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The NBA has become a YOUNG MEN’s league, new data shows, with only 20 percent of players over the age of 30, up from a peak of 35 percent in 2001.
Fascinating new data shows just how young the NBA has become across the league, with The Association down 15 percent from what it was roughly 20 years ago.
While players like Moses Malone and Robert Parish thrived in their later years, the NBA has generally veered away from that trend.
Players consistently join the league when they’re 18 or 19 after spending just a year out of college, and The Basketball Illuminati podcast provided specific evidence on how that affected the league.
“Look at this league, it’s a youth league,” Tom Haberstroh said at the podcast. We don’t realize it until we put the numbers on it. These are the types of gamers who played in the late 1990s era. In 1995, 27 percent of players were 30 or older. They were in their thirties.
‘That kept going up every season after that. 29 percent 31 percent 32 percent in 1997. It went up again to 33 percent. 34 percent [in 2000], peaking in 2001 when 35 percent were in their thirties. One in three players on the court.
‘There aren’t as many vets hanging around these days. Only 20 percent of NBA players are in their thirties.
Robert Parish (left) and Moses Malone played in their later years, but that trend is rare now.
Klay Thompson (right) is now older than the average NBA player at 33 years old.
Udonis Haslem is a relic of a bygone era as he remains in the league on the Heat at 42 years old.
‘Last year it was 18 per cent. We are a little higher than last year. That’s still half as many of us in our 30s as we were in our top 90s,’ he concluded.
Of course, there are some current exceptions to the rule.
Udonis Haslem remains in the league at age 42, though he’s no longer a significant contributor and hasn’t averaged at least 15 minutes per game since the 2014-15 season for the Heat.
Meanwhile, the likes of Steph Curry (34) and LeBron James (38) have remained at the top of their games, but they are relatively rare cases.
Of the 27 players named All-Stars this season (Curry, Kevin Durant and Zion Williamson did not appear in the game due to injury), only eight were over the age of 30.
It’s the youngsters who are quickly becoming the faces of the league.
The Pistons’ Jalen Duren and the Blazers’ Shaedon Sharpe, both 19, have played important roles as rookies and have showcased their talents in the first round.
Plus, there’s not a single legitimate MVP candidate in their 30s, as the Durant, James and Curry cases have all been marred by injuries.
Shaedon Sharpe, 19, is part of a growing youth movement in the NBA
Jalen Duren is the same age as Sharpe and has also had plenty of minutes as a rookie.