The NBA is faster than it’s ever been. Defensive responsibilities are broader. Spacing punishes slow feet. The league’s average player is younger, more athletic, and better prepared than any generation before it. And yet, as we approach 2026, some of the league’s most recognizable stars — players drafted well over a decade ago, even two — are still shaping outcomes.
This series began nearly four years ago as a simple question: Was the NBA experiencing a historically rare aging cycle, where the league stars were older than at any point other than a much slower version in the mid-to-late 1990s and certainly more than anything we’d seen this century? Or was it merely a temporary overlap before Father Time reasserted control?
Now, with multiple seasons of data, injuries, adaptations, and drop-offs behind us, the answer is no longer theoretical.
The era was real. The longevity was earned. But the ending was never going to be shared equally and it will come for all eventually and has already for some.
A Reminder: Why the 1990s Were the Only True Precedent
The last time the league looked like this, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone were trading MVPs at 35, while John Stockton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing filled All-NBA ballots deep into their 30s.
That era made structural sense. The pace was slower. The three-point line was an accessory, not a weapon. Defensive schemes didn’t demand constant coverage in space. Strength and experience could substitute for speed.
Today’s league offers no such protection.
Pace has climbed into the high 90s. Offensive efficiency is built on movement, shooting gravity, and processing speed. Older players don’t get hidden on players playing ground and pound backing them down— they get hunted.
And yet, for most of the past half-decade, most of league’s most impactful players were still in their 30s in a way it wasn’t a decade earlier.
What This Series Has Always Been Tracking
This was never about sentimentality or ceremonial All-Star appearances. The question wasn’t whether aging stars could hang around. It was whether their games could still scale — whether elite skills could survive in a league designed to expose decline.
As we approach 2026, the league has entered the sorting phase.
Some skills proved timeless. Some merely delayed the inevitable.
The Still Untouched: Players Who Remain Offensive or Strategic Engines
These are not survivors. They are still drivers of winning.
Stephen Curry — Age 37, Golden State
Player
PER
Age
G
MP/G
TRB
AST
PTS
TS%
Stephen Curry
24.5
37
18
31.3
3.7
3.9
29.6
.655
Curry’s longevity is not about conditioning. It’s about geometry. Shooting gravity that bends defenses before the ball even crosses half court has proven to be the most age-resistant skill in basketball. He doesn’t need separation — he creates panic. That still works.
Durant no longer overwhelms defenses with volume alone. Instead, he has become ruthlessly efficient. Length, touch, and shot versatility age better than burst, and Durant has quietly shifted from force to inevitability.
We’ve recently talked in depth about LeBron here. It’s a little bit of a rough start, but the Lakers are winning and we still believe this is more rounding in to form small sample stuff. It’s still respectable production regardless.
Player
PER
Age
G
MP/G
TRB
AST
PTS
TS%
LeBron James
16.3
41
9
33.8
5.7
7.2
17.6
.539
There is no historical comp here. LeBron is no longer overpowering games physically — he’s managing them. His value now lives in decision-making, positioning, and orchestration. At this age, usefulness would be unprecedented. This is still influence.
Harden’s burst has faded, but his command of pace has not. Passing, foul pressure, and manipulation of defenders age far better than explosiveness. You can forget about any defense however.
Butler’s game still works because it was never reliant on speed. Physicality, anticipation, and timing are still there — but night-to-night dominance is no longer guaranteed.
No player in this era better illustrates how aging is not just about how long you last, but how you were built to play.
Player
PER
Age
G
MP/G
TRB
AST
PTS
TS%
Russell Westbrook
15.6
37
26
28.7
6.8
7.3
13.8
.528
Russell Westbrook’s prime was defined by traits that historically age the worst: relentless rim pressure, downhill force, and constant physical advantage. His game was never about leverage or deception. It was about overwhelming opponents possession after possession.
That makes his presence in this cohort — still playing meaningful minutes at 37 — remarkable in its own right.
George has actually been pretty solid this season. Playing more power forward likely has allowed him to be more effective on offense.
Player
PER
Age
G
MP/G
TRB
AST
PTS
TS%
Paul George
19.5
35
10
26.2
5.0
3.3
17.1
.590
Paul George’s aging curve has been less dramatic than many of his peers — and that’s precisely the point. His game was never built on one overwhelming trait. It was built on balance: shooting, length, defensive versatility, and secondary creation. Those skills tend to age well. What’s changed is not effectiveness, but ceiling.
Green was 3rd in Defensive POY voting just last year, but it’s been a noticeable drop off in efficiency. Hard to be a zero on offense in this version of the NBA.
There are others, but these are the players most still had some expectations for.
Why This Generation Lasted Longer Than Any Since the 1990s
The throughline is not toughness or durability — it’s skill density.
This generation:
Learned how to manage their bodies
Developed off-ball value early
Adapted roles and resting instead of resisting them
Won with processing speed and skills rather than only athletic dominance
Players who relied only on athletic burst faded first. Players who relied on leverage, shooting, IQ, and anticipation are still standing.
Where This Leaves the NBA Heading Toward 2026
The league is younger again. The rotational middle class is full of 22-to-26-year-olds who switch, shoot, and run. Athleticism is abundant.
What we’re watching now is the narrowing phase of one of the greatest generational runs the sport has ever seen. Not a collapse — a filtration. Only a few of relevance will remain in a couple of years when this era finally ends.
Father Time always wins.
He’s just never been forced to wait this long by this many players. Stay Tuned.
Here are all the players in their age 34+seasons. Kyrie Irving will be 34 in march and is coming off injury but doesn’t make this cut, barely just by a few days. Rudy Gobert is just behind in June. Anthony Davis isn’t beyond that.
