‘Which State Produces The Most NBA Players Per Capita?’ You Ask. We’ve Got A Map For That

  • Ricky Boebel

NBA Per Capita Map

This story comes to us from reddit, where a user created a map visualizing the number of NBA players produced per 100,000 residents for every state.

Washington, D.C. churns out the most NBA players with 11.33 players per 100,000 people, four times more than any other state. That means a child born in D.C. has a 0.01 percent chance of making it to the NBA.

It’s impossible to look at this map without factoring in race. The NBA is 78 percent black, and it makes sense that a majority African-American city like Washington would be at the top of this list. Looking at the other states through this lens, we understand why Mississippi and Louisiana come in at two and three spot, despite football being the states’ main focus.

There were plenty of surprises as well:

- New Hampshire comes in at No. 4. Their one and only NBA product: Matt “Red Mamba” Bonner.

- Vermont is the only state to never produce an NBA player.

- North Carolina’s homegrown talent is lacking despite its huge college hoops fan base.

- California has the most NBA players overall (336), but per capita it’s average.

- Wyoming took a break from bull-riding long enough to manufacture six NBA players.

- Hawaii gets bragging rights over Alaska by two players to one.


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