NBA 33 over 30 - An Introduction

Age is a funny thing. It’s been proven that we age firstly in our minds and our bodies follow suit. Theoretically, one ought to be able to stave off old age for a very long time, way beyond what is conventionally seen as possible. Give ‘Jitterbug Perfume’ by Tom Robbins a read for more on that. In the NBA, with the advances in technology giving the athletes the best possible equipment and diet, they are now able to keep their bodies conditioned for playing well into their 30s.

Kevin Garnett just crossed a unique milestone of becoming the first player to have over 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 1,500 blocks and 1,500 steals. Kobe Bryant crossed 30,000 points a few weeks prior to that. Steve Nash crossed 10,000 career assists. Dirk Nowitzki crossed Wilt to get up to 15th all time in free throws made. Everywhere we look, the old guard in the NBA is lighting it up.

“It’s a generational thing. In that generation, we all seem to hold on or have found the same fountain of youth somewhere. More like a pacemaker that keeps a championship heart beating year after year. Like a 32-year-old Muhammad Ali biding his time against a 25-year-old George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle.”- said Kobe Bryant

The words, “Valuable old player” is something of an oxymoron in the NBA. On one hand, the grizzled veterans are prized possessions for their team. On the other hand, being aged, they aren’t very valuable trade chips.

“There aren’t a lot of teams trying to pursue players of KG and Paul’s age,” said Danny Ainge. “I think we value them more than other teams value them.”

They say you can’t teach a old dog new tricks. When acquiring an old player, you know exactly what you are getting. You know what niche the player will fill in your team. The tantalizing prospect of having a player expand on his potential is lost in case of these over-the-hill players. Yet, they are integral cogs on their current teams.

The number 30 is seen as a little ominous. Once you cross it, you are over the hill. Your steps are supposed to be slower, minutes lower, and you are seen as a grand old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn. In a sport like basketball where quickness, speed and conditioning are paramount, an athlete views aging with the same trepidation as a supermodel.

Age is just a number though. There are a lot of players in the NBA who are over, way over 30 and are still tearing the league apart. In this 8 part series, NBA 33 over 30, I’ll take a look at 33 players who are over the age of 30 and are still playing efficient basketball. Starting off from 30 and moving up.

In the next part in this series, I’ll look at five players who are 31 years old. Tony Parker happens to be 30 so let’s tip things off with the MVP caliber guard of the Spurs.

Tony Parker, age- 30

“I think he should be in every conversation for any award that’s going to be given,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I don’t think that is really tough to see. I mean, there’s a group of guys, but he should be in that group as one of the guys that’s playing the best in the league.”

In his 11th year in the NBA, Tony Parker has raised his game above and beyond what was expected of him. In the wake of the absence of the Wake Forest product, Tim Duncan, the load of carrying the Spurs has fallen on Parker and he’s delivered. Parker has also missed his backcourt mate in Ginobili and not let that stop him.

“I don’t care about getting my due and stuff like that. I’m in San Antonio, they always forget about me, so I get used to it. So I definitely prefer to have Timmy and Manu because that’s how you win championships. You need more than one player to win championships. You need a whole team and I prefer winning championships than having my due.”- Parker said.

Parker has been the man for the Spurs this season. He is averaging 20.7 points with 7.7 assists and 3 rebounds per game in 32.9 minutes of action. And he’s shooting 53% from the field.

“He’s carrying the whole team, especially when Tim and Manu are out. He’s doing everything on the court,”- said Boris Diaw of the Spurs.

Take a moment to appreciate this. Tony Parker is on pace to join Larry Bird and Chris Paul as the only players to average 20 points per game while shooting above 50% from the field, 35% from three point line and averaging more than 7 assists per game.

Check back on 14th February for the next piece in this series which looks at the players who are aged 31 years and playing like they are in their 20s.