NBA (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)
The NBA is a young man’s game. That is, the league is constantly experiencing an influx of talent, players with increasingly more skill and athleticism nurtured by advancing technology and medicine. Players’ personal athleticism peaks in their mid-20s, and physically things begin going downhill from there.
Every year something around 50-to-70 players enter the NBA player pool, in addition to another few dozen hoping to catch on with a team. That means every year 50-70 players are being pushed out of the league. To hang onto a spot in the league, let alone rotation minutes is a difficult feat for all but the very best as they move through their 30s.
Some players do resist the inevitable movement of Father Time, extending their high-level play from earlier in their career clear into their late-30s. Those players, often some of the very best to ever play the game, defy the odds and tack on extra seasons to already distinguished careers. These are the players who top the career stats leaderboards, who reinvent themselves to continue contending, who fight to stay relevant as long as possible.
To highlight some of the very best elder statesmen in the history of the league, we have compiled here a list of the 30 greatest seasons ever for a player 35 or older. Any season where a player turned 35 beforehand or during could be considered. The regular season and playoffs were factored in, as were awards, team success, games played and standing among their peers.
52 seasons made the semifinals before the list of 30 was decided upon. All due to respect to Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Chris Paul, Gary Payton, Artis Gilmore, Julius Erving and Dikembe Mutombo, who all came close to making the list. Karl Malone, John Stockton, Reggie Miller and Robert Parish all made the list but had other seasons in the honorable mentions.
In total two MVP seasons were included in the counting, along with four Finals MVPs, over 15 All-NBA seasons and one scoring champion. The ages range from 35 to 40, from 1968-69 to 2019-20. We begin in the Rocky Mountains and a player who made sweet jazz running his team’s offense until he was in his 40s.
John Stockton
PG, Utah Jazz
The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 30. John Stockton, 2001-02 (39)
It is fitting that we begin our rankings with a season from John Stockton, the league’s career leader in both assists and steals by a wide margin. A member of the Dream Team and 10-time All-Star, Stockton played at a high level until he was 40. He appears on this list several times, an incredible feat given the age constraints of the project.
That doesn’t even include his age-40 season, 2002-03, which fell in the “honorable mentions” category, or his age-36 season when he missed 18 games but had a strong postseason en route to an NBA Finals berth.
No player short of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and possibly Karl Malone maintained an elite level of play like Stockton as late into his career. He missed just 22 games over the course of his entire career. That included four-straight 82-game seasons from ages 36 to 40, all of which he played at a high level. The drop-off in his game was noticeable, but never drastic. He likely could have continued playing even after he retired at 41.
In the 2001-02 season, Stockton was 39 and still running pick-and-rolls with Karl Malone like clockwork. He averaged 8.2 assists per game, fifth in the league, and was 12th in win shares. It seems redundant to emphasize age on a list like this, but he did that at 39! In fact, he turned 40 before the end of the season.
He was no defensive slouch either, a significant positive on that end due to his strength on-ball and preternatural ability to jump passing lanes. He was seventh in the league in steals with 152, or 1.9 per game, and fourth in steal percentage. Despite being old enough to have completed a term as President of the United States, Stockton was a valuable player on a 44-win playoff team.
NBA is a young man’s game. That is, the league is constantly experiencing an influx of talent, players with increasingly more skill and athleticism nurtured by advancing technology and medicine. Players’ personal athleticism peaks in their mid-20s, and physically things begin going downhill from there.</p>
<p>Every year something around 50-to-70 players enter the NBA player pool, in addition to another few dozen hoping to catch on with a team. That means every year 50-70 players are being pushed out of the league. To hang onto a spot in the league, let alone rotation minutes is a difficult feat for all but the very best as they move through their 30s.</p>
<p>Some players do resist the inevitable movement of Father Time, extending their high-level play from earlier in their career clear into their late-30s. Those players, often some of the very best to ever play the game, defy the odds and tack on extra seasons to already distinguished careers. These are the players who top the career stats leaderboards, who reinvent themselves to continue contending, who fight to stay relevant as long as possible.</p>
<p>To highlight some of the very best elder statesmen in the history of the league, we have compiled here a list of the 30 greatest seasons ever for a player 35 or older. Any season where a player turned 35 beforehand or during could be considered. The regular season and playoffs were factored in, as were awards, team success, games played and standing among their peers.</p>
<p>52 seasons made the semifinals before the list of 30 was decided upon. All due to respect to Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Chris Paul, Gary Payton, Artis Gilmore, Julius Erving and Dikembe Mutombo, who all came close to making the list. Karl Malone, John Stockton, Reggie Miller and Robert Parish all made the list but had other seasons in the honorable mentions.</p>
<p>In total two MVP seasons were included in the counting, along with four Finals MVPs, over 15 All-NBA seasons and one scoring champion. The ages range from 35 to 40, from 1968-69 to 2019-20. We begin in the Rocky Mountains and a player who made sweet jazz running his team’s offense until he was in his 40s.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="30" data-rank-type="player" data-name="John Stockton" data-team-id="118" data-meta-a="PG" data-meta-b="Utah Jazz" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">30</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>John Stockton</h3> <h4>PG,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Utah Jazz</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz.png" alt="Utah Jazz"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 30. John Stockton, 2001-02 (39)</h2>
<p>It is fitting that we begin our rankings with a season from John Stockton, the league’s career leader in both assists and steals by a wide margin. A member of the Dream Team and 10-time All-Star, Stockton played at a high level until he was 40. He appears on this list several times, an incredible feat given the age constraints of the project.</p>
<p>That doesn’t even include his age-40 season, 2002-03, which fell in the “honorable mentions” category, or his age-36 season when he missed 18 games but had a strong postseason en route to an NBA Finals berth.</p>
<p>No player short of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and possibly Karl Malone maintained an elite level of play like Stockton as late into his career. He missed just 22 games over the course of his entire career. That included four-straight 82-game seasons from ages 36 to 40, all of which he played at a high level. The drop-off in his game was noticeable, but never drastic. He likely could have continued playing even after he retired at 41.</p>
<p>In the 2001-02 season, Stockton was 39 and still running pick-and-rolls with Karl Malone like clockwork. He averaged 8.2 assists per game, fifth in the league, and was 12th in win shares. It seems redundant to emphasize age on a list like this, but he did that at 39! In fact, he turned 40 before the end of the season.</p>
<p>He was no defensive slouch either, a significant positive on that end due to his strength on-ball and preternatural ability to jump passing lanes. He was seventh in the league in steals with 152, or 1.9 per game, and fourth in steal percentage. Despite being old enough to have completed a term as President of the United States, Stockton was a valuable player on a 44-win playoff team.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 29 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-193318" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1629,w_2036/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F51643596-the-seattle-supersonics-detlef-schremf-l-drives.jpg" alt="Detlef Schrempf, Seattle SuperSonics" width="2036" height="1629" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/51643596-the-seattle-supersonics-detlef-schremf-l-drives.jpg 2036w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/51643596-the-seattle-supersonics-detlef-schremf-l-drives-768x614.jpg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2016/04/51643596-the-seattle-supersonics-detlef-schremf-l-drives-600x480.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 2036px) 100vw, 2036px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:2036px;">Detlef Schrempf, Seattle SuperSonics. MATT CAMPBELL/AFP/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="29" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Detlef Schrempf" data-team-id="1308" data-meta-a="SF" data-meta-b=" Supersonics" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">29</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Detlef Schrempf</h3> <h4>SF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Supersonics</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fsupersonics.png" alt=" Supersonics"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 29. Detlef Schrempf, 1997-98 (35)</h2>
<p>The Seattle SuperSonics were a strong team in the mid-1990s, winning the Western Conference in 1995-96. They won at least 55 games for six straight seasons, led by Gary Payton and his lockdown perimeter defense. Alongside him for much of that stretch were players such as Shawn Kemp, Hershey Hawkins and Detlef Schrempf.</p>
<p>A former Sixth Man of the Year award winner with the Indiana Pacers, Schrempf joined the SuperSonics in 1993 and started throughout their run of contention. By the 1997-98 season Schrempf, now 35, had replaced Kemp as the wingman to Payton.</p>
<p>The 6-10 forward developed a smooth stroke over the course of his career, and in 1997-98 hit 41.5 percent of his 3-pointers, bolstering 58.5 percent true shooting. Per-game he averaged 15.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists over 78 games. In a league filled with stars, he finished the season with 10.4 win shares, ninth-best in the league. His offensive rating of 117.7 was 10th in the league, just behind Karl Malone.</p>
<p>The Sonics that year won 61 games, just one back of the league-leading Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls. They beat a young Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, with Schrempf dropping 16 points and 11 rebounds in the Game 5 clincher. The Sonics then fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s second year together. Schrempf played one more year with the Sonics before signing with Portland to finish his career on another title contender.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 28 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423119" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1212,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1129208251.jpeg" alt="David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs" width="1600" height="1212" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1129208251.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1129208251-768x582.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs. PAUL BUCK/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="28" data-rank-type="player" data-name="David Robinson" data-team-id="29" data-meta-a="C" data-meta-b="San Antonio Spurs" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">28</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>David Robinson</h3> <h4>C,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> San Antonio Spurs</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fspurs.png" alt="San Antonio Spurs"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 28. David Robinson, 2001-02 (36)</h2>
