HoopsHype staff, USA TODAY Sports
Sun, June 14, 2026 at 7:00 PM UTC
Oftentimes, NBA teams with championship expectations litter their rotations and starting lineups with veteran pieces who have playoff experience, as those are the types of players who know what it takes to succeed in the postseason.
There are, of course, exceptions to that rule.
Some young players in the Association figure things out quickly and manage to play some of their best basketball when the stakes get higher come playoff time.
Below, we present the youngest players in league history to win an NBA title. Some had more focal roles than others, but even so, an impressive accomplishment for the following guys.
1. Darko Milicic, Detroit
Age: 18 years and 361 days (2004)
2. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State3. Talen Horton-Tucker, LA Lakers
Age: 19 years and 321 days (2020)
4. Moses Moody, Golden State
Age: 20 years and 16 days (2022)
5. Magic Johnson, LA Lakers
Age: 20 years and 276 days (1980)
6. Pacome Dadiet, New York7. Tony Parker, San Antonio
Age: 21 years and 29 days (2003)
8. Mohamed Diawara, New York
Age: 21 years and 45 days (2026)
9. James Wiseman, Golden State
Age: 21 years and 77 days (2022)
10. Vern Mikkelsen, Minneapolis Lakers
Age: 21 years and 184 days (1950)
11. Johnny Davis, Portland
Age: 21 years and 277 days (1977)
12. Andrew Bynum, LA Lakers
Age: 21 years and 230 days (2009)
12. Patrick McCaw, Golden State
Age: 21 years and 230 days (2017)
14. Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers
Age: 21 years and 301 days (2000)
15. Rick Weitzman, Boston
Age: 22 years and two days (1968)
16. Carl Meinhold, Baltimore
Age: 22 years and 23 days (1948)
16. Jamaal Wilkes, Golden State
Age: 22 years and 23 days (1975)
18. Phil Walker, Washington
Age: 22 years and 79 days (1978)
19. Rajon Rondo, Boston
Age: 22 years and 116 days (2008)
20. Jim Tucker, Syracuse
Age: 22 years and 120 days (1955)
21. Kevon Looney, Golden State
Age: 22 years and 122 days (2018)
22. Gary Phillips, Boston
Age: 22 years and 132 days (1962)
23. Tom Sanders, Boston
Age: 22 years and 154 days (1961)
24. James Michael McAdoo, Golden State
Age: 22 years and 163 days (2015)
25. Glen Davis, Boston
Age: 22 years and 168 days (2008)
26. Jordan Farmar, LA Lakers
Age: 22 years and 196 days (2009)
27. Jim Holstein, Minneapolis
Age: 22 years and 198 days (1953)
28. Gene Guarilia, Boston
Age: 22 years and 209 days (1960)
29. Tom Heinsohn, Boston
Age: 22 years and 230 days (1957)
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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The youngest players to win an NBA title