Who is the oldest NBA player to retire? Finding out more

With advancements in modern sports science, many NBA players have been able to extend their primes in recent years and play until an older age. However, most of the oldest players to ever play in the league still did so in previous eras. This includes the oldest player of all time, Nicholas J. "Nat" Hickey.

Hickey was a Croatian-American basketball player who spent most of his career playing in the American Basketball League. He retired in 1942 to start coaching. However, he later became a player-coach that activated himself for two games with the Providence Steamrollers of the Basketball Association of America in 1948.

Hickey was 45 years and 363 days old at the time when he played in his last game. The BAA later became the NBA, making him the oldest player to retire from the NBA until today.

Over two games with the Steamrollers, Hickey averaged just 1.0 points per game and did not make a single field goal. Both of his points came at the free-throw line.

Hickey passed away in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on September 16, 1979.

---

Who are the next oldest players to retire in NBA history?

Former All-Star big man and NBA champion Kevin Willis

After Nat Hickey, the next oldest player to play in the NBA was former All-Star big man and NBA champion Kevin Willis. Willis played 21 seasons for eight franchises between 1984 and 2007, including Atlanta, Miami, Golden State, Houston, Toronto, Denver, San Antonio, and Dallas. He was 44 years and 224 days old at the time of his last NBA game.

Willis averaged 12.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game on 48.7% shooting over 21 seasons.

Willis is followed by Hall of Famer Robert Parish, who played 21 seasons for Golden State, Boston, Charlotte, and Chicago from 1976 to 1997. Parish was 43 years and 254 days old at the time of his last NBA game.

Parish averaged 14.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.8 spg, and 1.5 bpg on 53.7% shooting over 21 seasons. Throughout his illustrious career, he won four NBA titles and was selected to nine All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams.