The two top picks are 22 years apart! James is the oldest at 40 years old, and Flag is the youngest at 18 years old.

In the 2003 draft, James, who was known as the chosen one, was elected No. 1 pick without any suspense and officially entered the NBA. Because James participated in the draft as a high school student, he was only 18 years old at the time and was also the youngest No. 1 pick in history.

22 years have passed, and James is still playing in the NBA and is over 40 years old. He has been the oldest player in the league in the past two seasons. He will still be the same next season, and will also celebrate his 41st birthday, and will become the first player in history to play until his 23rd season.

At the same time, Flag, who is also very young and talented, was elected as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft without any suspense and officially entered the NBA. Although Flag participated in the draft as a college player, he jumped first in high school, so he is only 18 years old now, thus becoming the second youngest No. 1 pick in history, only 8 days older than James when he was elected.

Not only that, Flag will also be the youngest player in the league in the new season, which is in contrast to James, the oldest player. Both James and Flag's birthdays were December, and they were only 10 days apart, so the ages between the two were exactly 22 years apart, which was older than Flag's current age. When James was elected No. 1 in 2003, Flag was not born yet.

Although James is already the oldest player in the service, he is still one of the top players in the league. James also selected the best second team last season and was elected as the Western Conference Player of the Month in February, setting a record for the oldest month in history. In the latest 2K26, James' ability value also reached 94, ranking among the top ten in the league. Next season, James should be able to continue to maintain a very outstanding form and perform well. In contrast, although Flag has an absolute advantage in age, his current strength is still not comparable to James. However, Flag was also the No. 1 pick after all, and was selected by the Mavericks and will partner with Thomas and Irving. As long as Irving recovers health in time and returns, the Mavericks will be a very competitive team next season, and Flag's performance is also important. As long as Flag performs normally, he will most likely be successfully elected as the best rookie like James back then.