The road to the NBA is very much based on your physical features, as well as your talent.
The NBA is all about the numbers and the league’s PR department released a survey featuring data on the opening-night rosters of all 30 teams.
The survey includes a breakdown of the height, weight, age and NBA experience of all 440 players on opening-night rosters. If you think your kid has shot at making it in the league, odds are he’s going to have to meet some hefty height requirements. According to the latest stats released by the survey, players shorter than 6-feet have a 0.45 % chance to make an NBA roster.
Land of The Giants
Player height ranges from 5-foot-9 (Denver’s Isaiah Thomas) to 7-foot-3 (Clippers’ Boban Marjanovic and New York’s Kristaps Porzingis).
Thomas and Frank Mason III, who stands 5-foot-11, are the only players under 6-feet in the entire league. Meanwhile, there are 45 guys 7-feet or taller. So it’s still a big man’s game, just in a small ball style.
The Washington Wizards have the tallest team in the NBA with an average height of 6-foot-8.15. They also have the heaviest team in the league with an average weight of 226.15 pounds. The Pistons have the shortest team in the NBA, averaging 6–foot-6.27.
NBA’s Composite Player, Mr. Average
Oklahoma City guard/forward Andre Roberson most closely resembles the average NBA player based on height, weight, age and experience. Listed at 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, the 26 year old, five-year vet was selected by Minnesota with the 26th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and was a budding defensive star before patellar tendon surgery slowed his career.
Last season’s composite player was Milwaukee’s Tony Snell, who is very close to the league averages in height, weight, age and experience again this season. Two years ago, “Mr. Average” was Golden State All-Star Klay Thompson.
Triple OG’s
Atlanta’s Vince Carter and Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki are the oldest heads in the game. Both members of the 1998 NBA Draft are legends and transcending talents in their 21st seasons. Vinsanity is the league’s oldest player at 41, followed by Nowitzki at 40.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Isaac Bonga, who turns 19 on Nov. 8, is the NBA’s youngest player. Team age ranges from an average of 24.57 years for New York to 28.60 years for Houston. So if you are above 30 in the NBA, you’re old.
21st season for both Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitzki!#TrueToAtlanta #MFFL #ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/aVspXWkfGZ
— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2018
Kentucky Wildcats running wild in The NBA
John Calipari is the Godfather of the one-and-done era. He’s been rotating blue chippers vacationing for a season in college before ascending to the NBA for a long time.
Kentucky Wildcats in the 2018 NBA Draft
New York Knicks – Kevin Knox SF Charlotte Hornets – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander PG
Kentucky is the school with the most players on opening-night rosters (27) for the seventh consecutive year. Duke has 23, UCLA has 15, Kansas has 12 and North Carolina has 11. Together, these five schools supply 20 percent of the NBA talent.
Pound-for-Pound
The heaviest player in the league is the LA Clippers Boban Marjanovic. The paper weight champ is San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray at 170 pounds.
Reminder: Boban Marjanovic does not need to jump for his dunks pic.twitter.com/9jqFHAbTMw
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) October 18, 2018
A.I.’s No. 3, Kobe’s No. 8 Still Making Noise
The most popular jersey number is Allen Iverson’s classic No. 3, worn by 20 players including Chris Paul, Ricky Rubio and Dwyane Wade, among others.
No.’s 2, 5 and 9 are worn by 19 players and No. 0 and No. 8 are worn by 18 players (Kobe Lives !!)
Before you can pick your jersey number, you have to make the league and these stats give you an idea of just how physically blessed you have to be to get to the top no matter how lit your work ethic is.
