Where the NBA Players Come From
Duke, UCLA, UConn, and North Carolina have most players on 2009-10 NBA Opening-Day Rosters
Duke, UCLA, Connecticut, and North Carolina take top honors of all 121 Division I teams that
have at least one former player on 2009-2010 NBA opening-day rosters. Duke
and UCLA are tied at the top of the heap with 14 former players on NBA payrolls,
while Connecticut (13), North Carolina (13), and Arizona (10) all have at least
10 former players on 2009-10 opening-day NBA
rosters. CBN has been tracking the origin of NBA players on NBA
opening-day rosters since the 1986-1987 season, and there are four categories of players
in our current list. Those categories are: 1) NBA players that attended Division I colleges; 2)
NBA players that attended
non-Division I colleges, including junior colleges; 3) NBA players that did not attend
U.S. colleges (high school players); and 4)
Foreign players that have no U.S. college experience. Foreign players that
played for U.S. colleges are shown in the college list rather than the foreign
players list. That explains the discrepancy between the number of foreign players
shown in our list and the larger number of "international players" reported
by the NBA. Only the last college a player attended is shown in cases where
players on current NBA rosters attended more than one college.
The numbers in this list are interesting to compare with those that were
compiled for the 1986-1987 season (see the January 26, 1987 issue of
Basketball Weekly titled "ACC, Big Ten Most Generous with NBA",
by Jim Sukup). Back then there were 23 teams in the NBA (compared with
30
today), there were a total of 301 players on NBA opening-day rosters (compared with 434
on the 2009-10 opening-day list), and there was no list of the number of foreign players in the league
(although several foreign players on those NBA rosters had played for U.S. colleges). UCLA headed the colleges with 9 former players in the NBA, and the
ACC was at the top of the conference list with 34 players on the 1986-87 NBA opening-day
roster list.
For the first time in many years, the
ACC did not head the list of conferences in producing NBA players.
The Big East has the most former players in the NBA this season (55) for an average
of 3.4 former players per school. However, the Pac-10 has the highest average
number of former players per school at 5.0 along with a total of 50 players in the NBA.
The ACC has
53 former players in the NBA for an average of 4.4 former players per school. The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12
round out the top 6 conferences in producing NBA players with averages of 3.3,
3.0, and 2.9 former players per school.
The Big East has the distinction this season of being the only conference
that has every schools represented on NBA rosters this season. The Big 12 and
SEC have 11 of 12 schools represented in the NBA and the Pac-10 has 9 of 10
schools represented. The ACC has 10 of 12 and Big Ten has 9 of 11 schools
represented The Big East, the Big 12,
and the Pac-10 had every school represented on
the NBA opening-day roster list, the ACC had 11 of 12, Big Ten had 10 of 11,
and the SEC had 10 of 12 schools represented on NBA opening-day rosters. Ten conferences
had just one team represented in the NBA , and six conferences, including the Independents, had no NBA
players on
2009-10 NBA opening-day rosters. There were 59 foreign players on 2009-10 NBA
opening-day rosters, or 13.6% of the NBA total; 30 players that went straight
from U.S. high schools to the NBA (6.9%), and 3 players that attended non-Division I
colleges (0.7%). Division I colleges provide the balance of 342 NBA players
(78.8%). Foreign players that played in U.S. colleges are counted under the
appropriate school listing.
The average NBA player at the start
of the 2009-10 season was 26.96 years
old and had 4.95 years of NBA experience. Players on both the Dallas
Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs averaged
29.17 years of age, making them the
oldest, age-wise, of all NBA teams. The Mavs also averaged 7.27 years of NBA playing experience,
which was tops in this category for the 30 NBA teams. The Memphis Grizzlies have the youngest average age in the NBA
at 25.25 years this season,
along with the lowest average of NBA
playing experience at 3.13 years. Remember to follow these teams during the season to see
if these averages correlate in any way with wins and losses at the end of this NBA season.
