When Dr. James Naismith first mounted peach baskets on an elevated track at the Springfield YMCA, he could never have envisioned the popularity of the game he had invented. Since its early days, basketball has attracted players of all ages, sizes, and genders.
And while the game has evolved significantly, the basic premise of basketball remains the same. Below, we are going to look at basketballs popularity and the total number of people worldwide who play basketball. Similarly, we are going to look into a few reasons as to why basketball is such a popular sports and what are some of the main benefits gained by playing the game.
How Many People Worldwide Play Basketball?
Basketball, behind only soccer, is the one of the most popular sports in the world. With estimates indicating that over 450 million people play the sport worldwide, it is one of the most played and beloved sports globally.
Similarly, if you look at just the United States, estimates indicate that over 26 million Americans play the sport regularly, more than any other team sport.
Below, we have broken down the number of individuals who play basketball by country. In no particular order, you can see just how popular basketball is worldwide, with tens of millions of participants and players playing the game in their respective country.
Country
Number of Basketball Players
United States
26 million
China
300 million
Philippines
40 million
Australia
1.1 million
Canada
354,000
Lebanon
1.7 million
Greece
2.3 million
Bosnia
870,000
Mexico
700,000
Israel
1.3 million
Egypt
1.84 million
Iraq
2.3 million
Pakistan
1.1 million
Japan
5.67 million
Why Is Basketball So Popular?
Behind soccer, basketball remains one of the most popular team sports in the world. And the reason for its popularity comes down to its simplicity. Basketball, similar to soccer, requires very little facilities and equipment to enjoy the game.
And, while it’s true that if one wanted, basketball could become an expensive and cost-prohibitive sport, overall the basic necessities and requirements to get a game started are quite simple and low. To get a game started, a player would simply need a basketball hoop and a basketball.
That is, because the list of equipments needed to get a game started are low, the game is easily accessible and can be played by just about anyone. To get a game started, a player or a group of players simply needs a proper basketball hoop and a basketball.
Unlike American football, ice hockey, lacrosse or many other sports, basketball does not require a expensive equipment and gear to get a game started. Rather, with a simple hoop affixed above the ground and a basketball, an individual or group of individuals can begin a game of basketball in little time.
And while the main reason why basketball is so popular is due to its relative simplicity, another important reason is due to the popularity of the NBA and NBA players.
Widely revered and looked up to, NBA players are some of the most famous athletes in the world. With many NBA players having tens of millions of followers on social media platforms, their popularity and fame precedes them.
These players are often looked up to and revered not only for their abilities on the court, but also for their strength, athleticism, and wealth. It is a well-known fact that NBA players are some of the highest paid athletes in the world and that wealth can be an enticing dream for many younger players looking to get started in the game.
What Are the Benefits of Basketball?
While basketball remains one of the most popular sports in the world due to its relative inexpensiveness and ability to get started, the sport also offers a plethora of social, mental, and physical benefits. Below, we are going to review some of these benefits that can be gained by playing basketball.
Improves Hand-Eye Coordination – Playing basketball is one of the best ways to develop hand-eye and foot coordination. These are developed during play, as you maintain balance throughout movement. Your body will also need to adapt to quick movements, including jumps, pivots, and a changing of direction.
Effective Weight Loss Workout – Basketball is one of the most effective weight loss workouts you can complete. In addition to the fun, competitive nature of the sport, on-average, a basketball player will lose between 630-750 calories within an hour game. This caloric loss can be done in a spirited, friendly manner and is much more enjoyable than simply walking on a treadmill.
Develops Concentration and Self-Discipline – Basketball is a game of seconds and one in which the course of the game can change quickly and rapidly. This means that a basketball player needs to develop concentration and focus whilst playing the game in order to succeed and play both effective offense and defense.
Fosters a Level of Selflessness – Basketball encourages and fosters a level of selflessness. Unlike other sports, like baseball, a game of basketball and an individual team can reach greater success by being selfless and making the extra pass, boxing out for your teammate to grab the rebound, and setting a well-timed pick or screen for your teammate to attempt the open shot.
Strengthens Muscular Endurance – The game of basketball requires agility, strength, and endurance. During the game, you will need to move quickly and change directions within a short duration of time. These movements require muscular endurance, which is the ability for your muscles to apply repeated force for an extended period of time. This can be achieved by not only playing basketball but also by working out at the gym on both your upper and lower body.
Number Of Professional Basketball Players In The US
Professional Basketball Player Statistics By Gender
17.4% of professional basketball players are women and 82.6% of professional basketball players are men.
Male, 82.6%
Female, 17.4%
Professional Basketball Players By Gender
Gender
Percentages
Male
82.6%
Female
17.4%
Gender Pay Gap For Professional Basketball Player
Women Earn 82¢ For Every $1 Earned By Men
Male Income
$74,158
Female Income
$61,070
Professional Basketball Player Male to Female Ratio
We compared this job title with other job titles to see how gender percentages varied. As you can see, 19d cavalry scout and baseball player have the biggest difference in gender.
Job Title
Male
Female
Harpist
8%
92%
Actress
8%
92%
Modern Dancer
8%
92%
Professional Basketball Player
83%
17%
Assistant Varsity Football Coach
98%
2%
Baseball Player
98%
2%
19D Cavalry Scout
99%
1%
19D Cavalry Scout
Baseball Player
Assistant Varsity Football Coach
Professional Basketball Player
Modern Dancer
Actress
Harpist
Professional Basketball Player Statistics By Race
The most common ethnicity among professional basketball players is White, which makes up 78. 0% of all professional basketball players. Comparatively, there are 7.2% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and 6.8% of the Black or African American ethnicity.