<p>The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the consistently great franchises in league history. Beginning in the ABA they made the playoffs in eight of nine seasons. Joining the NBA for the 1976-77 season, they missed the postseason just four times from 1977 to 2019, winning five titles.</p>
<p>The Spurs’ sustained excellence through the 1990s was almost entirely attributable to David Robinson. “The Admiral” was the best player in college basketball at the United States Naval Academy, and after the Spurs took him first overall in the 1987 NBA Draft he served two years with the U.S. Navy. In his rookie season at the age of 24, he scored 24.3 points per game and never looked back.</p>
<p>By the 2001-02 season, Robinson was no longer required to carry the offensive load for the Spurs, with a young Tim Duncan and an even younger Tony Parker around. He averaged 12.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, with an always-solid collection of defensive statistics. He and Duncan anchored a defense that allowed just 90.5 points per game.</p>
<p>Even as Duncan was winning MVP and leading the league in field goals, free throws and rebounds, Robinson was quietly plying his trade as an elite defender, even at 36. He finished seventh in defensive win shares and fifth in defensive box plus/minus. Only Ben Wallace had a lower defensive rating than Robinson’s 94.9 points per 100 possessions allowed.</p>
<p>The Spurs finished with a 58-24 record in an absolutely loaded Western Conference; four teams in the West finished with better records than the New Jersey’s Eastern Conference-best 52. After beating the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round, the Spurs fell to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.</p>
<p>The following season would be Robinson’s last, as he was mainly a support player at age 37 as injuries and age finally caught up to him. He would hoist a second championship trophy, however, a victorious end to a brilliant career.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 27 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423120" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F521024548.jpeg" alt="John Havlicek, Boston Celtics" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/521024548.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/521024548-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">John Havlicek, Boston Celtics. Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="27" data-rank-type="player" data-name="John Havlicek" data-team-id="18" data-meta-a="SF" data-meta-b="Boston Celtics" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">27</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>John Havlicek</h3> <h4>SF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Boston Celtics</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fceltics.png" alt="Boston Celtics"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 27. John Havlicek, 1975-76 (36)</h2>
<p>The Boston Celtics dominated the NBA in the late 1950s and 1960s, winning 11 titles across 13 seasons. Players such as Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and K.C. Jones defined that run of championships, the greatest such run in modern sports history. Later, in the 1980s, Larry Bird was a part of three title teams. Between the two eras, the Celtics still won two titles in the 1970s, due in large part to John Havlicek, the all-time great who bridged the two eras.</p>
<p>The 6-5 wing out of Ohio State joined the Celtics in 1962 and won six titles as he transitioned from a bench option to a super-sub to the team’s top offensive option. He then carried the torch as that team retired or moved on, and was the team’s leader in win shares for the next six seasons, including a title in 1974.</p>
<p>By the 1975-76 season, Havlicek turned 36 but was still producing at a high level. He had younger help such as Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White, but he was still the leader of the team. He put up reasonable averages of 17.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game during the regular season. The Celtics finished with 54 wins, the top mark in the Eastern Conference. A reduced Havlicek — affectionately called “Hondo” by teammates and fans — was a defensive force even at 35, making the All-Defense team for the eighth consecutive time.</p>
<p>In the postseason the Celtics were once again a force to be reckoned with, topping the Phoenix Suns in a wild six-game series in the NBA Finals. Havlicek would retire after one more season, but in a way this season was his “going out on top” as a force in the NBA. He ceded minutes and touches to his teammates, brought it defensively every night, and kept the Celtics’ winning culture going for one more year and one more title.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 26 </a>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="26" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Robert Parish" data-team-id="18" data-meta-a="C" data-meta-b="Boston Celtics" data-inner-content=""
> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">26</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Robert Parish</h3> <h4>C,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Boston Celtics</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fceltics.png" alt="Boston Celtics"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 26. Robert Parish, 1988-89 (35)</h2>
<p>If this list was simply a ranking of who played the most after turning 35, then Robert Parish would rank first with a bullet. He appeared in 670 regular-season games from his age-35 season on, the most of any player in league history. Only two other players even clear 500, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Vince Carter. Parish also is the career leader in “old man” minutes and rebounds, is second to Abdul-Jabbar in blocks and sixth in steals.</p>
<p>Parish entered the league at the age of 23 and played 21 seasons in the league, retiring at the age of 43. The 7-1 center, nicknamed “The Chief” was the defensive anchor for the Larry Bird Boston Celtics throughout the 1980s. He made nine All-Star games with the Celtics, the latest coming in 1990-91 at the age of 37.</p>
<p>His last truly great season came at the age of 35 in 1988-89. With Bird struggling with injuries and limited to just six games, the frontcourt combination of Parish and Kevin McHale drug an aging team into the postseason. Parish scored 18.6 points, grabbed a career-best 12.5 rebounds, and swatted 1.5 blocks per game.</p>
<p>He finished fourth in the league in effective field goal percentage, led the league in total rebound percentage and was 14th in win shares despite his team’s overall struggles. Parish was named to the All-NBA third team and received a few MVP votes. He would go on to play eight more seasons after this one.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 25 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423122" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1600,w_1569/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1172071302.jpeg" alt="Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers" width="1569" height="1600" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1172071302.jpeg 1569w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1172071302-768x783.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1569px) 100vw, 1569px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1569px;">Reggie Miller, Indiana Pacers. TONY RANZE/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="25" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Reggie Miller" data-team-id="100" data-meta-a="SG" data-meta-b="Indiana Pacers" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">25</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Reggie Miller</h3> <h4>SG,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Indiana Pacers</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fpacers.png" alt="Indiana Pacers"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 25. Reggie Miller, 2000-01 (35)</h2>
<p>Reggie Miller is one of the great franchise icons in NBA history, playing his entire career for the Indiana Pacers. He led the team in win shares for fourteen straight seasons from 1988 to 2002, and fifteen times overall during his career. Miller made the playoffs 15 times with the Pacers, breaking through to the NBA Finals just once in 1999-00 before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.</p>
<p>The following season Miller was 35 with a ton of miles on his legs. He missed just 21 games over his first 13 seasons. With Jalen Rose the only other top scoring option on the team, Miller once again played heavy minutes, 39.3 per game, and averaged 18.9 points per contest.</p>
<p>Miller’s shot-making stretched the floor like few others during his career, and the 2000-01 season was no exception. He finished fourth in the league in 3-pointers made (170), adding to an impressive career total that ended at 2,560 and sits third behind Ray Allen and Stephen Curry. His league-leading free throw percentage boosted him into the top ten in true-shooting percentage, and he was likewise ninth in offensive rating.</p>
<p>The Pacers snuck into the playoffs and lost in the first round to Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. Underrated by history because of the lack of another star throughout his career, Miller nonetheless was a consistent offensive force who introduced gravity to the game when no one understood the impact shooting could have on a team. His age-35 season was another good campaign in Miller’s long career.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 24 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423123" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1313,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1191301378.jpeg" alt="John Stockton, Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="1313" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1191301378.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1191301378-768x630.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">John Stockton, Utah Jazz. GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="24" data-rank-type="player" data-name="John Stockton" data-team-id="118" data-meta-a="PG" data-meta-b="Utah Jazz" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">24</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>John Stockton</h3> <h4>PG,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Utah Jazz</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz.png" alt="Utah Jazz"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 24. John Stockton, 2000-01 (38)</h2>
<p>The peak for the John Stockton/Karl Malone Jazz teams came in the late 1990s, but they did not fall off the cliff after that. In contrast to their NBA Finals opponent those two seasons, the Chicago Bulls, the Jazz continued their winning ways as their two stars continued carving up defenses for years after their Finals appearances.</p>
