Clippers Leap Jazz in Unique NBA History

The Los Angeles Clippers are heading into the 2025-26 NBA season with a very experienced roster.

So experienced, in fact, that they're on track to set the league record for the oldest team in NBA history.

According to Yahoo Sports, with an average age of 33.2 years old, the Clippers will overtake the 2000-01 Utah Jazz as the oldest team ever.

The 2000-01 Jazz, who had an average age of 32.0 on their roster that season, sits a whole calendar year behind the Clippers' current average age, an intriguing look into just how many veterans are on this Los Angeles unit.

On that Jazz roster, though, it was a wild cast of characters– a cast that included both a 38-year-old John Stockton entering his 16th season, and a 37-year-old Karl Malone going into his 15th season– one of the last three years the historic duo was paired together.

Feb 18, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz former players Karl Malone and John Stockton wave to the crowd during the 2023 All Star Saturday Night at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Three other veterans with over a decade tenure in the league were also on that Jazz roster, including 36-year-old Olyen Polynice, 35-year-old John Starks, and 34-year-old former number-one overall pick, Danny Manning. That core was good enough to get the Jazz to a 53-29 record on the season, yet ultimately ended up falling in the first round to the Dallas Mavericks, 3-2.

Now, the Clippers will be preparing to take the feat a step forward this coming season, looking to compete in a tough Western Conference with an experienced, older group of veterans–– headlined by a long list of big names in Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Chris Paul, Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez, and even former Jazzman John Collins.

Nov 22, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1, left) and center Ivica Zubac (40, center) and Kawhi Leonard (right) watch a game from the bench during the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Does such a group have the look of a playoff team in the West? Probably so. For an NBA title, though? That's a different conversation.

For the Jazz, such a strategy didn't prove to be successful when they tried their hand over 20 years ago, but time will tell how that goes in Los Angeles.

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