Nat Hickey

Nicholas J. "Nat" Hickey (born Nicola Zarnecić; January 30, 1902 – September 16, 1979) was a Croatian-American professional basketball coach/player and baseball player. He turned to coaching basketball after his retirement from playing full-time in 1942 but occasionally activated himself as a player for the teams he was coaching. In 1948, Hickey played two games with the Providence Steamrollers at the age of 45 while serving as the team's head coach in the Basketball Association of America (BAA). As the precursor to the National Basketball Association (NBA), his appearances in the BAA make him the oldest player in NBA history.