History

NBA birthdays: Players born on July 18

Bam Adebayo highlights the list of NBA players born on July 18.

Joel Bartilotta, Rotowire.com

September 22, 2025 2:29 PM

Bam Adebayo is among NBA players born on July 18.

With over 5,000 players in NBA history, at least one player was born on every day of the calendar year – including four leap-day ballers. Our day-by-day breakdown of the players born on each day of the year continues.

Below are the most notable NBA players born on July 18.

Bam Adebayo (1997)

Bam Adebayo has developed into one of the best centers of the 2020s. Adebayo was selected 14th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Kentucky by the Miami Heat. After playing behind Hassan Whiteside for two seasons, Adebayo took his game to another level in 2019-20. The big man made his first All-Star appearance in his first full season as a starter, finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting as well. He’s gone on to finish top 10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting in all six seasons since then, and finished top five in five of those. Adebayo has also made three All-Star appearances, while adding five All-Defensive Teams to his growing resume. Since becoming a starter, Adebayo is averaging 18.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

Anfernee Hardaway (1971)

Anfernee Hardaway was one of the best players in the NBA during the 90s. He was the third overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, but was sent to the Orlando Magic after a draft-day trade. That proved to be a huge acquisition by Orlando, with Hardaway finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in his debut campaign. He followed that up with his first of four straight All-Star appearances, finishing 10th in MVP voting in his sophomore season. That culminated in a career year in his third season when he averaged a career-high 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 2.0 steals while finishing third in MVP voting.

Hardaway was also First-Team All-NBA in all of those, helping Orlando become one of the best teams in the league. He also finished 16th in MVP voting in 1999, but that was his last year with the Magic. Hardaway spent time with the New York Knicks and Miami Heat before officially retiring in 2008 due to recurring injuries. Penny averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals throughout his 14-year career.

Want to see every NBA player born on July 18? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order: