NBA star P.J. Tucker turns 39 in 2024, and the power forward is still going strong with the Los Angeles Clippers. Tucker was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 2006 after an impressive college career at the University of Texas at Austin. He was named Big 12 Player of the Year his junior year. But Toronto eventually waived him, and he went on to play in Israel and for several European teams before eventually coming back to the NBA in 2012 to play for the Phoenix Suns.
Tucker grew up in Germany where his father was in the United States Army. When he's not playing basketball, he's a father of three who is very focused on fashion. He also considers himself one of the biggest sneakerheads in the NBA due to his unique and expansive collection of shoes.
Is Joe Flacco the next Brady? It's possible. The NFL quarterback, who turned 39 in January of this year, took the call in 2023 when the Cleveland Browns needed a quarterback due to Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury, and the results were impressive. Flacco led the team to a 4-1 record for the last five games of the regular season and took the team to the playoffs.
But it should come as no surprise to those who have followed Flacco's career. A first-round draft pick in 2008, Flacco spent most of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. Not only did he lead the team to a Super Bowl win at the end of the 2012 season, but he was the game's MVP. The quarterback has also set several NFL records.
Flacco is a father of five — four sons and a daughter — and you might say sports is a family affair. Two of his brothers played collegiate or professional football, and one was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2009.
While the NFL has — or had Brady — the NBA has LeBron James. Often labeled the greatest of all time in basketball (a label usually reserved for Michael Jordan), LeBron turns 40 in 2024. James was the first pick in the first round of the NBA Draft in 2003, and he's been in the league for over two decades since, playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers.
During that time, he's played in 20 NBA All-Star games, won four NBA MVP awards, and played on four NBA Championship-winning teams. He also played on Team USA during three different Olympic Games, winning two gold medals and one bronze.
James is known for being outspoken about politics and social issues and, thanks to endorsements from companies like Coca-Cola, Kia, Beats By Dre, Dunkin', Nike, State Farm, and McDonald's, he's often ranked as one of the richest athletes in the world. He's appeared in several movies and on several TV shows and has even hosted The ESPYs and Saturday Night Live. James has three children, including Bronny, who plays college basketball for the University of Southern California Trojans.
It's not that unusual for an NFL kicker to play the game for a long time. NFL Hall of Famers George Blanda, Morten Andersen, and Adam Vinatieri kicked in the league past the age of 45. It looks like Arizona Cardinals star Matt Prater may follow suit. Prater, who turns 40 this year, was a kicker for the University of Central Florida Golden Knights in the early 2000s, but he didn't get drafted into the NFL.
But in 2007, he landed himself a spot on the Denver Broncos' team and spent several seasons in Colorado. He went on to kick for the Detroit Lions for six more seasons before signing with the Cardinals in 2021.
Prater has been selected for the Pro Bowl twice, and he holds several NFL records, including the most field goals of 50 or more yards ever made and most extra points scored in a season. The kicker and his wife have three children and own a salon they opened in 2021. Prater plans to play with the Cardinals for at least another year in 2024.
NHL star Joe Pavelski will also turn 40 in 2024, and the Wisconsin native is still going strong. He played collegiate and amateur hockey before starting his pro career with the San Jose Sharks in 2006. He was with the team until 2019 and is largely considered one of the best and most beloved players to ever wear a Sharks uniform. Today, Pavelski plays center and right wing for the Dallas Stars. He's also an alternate co-captain for the team, and he played on Team USA in 2010, helping the team earn a silver medal.
Pavelski and his wife have one son. He's the co-owner of the Janesville Jets North American Hockey League team. According to his parents, he was obsessed with sports as a child.
Kickers and quarterbacks are playing in the NFL into their 40s, but a tight end? Seems unheard of, right? Don't tell that to Marcedes Lewis who will turn 40 this year. The former UCLA standout was a 2006 first-round pick in the NFL Draft, and he is currently the only member of his draft class still playing in the league. Lewis was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars and played with them until 2017.
He went on to spend a few seasons with the Green Bay Packers and, in 2023, he signed with the Chicago Bears. After the 2023 season, he became a free agent and said he plans to find a team to sign with in 2024 because he's not ready to give up the game just yet.
Lewis was an All-American in college, and he played in one Pro Bowl in 2010. When he's not playing football, he's helping the youth of Long Beach, California, improve both their athletic and academic performances.
Many people thought outspoken quarterback Aaron Rogers would retire after the 2022 season, but he surprised fans and came back to the NFL for at least one more season in 2023. The catch? He left his longtime home at Lambeau Field with the Packers and headed for the New York Jets.
It was one of the biggest seasons of the off-season. Rodgers, who turned 40 in 2023, was going to have a second act in the NFL, much like Brady did when he went to play for Tampa Bay after a long and storied career in New England. But four plays into the first game of the first season, Rodgers ruptured his left Achilles tendon.
