Ranking the 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old
20. . C. Los Angeles Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 15. player
The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 15. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 1985-86 (38)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar began his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, and in six seasons with them probably completed a Hall of fame career, averaging over 30 points per game and winning three MVP awards. Then in 1975 he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and began his second Hall of Fame career as one of the greatest to ever wear the purple and gold.
Abdul-Jabbar finally completed his career in 1989, 20 seasons later, the former UCLA Bruin now the NBA’s career points leader. If just his Los Angeles Lakers’ tenure was considered he would be 31st in career scoring, just behind Allen Iverson. He scored over 10,000 points just after turning 35.
His last truly great season after the age of 35 was in 1985-86, when at 38 the prolific center put up 23.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Lakers. He was sixth in the league in field goals, 14th in blocks and seventh in points. PER placed him sixth in the league, and box plus/minus fourth. He totaled 10.8 win shares, one of the 15 best marks for a player 35 or older; he was 38.
The Showtime Lakers were a juggernaut yet again, winning 11 games more than anyone else in the Western Conference. They had the league’s best offense by over a point per 100 possessions and steamrolled their way to the Western Conference Finals. There they were upset by the twin towers of Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, denying the world another Lakers – Celtics showdown in the NBA Finals.
That was the only year in a four-year stretch that Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers did not win the title. He would play three more seasons with the Lakers, going to the NBA Finals in all three, ending a magnificent career still flicking in skyhooks and winning games.