before retiring in 2013 at age 40 (Rose retired in 2007 at age 34 and Webber retired in 2008 at age 35). Drafted fifth overall by the Bullets in 1994, Howard had his best statistical years early on in Washington, and was named to the All-Star Game in 1996 at age 23. After playing in back-to-back NCAA Championship Games at Michigan, Howard appeared in the playoffs just five times in his first 16 NBA seasons, and never further than a second round appearance with Dallas in 2001. Then, at age 37, he signed a free agent contract with the Heat right after the team agreed to terms with LeBron James and Chris Bosh. It was a move that was 14 years in the making for Howard, who had attempted to sign with the Heat back in 1996, but his contract was declared void by the league office due to salary cap violations, forcing him to re-sign with Washington instead. He played three seasons in Miami, earning championship rings in 2012 and 2013 even though he logged just three minutes of playing time across those two Finals. His final contract with the Heat was signed in March of 2013, just a couple weeks after his 40th birthday, and he made seven regular seasons appearances before sitting out the entire postseason.
23) Danny Schayes
Son of the legendary Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes, Danny was a serviceable center for 18 NBA seasons, averaging as high as 13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in his prime. He was drafted 13th overall by the Jazz in 1981, out of Syracuse, and after playing less than two seasons with Utah he spent most of his prime years with the Nuggets before moving on to short gigs with the Bucks, Lakers, Suns, Heat, and Magic. His final appearances came in the lockout shortened '98-'99 season with the Magic, during which he played in just 19 games due to injury. Schayes' 40th birthday came on May 10th of 1999, and three days he later he made his first, and only, NBA appearance as a 40-year-old, logging no stats in eight minutes of action during a playoff game loss to the 76ers. He signed with the Timberwolves for the '99-'00 season but was waived before playing in any games, and announced his retirement. He holds the distinction of having the shortest post-40th-birthday career of any player on this list, as it consisted of just the one playoff game with Orlando. Another fun Schayes fact: due to his retirement, the '99-'00 season was the first in NBA history without any active Jewish players.
24) Kurt Thomas
There are 17 players that were older than Thomas at the time of their retirement, but none of them played for as many franchises as he did. He spent eight of his 18 NBA seasons with the Knicks, but the other 10 years were spread across eight different teams in Miami, Dallas, Phoenix, Seattle, San Antonio, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Portland. The Heat were Thomas' first NBA landing point, as they drafted the hard-nosed power forward 10th overall out of TCU in 1995. But his best seasons came with New York, including as the starting power forward on the '98-'99 NBA Finals team. He peaked statistically for the Knicks at age 30 in '04-'05, averaging a double-double with 11.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, then transitioned late in his career into a mercenary role for several contenders. This included Conference Finals appearances with the Suns in 2006, the Spurs in 2008, and the Bulls in 2011. Thomas was traded from the Blazers back to the Knicks in 2012 and turned 40 right before the '12-'13 season started. He took the floor on opening day alongside fellow 40-year-old Jason Kidd, a 38-year-old Marcus Camby, and a 38-year-old Rasheed Wallace.
25) Rick Mahorn
For a player who had a reputation as one of the toughest and most physical of his era, it's a marvel that Mahorn was able to last 19 years in professional basketball, retiring just shy of his 41st birthday. Possibly the baddest of the Bad Boy Pistons, his career accomplishments read almost like police blotter. He has to be the only player ballsy enough to have fought Charles Barkley, Moses Malone, Michael Jordan, and Charles Oakley (in the final incident, which happened in 1988, he also inadvertently shoved Doug Collins into a scorer's table). Despite being the starting power forward for the Pistons when they won the title in 1989, and a fan favorite in Philadelphia when he teamed up with Charles Barkley as the "Thump and Bump" duo, Mahorn found himself out of an NBA job in 1991, and fled to Europe for a one-year stint in the Italian league. He returned to the Nets at the age of 34, and played seven more seasons in the NBA, including a two-year return to the Pistons and one final season back in Philly. His debut as a 40-year-old came with the 76ers in the lockout-shortened '98-'99 season. He made 16 appearances down the stretch of the regular season, and even nabbed six rebounds in his final game, a second round playoff loss to Indiana.
