The Oldest NBA Players For The 2022-23 Season

As the old saying goes, “Age is just a number.” The immense talent throughout the NBA coming from the class of players under 27 has been on full display so far during the 2022-23 season. Players in this age bracket have been at the forefront of the early-season headlines and developing battles in the standings, making for what is sure to be an exciting rest of the year. Among all of these young stars breaking out before our eyes have been the players who have seemingly been making an impact on the court forever.

Let me tell you why listing the oldest players in the NBA is more important than it seems at first glance. If a player has been able to stick around in the NBA after their 36th birthday, chances are they still provide something of great value to a team. That value can come from their play on the court or from their leadership off it. The 13 NBA players listed below provide one of the other, and in rare cases, they provide both for their respective squads in 2022-23. Having this kind of longevity is rare when it comes to the pattern we have seen throughout NBA history. Now that we have spoken about the importance of the OG’s in the NBA let’s get into our countdown.

Here are the oldest NBA players for the 2022-23 season.

14. Wesley Matthews – 36 Years, 39 Days Old

After appearing in 82 games during his rookie season with the Utah Jazz, Wesley Matthews has made a career of being a solid double-digit scorer and an above-average shooter. Matthews has been with 7 teams during his 13-year career and peaked with the Trail Blazers and Mavericks in the 2010s. For his career, he has averaged 12.0 PPG with a 55.9% true shooting percentage. Matthews was a full-time starter for the first 11 seasons of his career but has been a valuable piece off the bench over the past 2 seasons with the Lakers and Bucks.

Matthews has been a member of the Milwaukee Bucks for 3 of the past 4 seasons, taking a one-year hiatus with the Lakers in 2021. Matthews has been able to provide small sparks for Milwaukee as a part of their rotation off the bench. He is seeing limited action so far during the 2022-23 season, playing just 16.7 minutes per game through 12 games. He is currently averaging 3.7 PPG and 2.5 RPG for the Bucks.

13. Jeff Green – 36 Years, 86 Days Old

Jeff Green is one of the last players standing in the NBA who has played professional minutes for the Seattle SuperSonics. Green spent his rookie year with Seattle and appeared in 80 games for them, 52 of which came in a starting capacity. He has spent parts of his 16-year career with 11 different franchises and has proved valuable as both a starter and a bench player. Throughout his career, Green has been a solid shooting big and a very reliable passer from his position.

Currently, Green is a slightly above-average combo forward who struggles with staying consistent in his production. He is in his 2nd season with the Denver Nuggets where he had a decent season in 2021-22. Green appeared in 75 games, including 63 starts, and averaged 10.3 PPG on 51.5% shooting. In 2022-23, Green has played in all 12 games for Denver in a bench role and is averaging 7.9 PPG in 19.9 minutes of play. 

12. Rudy Gay – 36 Years, 97 Days Old

The tale of Rudy Gay’s career comes down to one thing, consistency. There have been times during his 17-year career that the 6’8’’ forward has looked like the next great superstar in the NBA. There have also been times when he has looked like he doesn’t belong at all. Gay is a super-talented scorer who can take any defender he wants off the dribble and can hit spots from all three levels. There have also been times when he has coughed up the ball far too often and taken questionable shoots when he should have been taking the ball to the rim.

Gay debuted for the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2006-07 season. In his first 6 and a half seasons with the team, Gay averaged 17.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG, including 20.1 PPG seasons in just his 2nd year in the league. He has brought the same talent wherever he has gone, whether it be with the Kings or with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs. Rudy Gay is currently a part of the Utah Jazz’s rotation off the bench and is seeing just 15.8 minutes per game of action.

11. Al Horford – 36 Years, 172 Days Old

16 seasons into his NBA career, Al Horford is still finding ways to make an impact on contending teams. Horford has been helping teams win games ever since he debuted with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2007-08 season. Horford would spend 9 seasons with the Hawks and become a 4-time All-Star. Horford has had a remarkable career when you consider how long he has been playing as a fearless defensive player and efficient offensive player. Even as he has gotten older, Horford remains the perfect veteran that every team needs to be successful.

Over the past 7 seasons, Horford has spent 5 with the Boston Celtics. In 2021-22, Horford was the perfect interior complement to their No. 1 ranked defensive unit. He started 69 games for them in 222 and averaged 10.2 PPG and 7.7 RPG. He also reached the first NBA Finals of his career with some truly gutsy performances in the playoffs. Horford is once again a starter for the Celtics in 2022-23 and has been crucial for them amid the absence of Robert Williams. Horford has started 10 games for Boston and is averaging 11.2 PPG and 6.1 RPG. 

