There’s a lot to be said about your talent, intelligence and athleticism as a basketball player when you’re a 19 year old and playing in the NBA . It’s even more impressive if you can be productive enough to still be in the league into your late thirties. NBA players age as any human does, but the ones that can make it into the league as a teenager and the players that stay there across decades are worth praise.

The Youngest NBA Players in the 2019-20 Season

The youngest player on an NBA roster as of February 1st, 2020 is Zion Williamson. The way he’s built, the fact that he’s one of those rare rookie that’s averaging over 20 points per game makes his being only 19 years old even more impressive. Once Zion figures out the game and gets more experience under his belt, he’s going to be beast at 21 years old much less when he’s 25 years old when he’s had six years of NBA experience.

The second youngest player in the NBA comes from Zion’s college team rival, Coby White who played for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Rounding out the top five youngest players in the league is Golden State rookie Alen Smailagić, Cleveland’s Kevin Porter, and Nassir Little of the Portland Trailblazers.

Many of the American players on the above list spent one season in college before declaring for the NBA. Many of the international players never even attended university. Other players like Anfernee Simons  (and LaMelo Ball) went to play overseas after their high school careers ended, bypassing college altogether and decided to become professional basketball players.

The NBA’s Oldest Players for the 2019-20 Season

Among the oldest players in the league according to our proprietary “old rank” formula based on birthday data are NBA superstars and Banana Boat members LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony. At the top of the list is the ageless Vince Carter. At 43 years old Carter is the only player in his forties on this list. Second on the list and I didn’t know he was in the league anymore is Miami Heat lifer Udonis Haslem. Rounding out the top five is the sharp shooting Kyle Korver, career super role player Tyson Chandler, and defensive genius Andre Iguodala. Take a full look at the list of the NBA’s oldest players below:

Longevity Better Than Precociousness

It goes without saying, but it’s worth mentioning that the list of the oldest players are all recognizable to anyone that follows the NBA. Every single one of them are proven NBA players whereas how many of the players on the youngest list will make it past this season?

Going further and fast forwarding 15 years, how many of the rookies and Sophomores will make it from being one of the youngest NBA players in a season, to being one of the 25 oldest players in any given season. We don’t know the answer to that, but we do know that it’s not easy to have sustained career in the NBA.