NBA Superstars at 35 Years Old: LeBron James, Michael Jordan Champion NBA Finals, Larry Bird 45 Video Games Wilt Chamberlain 13.6 PPG, Shaq O’Neal 14.8 PPG

NBA Superstars at 35 Years Old: LeBron James, Michael Jordan Champion NBA Finals, Larry Bird 45 Video Games Wilt Chamberlain 13.6 PPG, Shaq O’Neal 14.8 PPG.

Not many players are able to dominate and perform at the highest level once they reach an advanced age. It’s just normal, it’s how it’s supposed to be, as even if the athletes take elite care of their bodies, father time will eventually catch up to them.

Just a handful of players are able to make an NBA roster at age 35, let alone start or be productive. Durability is often taken for granted but when you look back in time, there aren’t many players that have been able to stay on the court for that long.

One of the many reasons Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were so outstanding is that they could be considered exceptions to the norm. We’ll examine the performances of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Larry Bird, and Wilt Chamberlain during their age-35 seasons to put it all in perspective.

Wilt Chamberlain

Some people believe Wilt Chamberlain to be the best athlete in NBA history. After finishing his basketball career, he pursued a career in volleyball and became a Hall of Famer. He also mastered parkour.

But by thirty-five, he was no longer nearly the same player. In actuality, Wilt the Stilt averaged a career-low 14.8 points per game at the time, but he did pull down 19.2 rebounds per game. He would retire after just a single year.

Shaquille O’Neal