White, 78.0%
Hispanic or Latino, 7.2%
Black or African American, 6.8%
Asian, 3.9%
Unknown, 3.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
Professional Basketball Player Race
Professional Basketball Player Race
Percentages
White
78.0%
Hispanic or Latino
7.2%
Black or African American
6.8%
Asian
3.9%
Unknown
3.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native
0.4%
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Professional Basketball Player Age Breakdown
This chart breaks down the ages of professional basketball player employees. Interestingly enough, the average age of professional basketball players is 40+ years old, which represents 40% of the population.
40+ years
30-40 years
20-30 years
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Professional Basketball Player Age
Professional Basketball Player Years
Percentages
40+ years
40%
30-40 years
33%
20-30 years
27%
Types of Professional Basketball Player Degree Levels
The most common degree for professional basketball players is bachelor's degree 84% of professional basketball players earn that degree. A close second is associate degree with 10% and rounding it off is master's degree with 3%.
Bachelors, 84%
Associate, 10%
Masters, 3%
High School Diploma, 2%
Other Degrees, 1%
Professional Basketball Players By Education
Professional Basketball Player Degree
Percentages
Bachelors
84%
Associate
10%
Masters
3%
High School Diploma
2%
Other Degrees
1%
Professional Basketball Player Jobs You Might Like
Professional Basketball Player Wage Gap By Education
Professional basketball players with a Bachelors degree earn more than those without, at $74,158 annually. With a High School Diploma degree, professional basketball players earn a median annual income of $72,490 compared to $47,379 for professional basketball players with an Associate degree.
$78,000
$72,000
$66,000
$60,000
$54,000
$48,000
$42,000
High School Diploma or Less
Bachelor's Degree
Some College/ Associate Degree
Education
Salary
High School Diploma or Less
$72,490
Bachelor's Degree
$74,158
Some College/ Associate Degree
$47,379
Professional Basketball Player Employment Statistics
Company Size
We created this chart to show you the average size of companies that typically hire professional basketball players.
50 - 100 employees
100 - 500 employees
500 - 1,000 employees
1,000 - 10,000 employees
> 10,000
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Professional Basketball Player Jobs By Employer Size
Company Size
Percentages
50 - 100 employees
4%
100 - 500 employees
36%
500 - 1,000 employees
21%
1,000 - 10,000 employees
32%
> 10,000 employees
7%
Top Industries Hiring Professional Basketball Players
Just based on the number of employees within each industry, we were able to determine the most common industries that employ professional basketball players. Those industries include government, hospitality and manufacturing.
Professional
Retail
Manufacturing
Finance
Government
Show More
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Professional Basketball Player Industry Statistics
Industry
Percentages
Professional
14%
Retail
14%
Manufacturing
11%
Finance
11%
Government
11%
Construction
7%
Internet
7%
Technology
7%
Media
4%
Start-up
4%
Health Care
4%
Fortune 500
4%
Telecommunication
4%
Professional Basketball Player Turnover And Employment Statistics
The Average Number of Years That Professional Basketball Player Stay in a Job
By looking over 1,275 professional basketball players resumes, we figured out that the average professional basketball player enjoys staying at their job for Less than 1 year for a percentage of 45%.
Less than one year
1-2 years
3-4 years
5-7 years
8-10 years
11+ years
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Professional Basketball Player Tenure
Number or Years
Percentages
Less than 1 year
45%
1-2 years
29%
3-4 years
9%
5-7 years
8%
8-10 years
4%
11+ years
5%
Comparing The LGBT Ratio of Professional Basketball Players with Other Job Titles
After finding the gender ratio, we wondered if the percentages of LGBT persons were different as well. Using the data below, you can see how other job titles compare to professional basketball players.
Job Title
LGBT
Job Openings
Studio Musician
8.82%
95000. 00%
Men's Swim Coach
9.28%
15,899
Hypnotist
11.39%
200.00%
Professional Basketball Player
14.59%
Executive Producer
16.02%
74,007
Music Copyist
21.16%
2,744
Stand Up Comedian
23.07%
20600.00%
Stand Up Comedian
Music Copyist
Executive Producer
Professional Basketball Player
Hypnotist
Men's Swim Coach
Studio Musician
0%
6%
12%
17%
23%
29%
35%
Professional Basketball Player LGBT Demographics
Profession
Percentages of LGBT
Job Openings
Studio Musician
8. 82%
950
Men's Swim Coach
9.28%
15,899
Hypnotist
11.39%
2
Executive Producer
16.02%
74,007
Music Copyist
21.16%
2,744
Stand Up Comedian
23.07%
206
Foreign Languages Spoken By Professional Basketball Players
The most common foreign language among professional basketball players is Spanish at 40.4%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 14.9% and German is the third-most popular at 6.4%.
Spanish, 40.4%
French, 14.9%
German, 6.4%
Portuguese, 4.3%
Serbian, 4.3%
Other, 29.7%
Professional Basketball Player Languages Spoken
Foreign Language
Percentages
Spanish
40.4%
French
14.9%
German
6. 4%
Portuguese
4.3%
Serbian
4.3%
Other
29.7%
Professional Basketball Player Heatmaps
Which State Has The Most Professional Basketball Players?