26) Manu Ginobili
Though he was still 21 years old when the Spurs drafted him in 1999, Ginobili's NBA debut didn't come until the age of 25, in the '02-'03 season. He spent all 15 years of his career with San Antonio, a tenure that included five NBA Finals trips, and four championships. Over the course of his career he became immortalized, not just amongst Spurs fans and Argentinians, but also by basketball fans who appreciated his intellect and his unique style of play. Ginobili was just shy of his 26th birthday when he won his first title with the Spurs, in his rookie season, and about to turn 37 when he celebrated his fourth and final title. He was an All-Star for the second time at age 33 in 2011, and though his stats started to dwindle from there, he was still effective off the bench for San Antonio, with his herky-jerky Euro step continuing to confound defenders. His 40th birthday came in the summer before the '17-'18 season, and he put together arguably the second-greatest offensive performance by a 40-year-old that season, behind only Michael Jordan. Ginobili appeared in 65 games for the Spurs, averaging only 8.9 points per game, but he became the first 40-year-old to ever record multiple 20+ points games off the bench, including a 26-point performance against Portland. Maybe even more impressive than Ginobili's NBA longevity is his international career, which started with the Argentine junior national team as a 20-year-old in 1997, and ended with a solid performance at age 39 in the 2016 Olympics.
27) Nat Hickey
He played in two NBA games in 1948, in the week before his 46th birthday, which will likely keep Hickey in the Guinness Book of World Records for a long time as the oldest player in NBA history. But that's just a small part of the story. A two-sport pro star during the '20s and '30s, he played for several ABL, NBL, and barnstorming teams, including the Original Celtics (no relation to the modern Celtics), Cleveland Roseblums, and Tri-Cities Blackhawks (which eventually made it to the NBA). He also played for nine different Minor League Baseball teams in six leagues, spread across 15 seasons. When Hickey's playing days wound down, he transitioned into coaching, starting with baseball, where as manager of the Williamson Colts of the Mountain State League he was Stan Musial's first professional manager. He had some success as the basketball coach of the Indianapolis Kautskys in the late '40s, and sometimes still took to the court when he ran out of healthy or eligible players. He was hired by the Providence Steamrollers 19 games into the '47-'48 BAA season, and the team was atrocious. They had started off the season 2-17 before Hickey was hired, and won just two of their next eight games after he took over. So when the team had a home game against the St. Louis Bombers in late January, he figured there was nothing left to lose and activated himself as a player, at 45 years and 362 days old. It should come as no surprise that the soon-to-be-46-year-old did not exactly light up the court in either that game or a follow-up performance two days later against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. Hickey ended his brief NBA playing career with just two total points (both coming at the free throw line, as he shot 0-of-6 from the field) and five personal fouls. He quickly relieved himself of his playing duties and the franchise soon relieved him of his coaching duties, and Hickey never returned to pro basketball or baseball in any capacity again. Though it's something of an incommodious designation, Hickey, who passed away in 1979, has stood as the game's oldest player of record for a long time, and with the NBA now a highly refined and professional league, will likely continue to stand as such for the foreseeable future.
2) Vince Carter
The '18-'19 season is the 21st of Nowitzki's and Carter's careers, tying them with Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, and Kevin Garnett for the all-time record. But Nowitzki, who turned 20 just a few days before he was drafted by the Bucks (and immediately traded to the Mavericks) in 1998, can also claim four years of pro experience in his native Germany, having started with DJK Wurzburg at age 16. Carter, who was drafted four spots ahead of Nowitzki in 1998, turned 22 during his rookie season with the Raptors, after playing through his junior season at North Carolina. Neither player fit the traditional mode of a career with the potential longevity of 21 seasons and counting. Carter was a dynamic, high-flying superstar from the start, winning Rookie of the Year and a thrilling All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, but his thrilling aerial acrobatics and scoring burden seemed anathema to a player that would still be active at age 40. Meanwhile, the lithe and inexperienced Nowitzki was getting pushed around by more athletic power forwards and centers in his rookie year, and struggling to adapt to NBA schemes and strategies. Carter seems to be just a superhuman marvel, as he not only lasted to age 40 but was still an effective scorer who could awe fans with occasional dunks and reverse layups. He turned 40 while playing for the Grizzlies during the '16-'17 season, and a few weeks after his birthday scored 24 points in a win over the Bucks. As for Nowitzki, he bulked up, developed one of the most reliable offensive weapons in league history with his fadeaway jumper, and averaged 12.0 points per game in '17-'18. They are the only active players in the '18-'19 season whose career started in the '90s.
