Ranking the Top 19 teenagers in NBA history

Fewer than 200 people in history have appeared in an NBA game as a teenager. And an even smaller – and more elite – group has performed well in the NBA prior to turning 20 years old. In fact, to this day, only one player in NBA history has achieved All-Star honors in their age-19 season or younger. (You might know who that is but as a hint: He wore purple and gold his entire time in the NBA.)

Today, we are going to take a look at the 19 best teenagers in NBA history, a list featuring some of the biggest names the league has ever seen and a few other names who unfortunately wound up disappointing after hot starts to their careers.

19. Chris Bosh

Stats: 11.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 45.7 FG% in 63 games

After being selected fourth overall in the vaunted 2003 NBA draft, Chris Bosh posted a promising rookie campaign for the Toronto Raptors in what was his age-19 season. That year, he earned a starting job for Toronto before December even arrived, except he did so at center despite being a more natural power forward.

Nonetheless, a slender, out-of-position Bosh in 2003-04 acquitted himself nicely, earning 1st Team All-Rookie honors and proving why the Raptors used such a valued draft pick to acquire him. Bosh's contributions helped Toronto make a nine-win improvement in his rookie season, up to 33 victories from 24 the year prior to the big man's arrival.

Bosh would go on to win two championships in his career (neither with the Raptors, though) before blood-clotting issues ended his career prematurely in 2015-16.

18. Cliff Robinson

Stats: 13.0 ppg, 69.2 FT% in 62 games

His resume may not be littered with accolades despite being a career 17.2-point-per-game scorer, but Cliff Robinson – not to be confused with Clifford Robinson, the one-time Sixth Man of the Year and All-Star who came around about a decade after Cliff – was of a rare breed for his time, leaving college after just two years at USC to join the professional ranks of the NBA, where he was drafted 11th overall in 1979 by the then-New Jersey Nets.

Robinson would make an immediate impact as a rookie (not an easy feat to accomplish back then for a player who didn't spend four years in college), averaging 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds, albeit for a pretty weak Nets team in 1979-80 that won just 34 games.

What's more, to this day, Robinson still owns the record for most points scored in a game by a teenager with 45. The Memphis Grizzlies' GG Jackson came awfully close to breaking that record last season when he scored 44 against the Denver Nuggets.

17. Tracy McGrady

Stats: 8.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 44.3 FG% in 113 games

Tracy McGrady's raw statistics during his two seasons in the NBA as a teenager may not look all that impressive, but it must be noted that the advanced metrics loved him, as, according to Box Plus/Minus (BPM) on Basketball-Reference, McGrady actually ranks Top 5 in BPM for a player in their age-19 season or younger.

That probably has to do with the fact that McGrady made a big impact in his short stints, averaging just north of 20 minutes nightly over his first two campaigns. Per 36 minutes, the Hall-of-Fame small forward averaged 14.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.0 blocks as a teenager, ridiculous marks that spoke to the huge potential McGrady would eventually realize.

It should come as no surprise, then, that by the time McGrady was in his age-21 season, he was already a full-blown All-Star producing nearly 27 points per game.

16. Tony Parker

Stats: 9.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, 44.3 FG% in 77 games

Hall-of-Fame point guard Tony Parker's entire rookie season, from the start to the playoffs, was spent as a 19-year-old.

Over that stretch, despite coming in merely as the No. 28 overall pick in the previous draft without super high expectations, Parker wound up winning the starting point guard job for the San Antonio Spurs by the fourth game of his career and wouldn't relinquish it for a very long time.

Parker's numbers as a teenager may not fly off the page but what's impressive is that he was the starting point guard for a Spurs team that got to the second round of the playoffs as a 19-year-old. Even more noteworthy, the French legend upped his game in his rookie-year postseason, averaging 15.5 points and 4.0 assists on 45.6 percent shooting as a teenager in the NBA playoffs, which was rather indicative of how the rest of his playoff career would go.

15. Jayson Tatum

Stats: 13.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.4 apg, 47.3 FG% in 63 games

Jayson Tatum produced a fantastic rookie season, most of which occurred while he was still just 19 years old.