10. Garrett Temple – 36 Years, 198 Days Old

Is anyone else shocked that Garrett Temple is on this list? Since the 2009-10 season, Temple has been a journeyman combo guard and forward who has spent some amount of time with 11 different teams. Temple has always been a guy that does all of the little things well. His impact has never been measured on a stat sheet. He has been a great shutdown defender on the perimeter and a player who hustles on every play on both ends of the floor.

This style of play has proven to be valuable to many different teams during his career. His longest stop along the way was with the Wizards with whom he spent 4 seasons from 2012-13 through 2015-16. Currently, in 2022-23, it has been a different story for the 14-year veteran. Temple is in his 2nd season with the New Orleans Pelicans but finds himself with no room to get any playing time. He has appeared in just 2 games for New Orleans and scored a total of 6 points. With all of the talent New Orleans has at the guard and small forward positions, it will be tough for Temple to crack the rotation.

9. Goran Dragic – 36 Years, 200 Days Old

Back in the 2008-09 season, Goran Dragic made his NBA debut with the Phoenix Suns. He spent the first 2 and a half seasons of his career buried on the bench as he did in Houston for a year and a half after. Once he got his second shot in Phoenix, Dragic took advantage. He quickly became the starter for the Suns and became one of their best players. He developed into a 20.0 PPG scorer who lived in the lane where he was one of the best at drawing the defense in to find an easy opportunity for a teammate.

He also played at a similar level in Miami with the Heat beginning in the 2014-15 season. He once again became a 20.0 PPG scorer and earned his first All-Star selection in the 2017-18 season. After appearing in just 21 games for 2 different teams in the 2021-22 season, Dragic has found stability with the Chicago Bulls. He has appeared in 13 games off the bench for Chicago, averaging 10.0 PPG and 3.4 APG for the 6-7 Bulls.

8. George Hill – 36 Years, 202 Days Old

When we draw up a prototypical veteran role player, George Hill is the closest we could get to perfection. Hill made his NBA debut for the San Antonio Spurs during the 2008-09 season and it is where he would spend his first 3 seasons. He then enjoyed some solid time with the Pacers during the early 2010s as a starter and double-digit scorer. Over the past 6 seasons, Hill has bounced around from team to team and has once again landed with the Milwaukee Bucks.

After stops in Utah, Sacramento, Cleveland, Oklahoma City, and Philadelphia, Hill is currently with the Bucks for the second time in his career. He spent a season and a half with them in 2019 and 200 and once again found his way to the team in 2021-22. Hill is still a big part of their bench rotation, appearing in all 12 games so far and getting 22.7 minutes of player every night. However, Hill is currently hooting a career-low 37.7% overall from the field and averaging just 5.5 PPG. 

7. Kyle Lowry – 36 Years, 242 Days Old

Kyle Lowry is entering his 16th season in the NBA with the Miami Heat in 2022-23. It’s hard to believe that Lowry began his career all the way back in the 2006-07 season with the Memphis Grizzlies. After years of trying to find himself in Memphis and Houston, Lowry finally found the perfect situation next to DeMar DeRozan in Toronto with the Raptors. Lowry evolved into a 6-time All-Star and a 20.0 PPG scorer with the Raptors while leading them to some of their best regular seasons in franchise history. In 2019, Lowry played an immense role in the Raptors’ first-ever NBA championship.

An emotional Lowry left the Raptors via free agency in the 2021 offseason to go play with the Miami Heat in South Beach. Lowry played 63 games for the team during the 2021-22 season and averaged 13.4 PPG and 7.5 APG as the starting point guard. He has started all 12 games for the Heat in 2022-23 as well and is averaging 13.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.6 APG, and 1.3 SPG. Lowry has shown that even as he ages, he can still be an impactful player on a playoff-contending team.

6. Taj Gibson – 37 Years, 157 Days Old

Over the last 14 seasons, Taj Gibson has been in the trenches for 5 different NBA teams. Gibson has never been afraid to do the dirty work on the court, whether it be on defense or on the glass at either end of the floor. He is a very physical and active player in the low post, providing energy and effort wherever he has gone over the course of his career. Gibson will not be one to light up the stat sheet, but he certainly is a guy that every team should want on their side.

After spending the first 8 years of his career with the Chicago Bulls, Gibson has been a member of 4 different teams since 2017. Gibson has brought his unique style of play to Minnesota, where he enjoyed some of the best offensive production of his career. He was also a steady bench presence for the Knicks for the better part of 3 seasons from 2022 through 2022. He is currently appearing in a minimal role for the Washington Wizards and has been suffering from a neck injury as of late.