3) Kevin Willis
At 44 years and 224 days, Willis finished up his career as the oldest player in league history (arguably; see #25 below) when he suited up for the Mavericks in their final '06-'07 regular season game. It was the end of a 23-year career that included two comebacks, one in 1989 from a devastating knee injury and one in 2007 mostly to secure his place as the oldest player in history. He also holds the distinction of being the oldest player to win his first NBA title, at age 40 in 2003 with the Spurs. Willis was known for his incredible off-season work-out programs that allowed him to play well into his 40s, and was still one of the strongest players in the league even in his advancing age. Originally drafted by the Hawks in 1984, he returned to the franchise for the '04-'05 season to complete his career as the NBA's third oldest all-time player, but was coaxed out of retirement by a center-depleted Mavericks team in 2007. Willis played just five games for Dallas, but it was good enough to pass Robert Parish as the all-time oldest player to play more than one game in a season.
4) Bob Cousy
Playing without the benefit of modern conditioning and nutrition, many of the NBA's top stars from the '50s didn't manage to last very long into their 30s, let alone their 40s. George Mikan retired at 29 (then returned and retired again at 31), Bob Pettit at 32, Ed Macauley at 31, and Neil Johnston at 30. Cousy, benefiting some from playing point guard, which was less wear-and-tear on his body than battling inside as a forward or center, lasted to the age of 34 before retiring in 1963. Fans openly wept at his final home game in Boston Garden, and Cousy even fielded a congratulatory call from president John F. Kennedy. The Celtics went on to win their fifth straight title that spring, of course, and Cousy hung up his sneakers, transitioning immediately into coaching. He guided Boston College for six successful seasons before returning to the NBA to coach the Cincinnati Royals. Having admittedly taken the job more for the money than the challenge, Cousy was overwhelmed and unsuccessful in the pro ranks from the start. He struggled to connect with the younger generation (though the roster did include his former rival Oscar Robertson) and failed to improve the lagging attendance for the troubled franchise. As a result, team ownership begged Cousy to suit up for a few games to gin up ticket sales, and he sadly obliged, logging seven games of meager play. Though Cousy, then 41, played less than five minutes per game, it did actually boost attendance. But it wasn't enough to turn things around financially for the team, and they moved to Kansas City two years later.
5) Herb Williams
His career can be easily bifurcated into his days toiling away as a productive center for mostly lousy Pacers and Mavericks teams, and his days as a backup to Patrick Ewing on the title-contending '90s Knicks. Williams was a first round pick of Indiana in 1981 and almost immediately their starting center. He finished in the top 10 in the NBA in blocks per game four times during his years in Indiana, and averaged as many as 19.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game during the '85-'86 season. But the Pacers reached the playoffs just once in his seven years with the team, a first round loss in 1986, and a subsequent stop with the Mavericks yielded just one more playoff appearance over the ensuing four years (also a first round loss, in 1990). He was already 34 years old when he signed with the Knicks in 1992, but stuck with the franchise for the rest of the decade, as one of the league's premier backup centers. New York reached the playoffs all seven seasons he was there, including appearances in the 1994 NBA Finals against the Rockets, and the 1999 NBA Finals against the Spurs, where Williams logged a few minutes of play at age 41 before finally retiring.
6) Jason Kidd
Joining the club late in the '12-'13 season with the Knicks, Kidd actually played on his 40th birthday on March 23rd of 2013, netting three points, three rebounds, and two assists in a win over the Raptors. After helping New York reach the second round of the playoffs that spring, Kidd retired and transitioned directly into coaching, taking over immediately as head coach of the Bucks. He was drafted second overall by the Mavericks in 1994, and there must have been something in the water that year at the draft ceremony, as Kidd is one of lottery picks from that day, along with Grant Hill and Juwan Howard, to last until age 40 in the NBA. All three of them actually retired in 2013 but Kidd, who left California after his sophomore season, was slightly younger than Howard, who played three seasons at Michigan, and Hill, who made it through his senior year at Duke. Though he won Rookie of the Year, Kidd was traded by Dallas in 1996 and became one of the league's biggest stars playing for the Suns and Nets. He returned to the Mavericks 12 years after they initially traded him away, and at age 38 won the first title of his NBA career with the '10-'11 team.
