Youngest NBA Player Ever: Ranking Top 10 in the League

Throughout NBA history, there have been varying rules in place as to when a player was deemed eligible to enter the league. With the current rules in place, no players since 2006 have been able to challenge the 10 youngest NBA players in history. From the league’s inception in 1946 until the Haywood v. National Basketball Association Supreme Court ruling in 1971, players were required to be four years removed from high school before entering the NBA.

The current rules were established in 2006 and have held over multiple iterations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players’ Association. The ruling states that all drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the Draft and that any player who is not designated as an international player must be at least one year removed from the graduation of their high school class.

10 Youngest NBA Players of All Time

Before 2006, basketball prospects were allowed to enter the NBA straight out of high school. Quite a few NBA legends took this route to the league, including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tracy McGrady. In 2006, the NBA shut down the prep-to-pros pipeline, with the collective bargaining agreement stating that players must be at least 19 years old to be draft-eligible.

Before the NBA’s age limit took effect, who were the youngest players in the league? Here’s a closer look at 10 of the youngest players to make their mark in the league.

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#10. C.J. Miles – 18 years, 241 days

C.J. Miles was selected 34th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2005 NBA draft and went on to carve out a solid 16-year career. Miles made his debut on November 14, 2005, against the Knicks. He played for seven different teams from 2005-22. Miles struggled with playing time over his first two seasons in the NBA, playing just 60 games. In his third season, the Jazz played him in 60 games, where he averaged 5.0 points and 1.3 assists per game. After spending his first seven seasons in Utah, he played his next two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2015 Miles in Indiana posted a career-best 13.5 ppg, he then signed with Toronto, where he spent a season and a half before being traded to Memphis. However he his career with stops in Washington and Boston. Miles Retired in 2022 after playing just one game with the Celtics.

Despite not being the best player for any of the franchises he played for, he was still able to carve out a solid 16-year career in the NBA. Over his entire career, he averaged 9.6 points and 2.4 rebounds over 849 games.

Stat Category	Rookie	Career
G	23	849
PPG	3.4	9.6
RPG	1.7	2.4
APG	0.7	1.1
BPG	0.1	0.3
FG%	36.8%	41.1%

#9. Andris Biedrins – 18 years, 217 days

Andris Biedrins began his professional career overseas at 16 years old. In 2004, the Latvian was selected 11th overall by the Golden State Warriors. Biedrins made his NBA debut on Nov. 5, 2004, when the Warriors faced the Jazz. Biedrins played nine of his 10 years in the NBA with the Warriors before spending his final season with the Utah Jazz. During the 2008-09 season, he averaged career highs of 11.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg and 1.5 bpg.

Biedrins battled injuries and inconsistent play in the seasons that followed in Golden State, and he was eventually traded to Utah, where he only played six games in 2013-14 to end his career. In 516 career games, Biedrins averaged 6.3 ppg, 7.0 RPG, and 1.1 bpg in 21.6 mpg.

Stat Category	Rookie	Career
G	30	516
PPG	3.6	6.3
RPG	3.9	7.0
APG	0.4	0.9
BPG	1.1	1.1
FG%	57.7%	59.4%

#8. Yaroslav Korolev – 18 years, 181 days

Yaroslav Korolev began his professional career in Russia at 16 years old before being drafted by the Clippers. The Clippers selected Yaroslav Korolev 12th overall in the 2005 draft. The 6-foot-10 power forward made his NBA debut on Nov. 4, 2005, when the Clippers faced the Hawks. As a rookie, he averaged just 1.1 points in 5.3 minutes across 24 games.

Korolev played just two seasons in the NBA, averaging 1.1 points and 0.5 rebounds in 34 games with the Clippers. After his second season in 2005-06, he returned to Russia, where he played professionally until 2016, never returning to the NBA.

Stat Category	Rookie	Career
G	24	34
PPG	1.1	1.1
RPG	0.5	0.5
APG	0.4	0.4
BPG	–	–
FG%	30.0%	28.3%

#7. Tracy McGrady – 18 years, 160 days

Selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 1997 NBA Draft out of Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, N.C., McGrady enjoyed a Hall of Fame career despite being plagued by injuries in his prime. McGrady made his NBA debut on Oct. 31, 1997, coming off the bench for the Raptors, which he did for much of his three seasons in Toronto. In his third season with the franchise, he finished fifth in Most Improved Player voting and third in Sixth Man of the Year voting after averaging 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists over 79 games. McGrady then signed with Orlando as a free agent and after four years in Orlando, he was traded to Houston.

Furthermore, with the Houstons he had the signature moment of his career, scoring 13 points in the final 33 seconds of a comeback win over San Antonio. After Houston, McGrady bounced to the Knicks, Pistons, Hawks, and Spurs to end his career. One of the most gifted offensive players ever, McGrady was a seven-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA selection and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2017.

Stat Category	Rookie	Career
G	64	938
PPG	7.0	19.6
RPG	4.2	5.6
APG	1.5	4.4
BPG	1.0	0.9
FG%	45.0%	43.5%

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#6. Bill Willoughby – 18 years, 156 days

Bill Willoughby was selected 19th by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1975 NBA Draft out of Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, N.J., Willoughby was one of two players along with Dawkins (No. 5 overall) — to be drafted out directly out of high school following the ruling in the Haywood case. Willoughby made his NBA debut on Oct. 23, 1975, against the New Orleans Jazz. In his rookie season, he averaged just 4.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 62 games. He went on to play in the NBA for eight years and suited up for the Hawks, Buffalo Braves, now the Los Angeles Clippers, Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, now the Brooklyn Nets, and the San Antonio Spurs.

