Where the NBA Players Come From
Duke, Kentucky, UCLA, Texas, Kansas, and North Carolina have most players
on 2011-12 NBA Opening-Day Rosters
Duke, Kentucky, UCLA, Texas, Kansas, and North Carolina are the leaders of the 119 Division I teams that have one or more former players on 2011-12 NBA opening-day rosters. Duke has 16 former players collecting paychecks from NBA teams, Kentucky and UCLA are next with 15 former players on NBA teams, Texas has 13, and Kansas and North Carolina each have 12 players in the NBA. Additional teams with double-digit players in the NBA are Connecticut with 11, and Arizona and Florida with 10 each.
CBN's Jim Sukup 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 the current list. They 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 on the college list rather than on the foreign players list. That explains the discrepancy between the number of foreign players shown on this list and the larger number of "international players" that may be reported by the NBA or on other lists. Only the last college a player attended is shown in cases where players on current NBA rosters attended more than one college.
CBN believes it is enlightening to compare the data in the current list 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 430 on the 2011-12 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.
The ACC heads the list of conferences for the second consecutive year in producing NBA players, with 61. That is good for an average of 5.1 former players per school, which also leads the average per conference. Next in line is the Big 12, with 42 former players and an average of 4.2 former players per school, and next is the Pac-12 with 49 players and an average of 4.1 players per team. The SEC comes in 4th with 45 players in the NBA and an average of 3.8 former players per school, the Big East has 46 in the NBA with 2.9 players per school, and the Big Ten has 29 players in the NBA for an average of 2.3 players per schools. The Big 12 unseats the Big East as being the only conference that has all schools represented on NBA rosters at the beginning of the 2011-12 season. The Big East won that honor the previous two seasons and had 15 of 16 schools represented in the NBA this season. The ACC and Pac-12 both had 11 of 12 schools with former players on NBA rosters, and the Big Ten and SEC have 9 of 12 schools represented in the NBA. Nine conferences had only one team represented in the NBA, and seven conferences, including the Independents, had no NBA players on 2011-12 NBA opening-day rosters.
There were 51 foreign players on 2011-12 NBA opening-day rosters, or 11.9% of the NBA total. That is 8 foreign players fewer than last season. A total of 30 players went straight from U.S. high schools to the NBA (7.0% of the NBA total), and 4 players attended non-Division I colleges (0.9%). Division I colleges provide the balance of 345 NBA players (80.2%). Foreign players that played in U.S. colleges are counted under the appropriate school listing.
The average NBA player at the start of the 2011-12 season was 26.92 years old and had 4.89 years of NBA experience. (NBA team averages for these categories are 26.94 and 4.90, respectively.) Players on the Dallas Mavericks averaged 30.29 years of age, making them the oldest of all 30 NBA teams, and they averaged 4.80 years of NBA playing experience, which was also tops in this category. The Sacramento King nudge out the Golden State Warriors, 24.948 to 24.953, as having the youngest average age in the NBA, and the Houston Rockets have the least amount of average NBA playing experience at 2.27 years.
Young basketball players that are thinking that they might have a long NBA career should take a look at the last table on this page because it contains some sobering data. 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 12.6% of the total number of NBA players. Just over half (54.0%) 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 51 players (11.9%) on 2011-12 NBA opening-day rosters have more than 10 years of NBA experience, and only 13 have 15 or more years of NBA experience!
Player turnover in the NBA is always going at a breakneck pace, and you need only to look at the roster of your favorite NBA team's roster and compare it to last year's roster to understand this fact. Only exceptional talent lasts in the NBA for any length of time. There are three players in the NBA this season that have 17 years of playing experience. They are Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, Juwan Howard of the Miami Heat, and Kurt Thomas of the Portland Trailblazers. Which of these three is the oldest current player in the league? That honor belongs to Thomas, who was born on 10/05/72, one day before the Sun's Grant Hill, who has 16 years of experience. Our annual "tip of the hat" is due Kidd, Howard, Thomas, and Hill for their outstanding NBA longevity. Make sure to watch these players this season because they will not be around much longer. Don't expect Shaq to be around much longer because the grind of the 82-game NBA season catches up with each and every NBA player sooner or later.