Rodgers is as well-known off the field as he is on, thanks to his unique views on politics and social issues and the stream of famous women he's dated over the years. He's also a major proponent of alternative medicine. Rodgers is a huge fan of the game show "Jeopardy," and he hosted the show as a guest host. He's also appeared on "Celebrity Jeopardy" and "The Office."
NHL defenseman Mark Giordano turned 40 in October 2023, but he didn't let that stop him from continuing his storied hockey career. The Toronto native played both hockey and baseball as a child, but hockey eventually won, and he went on to play with the Calgary Flames for 15 seasons, including eight seasons as the team captain. Giordano was undrafted, but he's become a standout player and leader in the NHL. He currently plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Not only is Giordano a leader on the ice, but he's a role model off the ice as well. He's very active with the nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity, and he's donated items like computers and sports equipment to Canadian schools in need. After the 2016-2016 NHL season, Giordano earned the ESPN Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award.
Dominican-American second baseman Robinson Canó made his MLB debut for the New York Yankees in May 2005, and he's still playing professional baseball. Canó last played for the Atlanta Braves in 2022, but he currently plays for the Dubai Wolves of the Baseball United league. He turned 41 in October 2023. Canó played in eight MLB All-Star Games and is a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He's also earned two Gold Glove Awards. In 2009, he was on the Yankees' World Series-winning team.
Baseball is in Canó's blood. His father signed with the New York Yankees in 1980 and went on to play for the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros. He named his son Robinson after baseball great Jackie Robinson. Canó was born in the Dominican Republic but is a naturalized American citizen. He has one son who currently lives in the Dominican Republic.
Many people think Aaron Rogers is currently the oldest player in the NFL but, as of 2024, it's Jason Peters. The offensive tackle played college football for Arkansas from 2000 until 2023 and, while he wasn't drafted into the NFL, he signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2004.
Two decades later, he's spent time playing for the Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Bears, Dallas Cowboys, and now, the Seattle Seahawks. He's been selected for nine Pro Bowls, and he was a part of the Eagles' winning Super Bowl team after the 2017 season.
When Brady retired after the 2022 season, Peters officially became the oldest active player in the NFL. Despite being 6 foot 4 inches and weighing 328 pounds, Peters is known for being an athletic defensive player, even at age 41.
Serena Williams may have retired from tennis in 2022, but her big sister, Venus, is still involved with the sport. Despite turning 43 in the summer of 2023, Williams competed in several matches. Injuries have prevented her from playing well, but that hasn't stopped her from announcing that she plans to return in 2024.
According to the superstar, she'll spend the winter rehabbing her knee and plans to play in tournaments in Miami and Indian Wells, California in March.
Williams has won 49 career titles and was ranked the top tennis player in the world in 2002. She has won Wimbledon five times and the U.S. Open twice. She has also won several doubles Grand Slam tournaments. Williams has played in several Olympic Games, earning four gold medals in 2000, 2008, and 2012.
Rich Hill, turned 43 in 2023, but he didn't let it stop him from playing in the MLB. Hill played collegiate baseball at the University of Michigan and was drafted by the Anaheim Angels in 2001, but he opted out and went back to school. In 2002, the Chicago Cubs drafted him, and his baseball career was set.
Throughout his career, the pitcher, who is known for his curveball, has played for 15 teams. Most recently, he was signed with the San Diego Padres.
His plans for 2024? Hill said on a podcast in January that he plans to return to the MLB, possibly playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, but it will be later in the season. He wants to wait because it's his son's last year in Little League, and he wants to focus on that.
Kelly Slater may not play for the MLB, NFL, NHL, or NBA, but the pro surfer is arguably as athletic and he's still competing in surfing competitions at the age of 52. He's currently the oldest surfer in the World Surf League. Throughout his career, he's won 56 Championship Tour victories and has set and broken numerous records. Many regard him as the greatest surfer of all time. When he's not surfing, he's playing golf or practicing jiu-jitsu.
Slater is also something of a pop culture icon. He's dated numerous famous women, ranging from Cameron Diaz to Pamela Anderson, and he has appeared in numerous movies and on multiple TV shows.
Miura Kazuyoshi, aka King Kazu, turns 57 in 2024, and the Japanese soccer star doesn't show any signs of giving up the sport anytime soon. He's the oldest professional soccer player in the history of the sport as well as the oldest player to score in a professional match. He currently plays forward for the Portuguese team U.D. Oliveirense.
Kazuyoshi got his start in 1986 and has played on 16 different teams. In 1992, he won a gold medal for Japan in the AFC Asian Cup. The soccer star is married to actress and model Risako Shitara and has two children.
Australian equestrian Mary Hanna has appeared in six different Olympic Games, and she's hoping to make it seven if she qualifies for the 2024 Games in Paris. She plans to do it at the age of 69, making her one of the oldest active athletes in the world. When she was just 61, she was declared the oldest Australian athlete ever to compete at the Olympics.
Hanna specializes in the discipline of dressage. She has participated in the Dressage Individual, Dressage Team, and Individual - Open events.