By looking through more than 1,275 resumes, we found that the most popular places for professional basketball players are Phoenix, AZ and Germany, PA.
Number of Professional Basketball Players
Professional Basketball Player Demographics FAQs
How many Professional Basketball Player are there in the US?
There are over 920 Professional Basketball Players in the United States.
What percentage of Professional Basketball Players are black?
6.8% of Professional Basketball Players are Black or African American
What race are most Professional Basketball Players?
Most a are White, with 78.0% of Professional Basketball Players belonging to this ethnicity. 7.2% of Professional Basketball Players are Hispanic or Latino, 6. 8% of Professional Basketball Players are Black or African American, 3.9% of Professional Basketball Players are Asian, 3.7% of Professional Basketball Players are Unknown, and 0.4% of Professional Basketball Players are American Indian and Alaska Native
Are Professional Basketball Player jobs male - dominated ?
Yes, Professional Basketball Player jobs are male - dominated. 82% of Professional Basketball Players are male, and 17% are female, so there are more male Professional Basketball Players than female Professional Basketball Players in the United States.
How old is the average Professional Basketball Player ?
The average Professional Basketball Player is 39 years old. 40% of Professional Basketball Players are 40+ years old or older, 33% are between the ages of 30-40 years, and 27% are between 20-30 years old
Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.
Search For Professional Basketball Player Jobs
This season, 8 Russians play in the NCAA.
How are they? - The Interception - Blogs
Editor's Note: You are reading the user blog Interception, which talks about European basketball. Don't forget that pluses are still the best way to thank the author.
Before the start of last season, I wrote this text. Then I talked to almost all the Russians who were preparing to compete in the NCAA - there were 11 of them at that time - and tried to understand why Russian youth began to leave more massively for American universities. There have never been such a number of Russians in the NCAA.
A year and a half has passed since then, and half of the guys have parted ways: Konstantin Dotsenko is now playing in the Loko farm club, Zakhar Vedischev plays at the base of Krasnodar, Mark Tikhonenko signed a contract with Astana, Andre Toure recently played in Maykop in the second Super League, and Samson Ruzhentsev moved to the Serbian "Mega".
But some remained in America. They were joined by a few more guys who either just left Russia or got into the NCAA from American schools or the NJCAA. In this text, I will talk about all the Russians who play in the first division of the main student league in the world. If last season I wanted to explain why exactly they are leaving, now I have focused on their career.
If you prefer reading, then below is a large text with comments from the players themselves; but this time you have the opportunity not only to read, but also to watch a video about all of our in the NCAA. Inside is my story and a video interview with the guys.
If you watch a YouTube video, don't forget to thumbs up and leave a comment. This will help promote the channel. Subscribe if you love Russian basketball and want to learn more about it.
And now - the promised text about our guys in America.
What is the NCAA
The NCAA, or NCDA, is the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States and Canada. It includes almost 1300 schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions. The teams of these universities are represented not only in basketball - the NCAA also has competitions in American football, wrestling, fencing, bowling, softball, gymnastics, tennis and God knows what else.
But basketball is a very popular sport in the association. Both guys and girls have three divisions, which are ranked by strength. This text is only about those Russians who compete in the first, strongest, division.
The NCAA has a playoff called March Madness. When knockout games start, the whole country switches from professionals to students. Although during the season, the teams also have enough attention from fans: the clubs play in large and good arenas, many people come to the matches, the games are shown on television, and sometimes on national television. There are even universities whose fans spend the night in front of the arena in the hope of having time to buy a ticket.
So the NCAA is a really serious tournament, albeit a student one.
How many Russians are there
I have spent an hour and a half of my life checking the composition of all the colleges that are represented in the first division. There are 358 of them. I broke my eyes, learned about the existence of several countries and even about the presence of basketball in these countries, but still I counted all the Russians.
I got eight people, and now we will get to know them better. The sequence on my list doesn't mean anything, it's just that way because I talked to the guys in that order.
I hope I haven't missed anyone. Please write in the comments if you know someone whom I have overlooked.
Evdokimov is the newest member of the NCAA Division I. He joined the Charleston Cougars - the name of the team of the University of Charleston from South Carolina - in early December last year.
This university belongs to mid-major. In the American system, there is a gradation of universities by strength - from low-major to high-major. Mid-major is the middle level. Most Russian guys perform at universities that fall into this category.
Before moving to the USA, Nikita played for the youth team of Lokomotiv-Kuban and for the national team. Last summer, the defender represented the Russian under-20 team at the Euro Challenger, although he himself was only 18.
Evdokimov has an interesting story about how he fell in love with basketball. In fact, it is strange that he did not go to handball, because his dad is the famous Russian handball player Yegor Evdokimov. Six-time champion of Russia, champion of Spain, champion of Belarus, champion of Ukraine, participant of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. At the dawn of his career, Yegor Viktorovich played in his homeland, in the Chelyabinsk region, the city of Snezhinsk. Nikita was born there.
- I fell in love with basketball when I was 9 or 10 years old. My cousin and grandmother and I went on vacation to the Crimea. There was a playground where I constantly ran and played. Grandma suggested trying to sign up for basketball. And before that, I didn’t consider basketball as a sport at all ... But I went to a training session and instantly fell in love. Didn't miss it at all. Then Lokomotiv saw me at the Russian Championship. Together with a team from my city, from Chekhov, we took fourth place, and everyone was very surprised. I was seen by coach Petar Marinkovic, who called me to Loko, ”recalls Evdokimov.