7) Charles Oakley
If you're going to play in the NBA into middle age you've got to be tough, and few came tougher than Oakley. Drafted out of Virginia Union in 1985, he lasted nearly two decades in the league before finally retiring in 2004. He spent most of that time as a role player, renowned for his defense, rebounding, and especially intimidation. Oakley led the league in total rebounds twice, early in his career as a member of the Bulls, and averaged 10+ rebounds per game in six seasons. His habitual work-out regimen can certainly be attributed for his lasting in the NBA until turning 40, but it's also worth considering that his reputation as a fearsome enforcer may have saved wear-and-tear on his body as opponents were fearful of engaging him. After 18 seasons in the league, including 15 playoff appearances, one NBA Finals trip in 1994 with New York, and one All-Star nod, Oakley seemed to be finished at age 39 when he went unsigned for the '03-'04 season. But he inked a 10-day contract late in the season with the Rockets, just a few months after his 40th birthday, and appeared in seven games. In retirement Oakley moved into some coaching, lots of hanging out with Michael Jordan on golf courses and in casinos, and was feigning a comeback in 2007 at age 44, but apparently didn't receive any contract offers that caught his fancy.
8) Karl Malone
9) John Stockton
They will forever be inexorably linked with each other, teammates starting in '85-'86, when Malone was 22 and Stockton was 23, until the end of the '02-'03 season, when Stockton retired at age 41 while Malone, who would turn 40 that ensuing summer, played one more season with the Lakers. They played together in 1,412 regular season games, 172 playoff games, and 12 NBA Finals games, but famously never won an NBA title. They can take some solace in having won two gold medals together as part of the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic basketball teams, the latter coming when Stockton was already 34 years old. Stockton turned 40 late in the '01-'02 season, and though he wasn't quite the same player anymore he could still fill up the stat sheet, scoring 20 points with six assists on his 40th birthday, a March 26th win over the Rockets. He was the first point guard to stay active into his 40s and became the first player to put up 10 or more assists in a game in his 40s, something he wound up accomplishing 28 times (only Steve Nash has also done it, and he only pulled it off twice). After Stockton retired in 2003, Malone signed a contract with the Lakers just a week before turning 40. He was still able to average 20+ points per game at age 39, but something seemed to fall apart after reaching the magic number of 40, as the '03-'04 season turned out to be the worst of Malone's career. He struggled throughout the year with injuries and seemingly lackadaisical play (setting off thousands of "mailing it in" jokes), and the Lakers eventually were upset by the Pistons in the NBA Finals, denying Malone his title. Despite being 41 years old and coming off major knee surgery, there were rumors Malone was going to return for the '04-'05 season with the Spurs for one more title run, but instead the Mailman officially announced his retirement in February of 2005, ending one of the lengthiest and greatest careers the league has ever seen.
10) James Edwards
Nicknamed "Buddha" for his signature Fu Manchu and general stoicism, Edwards also followed the religious prophet's habit of longevity, lasting 19 years in the NBA, and his meandering life's journey, playing for eight different teams in his career. Edwards was drafted by the Lakers in 1977 with the 46th pick (the second latest pick of a player that lasted until age 40, behind only Charles Jones) and later played for the Pacers, Cavaliers, Suns, Pistons, Clippers, Lakers again, Trail Blazers, and Bulls. Able to play effectively at both power forward and center, he was a reliable scorer early in his career, averaging as much as 16.7 points per game in '81-'82, but later took on a secondary role. In his capacity as a role player Edwards won three titles, two with the Pistons in 1989 and 1990, and one with the Bulls in 1996. It was early during that '95-'96 season, his final one, that he turned 40, celebrating his birthday by playing four minutes as the Bulls defeated the Spurs to start 3-0 (they would eventually finish a record 72-10). Though he didn't appear in any NBA Finals games that year, Edwards did become the second oldest player to ever win a title, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, though he would passed one year later by Robert Parish, who chased his own ring with the next season's Bulls team.
11) Andre Miller
At some point late in his career he picked up the nickname "The Professor" and Miller wound up doling out lessons up until the age of 40 before retiring in 2016. His 40th birthday came late in the '15-'16 season, his denouement with the Spurs, and he was a DNP-coach's decision on that milestone in a Spurs upset of Golden State. Miller did make six regular season appearances for San Antonio after turning 40, and five more in the playoffs before finally retiring. For years, he was the league's best player (and possibly of all-time) without a second round playoff appearance, but Miller finally remedied that in 2014 when he reached the second round at age 38 as John Wall's backup point guard on the Wizards. He ultimately played for nine teams (including three separate stints with the Nuggets) over 17 seasons, and though he was never an All-Star (he's the highest rated player on our list without an All-Star appearance), Miller was the league assist leader in '01-'02, and is 10th all-time in career NBA assists.