<p>The 2000-01 season saw the 38-year-old Stockton and the Jazz win 53 games in a strong Western Conference. The former Gonzaga guard led the league again in assist percentage at 48.7, which measures the percentage of teammate field goals that a player assists on. It would be one of 15 times Stockton would lead the league in that statistic.</p>
<p>One of the league’s true iron men, Stockton again played 82 games that season (at 38!). He finished second to Jason Kidd in assists, led the league in true shooting percentage at 61.0, and had the league’s highest offensive rating: the Jazz scored 120.1 points per 100 possessions with Stockton on the court.</p>
<p>The 2000-01 season was the Jazz’ last as a contender, as they lost in the first round for the first time in six years, and would never again crack 50 wins. Yet for a team led by a 38-year-old point guard and a 37-year-old power forward, it was an impressive display of how chemistry and a tight-knuckled grip on excellence can propel a team to sustained success.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 23 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423129" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2281,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F144928438.jpeg" alt="Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs" width="3200" height="2281" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/144928438.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/144928438-768x547.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="23" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Tim Duncan" data-team-id="29" data-meta-a="PF" data-meta-b="San Antonio Spurs" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">23</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Tim Duncan</h3> <h4>PF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> San Antonio Spurs</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fspurs.png" alt="San Antonio Spurs"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 23. Tim Duncan, 2010-11 (35)</h2>
<p>Players don’t win titles or have sustained success alone. Tim Duncan started his career alongside another former MVP in David Robinson. Tony Parker made four All-NBA teams, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard two apiece. Even LaMarcus Aldridge was named to a team during the twilight of Duncan’s career in 2015-16. Duncan is the best player to ever play for the Spurs, but he never did it alone.</p>
<p>That reality was made very clear in 2010-11, when Manu Ginobili had a career year, moving back into the starting lineup for a season and excelling. Duncan and Parker were both left off the All-NBA teams, but strangely as they put together incredibly strong campaigns that boosted the Spurs to 61 wins and the top seed in the Western Conference.</p>
<p>At 35, Tim Duncan was still a two-way force inside, bringing in 8.9 rebounds per game alongside 13.4 points per game. He finished tied for sixth in the NBA in defensive box plus/minus, a difficult feat given the offensive collection of players around him. This was the season the Spurs realized they needed perimeter defense to pair with Duncan’s presence inside; this year he held down the fort alone, and still propelled the Spurs to 61 wins, barely outside the top-10 in defense alongside their 2nd-ranked offense.</p>
<p>The Spurs did not have that level of success in the postseason, with the upstart Grit-N-Grind Memphis Grizzlies upsetting the Spurs in the first round. Head coach Gregg Popovich’s plan to manage Duncan’s minutes worked, however, as he would get three years even better than this one later into his 30s.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 22 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423125" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1070,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1925503.jpeg" alt="Karl Malone, Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="1070" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1925503.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1925503-768x514.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Karl Malone, Utah Jazz. Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="22" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Karl Malone" data-team-id="118" data-meta-a="PF" data-meta-b="Utah Jazz" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">22</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Karl Malone</h3> <h4>PF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Utah Jazz</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz.png" alt="Utah Jazz"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 22. Karl Malone, 2002-03 (39)</h2>
<p>Karl Malone entered the league in 1985, the 13th pick in a draft that also produced Patrick Ewing, Joe Dumars, Chris Mullin and Terry Porter. Among Malone’s fellow draftees only Charles Oakley made it as far into his career as the 2002-3 season when the 39-year-old Oakley contributed 1.8 points per game in 42 appearances, or 74 total points.</p>
<p>In his age-39 season, Malone poured in 20.6 points per game, eclipsing Oakley’s total in four games. He played 36.2 minutes per game across 81 total appearances, a true display of his exceptional conditioning and endurance. He led a Utah Jazz team that, along with 40-year-old point guard John Stockton (incredibly backed up by a 37-year-old Mark Jackson) fought its way to 47 wins and a playoff berth.</p>
<p>Malone was a machine, churning out points and rebounds against much younger competition. His efficiency had begun to erode over the previous season, but he still put up a 109 offensive rating. His 6.9 offensive win shares were 19th in the league, and he finished tied for tenth in total win shares. The ten other players in the top 10 were all at least nine years younger than Malone, including a 23-year old Tracy McGrady.</p>
<p>Despite his age, Malone shows up in all of the pertinent leader boards for traditional and advanced statistics, volume, and rate stats. He was one of the league’s best 10-15 players even though many of the league’s stars were still wetting the bed when he made his NBA debut. The following year “The Mailman” would finally start delivering in a new zip code, joining the Los Angeles Lakers to seek a title after his wingman Stockton retired.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 21 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423126" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2197,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1223009357.jpeg" alt="Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks" width="3200" height="2197" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1223009357.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1223009357-768x527.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks. Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="21" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Dirk Nowitzki" data-team-id="79" data-meta-a="PF" data-meta-b="Dallas Mavericks" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">21</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Dirk Nowitzki</h3> <h4>PF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Dallas Mavericks</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fmavericks.png" alt="Dallas Mavericks"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 21. Dirk Nowitzki, 2013-14 (35)</h2>
<p>The Dallas Mavericks have been around for four decades, and for the first two were a fairly bad team. They made the playoffs just six times in their first 20 seasons, changing coaches seven times. Then they drafted Dirk Nowitzki, and everything changed. The German power forward broke defenses with his combination of size and shooting, and the Mavericks proceeded to make the playoffs 15 of the next 16 seasons with Nowitzki, winning a title in 2011.</p>
<p>By the 2013-14 season, Nowitzki was 35 but still scorching opposing defenses. He dropped 21.7 points per game, including 39.8 percent from deep on 4.1 attempts per game. If he made four more shots over the course of the season, one of them a 3-pointer, he would have been one of the early entrants to the 50/40/90 club of shooting splits (field goal, 3-point and free-throw percent).</p>
<p>Nowtizki finished in the top-10 in offensive rating, offensive win shares, true shooting percentage and offensive box plus/minus. In a grueling Southwest Division they finished with 49 wins, which was only fourth in the division but would have been the 3-seed in the entire Eastern Conference. They took the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs to seven games in the first round, which was two games further than the Miami Heat got in the NBA Finals.</p>
<p>Only two players have hit more 3-pointers after turning 35 than Nowitzki, and only three scored more points. 2013-14 was his last truly dominant season, his last one with MVP votes. Even at 35 Nowitzki was still schooling opponents with shot fakes and one-legged turnaround elbow jumpers. The man could shoot, and he did just that as he pioneered a new world for the modern NBA.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 20 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-355533" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1088,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F105967841.jpeg" alt="Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns" width="1600" height="1088" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/105967841.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/105967841-768x522.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="20" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Steve Nash" data-team-id="66" data-meta-a="PG" data-meta-b="Phoenix Suns" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">20</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Steve Nash</h3> <h4>PG,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Phoenix Suns</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fsuns.png" alt="Phoenix Suns"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 20. Steve Nash, 2009-10 (35)</h2>
<p>Steve Nash is one of many players who saw injuries cut their careers short, but thankfully for Nash and his fans he was able to delay that ending until he was in his very late 30s. One of the greatest playmakers in the history of the league, Nash combined elite shooting ability with a selfless game to orchestrate some of the greatest offenses we have ever seen.</p>
<p>In 2009-10 Nash, now 35, continued his conducting for a Suns team that won 54 games and made the postseason despite an eroding core of players. Nash was spectacular with the ball in his hands, leading the league with 11 assists per game with a shooting percentage of 50.7 from the field, 42.6 from 3-point range, and a league-best 93.8 percent from the free-throw line.</p>
<p>Only LeBron James and Kevin Durant finished with more offensive win shares than Nash that season, and only those two plus Dwyane Wade had a better offensive box plus/minus. Amongst a forest of big men, including his teammate Amar’e Stoudemire, Nash finished fourth in the league with a 61.5 percent true shooting percentage.</p>
