NBA All-Time Youngest Players

A complete list of the youngest players to ever play in the NBA.

Top 10 NBA Youngest Players All-Time

Rank	Player	Age on NBA Debut	Years Active
1	Andrew Bynum	18 years, six days	2005-2014
2	Jermaine O'Neal	18 years, 53 days	1996-2014
3	Kobe Bryant	18 years, 72 days	1996-2016
4	Darko Milicic	18 years, 133 days	2003-2013
5	Stan Brown	18 years, 139 days	1947-1952
6	Bill Willoughby	18 years, 156 days	1975-1984
7	Tracy McGrady	18 years, 160 days	1997-2012
8	Yaroslav Korolev	18 years, 181 days	2005-2007
9	Andris Biedrins	18 years, 217 days	2004-2014
10	CJ Miles	18 years, 241 days	2005-2022

Top 5 Youngest Players All-Time: Stats and History

Andrew Bynum

An old-school center known who could get his team 20 points and 10 boards on any given night, Bynum was a quality player for the Los Angeles Lakers before he picked up chronic knee issues after LA dealt him to the Philadelphia 76ers.

He only played 26 games after that injury and never appeared in an NBA regular season or playoff game for the Sixers, who were thrilled to acquire him before his injury. Bynum averaged 11.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game for his career.

Jermaine O'Neal

A true bruiser in the paint, O'Neal was drafted in 1996 which gave him enough time to establish himself as a bona fide starter in the league well before the emphasis on three-point shots exploded and that led to him having a great 18-year NBA career.

Having played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors, O'Neal turned into a journeyman after he turned 30. Before then, he made six-straight All Star games as a Pacer and also won Most Improved Player in 2001/02.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant, like most players on this list, entered the league directly from high school. It took him two seasons to become a starter for the Los Angeles Lakers, and once that happened, he missed only one All Star game, won two scoring titles, two Finals MVP awards, one regular season MVP award, and five NBA Championship rings.

Simply put, Kobe - who tragically died in 2020 - was one of the best to ever step foot on a court.

Darko Milicic

Despite sticking around the NBA for 10 seasons, Darko Milicic is regarded as one of the biggest draft busts of all time because he was picked ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Milicic, who entered the NBA after coming to the United States from Serbia, got a championship ring with the Detroit Pistons in his rookie year but only appeared in eight games during the playoff run, averaging 1.8 minutes per game.

Stan Brown

Stan Brown was still in high school when he started playing professional basketball in the American Basketball League in 1946. In 1949, he joined the Philadelphia Warriors of the Basketball Association of America, which rebranded to the National Basketball Association later that year.

Brown only played in 34 BAA/NBA games, averaging 3.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game.

Who is the youngest current NBA player?

Born on August 14, 2004, James Nnaji is the youngest NBA player entering the 2023/24 season.

Nnaji was drafted 31st-overall in 2023 by the Detroit Pistons from Spanish team Barcelona. Since the draft, he was traded to the Boston Celtics, who then traded him to the Charlotte Hornets.

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