5. Chris Paul – 37 Years, 200 Days Old

Another player that seems to get better as he has gotten older is Chris Paul. Ok, mauve Paul has been a far less impactful scorer but everything else has remained the same. In 2021-22, Paul led the NBA in APG at 37 years old while the Suns won the most games in their team’s history. If that isn’t an impact, I don’t know what is. Over the years, it has been a theme for Paul to lead a team to their best record in franchise history.

Chris Paul has been leading teams to their best seasons since he debuted with the Hornets in 2005-06. Over the past 18 years, Paul had led the Hornets, Clippers, and Suns to their franchise record in wins while being one of the better two-way point guards in the NBA. He has led the league in assists 4 times and steals 6 times. The only thing that has alluded him is an NBA championship. This year, at 37 years old, Paul is averaging 9.5 PPG, 9.4 APG, and 1.7 SPG while the Suns find themselves once again toward the top of the Western Conference. 

4. P.J. Tucker – 37 Years, 201 Days Old

P.J. Tucker has been another savvy veteran who has made a career out of doing all the inglorious things at an elite level. Tucker is not afraid to get physical on the defensive end and on rebounds and loose balls. Tucker has also developed quite of outside shot over the years but really is coveted for his effort and heart. After spending 5 seasons overseas, Tucker burst onto the scene with the Suns in 2012-13. Although he has never been a double-digit scorer in any season, Tucker has been one of the more sought-after veterans in basketball.

The numbers will not show exactly how Tucker impacts a game. His versatility on defense makes possessions far more difficult for offenses. He effortlessly switches off on bigs and guards while seeking out an opponent’s best player. Once again, his effort on the boards cannot be taught and the same goes for his nose for loose balls. In 2022-23, Tucker is earning extra possessions for the Philadelphia 76ers. He has been the starting power forward for Philadelphia and in 12 games has averaged 5.5 PPG and 4.5 RPG. 

3. LeBron James – 37 Years, 327 Days Old

Now we get to the stars who are still truly making a large impact on their respective teams. Well, maybe not so much for LeBron James and the 2-10 Los Angeles Lakers. Nevertheless, no NBA player in history has been as consistently great as LeBron has for 20 years. James is still a 30.0 PPG scoring threat and one of the better playmakers in basketball. Having made his NBA debut in the 2003-04 season, James has had one of the best NBA careers ever.

At 6’8’’ and 260 pounds, James defied the laws of nature for 20 years in the NBA and has spent more time in his life as an NBA player than he has not. Over the years, we have watched him deliver titles to 3 different franchises and give us some of the best moments of all time. So far in 2022-23, James has looked like father time is catching up with him on the physical end of things. Regardless, when they speak of the greatest longevity in NBA history, no one deserves the title more than LeBron James.

2. Andre Iguodala – 38 Years, 298 Days Old

It has been years since we have seen Andre Iguodala have a true impact on the basketball court. At his peak, Iguodala was an athletic freak who was a feared defender and a highlight waiting to happen in the open court. He spent the first 8 seasons of his career as a member of the 76ers, where he was an All-Star and averaged 18.0 PPG or better 3 seasons in a row. He became an All-Star in 2012 as one of the more impactful players on any roster.

When he moved onto the Warriors in the 2013-14 season, it was hard to see how much of an impact he was going to have in their lineup. In 2015, he proved to be one of the more valuable, as he was rewarded with a Finals MVP award when it was all said and done. Iguodala has won 4 NBA championships with the Warriors and has yet to appear in a game for them in 2022-23. During the offseason, Iguodala announced that it would be his last season in the NBA, ending one of the more underrated careers in NBA history.

1. Udonis Haslem – 42 Years, 166 Days Old

After playing for a year overseas in France in 2002-03, Udonis Haslem made his debut for the Miami Heat during the 2003-04 season. That is exactly where he stayed for the past 19 seasons as both an on-the-court and off-the-court veteran leader. He was with the team when Dwyane Wade and Shaq led them to a 2006 championship. He proved to be a valuable physical asset for them as a starter on that title run as well.

Haslem was also a member of the Heat when they went to 4 straight NBA Finals from 2011 through 2014. Even then, he was still a solid piece for them in a minimal bench role. Haslem has been in a different role for the past 7 or more seasons as a veteran player/coach on the bench. Haslem hasn’t played in more than 16 games in a season since the 2015-16 season. Yet, the Miami Heat continue to bring him back for the energy he brings them and for the wisdom he instills in his role. The 2022-23 season could very well be the last we see Haslem classified as a player.

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