Willoughby was an exceptional athlete with a 47-inch vertical leap and he was one of the few players to ever block Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s signature skyhook. In 488 career games, he averaged 6.0 ppg and 3.9 rpg in 17.7 mpg.

Stat Category	Rookie	Career
G	62	488
PPG	4.7	6.0
RPG	4.6	3.9
APG	0.5	0.8
BPG	0.5	0.6
FG%	39.8%	47.3%

#5. Stan Brown – 18 years, 139 days

Stan Brown made his professional basketball debut as a junior in high school after being signed by the Philadelphia Sphas in 1946-47. The Sphas were part of both the Eastern Basketball League and the American Basketball League (ABL). After one season with the Sphas, Brown was signed by the Philadelphia Warriors, where he began his short NBA career. Brown’s rookie season came in 1947-48 when he played just 19 games. After the season, he returned to play in the ABL before rejoining the Warriors in 1951-52.

Stan Brown played just two seasons in the NBA, both with the Warriors. Brown played in 34 games, averaging 3.1 points and 1.1 assists. Although he did not have a successful NBA career, he was the record holder for the youngest player in NBA history for nearly 50 years.

Stat Category	Rookie	Career
G	19	34
PPG	2.6	3.1
RPG	–	1.1
APG	0.1	0.3
BPG	–	–
FG%	26.8%	30.6%

#4. Darko Milicic – 18 years, 133 days

Darko Milicic was selected second overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2003 NBA Draft, the Serbian native Milicic was seen as a prospect with incredible potential. However, he was unable to achieve the level of success other top players in his stacked Draft class enjoyed. Milicic made his NBA debut on Oct. 31, 2003 vs. the Miami Heat. He does hold the distinction as the youngest player to appear in an NBA Finals game (18 years, 356 days) and the youngest player to win an NBA title (18 years, 360 days).

Milicic struggled his rookie season, averaging just 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds while shooting 26.2% from the field over 4.7 minutes per game. His struggles continued throughout his three seasons in Detroit, averaging more than 10 minutes per game just once. In 2006, he was traded to the Orlando Magic, where his numbers would slightly improve. Over the rest of his 10-year career, Milicic would play for the Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, and Minnesota Timberwolves before retiring in 2013 after his lone season as a Boston Celtic. In 468 career games, Milicic averaged 6.0 ppg, 4.2 RPG, and 1.3 bpg in 18.5 mpg.

Stat Category	Rookie	Career
G	34	468
PPG	1.4	6.0
RPG	1.3	4.2
APG	0.2	0.9
BPG	0.4	1.3
FG%	26.2%	46.0%

#3. Kobe Bryant – 18 years, 72 days

Kobe Bryant was selected No. 13 overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 draft but was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac. Bryant was the first guard to be drafted out of high school. The 6-foot-6 guard made his NBA debut on Nov. 3, 1996, against the Timberwolves, and made his first NBA start on Jan. 28, 1997, becoming the youngest player to start an NBA game at 18 years, 158 days old — a record he still holds t As a rookie, he averaged 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.5 minutes across 71 games. In his sophomore season, his averages increased to 15.4 points and 3.1 rebounds, earning him his first All-Star selection. Bryant and James are the most successful prep-to-pro players of all time. Bryant eventually became a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, four-time NBA MVP, and 18-time All-Star after jumping to the league out of Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania.

He is the only player in league history to have two different numbers retired by a single team as his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys hang in the Crypto.com Arena rafters. Bryant is the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history with 33,643 career points as he averaged 25 ppg over 1,346 career games.

Stat Category	Rookie	Career
G	71	1346
PPG	7.6	25.0
RPG	1.9	5.2
APG	1.3	4.7
BPG	0.3	0.4
FG%	41.7%	44.7%

#2. Jermaine O’Neal – 18 years, 53 days

O’Neal was 17 when he got selected No. 17 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1996. By the time he made his NBA debut, he was 18 years and 53 days old. The 6-foot-11 big man made his NBA debut on Dec. 5, 1996, against the Nuggets. As a rookie, he appeared in 45 games, averaging 4.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 10.2 minutes. After four years in Portland, O’Neal was traded to the Indiana Pacers, where his career took off. After getting traded to the Indiana Pacers, he became a starter and increased his averages to 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. The following season, at 23, he became a first-time All-Star and won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award after averaging 19 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. ​

Following the 2007-08 season, O’Neal was traded to the Toronto Raptors and closed his career with stops in Miami, Boston, Phoenix, and Golden State before retiring in 2014. In 1,011 career games, O’Neal averaged 13.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 1.8 bpg.

Stat Category	Rookie	Career
G	45	1,011
PPG	4.1	13.2
RPG	2.8	7.2
APG	0.2	1.4
BPG	0.6	1.4
FG%	45.1%	46.7%

#1. Andrew Bynum – 18 years, 6 days

Andrew Bynum was selected No. 10 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2005 NBA Draft out of St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, N.J., Bynum is the youngest player to ever appear in an NBA game. The 7-foot-1 center made his NBA debut on Nov. 2, 2005, against the Denver Nuggets, just six days after his 18th birthday.

Bynum struggled his rookie season, playing just 7.3 minutes per game and averaging 1.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest. Even though Bynum faced some struggles, he went on to have a successful 8 year career with the Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers. He helped the Lakers win back-to-back titles in 2008-09 and 2009-10 alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. In 2011-12, he was named an All-Star and was an All-NBA selection for the only time in his career.

Bynum was never being the best player for any of the three franchises he played for but he was an important part of the Lakers’ championship runs. In 418 career games, Bynum averaged 11.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.

Stat Category	Rookie	Career
G	46	418
PPG	1.6	11.5
RPG	1.7	7.7
APG	0.2	1.2
BPG	0.5	1.6
FG%	40.2%	55.6%

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