The following lists are based upon NBA Opening-Day rosters for the 2011-12 season, which was Sunday, December 25, 2011. The conference list includes only current school affiliations for the 2011-12 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 70 players on the inactive list at the start of the 2011-12 NBA season.
Copyright © 2012 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
Atlantic Coast (12) 11 61 5.1
Big 12 (10) 10 42 4.2
Pacific 12 (12) 11 49 4.1
Southeastern (12) 9 45 3.8
Big East (16) 15 46 2.9
Big Ten (12) 9 27 2.3
Mountain West (8) 6 9 1.1
Western Athletic(8) 4 8 1.0
Atlantic 10 (14) 9 13 0.9
Conference USA (12) 5 9 0.8
West Coast (9) 4 6 0.7
Colonial (12) 4 5 0.4
Horizon (10) 3 4 0.4
Sun Belt (12) 3 4 0.3
Missouri Valley (10 2 3 0.3
Southern (12) 3 3 0.3
Southwestern (10) 2 2 0.2
Great West (6) 1 1 0.2
Ivy League (8) 1 1 0.1
Big Sky (9) 1 1 0.1
Metro Atlantic (10) 1 1 0.1
Summit (10) 1 1 0.1
Big South (11) 1 1 0.1
Ohio Valley (11) 1 1 0.1
Mid-American (12) 1 1 0.1
Southland (12) 1 1 0.1
America East (9) 0 0 0.0
Atlantic Sun (10) 0 0 0.0
Big West (9) 0 0 0.0
Independents (3) 0 0 0.0
Mid-Eastern (13) 0 0 0.0
Northeast (12) 0 0 0.0
Patriot (8) 0 0 0.0
Total Division I 119 345
Non-Division I 4
High School 30
Foreign 51
Total in NBA 430
*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 16
Kentucky 15
UCLA 15
Texas 13
Kansas 12
North Carolina 12
Connecticut 11
Arizona 10
Florida 10
Georgia Tech 7
Wake Forest 7
LSU 6
Ohio St. 6
Southern Cal 6
Florida St. 5
Marquette 5
Purdue 5
Stanford 5
Syracuse 5
Boston College 4
Georgia 4
Louisville 4
Maryland 4
Memphis 4
Nevada 4
Oklahoma St. 4
Washington 4
Alabama 3
Arkansas 3
Georgetown 3
Gonzaga 3
Indiana 3
Michigan 3
Michigan St. 3
Notre Dame 3
Pittsburgh 3
UNLV 3
Villanova 3
Wisconsin 3
Xavier 3
Arizona St. 2
Baylor 2
Butler 2
California 2
Cincinnati 2
Colorado 2
Creighton 2
Fresno St. 2
Illinois 2
Iowa St. 2
Kansas St. 2
Massachusetts 2
Miami-FL 2
Missouri 2
New Mexico 2
N.C. St. 2
Oklahoma 2
Providence 2
Saint Joseph's 2
Tennessee 2
Texas A&M 2
UTEP 2
Va. Commonwealth 2
Western Kentucky 2
Alabama A&M 1
Auburn 1
Bradley 1
BYU 1
Central Michigan 1
Clemson 1
Cleveland St. 1
Colorado St. 1
Col. Charleston 1
Davidson 1
Dayton 1
DePaul 1
Detroit 1
Eastern Wash. 1
Florida Int. 1
Harvard 1
Hawaii 1
Hofstra 1
Iowa 1
IUPUI 1
Jackson St. 1
La Salle 1
Louisiana Tech 1
Marshall 1
Minnesota 1
Morehead St. 1
Northeastern 1
Oregon 1
Pepperdine 1
Rhode Island 1
Richmond 1
Rider 1
Rutgers 1
Saint Louis 1
San Diego St. 1
Santa Clara 1
South Carolina 1
South Florida 1
St. John's 1
TCU 1
Temple 1
Texas St. 1
Texas Tech 1
Towson 1
Tulsa 1
UAB 1
UALR 1
Utah 1
Utah Valley 1
Virginia 1
VMI 1
Washington St. 1
West Virginia 1
Western Carolina 1
Wyoming 1
Total Division I 345
Non-Division I 4
High School 30
Foreign 51
Total in NBA 2011-12 430
NBA Teams Sorted by Average Experience
Avg. Avg.
