Wayback Wednesday: Oldest NBA Rookies & Their Video Game Debuts

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the oldest rookies in NBA history, and their subsequent video game debuts.

One of the interesting oddities about early iterations of MyCAREER is that you were able to set your age. This meant that if you wanted to role-play as an established pro that was finally making their way to the NBA, then you could effectively make that part of your bio. These days, your MyPLAYER avatar has a fixed age that fits their back story, that generally being a young player coming out of college. It makes sense, but considering that there have been many rookies that are new to the league but not to professional basketball, it’s a shame that such an option is no longer available.

Of course, we still see real examples of latecomers to the NBA in the official rosters, and there have been some noteworthy stories over the years. I’ll admit that since I’ve entered my 30s, I have a greater appreciation for the NBA’s oldest rookies, especially in an era where there seems to be a Logan’s Run approach to veteran players. In fact, referring to them as the “oldest rookies” feels rather strange now that I’m older than they were at the time! Between these rookies being the oldest debutants and some of the games that they were featured in, this is definitely one for the “old heads”. Let’s take a look back…way back…

Sasha Kaun

The youngest of these oldest rookies, Sasha Kaun made his NBA debut at the age of 30 years and 172 days, as seen in NBA 2K16 and NBA Live 16. Born in Russia, Kaun attended high school in Florida and played four years of college ball for the Kansas Jayhawks, with whom he won an NCAA Championship in 2008. He was then taken by Seattle with the 56th pick in the Draft, thereby earning the distinction of being the final player drafted by the SuperSonics. His rights were traded to Cleveland on Draft day, and though he only played in 25 games when he finally joined the Cavaliers – all of them in the regular season – he still got a ring after they came back from 3-1 down.

Ibrahim Kutluay

 Speaking of the SuperSonics, Ibrahim Kutluay – listed as Ibo Kutluay in his profile over on Basketball Reference – became the fourth Turkish player to play in the NBA after he signed with Seattle in 2004. He was a day older than Sasha Kaun when he made his debut at the age of 30 years and 173 days, but had a much shorter tenure, totalling just 12 minutes in five games. An outstanding three-point shooter, Kutluay had been playing professionally since 1992, but went undrafted in 1996. With his perimeter acumen, he’d undoubtedly have a place in today’s NBA. He didn’t sign in time for inclusion in the 2005 season video games, but can be found in NBA Live 06.

Milos Teodosic

A professional since 2004 who went undrafted in 2009, Milos Teodosic finally made his NBA debut with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017. At the time, he was 30 years and 213 days old, making him more than a decade older than fellow rookie point guards Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz! He started 36 of the 45 games he played in, filling a gap created by the departure of Chris Paul. Despite battling a plantar fascia injury, Milos averaged 9.5 ppg, 4.6 apg, and 2.8 rpg in 25 mpg. His NBA career didn’t last much longer as he only played 15 games in the 2019 season before being cut, but he’s still active in Italy. His video game debut came in NBA 2K18 and NBA Live 18.

Fabricio Oberto

After going pro in his native Argentina at the age of 17, Fabricio Oberto went on to play in Europe before finally debuting in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, at the age of 30 years and 225 days. There he was welcomed by fellow Argentine Manu Ginobili, who by that point had been a key player on two Spurs championship teams. Oberto played sparingly in his rookie season – represented in NBA Live 06 and NBA 2K6 – but became a starter in the 2007 season, wherein the Spurs captured their fourth title. Although he never put up big numbers and left the NBA after the 2011 season, Fabricio Oberto certainly joined the right team at the right time in his long pro career.

Arvydas Sabonis

Easily the best player on this list, Arvydas Sabonis is only appearing in the middle of it because I’m ordering these oldest rookies by their age at their debuts. Sabonis was 30 years and 319 days old when he finally joined the Portland Trail Blazers in 1995 after they drafted him in 1986 (the Hawks had selected him in 1985, but the pick was voided due to him being under 21). Age and injuries had taken their toll by the time Sabonis arrived in the NBA, but he still had a fine run. His rookie season can be seen in 1996 season releases such as NBA Live 96. That coincided with my final year at primary school, where it was customary to yell “Sabonis!” when taking a hook shot.