Following the loss of Gordon Hayward on the first night of the campaign due to a horrific leg injury, Tatum stepped up in a major way for the Boston Celtics the rest of the year, playing a pivotal part for a team that won 55 games despite losing a lot of star power to injury throughout the season.

And although it technically happened once he was already 20 years old, we'd be remiss not to mention the even higher level Tatum reached once the playoffs of his rookie season rolled around, where he averaged 18.5 points and 4.4 rebounds over 19 games and came within one victory of helping lead the Celtics to an unexpected trip to the Finals.

For his efforts, Tatum was named to the 2018 All-Rookie 1st Team while finishing third in the Rookie of the Year race.

14. Stephon Marbury

Stats: 15.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 7.4 apg, 40.3 FG% in 38 games

An explosive scorer and playmaker off the jump, Stephon Marbury was extremely productive for the Minnesota Timberwolves as a 19-year-old, dropping 30 or more points twice as a teenager in the NBA.

He did so for a solid Timberwolves team, too, as Minnesota went 40-42 that season and even made the playoffs, though Marbury can't get full credit for that, as he did share the floor with a future league MVP and a player who will find himself on this list a bit further up.

Marbury received strong Rookie of the Year consideration for his 1996-97 contributions, getting 35 first-place votes, just nine fewer than the eventual winner of the award, Allen Iverson.

13. Kobe Bryant

Stats: 11.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 42.5 FG% over 150 games

As a rookie straight out of high school, Kobe Bryant understandably didn’t dominate off the bat in his rookie year, averaging just 7.6 points and 1.9 rebounds over 71 games in his first campaign.

However, as an NBA sophomore, the legendary 2-guard began to show glimpses of his huge potential, averaging 15.4 points and 3.1 boards – and becoming such a fan favorite that he was even named an All-Star in his age-19 season. To this day, Bryant remains the youngest player ever to start an All-Star Game, doing so when he was 19 years and 170 days old.

In his first two seasons, both of which came when he was still a teenager, Bryant merely started seven total games, coming off the bench behind the more experienced Eddie Jones, but he made a big impact for elite Los Angeles Lakers teams anyway. In Bryant’s rookie season, L.A. won 56 regular-season games while in his sophomore year, the Lakers won 61, with Bryant playing a solid-sized role for both squads.

12. Zion Williamson

Stats: 23.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 58.9 FG% in 19 games

We didn't get a great sample size of Zion Williamson’s teenage career as it only lasted 19 games due to injury and then the COVID-19 league suspension, but what we did see had many thinking the former Duke standout would at least be a yearly All-NBAer by now.

Williamson’s blend of athleticism, pure power and tenacity hadn't been seen since the days of Charles Barkley, making it unfortunate Williamson was never able to fully lock in with his diet and fitness to take the next step in his career. The repeated injuries haven't helped matters, either.

Williamson's limited sample size as a teenager in the NBA is what prevents him from ranking higher on this list because at 23.6 points per game as a 19-year-old, the former Duke standout was well on his way to putting up special rookie-year marks.

11. Anthony Davis

Stats: 12.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 50.8 FG% in 49 games

2012 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis arrived in the NBA with a ton of hype after being the top-ranked recruit coming out of high school. Davis winning a national title during his freshman year at Kentucky also greatly boosted expectations for him in the NBA.

And even despite all that, he didn’t disappoint.

He may not have won Rookie of the Year for his first-season contributions (that honor went to Damian Lillard, who was 22 in his rookie year), but Davis still managed to be a force on the defensive end right away, even as a teenager, swatting away 1.8 shots per night before turning 20, a mark that would have ranked in the league’s Top 10 that season.

Davis finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in his age-19 season and was 1st Team All-Rookie, as well.

10. Kevin Garnett

Stats: 10.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 49.1 FG% in 80 games

Like Bryant, Kevin Garnett made the prep-to-pros jump, but in KG’s case, he was the first player to do so since Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby in 1975, meaning he set the stage for the last generation of high-school-to-pros stars. He wound up being so good, in fact, that it fooled a lot of teams into making the mistake of drafting high schoolers too early in hopes that they’d get the next Garnett.