<p>This was the tail-end of the Suns’ run of postseason berths and “7 Seconds or Less” magic. That offseason Stoudemire would sign with the New York Knicks. But for one last year at age 35, Nash made sweet, up-tempo music in the desert. The Suns overcame Portland and old foe San Antonio before losing a hard-fought series with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, the eventual champions. It was a fitting end of an era, if not the technical period, and it highlighted the offensive brilliance of Steve Nash.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 19 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423127" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1256,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51545077.jpeg" alt="John Stockton, Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="1256" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51545077.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51545077-768x603.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">John Stockton, Utah Jazz. GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="19" data-rank-type="player" data-name="John Stockton" data-team-id="118" data-meta-a="PG" data-meta-b="Utah Jazz" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">19</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>John Stockton</h3> <h4>PG,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Utah Jazz</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz.png" alt="Utah Jazz"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 19. John Stockton, 1999-00 (37)</h2>
<p>After years of a league dominated by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls from the Eastern Conference, the pendulum swung sharply in the other direction during the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s. The Western Conference became filled with giants, a combination of the old contenders such as the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers surrounded by young up-and-comers like the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.</p>
<p>The 1999-00 Utah Jazz were a dominant force in the Western Conference, winning 55 games in a year where the league’s five best teams were all in the West. They were led by the same core that battled Jordan in the NBA Finals, with four of their top-six players all 35 or older.</p>
<p>John Stockton played in all 82 games at 37 years old, averaging 11.5 points and 8.7 assists per game. He once again led the league in assist percentage, was fourth in total assists (his old Western Conference nemesis Gary “The Glove” Payton led the league), and seventh in total steals.</p>
<p>Advanced metrics highlight his impact even further. He once again led the league in offensive rating, was ninth in win shares (fourth in win shares per 48 minutes) and third in box plus/minus. He totaled 11.2 win shares, tied for 10th-most all-time for a player 35 or older.</p>
<p>In the postseason that year, he upped his game even further, leading the postseason in assists per game and hitting 38.9 percent of his 3-pointers. The Jazz took down the Seattle SuperSonics in a hard-fought five-game series in the first round before falling in five to the Portland Trail Blazers. It would be Stockton’s last playoff series win for his career.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 18 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423124" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F495713480.jpeg" alt="Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/495713480.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/495713480-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs. Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="18" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Tim Duncan" data-team-id="29" data-meta-a="PF" data-meta-b="San Antonio Spurs" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">18</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Tim Duncan</h3> <h4>PF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> San Antonio Spurs</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fspurs.png" alt="San Antonio Spurs"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 18. Tim Duncan, 2014-15 (38)</h2>
<p>Tim Duncan is one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, and famously known for his steady, no-frills nature. He was a constant for the franchise through three very different iterations, winning titles across a 15-year span.</p>
<p>He joined the San Antonio Spurs in the 1998-99 season and won two titles alongside David Robinson in a “two towers” approach. Then he was part of a three-headed attack including Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Finally, he became a lower usage defensive anchor as Kawhi Leonard and a collection of shooters joined the rotation for their final title.</p>
<p>By the 2014-15 season, a 38-year-old Tim Duncan led the Spurs in win shares for the final time with 9.6. His reduced minutes load in Gregg Popovich’s egalitarian, long-term vision system kept him from the top of the league statistical rankings, but he was top-10 in win shares per 48 and box plus/minus. He finished third in the league in defensive rating, seventh in block percentage and still inside the top-15 in rebound percentage.</p>
<p>In his second-to-last season Duncan was comfortable putting up just 10.6 shots per game, scoring 13.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and a solid 2.0 blocks. The Spurs’ 55 wins that season were only good enough for a sixth-place finish in the Western Conference that year despite being better than all but one Eastern Conference team, and Duncan and the Spurs went out in a wild seven-game series with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the LA Clippers.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 17 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-407352" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2190,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1126445456.jpeg" alt="John Havlicek, Boston Celtics" width="3200" height="2190" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1126445456.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1126445456-768x526.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">John Havlicek, Boston Celtics (Photo by Ross Lewis/Getty Images)</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="17" data-rank-type="player" data-name="John Havlicek" data-team-id="18" data-meta-a="SF" data-meta-b="Boston Celtics" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">17</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>John Havlicek</h3> <h4>SF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Boston Celtics</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fceltics.png" alt="Boston Celtics"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 17. John Havlicek, 1974-75 (35)</h2>
<p>The 1974-75 Boston Celtics are the team in the middle, sandwiched between two Celtics title teams in 1974 and 1976. In that comparative irony, we often find in sports, this was the year of the three that the Celtics had the best regular season, winning 60 games to finish tied for the league’s best record. They had the league’s third-best offense and third-best defense, a balanced and dangerous team.</p>
<p>John Havlicek, the Celtics’ all-time leading scorer, was the heart and soul of a team in the midst of a mini-run of contention. He led this team in scoring as well, averaging 38.2 minutes per game and playing in all 82 contests at the age of 35. He was a do-everything wing who linked together the team’s other players, including lockdown guard Jo Jo White and bruising center Dave Cowens.</p>
<p>Havlicek’s play earned him another All-Star selection that season, one of 13 in his career, but also an All-NBA finish at season’s end. He made an All-NBA team 11 times in his 16-year career, despite coming off the bench to start on the loaded Bill Russell dynasty teams.</p>
<p>For one last time, Havlicek summoned that elite level of play in the postseason. He dropped in 21.1 points per game as the Celtics returned to the Eastern Conference Finals, the tenth time (of 11 total) Havlicek would make it to that round in his career. The Celtics fell short of the NBA Finals, losing in six to Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes and the Washington Bullets.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 16 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423128" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1065,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F144927959.jpeg" alt="Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs" width="1600" height="1065" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/144927959.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/144927959-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="16" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Tim Duncan" data-team-id="29" data-meta-a="PF" data-meta-b="San Antonio Spurs" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">16</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Tim Duncan</h3> <h4>PF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> San Antonio Spurs</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fspurs.png" alt="San Antonio Spurs"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 16. Tim Duncan, 2012-13 (36)</h2>
<p>The San Antonio Spurs won five titles over the course of Tim Duncan’s career, but it’s the almost-titles that stand out even more. None are more painful than the 2012-13 NBA Finals, where Ray Allen hit one of the most famous shots in NBA Finals history to send Game 6 to overtime. If he misses that shot, the Spurs bring home the trophy.</p>
<p>That season was a transition point for the San Antonio Spurs, with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili still running the offense but Popovich phasing in a young Kawhi Leonard as the wing stopper and future lead scorer. Even with the rotation in flux around him, Tim Duncan could be found on the block, schooling the youth of the league even at 36.</p>
<p>Duncan scored 17.8 points per game in 2012-13, along with 9.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. He shot a career-high 81.7 percent from the free-throw line on 4.3 attempts per game. For a Spurs team that increased its pace while still ranking 3rd in defensive rating, Duncan locked down the rim on one end and was the team’s second-leading scorer on the other.</p>
<p>Only eight other players scooped up more rebounds than Duncan, and only four had more blocks. Duncan finished sixth in PER, sixth in box plus/minus, and once again led the league in defensive rating. His minutes and usage were being managed, but even so he still demonstrated he could be prolific and impactful.</p>
<p>The Spurs finished 58-24, second in the West, with the league’s third-best net rating and third-best defense. Only the Miami Heat had a better effective field goal percentage than they did. After sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers, overcoming the baby-faced Steph Curry Warriors and then dropping the Memphis Grizzlies, they lost in an all-time classic 7-game series with the Miami Heat.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 15 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-316999" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2130,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1137370.jpeg" alt="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers" width="3200" height="2130" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1137370.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1137370-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by: Mike Powell/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="15" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar" data-team-id="20" data-meta-a="C" data-meta-b="Los Angeles Lakers" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">15</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</h3> <h4>C,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Los Angeles Lakers</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Flakers.png" alt="Los Angeles Lakers"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 15. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1985-86 (38)</h2>
<p>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar began his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, and in six seasons with them probably completed a Hall of fame career, averaging over 30 points per game and winning three MVP awards. Then in 1975 he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and began his second Hall of Fame career as one of the greatest to ever wear the purple and gold.</p>
