Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the Finals MVP at 37 years old, Karl Malone was a 35-year-old MVP. These two players are the oldest to win an NBA award for major achievement.
Kareem was Finals MVP at 37 years old, Karl Malone was a 35-year-old MVP.
Slam Studios is responsible for this image.
They say that age is only a number, but that isn’t true in the NBA. Physical characteristics fade as a player grows older, and their actual talent emerges on a more equal playing field. Explosive players who lack polished skills typically fall into oblivion, while the most talented players may continue to dominate the game long after they have passed their prime. That’s why players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were able to stay among the league’s best as they aged.
Which athletes, on the other hand, earned big accolades when they were older? While staying dominating at a later age is remarkable in and of itself, winning big accolades is another matter altogether. This is the oldest player to win every major award category, demonstrating the importance of staying fit and honing talents in order to have a successful career.
Appearance at the All-Star Game for the Final Time
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a 41-year-old basketball player (1988-1989 Season)
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images photo
10.1 points per game, 4.5 points per game, 1.0 points per game, 0.5 points per game, 1.1 points per game
Kareem Abdul-last Jabbar’s NBA season came in 1989, and he was selected into the All-Star Team as a mark of appreciation for the legend’s Hall of Fame career. On the stat sheet, Kareem was clearly not an All-Star throughout the season, averaging just 10.1 points per game in 22.9 minutes per game, yet nobody questioned his All-Star selection.
Kareem was a 19-time All-Star and a 6-time NBA champion when he retired. Kareem made the All-Star Team 19 times in his NBA career, owing to his tremendous influence on both sides of the court. Abdul-Jabbar, even at 41 years old, was a capable paint protector and scorer when called upon.
Player Who Has Improved the Most
Darrell Armstrong is 30 years old (1998-1999 Season)
Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images photo
Statistics for the season: 13.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 6.7 APG, 2.2 SPG, and 0.1 BPG
Darrell Armstrong had a breakout season with the Orlando Magic in 1999, averaging a career-high in points, assists, and steals. Armstrong was an elder rookie in the league, having finished his debut season at the age of 26. After playing little for the Magic for the first three seasons of his career, he began to get more playing time in his fourth season, averaging 25.8 minutes per game.
In his fifth season, the 6’0″ point guard appeared in 50 games, averaging 30.0 minutes per game as a backup to Penny Hardaway. On offense, Armstrong was efficient, making 36.5 percent of his three-point attempts and 90.4 percent of his free throws. He demonstrated his previous experience playing in Cyprus and Spain as an immediate creator as a main ball-handler while he was on the floor, en way to the Most Improved Payer Award.
The Year’s Sixth Man
Jamal Crawford is 35 years old (2015-2016 Season)
14.2 points per game, 1.8 points per game, 2.3 points per game, 0.7 points per game, 0.2 points per game
Jamal Crawford, one of the best 6th man in NBA history, has always been a spectacular scorer and fire-starter off his team’s bench. Crawford had a plethora of legendary crossover skills and the ability to generate his own shot in any situation.
Jamal Crawford is also the oldest recipient of the 6th Man of the Year award, having won it at the age of 35. Crawford was beyond his peak, yet he still scored 14.2 points per game in just 26.9 minutes per game with the Los Angeles Clippers, demonstrating his brilliance as a scorer.
The Rookie Of The Year Award
David Robinson is a 24-year-old man (1989-1990 Season)
Season stats: 24.3 points per game, 12.0 rebounds per game, 2.0 assists per game, 1.7 steals per game, 3.9 blocks per game
David Robinson might have made his NBA debut at the age of 22, but he was occupied with military duty for his nation throughout the 1988 and 1989 seasons. Following his service in the United States Navy, “The Admiral” went on to enjoy one of the greatest rookie seasons in NBA history.
Robinson, who averaged 24.3 points per game, 12.0 rebounds per game, and 3.9 blocks per game, quickly established himself as one of the greatest players in the world. He was bigger and quicker than most players at his position, and he had leadership skills that he carried over to the NBA. Being an older rookie definitely helped, and he still retains the record for being the youngest rookie to win the Rookie of the Year award at the age of 24.
Defensive Player Of The Year is a title awarded to a player who excels on the
Dikembe Mutombo is a 34-year-old African footballer (2000-2001 Season)
Statistics for the season: 10.0 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, and 2.7 BPG
Dikembe Mutombo is a Hall of Famer, one of the greatest defensive defenders in NBA history, and one of the most well-known sportsmen in the country (thanks to his voice). Climbing “Mount Mutombo” was almost difficult since anytime a player challenged Mutombo at the rim, he was met with a blocked shot and a confident finger-wag.
At 34 years old, Dikembe averaged a solid double-double the season he was acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers reached the NBA Finals thanks to Dikembe Mutombo’s Defensive Player of the Year award and Allen Iverson’s MVP performance. Any player beyond the age of 33 will find it difficult to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award as Mutombo did in 2001.
Player of the Year
Karl Malone is a 35-year-old actor (1998-1999 Season)
Statistics for the season: 23.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 0.6 BPG
Karl Malone earned NBA MVP at the age of 35, posting excellent scoring and rebounding statistics while guiding the Utah Jazz to the best record in the league (tied with the Spurs). In terms of age, the power forward was beyond his peak, but he was still physically capable of pounding down low with the bigs every night.
Malone would go on to play another five seasons in the league before retiring at the age of 40, so it’s incredible “The Mailman” was able to stay fit for so long. His scoring never slowed down, despite the fact that the 1999 season was his lowest since his rookie year. Many people thought Tim Duncan deserved the MVP in 1999 over Malone, but The Mailman won the award in the end, setting the record for the oldest MVP winner.
MVP of the Finals
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a 37-year-old basketball player (1984-1985 Season)
Statistics for the season: 22.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, and 2.1 BPG
What more can be said about the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? The famous center has a slew of apparently untouchable records, including the most points scored in NBA history and, at 37 years old, being the oldest Finals MVP in history. Only LeBron James seems capable of shattering this incredible record while looking around the NBA.
Abdul-Jabbar was named Finals MVP after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a win against the Boston Celtics with 25.7 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game, and 5.2 assists per game. Kareem is one of the greatest players to ever play into his late 30s, and his “Skyhook” move was impossible to defend. It seems doubtful that anybody will ever beat Kareem’s record unless LeBron James can win a championship with the Lakers.
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The oldest mvp mlb is a list of the oldest players to win major awards. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was Finals MVP at 37 years old, Karl Malone was a 35-year-old MVP.
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