12) Dikembe Mutombo
Due to not attending college until the age of 21, Mutombo was celebrating his 25th birthday the night before getting selected fourth overall by the Nuggets in the 1991 NBA Draft. Even though he had never played competitive basketball before his time at Georgetown, Mutombo still came to the NBA as a fully formed shot blocking monster, thanks in part to his advanced age. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Larry Johnson, and in '94-'95 won his first of four Defensive Player of the Year awards. His 18 NBA seasons also included 10 All-Star Games (including in 2002, at the age of 35), three shot blocking titles, two rebounding titles, and NBA Finals appearances in 2001 with the 76ers and 2003 with the Nets. His age 40 season came in '06-'07 with the Rockets, and the Congolese star was still an effective rebounder and shot blocker mainly off the bench, but occasionally filling in as a starter for the oft-injured Yao Ming. During one of those games when he was filling in for Yao that season, Mutombo became the oldest player in NBA history to record 20+ rebounds per game. He also played significant minutes for the Rockets in the 2008 playoffs at age 41, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game, and could have probably played to 45 or older. But Mutombo ruptured his quadriceps in a freak injury during the 2009 playoffs, forcing him to retire just a few weeks before his 43rd birthday.
13) Jason Terry
This list is mostly split between superstars that utilized conditioning and other factors to lengthen their careers, and role players that avoided star-level wear-and-tear, helping them play for years beyond their prime. Terry falls somewhere in between. He was never an All-Star, and though scoring was his prime directive on the court, he never averaged 20+ points per game in a season. But Terry was the heart and soul of the Mavericks for many years, including when he won Sixth Man of the Year in '08-'09 and when he was the team's second leading scorer in the playoffs when they pulled off their shocking 2011 NBA Finals upset over Miami. Flitting between the starting lineup and bench throughout his career, Terry was also versatile in his position on the floor, logging big minutes at both guard positions. He could certainly score but was also a solid passer and play maker, averaging as many as 7.4 assists per game in '02-'03. Three days after his 40th birthday he re-signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and played in 51 games during the '17-'18 season, acting as a mentor to the Bucks' various budding young stars.
14) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
It's one thing to play into your 40s and another to actually still play well at that age. Much has been made about Kareem's "retirement tour" distracting the Lakers and possibly preventing a three-peat for the team in '88-'89, but the fact remains that at age 41 he was still starting at center and averaging double-digit points. Abdul-Jabbar has claimed he refined his signature sky-hook in fifth grade, and 30 years later it was still unstoppable at the highest levels of the sport. He was also certainly not hanging around just for statistical accolades, as he had already eclipsed the all-time scoring mark in 1984 (passing Wilt Chamberlain). And though he wasn't the same player anymore, the Lakers were still going to their man in the middle in clutch playoff situations, including the 1988 Finals where he hit the series-clinching free throws against the Pistons at the age of 41. The most astonishing part of Kareem's late-career success is the amount of pure mileage he had already put on his body. Not only did he play 1,560 regular season games in 20 seasons, he also played in the postseason 18 times, with his teams reaching at least the Conference Finals round 14 times, and the NBA Finals 10 times.
15) John Long
Though he was a star at both the high school level and college level in Detroit, Long was still derided by fans when the Pistons drafted him in the second round in 1978. Detractors were quick to point out that head coach Dick Vitale had probably just drafted him because he also coached him in college at Detroit Mercy. Long nonetheless became one of the Pistons' best players through the disastrous Vitale years into the early Bad Boys era. He had a couple brief stints with the Pacers and Hawks, and two returns to Detroit, one as part of the '88-'89 title team. After a second comeback with the Pistons in '90-'91 ended with Long getting waived, he figured his NBA career was over at that point at the age of 34. He spent his time playing exhibition ball (including a barnstorming tour with a retired Magic Johnson through Europe) until his old friend and teammate Isiah Thomas coaxed him out of retirement in 1996. Now coaching the Raptors, Thomas needed someone to imbue a steady influence on his young stars, including Tracy McGrady, who had been born the year after Long's pro career started in 1978. Long, then aged 40, also taught the youngsters his signature economical jumper, and then showed them how to use it properly when he hit a game-winner in an early season match-up against Washington.