<p>Abdul-Jabbar finally completed his career in 1989, 20 seasons later, the former UCLA Bruin now the NBA’s career points leader. If just his Los Angeles Lakers’ tenure was considered he would be 31st in career scoring, just behind Allen Iverson. He scored over 10,000 points just after turning 35.</p>
<p>His last truly great season after the age of 35 was in 1985-86, when at 38 the prolific center put up 23.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Lakers. He was sixth in the league in field goals, 14th in blocks and seventh in points. PER placed him sixth in the league, and box plus/minus fourth. He totaled 10.8 win shares, one of the 15 best marks for a player 35 or older; he was 38.</p>
<p>The Showtime Lakers were a juggernaut yet again, winning 11 games more than anyone else in the Western Conference. They had the league’s best offense by over a point per 100 possessions and steamrolled their way to the Western Conference Finals. There they were upset by the twin towers of Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, denying the world another Lakers – Celtics showdown in the NBA Finals.</p>
<p>That was the only year in a four-year stretch that Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers did not win the title. He would play three more seasons with the Lakers, going to the NBA Finals in all three, ending a magnificent career still flicking in skyhooks and winning games.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 14 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423130" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1185,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1155555137.jpeg" alt="Karl Malone, Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="1185" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1155555137.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1155555137-768x569.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Karl Malone, Utah Jazz. GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="14" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Karl Malone" data-team-id="118" data-meta-a="PF" data-meta-b="Utah Jazz" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">14</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Karl Malone</h3> <h4>PF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Utah Jazz</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz.png" alt="Utah Jazz"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 14. Karl Malone, 2000-01 (37)</h2>
<p>John Stockton and Karl Malone were one of the greatest pairings in NBA history, and no combination can claim the level of sustained excellence the two put together. Malone scored 36,928 regular-season points over the course of his career, 2nd-most all-time, all but the final 554 of those playing alongside Stockton.</p>
<p>The two rank fourth and fifth all-time in games played, and this despite entering the league already a few years into their 20s. Malone missed just 10 games total in 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz, averaging 37.3 minutes per game in 1434 total contests. His endurance, availability and clockwork-like production seem unfathomable to consider.</p>
<p>The 2000-01 season was more of the same, with Malone playing in 81 of a possible 82 games. He averaged a steady 23.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and even chipped in a career-best (to that point) assists per game at 4.5. Even at 37, he was capable of incredible explosions, such as dropping 41 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks in a win over Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers.</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz once again won more than 50 games (53-29 and the third-best net rating in the league) en route to another playoff berth for Malone and company. Malone finished the season fourth in Player Efficiency Rating (PER), fifth in win shares (13.1), fifth in box plus/minus (+6.6) and fifth in value over replacement player.</p>
<p>At 37 Malone was no longer the most dominant force in the league, but even with slightly reduced output he was still one of the best out there. Especially in the midst of a boom of young power forwards taking the league by storm — Kevin Garnet, Tim Duncan, Chris Webber and Dirk Nowitzki among them — an aging Malone was still holding his own and proving he was an impactful player at any age.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 13 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423131" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2356,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1218242457.jpeg" alt="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers" width="3200" height="2356" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1218242457.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1218242457-768x565.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="13" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar" data-team-id="20" data-meta-a="C" data-meta-b="Los Angeles Lakers" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">13</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</h3> <h4>C,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Los Angeles Lakers</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Flakers.png" alt="Los Angeles Lakers"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 13. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1982-83 (36)</h2>
<p>With all due respect to the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers were the dominant team of the 1980s. They won five titles, made it to the NBA Finals seven times in ten seasons, and never won fewer than 54 games. The combination of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson was something beautiful to behold.</p>
<p>This dominance occurred even though the decade began with the Lakers’ best player turning 33 before the end of their first season. Abdul Jabbar won titles at 33 and 42 to bracket the decade, an untouchable feat of longevity and dominance. With year after year of offensive bliss, the individual seasons blend together in the memory of history.</p>
<p>The 1982-83 season is a little like that for Abdul-Jabbar, who turned 36 during the year. He scored 21.8 points per game on 58.8 percent shooting from the field, to go along with 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. He was the leading scorer on a Showtime Lakers team that put up 115.0 points per game and 110.5 points per 100 possessions, the latter tops in the league.</p>
<p>Abdul-Jabbar finished with a PER of 23.6, fourth in the league, and was similarly fourth in effective field goal percentage. He finished top 10 in win shares, offensive rating, and box plus/minus. He not only continued his streak of what would be 19 consecutive All-Star appearances, he was named to the All-NBA second team and placed in the top-10 in MVP voting.</p>
<p>The Lakers ended the year with a 58-24 record, yet again the best in the Western Conference. They cruised past the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round after their first-round bye (yes, those were a thing) and won a hard-fought series with George Gervin, Artis Gilmore and the San Antonio Spurs. They were then unceremoniously spanked by the best Philadelphia 76ers team in history, with Moses Malone, Julius Erving and company sweeping the Lakers.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 12 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423132" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1060,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1240025598.jpeg" alt="David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs" width="1600" height="1060" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1240025598.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1240025598-768x509.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs. Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="12" data-rank-type="player" data-name="David Robinson" data-team-id="29" data-meta-a="C" data-meta-b="San Antonio Spurs" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">12</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>David Robinson</h3> <h4>C,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> San Antonio Spurs</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fspurs.png" alt="San Antonio Spurs"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 12. David Robinson, 2000-01 (35)</h2>
<p>Prior to the 1996-97 season David Robinson, one season removed from winning league MVP, suffered a back injury that caused him to miss the start to the season. Six games into his return in December he broke his foot and missed the rest of the season. The shrewd San Antonio Spurs front office tanked the rest of the season, ending up with the top pick. They selected Wake Forest college phenom Tim Duncan.</p>
<p>In pairing two big men who both liked to work in the paint, the Spurs copied a formula that had been used many times before in league history but was not often successful. Most title teams, both before and after the Robinson – Duncan pairing, needed a perimeter player to go alongside an interior power. The Washington Bullets, pairing Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes, or the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers with Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas are perhaps the best examples. Each of those teams won just a single title.</p>
<p>Robinson and Duncan won two, including at the end of the 1999-00 season, Duncan’s second year in the league. Even as the baton passed from Robinson to Duncan, The Admiral was still a dominant post presence on both ends of the court for the 2000-01 Spurs.</p>
<p>At age 35, Robinson scored 14.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, along with a robust block total: 2.5 per game, 5.8 percent block percentage.</p>
<p>Even as his minutes went down as the Spurs worked out a rotation including the best power forward of all time in Duncan, Robinson was elite on a per-minute basis. He led the league in win shares per 48 (.246), was second in defensive box plus/minus and second in defensive rating. Duncan finished first in defensive win shares, and Robinson finished fourth while playing fewer than 30 minutes per game.</p>
<p>The Spurs were a league-best 58-24, but faced a gauntlet in the postseason: seven teams in the Western Conference won at least 50 games, all loaded with talent. After dispatching Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, and Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in the second, they were overwhelmed by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in the Conference Finals, felled short of repeating as champions. For one final year, Robinson was still among the league’s very best, an All-NBA selection and fringe MVP candidate.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 11 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423133" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1187,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F51543766.jpeg" alt="Karl Malone, Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="1187" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51543766.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/51543766-768x570.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Karl Malone, Utah Jazz. GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="11" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Karl Malone" data-team-id="118" data-meta-a="PF" data-meta-b="Utah Jazz" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">11</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Karl Malone</h3> <h4>PF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Utah Jazz</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz.png" alt="Utah Jazz"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 11. Karl Malone, 1999-00 (36)</h2>