He says that he could have been in the red-green system even earlier. He was invited to the Yug-Basket camp - this is a camp organized by the club and within which it looks for players in its youth system - but then Evdokimov was with relatives in the United States and could not come.
He ended up in the Loko system in 2017. True, Evdokimov says that, even while playing for Krasnodar, he often thought that he actually wanted to try his hand at American basketball. He has relatives living in the USA, he has been there more than once, and when the chance to move to the university appeared, he did not hesitate for a long time.
Evdokimov learned about the university's interest in him in advance, so he spent the summer with benefit: he trained individually with personal trainers in Moscow and Cyprus, where his father plays handball. There, the defender, at the request of the university coach, worked hard on three-pointers and performed at least 500 long-range shots a day.
Evdokimov will be coached at the College of Charleston by Pat Kelsey, a strong specialist who is widely known in college basketball. He once worked with Jeff Teague and Chris Paul.
Alex is not short for Alexander, but his passport name. He was not born in Russia, but in Canada, his parents went there to give birth to Alex. In this country, he lived the first year of his life, after which he left for Moscow. In memory of Canada, Alex has citizenship (he has a double one).
But he started playing basketball in Russia.
— I started playing basketball at Gloria when I was 10-11 years old. People came to my school - and I studied at an ordinary secondary school - who were looking for young guys who were ready to play basketball. They came into my class, saw that I was tall, did a couple of tests, asked me different questions and invited me to practice. I studied at Gloria for a long time, then I got into the MBA Junior Junior League, from there I was taken to the Super League. I played there for literally a year, and after graduating from high school I decided that it would be wise to go to the United States. I contacted Skryagin (Alexander Skryagin, ProFuturo Sports, - note "Interception"), because he was the only person who knows more about moving to the USA than me. We talked to him, I dropped my highlights to him, and he helped me find a school, - says Kotov.
Alex arrived in the US in 2017 and entered the Montverde Academy. This is a very famous program that prepares players for the NCAA. Kotov spent a year in Montverde and won the championship with this team, the result for the season is 35-0. Alex's partners then included, for example, RJ Barrett, who now plays for the New York Knicks in the NBA, and Turkish Efes center Philip Petrushev.
Alex left Montverde not immediately for the NCAA, but for the NJCAA. It is an association of junior colleges and is also often referred to as Juko. A common story for those who feel like they're not ready for the NCAA yet, but want to play hard and improve. Kotov spent two years in this association, after which he moved to the NCAA, to the Illinois State Redbirds team. This is also a representative university of the mid-major category.
Alex has six months left to study at the university, but he can play in the team for another two and a half years. This happened because the players have the right to use the redshirt option. In fact, this is the right of the player to extend his career at the university, even if he has already graduated from the university. Plus, there's also the "cancellation" of the season due to the coronavirus (this happened last year), which also doesn't count, as well as the "cancellation" of the season due to injury (this happened to Alex in his second year in the NJCAA).
In general, these rules are very complicated.
- Due to an injury in my second year at the NJCAA, I opted to save the year. That's plus one season. In addition, this year I had a lot of misunderstandings with the coach, it all started last year. I thought that it would be possible to influence it somehow, to establish relations with him in the summer, but it turned out to be much more difficult than I thought. Therefore, after a huge number of meetings, we came to the conclusion that this year it would be easier for me to also take the option to save the year. So this year I'm graduating from university, getting an education, but I still have, roughly speaking, two seasons to play in the NCAA, - says Kotov.
Lakhin is the only Russian who represents a high-major university. This means that the university where Vitya plays often goes to the "March Madness" and has a tangible chance of winning the NCAA.
And the story of Lakhin began in Anapa. The parents wanted to send their sons - Vitya and his brother Vasya - to some kind of team sport so that they would play together. And chose volleyball. But because of the coach, they did not last long in the volleyball section and eventually went to basketball.
Lahin started in fourth grade but quickly rose to the city team. And in the Krasnodar Territory, if you play for the city team, then you are in full view of the Lokomotiv scouts. Vitya did not play Loko on a permanent basis, but by the 7-8th grade he was regularly on the team to participate in the Russian championships. The Railroaders took him as a reinforcement player - this is a common practice in children's competitions.
Further - a matter of chance. Loko juniors played in the final stage of the Russian championship and met CSKA twice - in the group stage and in the semi-finals. Lakhin gave two good games and ... received an invitation from the "soldiers".
At first he did not think of moving anywhere and stayed to finish the season in the south. But summer came, and he still went to see it. He was offered to stay after the first practice. Vitya talked to his parents and a month later he arrived at CSKA.
- The first season was probably the most emotional, full of some moments, memories. Because my brother and I arrived for the first time in a big city. On the one hand, this is a great freedom, because there are no parents nearby, but, on the other hand, this is also a great responsibility. Because you have never done the things that your parents did for you before, like laundry, cleaning, all sorts of small things. Even a waste of money: you never thought about it before, you were given - you spent it. And here you have money, and you know that if you spend everything, then at the end of the month you won’t have any left, ”recalls Vitya.