Young basketball players that are thinking of a long NBA career will want to take a
look at the last
table on this page because it contains data of special interest. It shows the number of NBA
players with the corresponding number of years of NBA experience. For
example, there are 54 players on opening-day rosters this season that have one
year of NBA
experience, and they make up 12.4% of the total number of NBA players. Just over half (51.6%) of NBA players are rookies or have 1, 2, 3,
or 4 years of
NBA experience. Are you convinced that you will have a long, productive
NBA career? This is very unlikely because only 47 players (10.8%) on 2009-10 NBA
opening-day rosters have more than 10 years of NBA experience, and only 4
have 15 or more years of NBA experience! Player turnover in
the NBA is fast and furious, and you need only look at the roster of your
favorite NBA team and compare it to last year to understand that this is in fact
the case. Only exceptional talent lasts in the NBA for
any length of time. Shaquille O'Neal of the Cleveland Cavaliers is the elder
statesman of the NBA this season. (Do you remember that he was with the
Phoenix Suns last year?) This LSU graduate has 17 years
of NBA experience and is 37 years of age. However, he is not the oldest NBA
player this season. That honor goes to Lindsey Hunter of Chicago, who was 38.90 years of
age on October 27, 2009, the opening day of the 2009-10 season. Our annual "tip of the hat" is due
to both Shaq and Lindsey for their NBA longevity. Don't
expect them to be around too much longer because the grind of the
82-game NBA season catches up with all players sooner or later.
The following lists are based upon NBA Opening-Day rosters for the 2009-10
season, which was October 27, 2009. The
conference list includes only current school affiliations for the
2009-10 season. Team and conference lists include players on the active
NBA roster list (12 active players are allowed per NBA team at any given
time) and inactive list (maximum of 3 inactive players allowed). There were 74 players on the inactive list at the start of the 2009-10 NBA season.
Copyright © 2010 by Collegiate Basketball News Co. All Rights Reserved.
Where Current NBA Players Come From by Division I Conference, Non-Division
I College, High School, and Foreign Origin
# Schools W/ Players Avg. # NBA
Conference (# teams) NBA Players in NBA Players/Team
Pacific 10 (10) 9 50 5.0
Atlantic Coast (12) 10 53 4.4
Big East (16) 16 55 3.4
Southeastern (12) 11 39 3.3
Big Ten (11) 9 33 3.0
Big 12 (12) 11 35 2.9
Mountain West (9) 6 12 1.3
Atlantic 10 (14) 9 14 1.0
Western Athletic (9) 5 7 0.8
West Coast (8) 4 6 0.8
Conference USA (12) 4 9 0.8
Sun Belt (13) 3 4 0.3
Missouri Valley (10) 2 3 0.3
Ohio Valley (10) 3 3 0.3
Colonial (12) 3 3 0.3
Southern (12) 3 3 0.3
Southland (12) 3 3 0.3
Great West (7) 1 1 0.1
Patriot (8) 1 1 0.1
Big West (9) 1 1 0.1
Big Sky (9) 1 1 0.1
Horizon (10) 1 1 0.1
Summit (10) 1 1 0.1
Metro Atlantic (10) 1 1 0.1
Southwestern (10) 1 1 0.1
Mid-Eastern (11) 1 1 0.1
Mid-American (12) 1 1 0.1
America East (9) 0 0 0.0
Northeast (12) 0 0 0.0
Ivy League (8) 0 0 0.0
Big South (10) 0 0 0.0
Atlantic Sun (11) 0 0 0.0
Independents (7) 0 0 0.0
Total Division I 342
Non-Division I 3
High School 30
Foreign* 59
Total NBA 434
*Note: # foreign players does not include those that played in U.S. colleges
Division I Schools Ranked by Number of Players in NBA
No. Players
School In NBA
Duke 14
UCLA 14
Connecticut 13
North Carolina 13
Arizona 10
Florida 9
Kansas 9
Kentucky 9
Georgia Tech 7
Ohio St. 7
Texas 7
LSU 6
Memphis 6
Michigan St. 6
Syracuse 6
Wake Forest 6
California 5
Southern Cal 5
Villanova 5
Arizona St. 4
Arkansas 4
DePaul 4
Georgetown 4
Marquette 4
Oklahoma St. 4
Pittsburgh 4
Stanford 4
UNLV 4
Washington 4
Wisconsin 4
Alabama 3
Boston College 3
Gonzaga 3
Illinois 3
Indiana 3
Iowa 3
Louisville 3
Maryland 3
Missouri 3
New Mexico 3
Notre Dame 3
Oklahoma 3
Oregon 3
Purdue 3
Saint Joseph's 3
Texas A&M 3
Xavier 3
Bradley 2
Cincinnati 2
Florida Int. 2
Florida St. 2
Fresno St. 2
Georgia 2
Kansas St. 2
Miami-FL 2
Michigan 2
Minnesota 2
Nevada 2
N. C. St. 2
Rhode Island 2
South Florida 2
Tennessee 2
Utah 2
Auburn 1
Austin Peay 1
Baylor 1
Boise St. 1
Central Michigan 1
Colgate 1
Colorado 1
Colorado St. 1
Col. Charleston 1
Creighton 1
CS Fullerton 1
Davidson 1
Detroit 1
Duquesne 1
Eastern Wash. 1
Florida A&M 1
George Washington 1
Hawaii 1
Hofstra 1
IUPUI 1
Jackson St. 1
La Salle 1
Louisiana Tech 1
Massachusetts 1
Mississippi St. 1
Murray St. 1
Nebraska 1
Northeastern 1
Northwestern St. 1
Pepperdine 1
Providence 1
Rider 1
Rutgers 1
Saint Louis 1
Santa Clara 1
Seton Hall 1
SMU 1
South Carolina 1
St. John's 1
St. Mary's 1
TCU 1
Temple 1
Tennessee-Martin 1
Texas St. 1
Texas Tech 1
Texas-San Ant. 1
Tulane 1
UALR 1
UCF 1
Utah Valley 1
Vanderbilt 1
Va. Commonwealth 1
Virginia 1
Washington St. 1
West Virginia 1
Western Carolina 1
Western Kentucky 1
Wyoming 1
Total Division I 342
Non-Division I 3
High School 30
Foreign 59
Total NBA 434
NBA Teams Sorted by Average Experience
Avg. Avg.