<p>While working our way down towards the absolute best seasons we continue to encounter Karl Malone, who makes it onto this list four times, younger and younger each time. In the 1999-00 season Malone, the defending league MVP, put up the fourth-most win shares ever by a player 35 or older with 15.3.</p>
<p>This season, the first full-length year after the bizarre sprint of the 50-game 1998-99 season, was one of Malone’s best despite the lack of MVP hardware standing at the end of it. He shot a career-best 79.7 percent from the free-throw line on a solid 9.0 attempts per game, chipping in 25.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz won the Midwest Division of the Western Conference with a 55-27 record, taking down the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round before losing to Scottie Pippen and the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round. Malone was the leading scorer between both teams in four of that series’ five games, but an aging Jazz team didn’t have enough against a deep Portland team ready to challenge Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers.</p>
<p>Malone was again an iron man, playing all 82 games. He finished second in the league in free throws made, fifth in defensive rebounding (9th in total rebounds), fifth in points per game and a close second to O’Neal in advanced metrics such as win shares (15.3) or BPM (7.5). At 36 Malone was still the best forward in the league and he proved it by scoring again and again and again, as unstoppable as always.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 10 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-316999" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2130,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1137370.jpeg" alt="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers" width="3200" height="2130" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1137370.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1137370-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by: Mike Powell/Getty Images)</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="10" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar" data-team-id="20" data-meta-a="C" data-meta-b="Los Angeles Lakers" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">10</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</h3> <h4>C,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Los Angeles Lakers</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Flakers.png" alt="Los Angeles Lakers"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 10. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1983-84 (37)</h2>
<p>The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have been rivals for nearly the entire history of the NBA. Not only have the two franchises won more titles than anyone else, they have met consistently in the NBA Finals to heighten the rivalry. From Bill Russell against Jerry West in the 1960s, to Kobe Bryant against Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen in the late aughts, the two winningest teams in league history have been prone to butt heads on basketball’s biggest stage.</p>
<p>That was no less true in the 1980s. Larry Bird led the Celtics to the NBA Finals five times in the decade, including four-straight from 1983-4 to 1986-87. Once they defeated the Houston Rockets, but three other times they took on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers. Kareem and company twice came out on top.</p>
<p>That first showdown was at the end of the 1983-84 season, with Abdul-Jabbar at the height of his powers even though he turned 37 before the end of the season. During the regular season, he scored 21.5 points on 57.8 shooting from the field, bringing in 7.3 rebounds and swatting 1.8 shots per game. It was a solid season, even if it wasn’t statistically awe-inspiring.</p>
<p>The league certainly signed off on Kareem being a dominant force, as he was named to the All-NBA first team and the All-Defensive second team. He finished fourth in MVP voting, behind teammate Magic Johnson, Bernard King of the New York Knicks, and the clear winner Larry Bird. He led the Lakers to a 54-28 finish, good for the top seed in the Western Conference.</p>
<p>In the postseason Abdul-Jabbar proved all of them right, rising to the occasion to pour in 23.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots. He totaled 3.3 win shares in the postseason alone, one of the five best marks for a player 35 or older. The Lakers took down the Kansas City Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns before losing the first matchup with the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. They would win the next two.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 9 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-423134 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2160,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F497885850.jpeg" alt="Wilt Chamberlain, Los Angeles Lakers" width="3200" height="2160" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/497885850.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/497885850-768x518.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Wilt Chamberlain, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="9" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Wilt Chamberlain" data-team-id="20" data-meta-a="C" data-meta-b="Los Angeles Lakers" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">9</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Wilt Chamberlain</h3> <h4>C,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Los Angeles Lakers</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Flakers.png" alt="Los Angeles Lakers"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 9. Wilt Chamberlain, 1972-73 (36)</h2>
<p>Wilt Chamberlain was a physical marvel, a 7-1 athlete the likes of which the world has rarely seen. No player can match the prolific nature of his career numbers, capped by the 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds per game he averaged in 1961-62, his third in the league.</p>
<p>Fast forward a decade, and Chamberlain was still dominating inside even at the age of 36. Playing 43.2 minutes per game, he put up 13.2 points and 18.6 rebounds, the latter tops in the league. He was also deadly accurate from the inside, leading the league in field goal percentage for the ninth time in his career.</p>
<p>The Los Angeles Lakers finished with 60 wins, tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the best in the Western Conference (for modern NBA fans, Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit all played in the West while Houston was in the East. It was a wild time). Chamberlain vied with his future replacement on the Lakers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who lead the league in win shares. Chamberlain finished second with 18.2 win shares, the 34th-highest single season mark in league history, but just the eighth-highest total in his career.</p>
<p>Chamberlain and the Lakers fought their way through a tough playoff field, winning in seven over the Chicago Bulls and then in five over the Golden State Warriors. The NBA Finals, a rematch of the year before, saw a balanced New York Knicks team take down an again Lakers group in five games. Even at 36 with declining athleticism, Chamberlain was the leading rebounder in all five games.</p>
<p>Chamberlain would not end up playing another minute in the NBA. For a career marred by playoff disappointment, he could not go out on top like his Boston counterpart Bill Russell. Even so, his mark on NBA history – and its record books – is unquestionable, and he was still schooling opponents at the age of 36.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 8 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423135" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1074,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1191303811.jpeg" alt="John Stockton, Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="1074" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1191303811.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1191303811-768x516.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">John Stockton, Utah Jazz. Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="8" data-rank-type="player" data-name="John Stockton" data-team-id="118" data-meta-a="PG" data-meta-b="Utah Jazz" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">8</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>John Stockton</h3> <h4>PG,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Utah Jazz</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz.png" alt="Utah Jazz"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 8. John Stockton, 1996-97 (35)</h2>
<p>John Stockton is one of the greatest point guards of all time, full stop. Magic Johnson, tall enough to nearly elude the label, is clearly at the top of the mountain. Stephen Curry and Oscar Robertson deserve the second and third seats. But Stockton is right there with Chris Paul and Steve Nash for the final spot on the Mt. Rushmore of NBA point guards.</p>
<p>Stockton is incredibly solid in per-game stats, second to Magic Johnson in assists and 10th in steals. Where he truly shines is in career accomplishments, which highlight his availability and longevity as a player. He is fifth all-time in career win shares among all players, and first among point guards (Paul has an outside chance at catching him). He is first in career assists, first in career steals, and tied with Magic for fourth in career offensive rating (minimum 500 games played).</p>
<p>The statistical website FiveThirtyEight rolled out a RAPTOR player rating system that included a historical component. Combining career and peak value (regular season and playoffs) into their “JAWS” statistic, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/lebron-or-mj-raptor-picks-the-best-nba-players-of-the-past-40-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Stockton rated out as the third most valuable NBA player since 1976-77</a>, behind only Michael Jordan and LeBron James. At his peak, and across a 19-year career, John Stockton was one of the greatest players of all time.</p>
<p>Speaking of his peak, it was incredibly long, lasting from 1987 to 1997. He turned 35 during the 1996-97 season, the last season of a dominant 11-year run before the only major injury of his career occurred prior to the 1997-98 season.</p>
<p>Stockton averaged 14.4 points, 10.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Remarkably it was the first time in 10 seasons he did not lead the league in assists per game, coming in just behind Mark Jackson, and the only time in a 15-year stretch where he did not lead the league in assist percentage. That speaks more to an inspired season from Jackson; Stockton was equally brilliant orchestrating the Utah offense.</p>
<p>That Jazz team finished 64-18, the best record in the Western Conference, with the second-best net rating in the league behind only Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. Stockton directed the league’s second-best offense, again behind only the Bulls, setting up teammates en route to a league-best effective field goal percentage (53 percent).</p>
<p>Advanced stats highlight Stockton’s dominant season as well. He finished a close second in offensive rating, fourth in win shares (behind Jordan, Karl Malone and a young Grant Hill) and fifth in box plus/minus. Once the Jazz hit the postseason, no player had more assists or steals and only Jordan had more win shares.</p>
