The EuroLeague's win-now mentality is one of its defining features, setting it apart from the NBA, where some teams focus on developing young prospects or even tanking for a high draft pick. Here in the EuroLeague, championship aspirations are front and center, and with that comes experience over youth.

This difference in approach is reflected in the average age of players. To get a closer look, BasketNews analyzed EuroLeague rosters to find out which teams are the oldest and youngest.

• This analysis is based on official rosters heading into EuroLeague Round 8, and it excludes youngsters who haven't made their season debut and are very unlikely to crack the rotation -- typically 17- or 18-year-olds who would distort the average age.
• The following players, while registered in the EuroLeague, are excluded from this analysis: Salih Altuntas (Anadolu Efes), Joseba Querejeta, Filip Raicevic, Vit Hrabar, and Seydina Faye (Baskonia), Andrej Kostic (Crvena Zvezda), Diego Garavaglia (Milan), Sayon Keita and Mohamed Dabone (Barcelona), Gildas Gimenez and Declan Duru (Real), Dorian Grosber and Amon Doerries (ALBA), Mitar Bosnjakovic and Aleksa Dimitrijevic (Partizan), Yohann Sissoko (ASVEL), and Aleksas Bieliauskas (Zalgiris).

No surprises at the top: Olympiacos Piraeus, one of the season's title favorites, is the oldest team in the EuroLeague, averaging 30.13 years.

Their youngest player, Moses Wright, is 25, and most of their roster sits in the 28-34 age range. Veteran captain Kostas Papanikolaou is the squad's most experienced player at 34 -- a mere 17 days older than teammate Shaquille McKissic.

Hot on their heels, Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade average 30.06, with ten players over the age of 30, led by 37-year-old guard Milos Teodosic.

Then there's Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, rounding out the top three with an average age of 29.53, followed closely by LDCL ASVEL Villeurbanne (29.36) and Virtus Segafredo Bologna (29.33). Virtus feature the league's oldest player, Marco Belinelli, while ASVEL's roster includes six players aged 32 or older, such as Charles Kahudi (38) and Nando De Colo (37).

For context, the Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2024-25 NBA season as the league's oldest team, with an average age of 28.31. This means that 10 EuroLeague teams have older rosters.

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Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz come in as the second youngest at 25.31, with no players over 30. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Ognjen Jaramaz, both 29, are the oldest in the lineup.

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade round out the youngest three with an average age of 26.07. The only player over 30 is center Brandon Davies, who is 33.

For comparison, the Oklahoma City Thunder began the 2024-25 NBA campaign with the league's youngest roster, averaging 24.15 years -- an age younger than any EuroLeague team.

Average age in every EuroLeague team (2024-25)

As for individual players, Belinelli stands out as the EuroLeague's oldest player at 38 years, 7 months, and 14 days. His career in the league dates back to the 2002-03 season, when he began his professional journey with Virtus, the same team he represents today.

Over his career, Belinelli has played eight EuroLeague seasons with Virtus and Fortitudo, plus 860 NBA games across 13 seasons.

The Italian guard won the NBA 3-Point contest in 2014 and took home an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs the same year. While he hasn't won a EuroLeague title, he did secure the EuroCup in 2022.

Credit ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix

Close behind the sharpshooter in age is Zalgiris Kaunas center Bryant Dunston, at 38 years, 5 months, and 11 days. Now on his fourth EuroLeague team, Dunston's career includes stints with Virtus, Anadolu Efes (for eight years), and Olympiacos.

Despite his veteran age, the two-time EuroLeague champion (2021, 2022) plays an important role in Zalgiris' current success, helping them co-lead the league with a 6-2 record and even securing the game-winner against Crvena Zvezda in Round 6.

The third-oldest player in the league is ASVEL forward Kahudi, who, at early 38, is playing his sixth EuroLeague season with Villeurbanne. Kahudi still has a role there, starting in one game this season and averaging 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.9 PIR in 12.5 minutes per game.

Altogether, these three 38-year-olds are joined by three 37-year-olds (Teodosic, Causeur, and De Colo), five 36-year-olds (Marjanovic, Beaubois, Llull, Lighty, and Hackett), six 35-year-olds (Harris, Lucic, Calathes, Ibaka, Lazic, and Jackson), and 13 players who are 34 (Sloukas, Laprovittola, Vesely, Mahmutoglu, McKissic, Papanikolaou, Motiejunas, Sy, Ouattara, Cohen, Clyburn, Mike James, and Lorenzo Brown).

This group of veterans underscores the value of experience in the EuroLeague, where 94 players are aged 30 or older -- making it clear that the EuroLeague is a league built on seasoned talent.

Top 10 oldest EuroLeague players (as of Nov. 8, 2024)

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