Lakhin reached the final stage of the youth Euroleague with CSKA and spent a pretty good season overall. Alexey Zhukov, the head coach of the “army” CYBL, left to work as an assistant in Nizhny Novgorod, and Maxim Sharafan came to CSKA from Lokomotiv. He worked with Vitya for three years, and during this time Lakhin managed to understand that he wants to play in Russia only at the highest level - in CSKA - and if it doesn’t work out, then it’s better to leave.
- I realized that it would be very difficult for me to get into the base. This is a top club with the highest goals, and as a young player I need to be not even the same as everyone else, but better, because I have no experience. It was necessary here and now to show some level and bring results. Let's be realistic, there were no players who can immediately enter the CSKA system and show something like that for a long time. Probably the Swede was the last one. I realized that I can’t do that, and since my dream is to be in the NBA, I decided to move closer to this league, this Wednesday, to America. That's why I'm here, - says Vitya.
But not everything was so simple. Back in Russia, Lakhin managed to get injured. He fell in the game moment, and his knee hurt. The medical staff did not suspect anything, and Vitya continued to train. The state of health worsened, but then the pandemic came, everyone went into self-isolation, and the center just went home. The knee was still swollen, but the pain was slowly receding. Vitya did not train and therefore did not feel any signs of deterioration. He already knew that he was leaving for America, and just waited for all the permits.
The injury happened in February and the departure was due in September. In the summer, Lakhin himself did an MRI, which showed that he had . .. a torn meniscus. He took the results of the examination to the surgeon who scheduled the operation. Vitya went for it and began to recover in Russia, and he came to the USA with an already operated knee.
Everything should have been fine, but when he started running, the pain returned. Lakhin did another MRI, and it showed that the same meniscus was completely torn. The doctors said that it would take six months to recover. Therefore, Vitya simply missed his first season in the NCAA.
— All this time I didn't train, but I was always with the team: in scouting, in the locker room, in training. All lessons were online, and we lived in an apartment with the team. So that year helped me a lot, because even though I didn’t play, I was in the system and I knew the guys. It was my year of adaptation - to a new culture, to people, to new faces, to food. I had the same feeling as when I came from a small town to Moscow. You leave Russia for any other country - even to America, even to Italy, even to Spain - and you go through the same thing, Lakhin believes.
He adds that the Cincinnati had a new head coach at the end of last season and it was a difficult moment. A new specialist was appointed the day before Lakhin's departure to Russia, when he did not yet understand whether he would remain in the team for the next season or not. Whether to leave it, decided the new head coach. But in the end, the center managed to meet with him before departure and find a common language. The coach wanted to protect the Russians in the squad.
During the summer Vitya worked in the USA on his body and improved his skills. The season began in October, and in December, Lahin was the best freshman of the week in his conference. By the way, he has a situation similar to Alex: academically, Lahin is a sophomore, but he is considered a rookie in the team.
Andrey Savrasov, Georgia Southern Eagles
2021/22 stats: 14 games, 23.7 minutes average
11.9 points (51.5% two-pointers, 30% three-pointers, 73.1% free throws), 6 rebounds, 1. 1 assists, 0.4 block shots, 0.9 interceptions, 1 loss Andrey's first coach is a well-known Russian specialist Oleg Aktsipetrov.
— I remember that at first I had very different hobbies: football, basketball, taekwondo… But after the first two or three years of training, I realized that basketball is really mine, that I want to do just that. Slowly, I began to play for the sports school of the Admiralteisky district, for the Zenit Junior Junior League, played for the Russian national team U16, U18. We went to different tournaments, and somewhere the scouts saw my game and invited me to the USA, says Savrasov.
Andrey moved to America three years ago - in January 2019of the year. Now he is finishing his third year at the university, in the American education system it is possible to start studying in the middle of the academic year and, accordingly, then graduate also in the middle of the academic year.
Savrasov managed to play for the Texas Tech team, where he spent a year and a half. The first six months he did not play, he spent in redshirt mode - he trained, worked on his body, was with the team, but did not play for it. But the next season already played in the status of a freshman, that is, a freshman.
Andrei didn't get much playing time, but he still wanted to stay at the university. It was a high-major, and Savrasov wanted to prove that he deserved another role.
But then I talked to the head coach, and together they decided that it would be better to change the university in order to continue their career. The coach even helped find a new team, and that's how Savrasov ended up in Georgia, in the Georgia Southern Eagles team. This is a mid-major university.
Now in his second year with the new team, he is in the starting five and generally has a good role on the court. In theory, Andrei can play for the university for another two years, although he graduates from the university in a year.
Vladislav Goldin, Florida Atlantic Owls
2021/22 stats: 14 games, 16. 5 minutes average
5.7 points (47.9% 2-pointers, no 3-pointers, 52.2% free throws), 5.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.6 block shots, 0.4 interceptions, 1.3 losses He played with his 2001, but at some point the team just fell apart and disappeared.
Goldin was sent to play by the year 2000, and the coach of this team turned out to be familiar with the coach of CSKA-DYuBL. Vlad and another guy were offered to the "soldiers" - just to look at them. But the screening went well, and after one of the training sessions, Vlad was offered to move to Moscow. New school, new surroundings, heavy loads, training twice a day - Vlad says that the first six months in the capital were the most difficult time in his life.