Team Exp. Age
Houston Rockets 2.27 25.06
Sacramento Kings 3.14 24.95
New Orleans Hornets 3.20 26.21
Cleveland Cavaliers 3.33 25.80
Golden State Warriors 3.36 24.95
Washington Wizards 3.53 25.50
Minnesota Timberwolves 3.73 25.25
Memphis Grizzlies 3.80 26.27
Oklahoma City Thunder 3.93 25.70
Indiana Pacers 4.15 26.84
New Jersey Nets 4.20 26.04
Denver Nuggets 4.33 26.44
Milwaukee Bucks 4.33 26.25
Philadelphia 76ers 4.43 25.90
Detroit Pistons 4.77 27.37
Charlotte Hornets 4.86 26.48
San Antonio Spurs 4.92 27.43
Utah Jazz 5.00 26.70
Toronto Raptors 5.07 27.37
Chicago Bulls 5.23 27.93
LA Clippers 5.38 27.27
New York Knicks 5.50 27.24
Orlando Magic 5.67 27.23
Portland Trailblazers 5.93 27.34
Phoenix Suns 6.00 28.49
Miami Heat 6.33 28.82
LA Lakers 7.07 28.73
Atlanta Hawks 7.33 29.21
Boston Celtics 7.67 28.99
Dallas Mavericks 8.50 30.29
Average per Team 4.90 26.94
NBA Teams Sorted by Average Age
Avg. Avg.
Team Exp. Age
Sacramento Kings 3.14 24.95
Golden State Warriors 3.36 24.95
Houston Rockets 2.27 25.06
Minnesota Timberwolves 3.73 25.25
Washington Wizards 3.53 25.50
Oklahoma City Thunder 3.93 25.70
Cleveland Cavaliers 3.33 25.80
Philadelphia 76ers 4.43 25.90
New Jersey Nets 4.20 26.04
New Orleans Hornets 3.20 26.21
Milwaukee Bucks 4.33 26.25
Memphis Grizzlies 3.80 26.27
Denver Nuggets 4.33 26.44
Charlotte Hornets 4.86 26.48
Utah Jazz 5.00 26.70
Indiana Pacers 4.15 26.84
Orlando Magic 5.67 27.23
New York Knicks 5.50 27.24
LA Clippers 5.38 27.27
Portland Trailblazers 5.93 27.34
Toronto Raptors 5.07 27.37
Detroit Pistons 4.77 27.37
San Antonio Spurs 4.92 27.43
Chicago Bulls 5.23 27.93
Phoenix Suns 6.00 28.49
LA Lakers 7.07 28.73
Miami Heat 6.33 28.82
Boston Celtics 7.67 28.99
Atlanta Hawks 7.33 29.21
Dallas Mavericks 8.50 30.29
Average per Team 4.90 26.94
Years of Experience for NBA Players
No. Years NBA No. NBA Cumulative
Experience Players Percentage Percentage
0 65 .151 .151
1 54 .126 .277
2 46 .107 .384
3 42 .098 .481
4 25 .058 .540
5 24 .056 .595
6 29 .067 .663
7 28 .065 .728
8 34 .079 .807
9 16 .037 .844
10 16 .037 .881
11 12 .028 .909
12 12 .028 .937
13 11 .026 .963
14 3 .007 .970
15 6 .014 .984
16 4 .009 .993
17 3 .007 1.000
Total 430