The 11 Oldest NBA Players Who Had To Wait A While To Win Their First Championship

Every professional athlete dreams of winning a championship at some point during their career, but the vast majority of them will end up retiring without checking that box. There are plenty of others that will have to endure a lengthy wait before reaching the mountaintop, including the oldest NBA players to finally get there.

It’s not rare for NBA players to “chase” a championship as they near the end of their career by signing with teams they think have a shot at winning a title even though they know they’ll likely be relegated to a backup role.

That strategy has paid off for more than a few people in addition to some other guys who were simply in the right place at the right time before becoming one of the oldest NBA players to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy for the very first time.

Kevin Willis: 40 Years, Nine Month, And Nine Days

Kevin Willis was drafted by the Hawks in 1984 and played for eight different teams during a career that spanned 21 seasons.

That includes the Spurs, who signed the veteran seven-footer ahead of the 2002-03 campaign.

He only averaged 4.2 points during the regular season and was under single digits in assists and rebounds, and those numbers only decreased once the postseason rolled around.

However, he still got his ring with some help from Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to become the oldest player to ever win an NBA title for the first time.

Juwan Howard: 39 Years, Four Months, And 14 Days

It’s kind of hard to blame anyone for chasing a ring after paying their dues in the NBA, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more shameless example than Juwan Howard’s decision to join forces with the Heat after they added LeBron James and Chris Bosh to a roster that already boasted Dwyane Wade in 2010.

He eventually reaped the benefits when that trio led Miami to a championship in 2012 during a season where Howard became the first member of the “Fab Five” to win an NBA title.

However, he wasn’t a huge factor when you consider he averaged less than six minutes per game in the regular season (and less than three in the playoffs) while contributing just a handful of points on average.

P.J. Brown: 38 Years, Eight Months, And Three Days

It seemed like P.J. Brown may have played his final NBA game after the season wrapped up in 2007 when you consider he hadn’t signed with anyone when the next one got underway.

However, he decided to join the Celtics in the wake of the All-Star Break, and while he was largely relegated to a supporting role, he had a couple of clutch performances in the playoffs while giving Boston a boost they needed in games against the Cavaliers and the Lakers.

The “Big 3” of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett may have gotten the bulk of the credit for the win against Los Angeles in the Finals, but Brown also deserves some for his contributions during the run that led to him retiring as a champion.

Jason Kidd: 38 Years, Two Months, And 20 Days

Jason Kidd had a legendary NBA career that he kicked off as a member of the Mavericks in 1994, and it seemed like there was a chance he might never end up winning a championship when he headed back to Dallas in 2008 after the Nets traded him.

He had to wait a few years for things to come together, but the guard started every single game he appeared in during the 2010-11 season while serving as a playmaker who helped Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry do their thing as the Mavs beat the Heat to get Kidd his ring.

Charles "Gadget" Jones: 38 Years, 2 Months, And 11 Days

It took Charles Jones a few years to make it to the NBA after he was drafted by the Suns in 1979, and he had to grind in the now-defunct CBA before finally getting a shot with the 76ers.

The big man never came close to achieving star status during a career where he averaged just 2.5 points (his high was 5.9 per game with Washington during the season that kicked off in 1984).

The Rockets picked up Jones on a 10-day contract toward the end of the regular season in 1995. He took full advantage of the opportunity while getting plenty of playing time in the postseason as a member of the team that was led by Hakeem Olajuwon and swept the Magic in the Finals.

Al Horford: 38 Years And 14 Days

Al Horford was in the twilight of his career when he headed back to Boston for his second stint with the Celtics in 2021 after being traded by the Thunder.

That turned out to be a very positive development for the veteran who found himself playing alongside the dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

He started the bulk of the playoff games during their run in 2024 and averaged 7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while finally getting a title a couple of weeks after his 38th birthday as the Celtics beat the Mavericks.

Gary Payton: 37 Years, Ten Months, And 28 Days

As was the case with Kidd, Gary Payton was a surefire Hall of Famer who was still looking to add a title to his résumé toward the end of a hallowed career.

He played for a few contenders after leaving Seattle and eventually ended up on the Heat in 2005 knowing he’d be serving as the backup to Jason Williams on a team that revolved around D-Wade and Shaq.

He wasn’t a huge contributor in the regular season or the playoffs that year, but they won a title before he capped off his career with one last ride in Miami.

Tony Massenburg: 37 Years, 10 Months, And 28 Days

Tony Massenburg was the ultimate journeyman and just one of four players in NBA history who played for at least 12 different teams over the course of their career.

He started and finished his with the Spurs, who had drafted him in 1991 and signed him ahead of the 2004-05 campaign

He averaged 3.2 points a little over 11 minutes during the regular season before seeing that second number reduced to around three in the playoffs, but it’s hard to imagine he had an issue with his playing time when you consider San Antonio beat the Pistons to get him the title that had eluded him for over two decades.

Matt Barnes: 37 Years, Three Months, And Four Days

I’d argue Matt Barnes had earned the right to chase a ring with the Warriors when you consider he was a member of the “We Believe” team that exceeded expectations during the 2006-07 season, and they had a much more formidable roster when he returned to Golden State a decade later after Kevin Durant was sideliend with a knee injury in March.

He appeared in 20 games in the regular season before being largely relegated to the bench after KD returned in time for the playoffs, but he had a front-row seat to watch the Warriors cruise to their second title in three years while losing just a single postseason game during what ended up being his final ride in the NBA.

 

Jeff Green: 36 Years, Nine Months, And 15 Days

Jeff Greene is still one team short of entering the 12-Team Club, and the only active player on this list has bounced around a lot during an NBA career that began with the SuperSonics in 2007.

He joined his 11th franchise when he signed with the Nuggets in 2021 ahead of a season where he was primarily a starter before being largely relegated to a bench role in 2022.

He didn’t make a huge mark in the stat department that year, but you don’t really need to when you’re a member of a team that largely relied on Nikola Jokic to orchestrate its victory over the Heat in the Finals.

David West: 36 Years, Nine Months, And 14 Days

We’re capping things off with David West, who was exactly one day younger than Green when he got his first (but not last) taste of an NBA title.

Matt Barnes wasn’t the only member of the Warriors who finally got over the hump during their dominant title run in 2017, as West was also a bench guy who reaped the benefits of being on a stacked team that boasted Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

Barnes may have called it quits after the win, but West stuck around and got another ring the following year.