Holiday First NBA Player Born in the '90s

ORLANDO -- To many who follow the NBA, it doesn't seem that long ago that Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer led the Detroit Pistons -- the famed Bad Boys -- to their second consecutive NBA title in 1990, cementing their place among the great teams in league history.

It was two days after Jrue Holiday was born.

Holiday, a rookie guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, isn't just the youngest player in the NBA this season. He also earned the distinction of being the first person born in the 1990's to be on an NBA roster.

That makes a lot of us feel old.

The '90s in the NBA were dominated by the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, who won six championships, overshadowing good teams in Houston, Utah and New York who never quite received their due. It also was the Bill Clinton decade, which no one has forgotten.

Today's NBA stars were born mostly in the late '70s and early '80s. Tomorrow's stars will come from the '90s, filtering into the league through the next few years. Holiday was just the first, benefiting from an early start to his schooling.

Holiday turned 19 this summer, following one year at UCLA before the Sixers made him the 17th pick in the 2009 Draft. There are some in the league who believe he was the steal of this draft, giving the Sixers a reason to feel good about their future.

"It's a little weird to think about it (being the first player born in the '90s), but I'm living the life right now,'' Holiday told FanHouse Wednesday before the game began. "I've talked to some of the guys around me, asked if they remember when they were 19, and they say 'it feels like a long time ago.'''

Because the Sixers are a relatively young team, the age difference isn't that great. Holiday, though, is 16 years younger than Magic guard Anthony Johnson, who was sitting on the opposite bench Wednesday night. The league is now younger than it's ever been.

Even the oldest guys in the league this season -- Lindsey Hunter (38), Shaquille O'Neal (37), Kurt Thomas (37) and Grant Hill (37) -- don't seem so old anymore.

"I grew up watching a lot of these guys play, but I'm not intimidated by them. Being at UCLA and growing up in that area, I've been playing against NBA guys for a few years now,'' he said. "This has been great so far."

Because of the rule change in 2005 that requires players to be at least a full year out of high school before they could be drafted, Holiday isn't close to being the youngest player ever on an NBA roster.

Lakers center Andrew Bynum was 18 years and six days when he started with the Lakers. Kobe Bryant is the youngest to appear in an NBA game, playing his first at 18 years, two months and 9 days.

"I don't think twice about how old he (Holiday) is, or when he was born,'' said Sixers coach Eddie Jordan. "I know it's been a joy coaching him so far.''