16) Grant Hill
If you had asked Hill, or any NBA fan about Hill, circa 2001, if he expected to still playing 12 years later as a 40-year-old, the answer would have probably been a depressing sigh. Anointed as an NBA superstar before he ever took the court, Hill quickly developed into one of the league's best players until a severe ankle injury limited him to 135 games out of a possible 410 between 2000 and 2006. He came back a less dynamic player, but one who concentrated on the little things, especially defense and passing, and sustained himself as a role player for seven more seasons, peaking in '09-'10 when he helped Phoenix reach the Conference Finals. Hill turned 40 in October of 2012, then played in 29 games for the Clippers in '12-'13 season before retiring. Along with Jason Kidd and Juwan Howard, he is one of three members of the draft class of 1994 that played until age 40 and retired in 2013.
17) Michael Jordan
Though few believed at the time that it was permanent, Jordan's first retirement in 1993 came at the age of 30. After coming back to win three more titles with the Bulls, his second retirement, in 1998 at the age of 35, seemed much more invariable. But, based on what we've later come to understand is a personality trait bordering on sociopath behavior, Jordan just couldn't leave well enough alone. Three seasons removed from his last NBA game, he came back at the age of 38 to play for the Washington Wizards (with whom he had been working for in a front office capacity), announcing that his salary would be donated to relief efforts for the 9/11 attack victims. Now a little heftier and slower and playing small forward, he didn't look too good in his first season back but was as popular as ever. He returned healthier in '02-'03, and eight days after putting on a star performance in the 2003 All-Star Game (with 20 points and five rebounds, after accepting Vince Carter's offer to replace him in the starting lineup), Jordan officially joined the forty-and-over club. In his second after turning 40, he put up 43 points and 10 rebounds in a win over the Nets, becoming the first player over 40 to score 40+ points in a game. Maybe even more impressive is that just two nights later, in an overtime loss to Dallas, he logged 52 minutes of playing time, scoring 30 points.
18) Cliff Robinson
Thanks to the interlocking careers of Clifford Trent Robinson and Clifford Ralph Robinson, we actually had a Cliff Robinson playing in the NBA for almost 30 consecutive years. Clifford Ralph (no relation to Clifford Trent), or Cliff, for short, was in the league for 18 years himself, missing the playoffs in just one of them. He played in the NBA Finals in two of his first three years in the league, with Portland in 1990 and 1992, was an All-Star in 1994, and averaged 20+ points per game in three different seasons. Robinson missed two games or less in 14 of the seasons he played, including the '05-'06 season, during which he turned 39. His longevity and reliability is even more impressive when considering his myriad off-court issues, from DUIs to assault convictions, to reckless driving tickets, to marijuana suspensions. His 40th birthday came in December of 2006 while he was rehabbing his knee, hoping to return to action for the Nets in his 18th and final season. He did eventually come back in January of 2007, playing effectively off the bench at power forward and center, helping the Nets reach the second round of the playoffs.
19) Steve Nash
With a headlong style, typically played at breakneck speed, Nash in his prime certainly didn't look like a player that would last 18 seasons. But his detailed workout techniques, which he's since been imparting to young point guards like Lonzo Ball, set him up for continuing success all the way to age 40. The two-time MVP and five-time assists leader was durable in his prime, never missing more than seven games during the regular season between '01-'02 and '11-'12, before leg, back, and hamstring issues caused him to sit out large chunks of his final two seasons with the Lakers. Like several players on this list he was also a late bloomer, with his breakout season coming in '01-'02 as he turned 28 years old. Though he played in just 15 games for the Lakers in '13-'14, one of those appearances was on his 40th birthday, and it was arguably his best performance of the season, with 19 points and five assists in a win over the 76ers. He planned on playing one final season in '14-'15, but decided to retire after suffering a back injury during the preseason. Nash famously never reached the NBA Finals despite playing in four Conference Finals, but turned down an offer to suit up for the title contending Cavs in 2015, at the age of 41.
20) Robert Parish
Nicknamed "Chief" early in his career for his affinity, both physically and in temperament to the character from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Parish actually seemed to look younger as he got older (compare this picture to this one) and stayed productive into his 40s. He played in a record 1,611 regular season games (plus 184 playoff games) in 21 seasons. To put that in perspective: the original "Star Wars" (A New Hope) was released in theaters during his rookie season, and Episode I started filming just weeks after he retired. Parish often credited his lifelong martial arts training as the basis of his longevity, and whatever he did certainly worked for him. In the first game of the '95-'96 season he became just the second player, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to play continuously to age 42, and in '96-'97 he became the first player to reach age 43 (only Kevin Willis has joined, and passed him since). He turned 40 right before the '93-'94 season, which was his 14th and final season with the Celtics, during which time he played in five NBA Finals, winning three titles, and missed just 42 total games. Upon signing with the Hornets in 1994, Parish wasn't quite the same player anymore at age 41, but still put in decent minutes as a mostly backup center. He signed with the Bulls right after his 43rd birthday in 1996, and won a fourth title with Chicago before retiring.