- At that time, I probably did not quite understand where I was moving and how much it changed. To be honest, I didn't even really know what DUBL was. Wasn't very knowledgeable. Youth League, Junior Team, Superleague… I knew the tournaments where we played: first the Southern Federal District, then the Russian Championship. When I found out that I was already in Moscow and had to go to the CYBL team for a tryout, I even got scared. But they left me, and I trained at CSKA for another four years. Then he played for the Russian national team U18 and U19, after which he received an offer to try himself in America. I decided to take a chance and moved there to the Prep school,” says Goldin.
Prep school is short for preparatory school. In essence, this is an opportunity to play basketball in the USA before going to university.
In October 2019, Vlad entered Patnam School in Connecticut. This is a small private school about an hour from Boston. Together with the team, Goldin became the champion of America in the championship among preparatory schools.
After that, Vlad was called to Texas, to the Texas Tech team - to the same team where Andrey Savrasov played for a year and a half. Goldin saw that this was a big and serious high-major team, saw the conditions for training and accepted their invitation without hesitation.
— In Texas, things are a little different. The way we played there was not like the way I played before, so the first experience was difficult. And then the head coach left us, replacing TexasTech with Texas. Most of the coaching staff left with him, and our team did not quite understand what to do. Only the assistant coach remained with us. And in the end, I decided to move to another team, to Florida, - say Goldin.
Due to the coronavirus, Vlad has the same situation as most student athletes: academically he is a sophomore, but the last sports season did not count, so he is a freshman in the team. Goldin has three years left to study, and he can play four more.
He himself says that his current team plays more European basketball, so he feels great there.
Alexander Glushkov, Appalachian State Mountaineers
Born in Vladivostok, Glushkov started playing basketball at the age of 13 when he went to summer camp. I came home and told my father: "I want to play basketball." Parents sent Sasha to the section.
Glushkov's first coach is Eduard Sushko. After a year of working with him, Sasha was invited to the Spartak-Primorye system. He played in the Junior Junior League for a year, after which the entire management of the team and almost the entire squad moved to the PSC Sakhalin. At the same time, the base of the club remained in Vladivostok. Glushkov spent a year in the new club, after which he received an invitation from Moscow, from the IBA. His coach Alexander Antipov invited him.
And then it was a matter of chance, and a year later Sasha was already flying to the USA to study at school.
— I came to Moscow and played there for a year. When we were preparing for the Summer Spartakiad in Krasnaya Pakhra at the Trinta base, a coach from the USA arrived there. He was familiar with Alexander Antipov, because before that our guy had already played at the same school. He came just to relax, but he also wanted to look at the players. He probably liked me, and he invited me to school. I took the chance and got into high school. I spent 11-12 classes there, received several offers and decided that I would play in Appalachian State, says Glushkov.
Now Sasha is in his second year, but, as you know, last year doesn't count. So Glushkov is considered a “freshman” in the team and can play for the university for another three and a half years, while he has two and a half to study.
When Sasha arrived at the university, he weighed about 90 kg. But now he has noticeably added muscle mass. He began to grow muscles during the last season, but he did the main work in the summer. Due to problems with visas, he could not go home to Russia, and he went to a friend in Houston. There he lived for a month, ate a lot and rocked. As a result, he entered the new season in excellent physical shape. True, the coach still does not really trust him.
Glushkov University is a mid-major who, last year, made it to March Madness for the first time in 20 years. Sasha was not released then, but he nevertheless felt the atmosphere of the main student event of the year. Here's what he says about it:
- It was ... unbelievable (unbelievable - approx. "Interception"). Very cool feeling. 64 top teams, all at the highest level. We had two or three hotels, each floor was dedicated to a specific team. I don’t know how much it could be called the same “March Madness”, because, of course, all the measures were taken anyway. We had a quarantine, we had to be tested every day. And so everything was at the highest level,” recalls Glushkov.
David has probably the most atypical fate among all our guys who now play in the first division of the NCAA.
Didenko was born in the north, in the city of Yakutsk. He remembers his childhood quite vividly: he says that the city authorities allowed not to go to school at -45 degrees Celsius, and if the thermometer was only -43, you had to pull yourself together, stick yourselves into a thick down jacket and stomp to school.
— I had a healthy down jacket, maybe five centimeters. I walked around like a big bubble. When I was 8 or 9 years old, we had -57 degrees in winter. Very cold. I didn’t leave the house for two days,” Didenko recalls.
In 2010, David ended up in the USA even before he started playing basketball. He was 10. His older sister was leaving for New York to study English, and David just went with her for a month.
While still in Russia, they found him something to do in the USA. On the classifieds website, the family looked at a message from a Russian coach who lived there, his name was Boris Karebin. The coach was needed so that David would not just mess around in the States.
But the boy got so caught up in basketball that he eventually wanted to stay. Parents allowed, and he went to an American school. Karebin trained him in Brighton Beach, this is a Russian-speaking area, so immersion in American culture was gradual.
— I first lived in New York, where I arrived, and then I traveled. Lived in Florida, then studied in Georgia, in Tennessee. I travel a lot around the country - sometimes I live there, sometimes there. Somehow I quickly learned English, apparently because I was still young. Literally in a year. In Russia, I studied English for three classes, but could not learn it. Here I first lived with my sister, she pushed me to talk to people, and somehow everything turned out by itself, - says Didenko.
David spent his first year after school in Juko. Remember the story of Alex Kotov? This is the same league that prepares players who have not yet grown up to the NCAA. But already in the second year, Didenko ended up in the first division, at the University of Georgia.
