In the landscape of professional basketball, the NBA has no competition. But while no one can debate the success of the league as a business, the product on the court isn’t always up to par.
With more players resting for “load management” and phantom injuries, it’s now commonplace to see fewer superstars on the court on any given night.
Given the preservation of aging stars and the yearly influx of new talent via the NBA Draft, I was curious about the average age throughout the league.
How old is the average NBA player? And how does it vary by position? I dissected data from Stathead to find out.
As of November 11th, 2024, the average age of an NBA player is 26.004 years old.
That’s roughly 7 months younger than the average NFL player and nearly 3 years younger than your typical MLB player.
Here is a full position-by-position breakdown of the average age of all NBA players at every position.
- Average Age of an NBA Guard
- Average Age of an NBA Forward
- Average Age of an NBA Center
- FAQs About the Ages of NBA Players
Average Age of an NBA Guard
The average age of an NBA guard is 25.77 years old.
The age disparity at the guard spot is enormous. There is a full 20-year age difference between the youngest guard, 19-year-old Bub Carrington, and the oldest, 39-year-old Chris Paul.
I’m not sure which is more impressive, making it to the league two years after high school or pushing 40 and still playing at a high level.
Chris Paul is a model of longevity and overcoming adversity. Despite being on the shorter side for his position, he’s lasted nearly two decades in the NBA.
“Keep practicing,” he said. “Never let someone tell you you’re too small or too slow.”
Average Age of an NBA Forward
The average age of an NBA forward is 25.97 years old.
That’s pretty close to the average age of an NFL tight end – a position frequently played by former high school and college basketball forwards like Antonio Gates and Julius Thomas.
The age gap at this position is even larger. 40-year-old LeBron James is 21 years older than 19-year-old forwards Ron Holland and Alex Sarr.
Longevity is a cornerstone of the forward position, with 43 active players age 30 or older.
As LeBron once said, “I treated it like every day was my last day with a basketball.” That approach has certainly panned out for him, and other older forwards like Kevin Durant and Taj Gibson.
Average Age of an NBA Center
The average age of an NBA center is 27.13, making it the oldest position group in pro basketball today.
Guys like Al Horford, Brook Lopez, and DeAndre Jordan are all in the latter half of their 30s. Meanwhile, only 28% of NBA centers are under the age of 25.
Still, there’s an 18-year age difference between Horford (38) and Kel’el Ware (20), who is among the youngest centers in basketball today.
FAQs About the Ages of NBA Players
That would be LeBron James, who will turn 40 years old on December 30th, 2024.
Ulrich Chomche. The Cameroonian center will turn 19 years old on December 30th, 2024. Since they share the same birthday, that will make Chomche exactly 21 years younger than LeBron.
At an average age of 25.77 years old, guard is the youngest position group in the NBA today.
The Charlotte Hornets. 39-year-old Taj Gibson is 20 years, 1 month, and 17 days older than his 19-year-old teammate Tidjane Salaün.
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