From Michael Jordan and Ginóbili to LeBron James: the basketball players who broke the 40-year barrier in the NBA

Facing New York Knicks, current champion, and at Madison Square Garden, LeBron James will begin his 24th season in the NBA this Tuesday and his first with the Philadelphia 76ers uniform. It will also be the second season he plays after turning 40, an achievement only 33 players have reached in the history of the main basketball competition in the United States. NBA's all-time leading scorer and also leader in games, minutes, and field goals, James, who turned 41 on December 30th, is one of the two men who will participate in this tournament: the other is Dominican pivot Al Horford, who turned 40 on June 3rd and this season will represent the Golden State Warriors. The first person to play a game over 40 years old is also the one who currently holds the record for being the longest: Nat Hickey. In 1948, Hickey was the coach of the Providence Steamrollers, but he joined as a player for two games. On January 27th, he debuted in the Basketball Association of America (the predecessor to the NBA) in a loss against the Saint Louis Bombers in which he scored two points. The next day, at 45 years and 363 days, he played three minutes in a loss against the New York Knicks. That was his farewell, just hours after his debut. Beyond that curious case, players with enormous impact in the league accompany LeBron James on the list of those over 40. One of them is Michael Jordan, who played his last game on April 16, 2003: a 107-87 loss of the Washington Wizards, his team, against the Philadelphia 76ers. Jordan, at 40 years and 58 days, scored 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 28 minutes of play. Emanuel Ginóbili also crossed that barrier: the Bahiense ended his career on April 24, 2018, when he was 40 years and 270 days. That day, the San Antonio Spurs lost 99-91 to the Golden State Warriors and thus fell 4-1 in their first-round playoff series. One of his great partners in those golden years of the Texas franchise, Tim Duncan, had said goodbye two seasons earlier after playing his last game at 40 years and 17 days. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, winner of five titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Milwaukee Bucks, extended his career until 1989, when he was already over 42 years old. Bob Cousy, another six-time champion (he won it with the Boston Celtics), had retired in 1963, but returned in 1970, at 41 years old, to play seven games with the Cincinnati Royals, the team for which he was also a coach. And Robert Parish, who had won three rings with the Celtics in the 1980s, won one more with the Chicago Bulls in 1997, at 43 years old, just before leaving the competition. Others who showed their vigor were John Stockton, Dikembe Mutombo, Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, and Karl Malone. This list also includes a man who competed in the National Basketball League: John Long. The forward, who had played 13 seasons in the NBA and had been a champion with the Detroit Pistons in 1989, played 21 games for Ferro in 1995. A year later, he returned to the American league to represent the Toronto Raptors. He participated in his last game at 40 years and 235 days on April 20, 1997: his team won 125-94 against the Boston Celtics. All the players who competed in the NBA over 40 years old - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Vince Carter - Bob Cousy - Jamal Crawford - Tim Duncan - James Edwards - Emanuel Ginóbili - Udonis Haslem - Nat Hickey - Grant Hill - Al Horford - Juwan Howard - LeBron James - Joe Johnson - Charles Jones - Michael Jordan - John Long - Jason Kidd - Rick Mahorn - Karl Malone - Andre Miller - Dikembe Mutombo - Steve Nash - Dirk Nowitzki - Charles Oakley - Robert Parish - Clifford Robinson - Danny Schayes - John Stockton - Jason Terry - Kurt Thomas - Herb Williams - Kevin Willis See also See also Clarín Newsletter Receive all the news, stories, and analyses from Clarín journalists in your mail I WANT TO RECEIVE IT