He is currently a UT Martin Skyhawks player, where UT is the University of Tennessee. Accordingly, David now lives and studies in this state. He has a year and a half left at the university, and he can still play the same amount at the university level.
At the same time, he is 21 years old and automatically enters the NBA draft next year. In mocks - that is, expert predictions - he is not drafted, but he still has to play the whole season, so everything is in his hands.
Last on the list - not by value, but simply because he is the only Russian I could not contact - Pavel Zakharov from California Baptist Lancers.
Zakharov was born in Sør-Varanger, Norway. In Russia, Pasha played for the Zenit youth team and helped CSKA play in the youth Euroleague, and in 2018, after playing for the Russian U18 team at the European Championship, he left for the Montverde Academy. We talked about it a little earlier.
He was considered a four-star recruit. In American sports, when they want to talk about the prospects of a particular player, they talk about him in terms of stars, and four stars is very good. Such an assessment helped him get into the Gonzaga College in the NCAA - this is one of the top programs, which, for example, reached the NCAA finals last season, having suffered its first loss of the season in this very final. Pasha then did not go to the parquet. A year before, the team did not get into the "March Madness" only because the championship was stopped due to a pandemic.
Zakharov spent two seasons at this university and moved to the California Baptist Lancers in the summer of 2021. Most likely due to playing time, because, obviously, it was much more difficult to get it in Gonzaga. But even at the new university, he still has an average of 10 minutes on the floor and one and a half rebounds. By the way, about playing on the shields: the height of the Russian center is 213 centimeters, in America these guys are called seven-footers.
This is almost all I know about Pavel Zakharov.
It seems that the Russians in the first division of the NCAA are over. If you know someone else that I forgot, please write in the comments.
Thank you for your attention! I will be glad if you share the text or video with your friends who are interested in young Russian players. Well, thumbs up, comments, subscriptions to YouTube - everything is traditional.
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Photo: official websites of clubs, personal archives of players; twitter.com; instagram.com; cskabasket.com
Why is basketball a black game? - Q&A - Blogs
Editor's Note: You are in the Q&A Blog where we answer any questions about basketball, including popular search queries. Most of the answers will be of interest only to beginners, but after all, even experts once started with the basics. You can also ask your question - the blog is open.
If you imagine the stereotype of a basketball player, the first thing that comes to mind is that he is tall. Second, he is black.
Why did basketball become an African American game?
The easiest way to explain everything is by genes. It is obvious that different groups of people have different physiological characteristics that give an advantage in sports.
For example, Ethiopians and Kenyans make the best marathon runners. In East Asia, sports that require lightning fast reaction and / or acrobatic abilities are common (table tennis, badminton, short track, martial arts, diving). Volleyball is popular among the tallest nation in Europe - the Dutch. Athletes from the countries of Oceania, due to a genetic predisposition to a low percentage of body fat, are successful in rugby and in American football.
Black people seem to run faster and jump higher. At least that's what we were told. But the differences in genes between different regions of Africa are sometimes greater than between the genes of an individual African and a European. Unfortunately, many people still believe in the outdated racial classification of homo sapiens.
In fact, it is not a racial approach to genetics that works here, but a regional one. All the necessary athletic virtues - jump, sprint, height not lower than average - are inherent specifically to immigrants from West Africa and their descendants, not short Bushmen and Pygmies or tall but skinny Nilots. Therefore, the best basketball teams in Africa are Nigeria, Senegal, Angola, Cameroon.
Most African Americans are descendants of slaves brought from West Africa. But if these genes were enough for a successful career in the NBA, then there would be no less Olajuvons and Antetokounmpo than Jordans and LeBrons. There is more in the African American genome than just African: it is estimated that 90% of blacks in the US also have European or Native American ancestry.
This diversity has resulted in a very good genetic pool for sports and specifically for basketball.
But genetics is only a prerequisite to the real cause. Basketball has long been a part of African American culture as a way of self-affirmation and fulfillment, as an opportunity to become the best in your community when many other careers are not available.
For the same reason, before the war, basketball was considered the game of... Jews. Many immigrant Jews lived in the poor neighborhoods of large cities in the United States, and basketball was the most accessible sport - you can play it in a narrow street or in a gateway, all you need is a ring and a ball. That is why many of the first basketball stars were Jews. Or Italian Americans. Or of German origin. Or children of immigrants from somewhere else.
Basketball developed in the same way in the Negro areas of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and other cities. And when players were kept out of the NBA (and earlier leagues) because of the color of their skin, were not accepted into universities, they organized teams that played anywhere, including in jazz clubs. In the 1960s, NBA leaders Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and many others were active in the civil rights movement. Later basketball became closely associated with rap culture:
In general, genetics plays a big role otherwise the Philippines, where basketball is practically a religion, would become a great power. But in the entire history of the NBA, there were only two people with Filipino roots, both were born in the USA and were half African American, and they did not achieve much success. There are no Filipinos in the Euroleague, and the national team is far from the best even in Asia and has not made it to the Olympics for almost 50 years.
But if athletic abilities were determined solely by the national genetic fund, the Czechs would not play hockey better than the Poles, the British would love baseball as much as cricket, and the Brazilian basketball players would not be inferior to the Americans and certainly would be stronger than the Spaniards, Lithuanians, Balkans. However, football is popular in Brazil.
