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Ranking the 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old

By Josh Cornelissen

Utah Jazz, Karl Malone(Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
Utah Jazz, Karl Malone(Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Detlef Schrempf, Seattle SuperSonics
Detlef Schrempf, Seattle SuperSonics. MATT CAMPBELL/AFP/Getty Images /

The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 29. Detlef Schrempf, 1997-98 (35)

The Seattle SuperSonics were a strong team in the mid-1990s, winning the Western Conference in 1995-96. They won at least 55 games for six straight seasons, led by Gary Payton and his lockdown perimeter defense. Alongside him for much of that stretch were players such as Shawn Kemp, Hershey Hawkins and Detlef Schrempf.

A former Sixth Man of the Year award winner with the Indiana Pacers, Schrempf joined the SuperSonics in 1993 and started throughout their run of contention. By the 1997-98 season Schrempf, now 35, had replaced Kemp as the wingman to Payton.

The 6-10 forward developed a smooth stroke over the course of his career, and in 1997-98 hit 41.5 percent of his 3-pointers, bolstering 58.5 percent true shooting. Per-game he averaged 15.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists over 78 games. In a league filled with stars, he finished the season with 10.4 win shares, ninth-best in the league. His offensive rating of 117.7 was 10th in the league, just behind Karl Malone.

The Sonics that year won 61 games, just one back of the league-leading Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls. They beat a young Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, with Schrempf dropping 16 points and 11 rebounds in the Game 5 clincher. The Sonics then fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s second year together. Schrempf played one more year with the Sonics before signing with Portland to finish his career on another title contender.