It took a while for Garnett to reach that ceiling, though, as, like Bryant, he understandably wasn’t a star right away. But Garnett did flash a ton of potential in his debut campaign and was an excellent defender even as a teenager.

Once Garnett won a starting job with the Minnesota Timberwolves in late January of his first season, he’d go on to average 14.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks over the final 42 games of the year, showing why he was taken fifth overall in his draft class.

Garnett would go on to be named a 2nd Team All-Rookie member in his first year, missing out on the 1st Team because he happened to debut in the same season as 31-year-old Arvydas Sabonis.

9. Anthony Edwards

Stats: 19.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, 41.7 FG% in 72 games

2020 No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards was a teenager for his entire rookie campaign, one that saw him average nearly 20 points and five assists per game.

Edwards wasn't all that efficient off the bat, shooting under 42 percent from the floor and sub-33 percent from three in his inaugural season, but he still made the Timberwolves statistically better when he was on the floor as a rookie, no easy feat for a teenager who was starting games within the first month of his career.

His explosiveness and tough-shot-making ability, including around the basket over (and through) defenders, had many thinking Edwards was set to be the NBA's next great shooting guard, and those people were right, as Edwards has only gotten much better since then.

Edwards wouldn't win Rookie of the Year in 2020-21, however. That honor would go to the next player on this list.

8. LaMelo Ball

Stats: 15.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 6.1 apg, 43.6 FG% in 51 games

The 2020-21 Rookie of the Year award race, one that came down to between two of the best teenagers in NBA history, actually went to LaMelo Ball. That may seem a bit surprising in hindsight but it was certainly the right decision at the time, as Ball was also scoring at an impressive level for a teenager in the NBA but he was rebounding and playmaking at higher rates than Edwards.

Ball's presence as a rookie was more impactful than Edwards', too, as the Chino Hills native helped lead the Charlotte Hornets to a 33-39 season in his first year, a massive jump from their 23-42 record the year prior.

Ball's visionary playmaking and deep shooting range made him look special off the bat as a teenager in the NBA and, like Edwards, his game has only continued to grow since then, though Edwards feels further along because he's had a healthier career and a more stable team around him than Ball.

7. Dwight Howard

Stats: 12.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 51.1 FG% in 100 games

Dwight Howard was more pro-ready than most as a teenager, likely due to the freakish physical gifts he possessed even at a young age.

As a member of the Orlando Magic, Howard was an immediate starter off the bat, and a very productive one at that. Howard helped Orlando make a 15-win jump in his rookie season, proving that his production – he put up a nightly double-double with almost two blocks as a 19-year-old rookie – was far from empty.

Howard earned Rookie of the Year for his performances as an 18- and 19-year-old and managed to build upon that until becoming the best center in basketball for a good stretch in the late-2000s.

6. Victor Wembanyama

Stats: 18.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 3.1 bpg, 44.4 FG% in 29 games

His sample size as far as playing games as a teenager in the NBA isn't the largest but what we did see out of former No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama was special, as the French big man averaged a double-double with three blocks in his 29 games as a 19-year-old in the Association.

Wembanyama dazzled off the bat with his blend of size, dribbling ability, shot-making prowess, quickness and shot-blocking all in a 7-foot-3 package.

In his first year, he'd go on to become the first player in league history to make 1st Team All-Defense as a rookie and he finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, all that despite spending nearly a quarter of his first-year campaign as a teenager.

5. Kyrie Irving

Stats: 19.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.7 apg, 47.4 FG% in 40 games

Much like his career at Duke, Kyrie Irving’s time in the NBA as a teenager didn’t last long, but in the 40 games he did spend as a 19-year-old playing professional basketball, the creative point guard was spectacular.

Irving won Rookie of the Year and was 1st Team All-Rookie for his first-year contributions. And by his second season, as a 20-year-old, he made the first All-Star roster of his career. The Duke product truly hit the ground running as soon as he reached the NBA, averaging 19 points and nearly six assists per contest as a teenager in the NBA.