Sociocultural reasons why basketball is the favorite game of African Americans are just as important:
• Historically, basketball has been a major team sport for the poor;
• is an accessible sport for the urban environment that is the center of black culture in the US;
• along with music, one of the few legal social mobility opportunities for blacks.
There are no stupid questions, there is a desire to learn new things.
And the reason for its popularity comes down to its simplicity. Basketball, similar to soccer, requires very little facilities and equipment to enjoy the game.
Below, we are going to review some of these benefits that can be gained by playing basketball.
This means that a basketball player needs to develop concentration and focus whilst playing the game in order to succeed and play both effective offense and defense.
0% of all professional basketball players. Comparatively, there are 7.2% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and 6.8% of the Black or African American ethnicity.
Interestingly enough, the average age of professional basketball players is 40+ years old, which represents 40% of the population. 
With a High School Diploma degree, professional basketball players earn a median annual income of $72,490 compared to $47,379 for professional basketball players with an Associate degree. 
Those industries include government, hospitality and manufacturing.
00%
82%
4%
8% of Professional Basketball Players are Black or African American, 3.9% of Professional Basketball Players are Asian, 3.7% of Professional Basketball Players are Unknown, and 0.4% of Professional Basketball Players are American Indian and Alaska Native
How are they? - The Interception - Blogs 
In this text, I will talk about all the Russians who play in the first division of the main student league in the world. If last season I wanted to explain why exactly they are leaving, now I have focused on their career. 
It includes almost 1300 schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions. The teams of these universities are represented not only in basketball - the NCAA also has competitions in American football, wrestling, fencing, bowling, softball, gymnastics, tennis and God knows what else. 
My cousin and grandmother and I went on vacation to the Crimea. There was a playground where I constantly ran and played. Grandma suggested trying to sign up for basketball. And before that, I didn’t consider basketball as a sport at all ... But I went to a training session and instantly fell in love. Didn't miss it at all. Then Lokomotiv saw me at the Russian Championship. Together with a team from my city, from Chekhov, we took fourth place, and everyone was very surprised. I was seen by coach Petar Marinkovic, who called me to Loko, ”recalls Evdokimov. 
He has relatives living in the USA, he has been there more than once, and when the chance to move to the university appeared, he did not hesitate for a long time. 
In fact, this is the right of the player to extend his career at the university, even if he has already graduated from the university. Plus, there's also the "cancellation" of the season due to the coronavirus (this happened last year), which also doesn't count, as well as the "cancellation" of the season due to injury (this happened to Alex in his second year in the NJCAA). 
The Railroaders took him as a reinforcement player - this is a common practice in children's competitions. 
Even a waste of money: you never thought about it before, you were given - you spent it. And here you have money, and you know that if you spend everything, then at the end of the month you won’t have any left, ”recalls Vitya. 
Let's be realistic, there were no players who can immediately enter the CSKA system and show something like that for a long time. Probably the Swede was the last one. I realized that I can’t do that, and since my dream is to be in the NBA, I decided to move closer to this league, this Wednesday, to America. That's why I'm here, - says Vitya. 
.. a torn meniscus. He took the results of the examination to the surgeon who scheduled the operation. Vitya went for it and began to recover in Russia, and he came to the USA with an already operated knee. 
1 assists, 0.4 block shots, 0.9 interceptions, 1 loss Andrey's first coach is a well-known Russian specialist Oleg Aktsipetrov. 
The first six months he did not play, he spent in redshirt mode - he trained, worked on his body, was with the team, but did not play for it. But the next season already played in the status of a freshman, that is, a freshman. 
5 minutes average 
When I found out that I was already in Moscow and had to go to the CYBL team for a tryout, I even got scared. But they left me, and I trained at CSKA for another four years. Then he played for the Russian national team U18 and U19, after which he received an offer to try himself in America. I decided to take a chance and moved there to the Prep school,” says Goldin. 
1 rebounds, no assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.1 steals, no losses 
He was familiar with Alexander Antipov, because before that our guy had already played at the same school. He came just to relax, but he also wanted to look at the players. He probably liked me, and he invited me to school. I took the chance and got into high school. I spent 11-12 classes there, received several offers and decided that I would play in Appalachian State, says Glushkov. 
True, the coach still does not really trust him. 
7 turnovers 
The coach was needed so that David would not just mess around in the States. 
But already in the second year, Didenko ended up in the first division, at the University of Georgia. 
Most likely due to playing time, because, obviously, it was much more difficult to get it in Gonzaga. But even at the new university, he still has an average of 10 minutes on the floor and one and a half rebounds. By the way, about playing on the shields: the height of the Russian center is 213 centimeters, in America these guys are called seven-footers. 
In East Asia, sports that require lightning fast reaction and / or acrobatic abilities are common (table tennis, badminton, short track, martial arts, diving). Volleyball is popular among the tallest nation in Europe - the Dutch. Athletes from the countries of Oceania, due to a genetic predisposition to a low percentage of body fat, are successful in rugby and in American football. 
Therefore, the best basketball teams in Africa are Nigeria, Senegal, Angola, Cameroon. 
That is why many of the first basketball stars were Jews. Or Italian Americans. Or of German origin. Or children of immigrants from somewhere else. 
There are no Filipinos in the Euroleague, and the national team is far from the best even in Asia and has not made it to the Olympics for almost 50 years. 
