The two poles of the NBA: who is the youngest and oldest player still in the running for a ring in the conference semi-finals?
With LeBron James’ Lakers eliminated from the NBA Playoffs, who is the oldest player still in contention?
Round 1 of the 2024/25 NBA Playoffs brought one major shock, the early elimination of star-studded LA Lakers. The Lakers had added Luka Doncic to LeBron James in a headline-grabbing midseason trade but both superstars exit at the first round stage.
LeBron James, now 40, was the oldest active player in the NBA for the 2024/25 season. With his exit, there’s a new name at the top of the age rankings.
Of the eight teams still in contention to win the championship, the oldest roster member is NBA veteran P. J. Tucker. Also 40 years old, Tucker was selected by the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft and has had a circuitous route to the elite of the game.
It took a decade for Tucker to establish himself in the league and he has now played for eight NBA teams, joining the New York Knicks earlier this year. His biggest triumph, to date, was the NBA championship that he won with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
Who is the youngest player left in the NBA Playoffs?
At the other end of the scale, there are two players who could hold a claim to be the youngest players still in postseason contention. Purely in terms of age, 19-year-old Nikola Topic of the Oklahoma Thunder is the youngest. However he is yet to play a single minute in the NBA, so he may not be the youngest active player.
Instead, that honor falls to Pacôme Dadiet of the New York Knicks. The Frenchman is also 19 - although he was born three months earlier that Topic - but he has had time on the court, featuring in 18 games for the Knicks this season.
“I’ve been a Pacome fan since he came to the draft workout,” said DeSanga Diop, head coach of G League team Westchester Knicks. “I think him playing with us this season was very good for him. I think he got better ... His shot got a lot better, he worked on that a lot. I mean, this guy’s a leader for a kid, man. He’s got a lot of talent.”
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