21) Charles Jones
Though Jones' NBA career lasted 15 seasons, he played in just 726 games over that span, an average of 48 per season. That does include 32 game appearances after passing the age of 40 late in the '96-'97 season. A shot-blocking specialist, Jones was one of four siblings who played at Albany State (though they all grew up in Arkansas, the brothers were ignored by local universities that weren't eager to recruit black players) and reached the NBA, along with Caldwell, Major, and Wil. Though Caldwell had the most successful and lengthiest career, Charles is the one who stayed active to age 41. He came into the league late, starting off at 26 years old for the 76ers in '83-'84, after getting drafted in 1979, then subsequently signed and cut by three different franchises. Though he played in just one game in his rookie season - for three total minutes - and averaged just 2.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for his career, Jones did appear in every NBA season between '83-'84 and '97-'98. Most of his prime came with the Bullets, for whom he was the starting center for five seasons, and he also suited up for the Sixers, Bulls, Pistons, and Rockets. He won a championship in 1995 as a member of the latter team, and turned 40 while playing for Houston in 1997. Though he didn't contribute much for the Rockets, Jones was still on the roster in '97-'98, and even played in four playoff games that season at age 41.
22) Juwan Howard
Though he was never as big of an NBA star as his Fab Five Michigan teammates Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, Howard far outlasted both of them, playing in 19 seasons before retiring in 2013 at age 40 (Rose retired in 2007 at age 34 and Webber retired in 2008 at age 35). Drafted fifth overall by the Bullets in 1994, Howard had his best statistical years early on in Washington, and was named to the All-Star Game in 1996 at age 23. After playing in back-to-back NCAA Championship Games at Michigan, Howard appeared in the playoffs just five times in his first 16 NBA seasons, and never further than a second round appearance with Dallas in 2001. Then, at age 37, he signed a free agent contract with the Heat right after the team agreed to terms with LeBron James and Chris Bosh. It was a move that was 14 years in the making for Howard, who had attempted to sign with the Heat back in 1996, but his contract was declared void by the league office due to salary cap violations, forcing him to re-sign with Washington instead. He played three seasons in Miami, earning championship rings in 2012 and 2013 even though he logged just three minutes of playing time across those two Finals. His final contract with the Heat was signed in March of 2013, just a couple weeks after his 40th birthday, and he made seven regular seasons appearances before sitting out the entire postseason.
23) Danny Schayes
Son of the legendary Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes, Danny was a serviceable center for 18 NBA seasons, averaging as high as 13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in his prime. He was drafted 13th overall by the Jazz in 1981, out of Syracuse, and after playing less than two seasons with Utah he spent most of his prime years with the Nuggets before moving on to short gigs with the Bucks, Lakers, Suns, Heat, and Magic. His final appearances came in the lockout shortened '98-'99 season with the Magic, during which he played in just 19 games due to injury. Schayes' 40th birthday came on May 10th of 1999, and three days he later he made his first, and only, NBA appearance as a 40-year-old, logging no stats in eight minutes of action during a playoff game loss to the 76ers. He signed with the Timberwolves for the '99-'00 season but was waived before playing in any games, and announced his retirement. He holds the distinction of having the shortest post-40th-birthday career of any player on this list, as it consisted of just the one playoff game with Orlando. Another fun Schayes fact: due to his retirement, the '99-'00 season was the first in NBA history without any active Jewish players.
24) Kurt Thomas
There are 17 players that were older than Thomas at the time of their retirement, but none of them played for as many franchises as he did. He spent eight of his 18 NBA seasons with the Knicks, but the other 10 years were spread across eight different teams in Miami, Dallas, Phoenix, Seattle, San Antonio, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Portland. The Heat were Thomas' first NBA landing point, as they drafted the hard-nosed power forward 10th overall out of TCU in 1995. But his best seasons came with New York, including as the starting power forward on the '98-'99 NBA Finals team. He peaked statistically for the Knicks at age 30 in '04-'05, averaging a double-double with 11.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, then transitioned late in his career into a mercenary role for several contenders. This included Conference Finals appearances with the Suns in 2006, the Spurs in 2008, and the Bulls in 2011. Thomas was traded from the Blazers back to the Knicks in 2012 and turned 40 right before the '12-'13 season started. He took the floor on opening day alongside fellow 40-year-old Jason Kidd, a 38-year-old Marcus Camby, and a 38-year-old Rasheed Wallace.