Antoine Rigaudeau

Before LeBron James was “The King”, Antoine Rigaudeau was “Le Roi”. He also made his NBA debut first, though while LeBron is one of the youngest rookies at 18 years and 303 days old, Rigaudeau was one of the oldest at 31 years and 33 days. Of course, like the other oldest rookies in NBA history, Rigaudeau had many years of pro basketball under his belt, debuting with his hometown club – Cholet Basket – in 1987. He signed a three year deal with the Mavericks in 2002, but saw limited minutes in 11 games. He was traded to the Warriors in 2003, released, and returned to Europe. The French legend missed the cut for the 2003 season games, but was in NBA Live 2004.

Pero Antic

Thanks to the inclusion of EuroLeague teams in NBA 2K, Pero Antic actually made his NBA video game debut before becoming one of the oldest rookies in the league. As such, in NBA 2K14, he’s a member of both the Atlanta Hawks and Olympiacos. Antic was 31 years and 93 days old when he debuted for the Hawks, and ended up starting 26 games due to Al Horford missing most of the season due to a shoulder injury. He returned to a backup role the following season, and when his contract was up in 2015, he left to play in Turkey. Although he came to the NBA late in his career, Antic was suited to the modern league, being a big who took more threes than twos.

Andre Ingram

What makes Andre Ingram stand out on this list of the oldest NBA rookies is that he’s the only American. Everyone else is foreign-born, while Sasha Kaun is the only other player who played college ball in the US. Ingram grabbed everyone’s attention when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers for two games at the end of the 2018 season, as his 19 points were the most by a Laker in their rookie debut since Nick Van Exel’s 23 in 1993. He was 32 years and 143 days old in that game, finally making it to the big time after a lengthy career in the D-League/G League, where he’s the third all-time leading scorer. After his debut, roster updates added him to NBA 2K18 and NBA Live 18.

Marcelo Huertas

Two years before the Lakers gave Andre Ingram a chance to play in the NBA, they brought in another “veteran rookie” in Brazilian point guard Marcelo Huertas. It wasn’t Huertas’ first time playing basketball in the United States, as he’d attended Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas. Rather than joining the college ranks, he returned to Brazil in 2001 to play professionally, and then played in Europe from 2004 through to 2015. Huertas signed with the Lakers in September that year, and at the age of 32 years, 156 days, became a teammate of fellow tricenarian Kobe Bryant in his final year. He also made his video game debut in NBA Live 16 and NBA 2K16.

Pablo Prigioni

Not only is Pablo Prigoni the oldest of the oldest rookies, making his NBA debut at the age of 35 years and 169 days, but his 270 games over four seasons is third among NBA latecomers, behind only Fabricio Oberto (336) and Arvydas Sabonis (470). On the virtual hardwood, he also made an early cameo in NBA Live 08, as a member of the Argentine national team that was included along with seven other FIBA squads. Prigioni’s Knicks debut was seen in NBA 2K13, and in two and a half seasons in New York, he proved to be a reliable shooter and crafty playmaker. He spent his final year backing up Chris Paul on the Clippers, before retiring to become a coach in 2017.

The fact that players in their early to mid 30s can still debut in the NBA and have an impact should stand as proof that basketball isn’t all about freakish athleticism, and that the “evolved athletes” claim is utter rubbish. It’s easy to look at anyone over 30, or even 25, and think of them as being ancient. Trust me; I was young once, too! Now that I’m older, I have even more respect for players who made it to the NBA later in their careers, and still had their moments despite all that wear and tear. They may not be long-term solutions in real life, or in a franchise mode, but don’t count out those veterans. The oldest NBA rookies have still been able to hang with the young guns.

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