Team Exp. Age
Memphis Grizzlies 3.13 25.25
Sacramento Kings 3.43 25.40
Oklahoma City Thund 3.47 25.35
Houston Rockets 3.60 26.66
Minnesota Timberwol 3.80 25.91
Portland Trail Blaz 4.00 25.48
Indiana Pacers 4.20 26.70
Milwaukee Bucks 4.20 27.13
Utah Jazz 4.29 25.83
Philadelphia 76ers 4.38 25.77
Toronto Raptors 4.47 25.95
Cleveland Cavaliers 4.53 27.40
Golden State Warrie 4.73 26.52
Chicago Bulls 4.86 27.57
Phoenix Suns 4.93 27.15
New Jersey Nets 5.00 27.04
New York Knicks 5.00 26.17
Miami Heat 5.13 27.04
New Orleans Hornets 5.13 27.87
Detroit Pistons 5.14 27.22
Charlotte Bobcats 5.36 26.73
Washington Wizards 5.40 27.63
Los Angeles Clipper 5.47 27.15
Atlanta Hawks 5.92 26.96
Denver Nuggets 5.92 27.77
Boston Celtics 6.40 28.33
San Antonio Spurs 6.53 29.17
Los Angeles Lakers 6.62 27.74
Orlando Magic 6.71 28.71
Dallas Mavericks 7.27 29.17
Average 4.95 26.96
NBA Teams Sorted by Average Age
Avg. Avg.
Team Exp. Age
Memphis Grizzlies 3.13 25.25
Oklahoma City Thund 3.47 25.35
Sacramento Kings 3.43 25.40
Portland Trail Blaz 4.00 25.48
Philadelphia 76ers 4.38 25.77
Utah Jazz 4.29 25.83
Minnesota Timberwol 3.80 25.91
Toronto Raptors 4.47 25.95
New York Knicks 5.00 26.17
Golden State Warrie 4.73 26.52
Houston Rockets 3.60 26.66
Indiana Pacers 4.20 26.70
Charlotte Bobcats 5.36 26.73
Atlanta Hawks 5.92 26.96
New Jersey Nets 5.00 27.04
Miami Heat 5.13 27.04
Milwaukee Bucks 4.20 27.13
Phoenix Suns 4.93 27.15
Los Angeles Clipper 5.47 27.15
Detroit Pistons 5.14 27.22
Cleveland Cavaliers 4.53 27.40
Chicago Bulls 4.86 27.57
Washington Wizards 5.40 27.63
Los Angeles Lakers 6.62 27.74
Denver Nuggets 5.92 27.77
New Orleans Hornets 5.13 27.87
Boston Celtics 6.40 28.33
Orlando Magic 6.71 28.71
Dallas Mavericks 7.27 29.17
San Antonio Spurs 6.53 29.17
Average 4.95 26.96
Years of Experience for NBA Players
No. Years NBA No. NBA Cumulative
Experience Players Percentage Percentage
0 50 .115 .115
1 54 .124 .240
2 40 .092 .332
3 41 .095 .426
4 39 .090 .516
5 33 .076 .592
6 40 .092 .684
7 27 .062 .747
8 25 .058 .804
9 21 .048 .853
10 17 .039 .892
11 19 .044 .935
12 7 .016 .952
13 10 .023 .975
14 7 .016 .991
15 2 .005 .995
16 1 .002 .998
17 1 .002 1.000
Total 434
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