He did so quite efficiently, too, shooting 47.4 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent from three as a 19-year-old, which gives him the nod over some of the other star young guards on this list.

4. Kevin Durant

Stats: 20.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 43 FG% in 80 games

It was a rough season in Seattle for Kevin Durant’s rookie campaign, as the SuperSonics won merely 20 games in 2007-08, which hurt him just a bit as far as his place in this ranking. But it would be unfair to blame the then-19-year-old for Seattle's struggles in his rookie season.

Durant led his team in scoring that year by nearly seven full points, with Chris Wilcox coming in second for Seattle at 13.4 and Wally Szczerbiak at third at 13.1.

Durant deserves even more credit for his Rookie of the Year-winning debut considering his head coach at the time, PJ Carlesimo, inexplicably played the future league MVP at shooting guard almost exclusively that entire season. (According to Basketball-Refernce, Durant spent 94 percent of his rookie season playing 2-guard!)

Once Durant moved to his more natural small forward spot the following year, his true shooting percentage went from 51.9 to 57.7 percent and his scoring average upped to over 25 points nightly. The rest, as they say, is history, as Durant would go on to become one of the greatest scorers of all-time in the NBA.

3. Carmelo Anthony

Stats: 21.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.8 apg, 42.6 FG% in 82 games

A member of one of the best draft classes in league history in 2003, the Carmelo Anthony draft selection paid off immediately for the Denver Nuggets.

Anthony was Denver’s leading scorer in his rookie season as a 19-year-old, and, aided by awesome veterans like Andre Miller, Marcus Camby and Nene, the Syracuse legend helped the Nuggets make an insane jump from 17 wins in 2002-03 to 43 wins in 2003-04 to earn a playoff spot in Anthony’s debut campaign. That was despite Anthony being the only player on the team averaging more than 15.4 points nightly.

Even so, Anthony didn’t win Rookie of the Year that season, as the player who finished No. 1 on this list would receive that honor. But Anthony enjoyed far more team success in 2003-04 and some even thought he was the better player of the two very early on in their careers thanks to his tough shot-making prowess.

2. Luka Doncic

Stats: 20.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 5.7 apg, 43.4 FG% in 57 games

The 2018-19 Rookie of the Year, Luka Doncic was downright special as soon as he joined the Dallas Mavericks.

Considering he put up a 21/7/6 stat line as a 19-year-old, Doncic made a strong case to finish these rankings in first place but got knocked down to second because he did have the advantage of playing professionally in the second-best basketball league in the world for years prior to reaching the NBA. (The first-place finisher in this exercise, on the other hand, got to the NBA straight out of high school and debuted as an 18-year-old for a good chunk of his rookie season.)

Regardless, had we gone solely based on the advanced metrics, Doncic actually outpaced our first-place finisher in every facet in each of their respective rookie seasons. In fact, according to BPM and VORP, Doncic was a Top 25 player in the league as a rookie, an impossibly difficult feat to accomplish, especially when a player gets to the league still a teenager.

Doncic's high scoring, rebounding and playmaking averages as a 19-year-old in the NBA were absolutely special, indicating we were about to see a once-in-a-generation-level player, which the Slovenian star has proven to be.

1. LeBron James

Stats: 21.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 6.2 apg, 43.5 FG% in 108 games

Arguably the greatest player in league history (we have him ranked as such), LeBron James was historically great immediately upon reaching the NBA and becoming a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003-04 season.

James didn’t enjoy much team success as a rookie, winning just 35 games, but that was hardly his fault, as the future four-time MVP did just about everything for the team in his debut campaign, leading the Cavs in scoring and steals while ranking second in assists and fourth in rebounds.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of James’ excellence at such a young age is the fact that he did so coming straight out of high school, unlike Doncic, who was a pro for years before becoming a Maverick. As we saw with Garnett and Bryant, excelling in your first season out of high school – to the extent to which James did – is borderline impossible.

LeBron has been an otherworldly talent for a very long time now.

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Ranking the Top 19 teenagers in NBA history