<p>Utah made it to the NBA Finals, their first of two consecutive trips, overcoming a strong Houston Rockets team built around Hakeem Olajuwon to do so. They lost in six games to Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, a worthy runner-up finish for one of the league’s best teams, led by one of its best players.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 7 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-405958" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2176,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1214992752.jpeg" alt="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers" width="3200" height="2176" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1214992752.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1214992752-768x522.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by Ross Lewis/Getty Images).</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="7" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Kareem Abdul-Jabbar" data-team-id="20" data-meta-a="C" data-meta-b="Los Angeles Lakers" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">7</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</h3> <h4>C,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Los Angeles Lakers</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Flakers.png" alt="Los Angeles Lakers"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 7. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1984-85 (37)</h2>
<p>It is rare that a player can be both past his prime and the best in the league at the same time. It takes such an incredible peak to start, it can only possibly apply to a select few. “Father Time is undefeated,” the saying goes, and no matter how talented and dominant the player they eventually fade into the sunset.</p>
<p>That is why the year-after-year excellence of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is so special. He was a positive NBA player into his 40s, and significantly so through even his 39th birthday. Throughout the 1084-85 season, Kareem was widely acknowledged as still one of the very best in the league, and he went out and proved it in the Lakers’ postseason run.</p>
<p>During the regular season, he scored 22.0 points on an elite 59.9 percent shooting, on top of 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. The Lakers that season won 62 games, against the best in the Western Conference, and Kareem was a driving force in the team’s top-ranked offense.</p>
<p>Abdul-Jabbar finished top-5 in PER, effective field goal percentage, win shares and box plus/minus. He was named to the All-NBA second team and finished fourth in MVP voting. All while turning 38 before the end of the season.</p>
<p>In the playoffs, Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers dominated, sweeping the Phoenix Suns and beating the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets in five games each. That set up a rematch with Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics, and Kareem was magnificent. He averaged 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the six-game series, shooting over 60 percent from the field. His counterpart, Robert Parish, was held to just 48.1 percent shooting and 17.2 points per game. He dropped 36 points in the pivotal Game 5, putting the Lakers up for good in the series.</p>
<p>Abdul won Finals MVP at the age of 38, the oldest player to ever take home the award. It was the capstone to the best late-career postseason player in NBA history to this point. After turning 35 Abdul-Jabbar scored 2,536 postseason points, pulled down 838 rebounds, swiped 106 steals and blocked 243 shots, all the most all-time. He won three titles and one Finals MVP all after the age of 35, a playoff resume that most players would be happy to have for their entire career.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 6 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423472" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2130,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2021%2F02%2F186568007.jpeg" alt="Bill Russell, Boston Celtics" width="3200" height="2130" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/02/186568007.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2021/02/186568007-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Bill Russell, Boston Celtics (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images)</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="6" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Bill Russell" data-team-id="18" data-meta-a="C" data-meta-b="Boston Celtics" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">6</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Bill Russell</h3> <h4>C,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Boston Celtics</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fceltics.png" alt="Boston Celtics"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 6. Bill Russell, 1968-69 (35)</h2>
<p>It is difficult to properly compare players across different eras of basketball, and the lack of footage, statistics, and even many major awards during the span of Bill Russell’s career turn difficult to nearly impossible. Yet the one number that shines through, screaming from the rooftops, is ultimately the one that matters the most. Over a 13-year career, Bill Russell won 11 titles. No other player in NBA past or future can reasonably expect to match that accomplishment.</p>
<p>Russell’s final season, during which he turned 35, was arguably one of the most impressive. Despite averaging 42.3 minutes per game over the course of his career, along with an average of 45.4 minutes and 13 postseason games every year, Russell played in 77 games and averaged another 42.7 minutes per game as the Celtics’ rebounding defensive anchor in 1968-69.</p>
<p>Russell averaged the fewest rebounds of his career, a ho-hum-for-him 19.3 rebounds per game. That was good for third in the NBA, behind Wilt Chamberlain and Nate Thurmond. Russell led the league in that statistic five times in his career, and his career average was 22.5 rebounds per game. Even in the wild pace of the 1960s, those numbers are insane.</p>
<p>Getting back to 1968-69, Russell was not simply a rebounding specialist. He finished a dominant first in defensive win shares with 9.9, as far ahead of the second-place Wes Unseld (7.0) as Unseld was above 16th. Russell did this all while coaching the team, serving as player-coach for the final three seasons of his career.</p>
<p>This was clearly the swan song for Russell and the Celtics, as they finished a mediocre 48-34 (for their standards), just fourth in the Eastern Conference. Then Russell stepped up for one last dominant postseason run, averaging 46.1 minutes per game as the Celtics upset three teams in a row. They took down Billy Cunningham and the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, Willis Reed, Walt “Clyde” Frazier and the New York Knicks in the Conference Finals, and then their old rivals the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, overcoming a herculean effort from Jerry West and Chamberlain.</p>
<p>Russell played all 48 minutes in the clinching Game 7 over the Lakers, a two-point win in Los Angeles. He not only brought in 21 rebounds but he led the Celtics with six assists, the glue on both ends of the court (not to mention the coaching box as well). He held Wilt Chamberlain to 18 points and just eight field goal attempts. After that game, Russell retired, the last triumphant stand for one of the best competitors this sport has ever seen.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 5 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423134" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2160,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F497885850.jpeg" alt="Wilt Chamberlain, Lakers " width="3200" height="2160" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/497885850.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/497885850-768x518.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Wilt Chamberlain, Lakers (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="5" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Wilt Chamberlain" data-team-id="20" data-meta-a="C" data-meta-b="Los Angeles Lakers" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">5</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Wilt Chamberlain</h3> <h4>C,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Los Angeles Lakers</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Flakers.png" alt="Los Angeles Lakers"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 5. Wilt Chamberlain, 1971-72 (35)</h2>
<p>For all of the historical criticism Wilt Chamberlain receives for his attitude or the pace-inflated nature of his statistics, the biggest knock on Chamberlain will always be that he could not translate pure athletic dominance into more titles. Coming into the 1971-72 season, Chamberlain had won just one title. Despite numerous trips to the NBA Finals, his teammate on the Lakers Jerry West had been denied, often by Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics, each time.</p>
<p>Something changed in 1971-72, when the Lakers finally coalesced as an offensive juggernaut. Players slid into their roles perfectly, and under the direction of head coach Bill Sharman the Lakers ripped off 33 wins in a row – still the NBA record – and finished with a 69-13 record.</p>
<p>Chamberlain’s days of scoring 50 per game were well behind him, but he fit into his role on this Lakers team perfectly. “The Big Dipper” scored 14.8 points per game, leading the league in field goal percentage, and pulled down 19.2 rebounds per game. Chamberlain finished second in win shares, tops in defensive win shares, and was the anchor on a defense tied for first in the league.</p>
<p>There was no doubt in the postseason that this Lakers’ team was different, as they swept the Chicago Bulls in the first round and defeated league MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then going by Lew Alcindor) and the Milwaukee Bucks in six. In the NBA Finals, the Lakers took on the New York Knicks, lead by Walt “Clyde” Frazier, and won in five.</p>
<p>Chamberlain took home Finals MVP for his work in that series, averaging an absurd 23.2 rebounds per game and sitting for just four total minutes in the entire series. It may have happened with Bill Russell retired, but West, Chamberlain and the Lakers finally broke through with a magical season that ended in an NBA championship.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 4 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423136" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1200,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1156014715.jpeg" alt="Karl Malone, Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="1200" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1156014715.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1156014715-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Karl Malone, Utah Jazz. ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="4" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Karl Malone" data-team-id="118" data-meta-a="PF" data-meta-b="Utah Jazz" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">4</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Karl Malone</h3> <h4>PF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Utah Jazz</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz.png" alt="Utah Jazz"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 4. Karl Malone, 1998-99 (35)</h2>
<p>65 MVP awards have been given out in the history of the NBA as of February 2021, and the youngest to ever hoist the trophy was Wes Unseld of the Baltimore Bullets in 1968-69, just 22 years old. On the other end of the spectrum, only twice has a player been 35 or older when he received MVP honors, the oldest being Karl Malone in 1998-99.</p>