25) Rick Mahorn
For a player who had a reputation as one of the toughest and most physical of his era, it's a marvel that Mahorn was able to last 19 years in professional basketball, retiring just shy of his 41st birthday. Possibly the baddest of the Bad Boy Pistons, his career accomplishments read almost like police blotter. He has to be the only player ballsy enough to have fought Charles Barkley, Moses Malone, Michael Jordan, and Charles Oakley (in the final incident, which happened in 1988, he also inadvertently shoved Doug Collins into a scorer's table). Despite being the starting power forward for the Pistons when they won the title in 1989, and a fan favorite in Philadelphia when he teamed up with Charles Barkley as the "Thump and Bump" duo, Mahorn found himself out of an NBA job in 1991, and fled to Europe for a one-year stint in the Italian league. He returned to the Nets at the age of 34, and played seven more seasons in the NBA, including a two-year return to the Pistons and one final season back in Philly. His debut as a 40-year-old came with the 76ers in the lockout-shortened '98-'99 season. He made 16 appearances down the stretch of the regular season, and even nabbed six rebounds in his final game, a second round playoff loss to Indiana.
26) Manu Ginobili
Though he was still 21 years old when the Spurs drafted him in 1999, Ginobili's NBA debut didn't come until the age of 25, in the '02-'03 season. He spent all 15 years of his career with San Antonio, a tenure that included five NBA Finals trips, and four championships. Over the course of his career he became immortalized, not just amongst Spurs fans and Argentinians, but also by basketball fans who appreciated his intellect and his unique style of play. Ginobili was just shy of his 26th birthday when he won his first title with the Spurs, in his rookie season, and about to turn 37 when he celebrated his fourth and final title. He was an All-Star for the second time at age 33 in 2011, and though his stats started to dwindle from there, he was still effective off the bench for San Antonio, with his herky-jerky Euro step continuing to confound defenders. His 40th birthday came in the summer before the '17-'18 season, and he put together arguably the second-greatest offensive performance by a 40-year-old that season, behind only Michael Jordan. Ginobili appeared in 65 games for the Spurs, averaging only 8.9 points per game, but he became the first 40-year-old to ever record multiple 20+ points games off the bench, including a 26-point performance against Portland. Maybe even more impressive than Ginobili's NBA longevity is his international career, which started with the Argentine junior national team as a 20-year-old in 1997, and ended with a solid performance at age 39 in the 2016 Olympics.
27) Nat Hickey
He played in two NBA games in 1948, in the week before his 46th birthday, which will likely keep Hickey in the Guinness Book of World Records for a long time as the oldest player in NBA history. But that's just a small part of the story. A two-sport pro star during the '20s and '30s, he played for several ABL, NBL, and barnstorming teams, including the Original Celtics (no relation to the modern Celtics), Cleveland Roseblums, and Tri-Cities Blackhawks (which eventually made it to the NBA). He also played for nine different Minor League Baseball teams in six leagues, spread across 15 seasons. When Hickey's playing days wound down, he transitioned into coaching, starting with baseball, where as manager of the Williamson Colts of the Mountain State League he was Stan Musial's first professional manager. He had some success as the basketball coach of the Indianapolis Kautskys in the late '40s, and sometimes still took to the court when he ran out of healthy or eligible players. He was hired by the Providence Steamrollers 19 games into the '47-'48 BAA season, and the team was atrocious. They had started off the season 2-17 before Hickey was hired, and won just two of their next eight games after he took over. So when the team had a home game against the St. Louis Bombers in late January, he figured there was nothing left to lose and activated himself as a player, at 45 years and 362 days old. It should come as no surprise that the soon-to-be-46-year-old did not exactly light up the court in either that game or a follow-up performance two days later against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. Hickey ended his brief NBA playing career with just two total points (both coming at the free throw line, as he shot 0-of-6 from the field) and five personal fouls. He quickly relieved himself of his playing duties and the franchise soon relieved him of his coaching duties, and Hickey never returned to pro basketball or baseball in any capacity again. Though it's something of an incommodious designation, Hickey, who passed away in 1979, has stood as the game's oldest player of record for a long time, and with the NBA now a highly refined and professional league, will likely continue to stand as such for the foreseeable future.