How many players born in the 1970’s are left in the NBA?
2008-2009 NBA Playoffs – First Round – Houston Rockets @ Portland Trailblazers (Game 2)
Portland fans sent Dikembe Mutombo off the court with a standing ovation.
As the aged Houston Rockets veteran Dikembe Mutombo clutched his injured knee underneath the Portland basket during Game 2 of last year playoffs, it not only marked the end of a remarkable long career but it also closed the curtain on the last active National Basketball Association (NBA) player that was born in the 1960’s.
I then posit the question…
“With the 2009-2010 NBA regular season right around the corner, how many NBA players born in the 1970’s are still active?”
And the results are not surprising.
How many are left and the luxury of having a guaranteed contract.
As of this writing, there are a total of 120 NBA players born between the period of 1970 to 1979. This target group represents about 27% of the entire player population in the NBA (assuming that all 30 teams carry a maximum of 15 players). This number is further wilted down to 26% if you remove unsigned free agents (e.g., Raef LaFrentz (POR) and Malik Rose (OKC)), players who are still under contract but are unable to play or have retired due to injuries (e.g., Matt Harpring (UTA) and Cuttino Mobley (NYK)), and sadly, players who still have a contract but are no longer valued by their team (e.g., Brent Barry (Free Agent)).
Chicago's Lindsey Hunter is the league's most senior player at 38 years and 10 months.
This leaves the league with a total of 115 players between the ages of 30 to 39.
Age is but a number
There are still a number of prominent players who play on a high level and I’ve listed them down based on their birth year:
1972 – Shaquille O’Neal and Grant Hill
1973 – Jason Kidd
1974 – Steve Nash, Rasheed Wallace, Derek Fisher, Marcus Camby, and Antonio McDyess
1975 – Walter Ray Allen, Jr., Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Allen Iverson
1976 – Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, Antawn Jamison, and Andre Miller
1977 – Paul Pierce, Vincent Lamar Carter, Manu Ginobili, and Jason Terry
1978 – Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Richard Hamilton, Stephen Jackson, Mike Bibby, and Shawn Marion
1979 – Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Baron Davis, Mehmet Okur, Elton Brand, and Michael Redd
Brent Barry is the last "active" NBA player who was born in 1971.
Other facts
- The Chicago Bulls Lindsey Hunter (1970) is the oldest player in the NBA and the youngest would have been Ricky Rubio (10-21-90) if he suited up for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. Instead, that honor goes to Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday (6-12-90).
- Players born in 1978 and 1979 (26 members each) represent almost half the players born in the 1970’s (45%). While Brent Barry (1971) and the aforementioned Lindsey Hunter (1970) are the only remaining members of their respective birth years still active in the NBA.
- Should Brent Barry not get an opportunity to latch on to any other team this season, 1971 would be the only birth year in the 1970’s not represented in the NBA.
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