<p>The lockout-shortened season was bizarre on many levels, from 50 games crammed into a half-season’s worth of days, to the immense power vacuum left by the breaking up of the dynastic Chicago Bulls. One player seemingly unaffected by the strangeness was Karl Malone, who continued to dominate opposing defenses en route to his second MVP award.</p>
<p>Malone at 35 dropped in 23.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, leading the league in made free throws. Malone was third in total points behind Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson. In a battle of the bigs O’Neal, Malone, Tim Duncan and Alonzo Mourning all vied for the top spot in most advanced metrics. Malone finished second in BPM and first in win shares.</p>
<p>The Jazz won a whopping 37 of their 50 games, a 61-win pace in the lockout season. In the playoffs Malone and the Jazz beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and fell to the Portland Trail Blazers in the second, where Scottie Pippen had migrated after the breaking of the Bulls.</p>
<p>Malone won the Most Valuable Player award that season, gaining 44 of the 118 first-place votes – just 37.2 percent. In one of the most closely contested MVP votes in NBA history, Malone just beat out Mourning (773 points) and Duncan (740) by winning 827 points. For a player who never broke through to win a championship trophy, two MVP awards sound about right for one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423137" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1208,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1292924538.jpeg" alt="LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers" width="1600" height="1208" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1292924538.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1292924538-768x580.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="3" data-rank-type="player" data-name="LeBron James" data-team-id="20" data-meta-a="SF" data-meta-b="Los Angeles Lakers" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">3</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>LeBron James</h3> <h4>SF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Los Angeles Lakers</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Flakers.png" alt="Los Angeles Lakers"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 3. LeBron James. 2019-20 (35)</h2>
<p>The question of who is the greatest player in the history of the NBA is an engrossing, entertaining, and perhaps unsolvable debate. This list is not the place to try and settle such a debate. What it can highlight, however, is that <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">LeBron James</a> looks like he will blow away Michael Jordan’s accomplishments at ages 36 and up. For the best age-35 season specifically, however, James falls two spots shy of Jordan.</p>
<p>That is not to take away anything from James’ accomplishments in the 2019-20 season, as he achieved excellence in the midst of chaos and sorrow. From the passing of Kobe Bryant to the pandemic to conversations about racial injustice, the struggle off-the-court makes LeBron James’ on-the-court success even more impressive.</p>
<p>In his 17th season in the league, James dropped 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and a league-leading 10.2 assists per game. The only other player to average double-digit assists at age 35 or older was Steve Nash. As a 6-9 point forward James orchestrated the Lakers’ offense en route to the best record in the Western Conference, 52 wins in 71 games.</p>
<p>In the NBA Bubble in Orlando, FL the Lakers, led by James, steamrolled through their first three opponents and overcame an injured Miami Heat team in the Finals. Over the course of 21 playoff games he put up 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists. The Lakers were a +18 per 100 possessions with James on the court.</p>
<p>James finished second to Giannis Antetokounmpo in MVP voting, was an All-NBA first-team selection and ultimately won Finals MVP. For the ninth time in 10 years, he led his team to the NBA Finals, becoming the first player to win Finals MVP for three different franchises. He also provided leadership not just to his team but to an entire league as they mourned, wrestled and simply survived their way through 2020.</p>
<p>Even at 35, LeBron James made sure everyone knew he was still the best player, the face and the voice of the league.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423138" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2110,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F460474560.jpeg" alt="Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs" width="3200" height="2110" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/460474560.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/460474560-768x506.jpeg 768w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/460474560-850x560.jpeg 850w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs. Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="2" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Tim Duncan" data-team-id="29" data-meta-a="PF" data-meta-b="San Antonio Spurs" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">2</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Tim Duncan</h3> <h4>PF,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> San Antonio Spurs</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fspurs.png" alt="San Antonio Spurs"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 2. Tim Duncan, 2013-14 (37)</h2>
<p>In 1996-97, a David Robinson injury sent the San Antonio Spurs spiraling into a lost season and the first overall pick, which they used to select <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duncati01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Tim Duncan</a>. Since then, the Spurs won at least 50 games (or their lockout-equivalent) for 20 straight seasons. That level of sustained success, peaked with five titles, is unheard of in modern sports.</p>
<p>There were many people who contributed to that success, but at the center of it all was Tim Duncan. The steady power forward contributed innumerable bank shots, blocked shots and bugged-out eyeballs protesting foul calls, playing 1392 regular-season games and over 47,000 minutes for the franchise.</p>
<p>While he hit the ground running and won two MVPs in his first five seasons, the peak of his late career was the 2013-14 season. Even at age 37, he was still a powerful force inside for the Spurs. He averaged 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks that year, steady as she goes. Even playing less than 30 minutes per game Duncan finished fifth in blocks and fourteenth in rebounds.</p>
<p>Advanced stats highlight his per-minute impact. Duncan was top-10 in defensive rebound percentage, block percentage, and defensive win shares. His defensive rating of 97.6 was fourth in the league. Duncan manned the middle of the league’s third-best defense, and the Spurs finished 62-20, the best record in the entire league.</p>
<p>Duncan only increased his impact in the postseason. He increased his playing time to 32.7 minutes per game, scoring 16.3 points and 9.2 rebounds. He totaled 3.2 win shares over a 23-game run that saw the Spurs take down the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder on their path to the NBA Finals.</p>
<p>In the Finals, they faced the two-time defending champion Miami Heat. The Spurs absolutely crushed LeBron James and the Heat in five games, outscoring the Heat by 75 in those five games and holding them under 100 points all five games. Duncan was not only defensively dominant, but at the end his team won it all. Not bad for 38.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-423139" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1510,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1129033007.jpeg" alt="Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls" width="1600" height="1510" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1129033007.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1129033007-768x725.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls. MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Rank" data-rank="1" data-rank-type="player" data-name="Michael Jordan" data-team-id="24" data-meta-a="SG" data-meta-b="Chicago Bulls" data-inner-content=""> <div class="mock-draft"> <div class="mock-draft-head"> <div class="mock-draft-order-container"> <div class="mock-draft-order">1</div> </div> <div class="mock-draft-player-details"> <h3>Michael Jordan</h3> <h4>SG,<span class="mock-draft-team-name"> Chicago Bulls</span></h4> </div> <div class="mock-draft-team-logo"> <img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fbulls.png" alt="Chicago Bulls"> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 1. Michael Jordan, 1997-98 (35)</h2>
<p>His Airness, Mike, Air Jordan, The GOAT, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://hoopshabit.com/?s=michael+jordan%22>Michael Jordan</a> himself would top many lists of NBA historical accolades. He has won the most Finals MVP awards, is the greatest guard of all time and probably would win a poll of the greatest player of all time, even if there is a worthy debate between he and LeBron James. Yet again, Jordan tops another list, this time for the greatest season by a player 35 years or older in NBA history.</p>
<p>The 1997-98 season was one of titans, with four different teams winning at least 60 games. That included the Chicago Bulls, tied with the Utah Jazz at 62 to lead the league. Those two teams would meet in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year come June. Prior to that, Jordan turned 35 in the midst of one of the greatest seasons of his career.</p>
<p>After earning the MVP award the year before and losing to Karl Malone likely on the back of voter fatigue, Jordan came out of the gates and showed the league he wanted his trophy back. He once again led the league in scoring at 28.7 points per game, also topping the league in usage percentage. Even with the team around him in a state of flux for much of the year — see the documentary <em>The Last Dance</em> for more — he willed his team to the best record.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, Karl Malone finished ahead of Jordan in many advanced metrics such as win shares and box plus/minus, albeit barely. Yet Jordan easily eclipsed the value of Malone of anyone else in the league by willing the Bulls through the postseason. On the last play of his Bulls career, he sized up Byron Russell and hit one of the most famous shots in the history of the league.</p>
<div class="embed "><iframe width="500" height="281" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/23/nba-best-seasons-michael-jordan/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/dk0aErTKtqI?feature=oembed%22 frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>At 35, Jordan dominated a league that still recognized him as the greatest, that still worshipped him as the greatest to ever play. They were in awe of him even as they tried to beat him. Yet again, for the sixth time, no one could when it mattered. Despite all that came after, the second retirement and the empty calorie scoring in Washington, this season was Jordan truly going out on top.</p>
<p>It is fitting that Michael Jordan reigns supreme on this list as well, with the greatest season by a player 35 years or older. He is joined by so many of the greatest players in NBA history, perhaps as many as six or seven of the ten best players of all time. Competing against every team in the league as well as Father Time is a tall task, but some players did it and created greatness in the process.</p>
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