How many people play basketball in the usa

How Many People Around The World Play Basketball? Shocking Stats!

After the first successful basketball game held in Springfield Massachusetts in 1891, Naismith knew that the game he invented will be well known and played by millions of people around the world. Discovering the game wasn’t only Naismith’s success but success for all athletes that wanted to play indoors.

Over the years past, basketball evolved, and many changes happened. These changes resulted in a more civilized and entertaining basketball game. Players had to adapt to these changes for them to play better inside the court. Whether the changes happened were bad or good for players, it doesn’t matter. As long as there are still many players who play the game, then I don’t think basketball will die because of such changes.

Basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the history of mankind. The game was played by millions of people around the globe. We all know that this game was played by millions but what is the exact number? Why do people love basketball, and why are players increasing every year? These questions will be answered in this article. We are going to put a fact on the table about how many people in the world play basketball and how it became popular. Let’s go!

How Many People Around The World Play Basketball?

Before we proceed to the other questions, let us first recognize the numbers of people in the world that play basketball.

How many people around the world play basketball? According to FIBA statistics, there are at least 900 million-plus people around the globe who are playing basketball. Every country has its basketball league, and statistics show that there are at least 215 basketball leagues worldwide.

These numbers may increase over time because of the rapidly growing population around the world. 

Basketball was invented in the United States, and Americans brought the game to Asia. Asian countries like the Philippines, China, and South Korea have a massive increase in players over the years past. The United States is very far from Asia, which means that basketball has taken over the world!

Quick Peek Of The History Of Basketball

Basketball was invented in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, by a Canadian physical instructor, James Naismith. Naismith was tasked by his head boss to discover a game that can be played indoors and will help the athlete’s conditioning. They also wanted players to be able to keep in shape during winters. 

Naismith tried the game, and he divided his class of 18 into two teams (nine players each). He used a soccer ball as their ball and peach basket as their basketball ring. The objective of the game that Naismith gave to his students was to throw the ball into the fruit basket. Every time the ball goes in, the janitor will use a ladder and retrieve the ball. Naismith made 13 rules which are still currently used by all basketball leagues around the world. 

After the successful invention, the YMCA decided to spread basketball through the United States, Canada, and all over the world. In 1893 was the first European basketball match arranged by Mel Rideout. The Americans had easily spread the game to the Asian countries under their jurisdiction. 

The game was spread fast all over the world like a virus. After WW2, each international countries started to establish their basketball leagues.

How Did Basketball Become More Popular?

Basketball started to grow and be well known in the early 20th century and became more popular around the globe in the mid and late 20th century. At first, Naismith doesn’t know that basketball will grow as a Narra tree. His only focus at that time is to finish the task given by his boss. 

After a successful launch of basketball in the United States, basketball began to spread around the world quickly. The graduates of the YMCA school travel across Europe and until Aisa to introduce their new sport. Some cold countries were glad about the invention because they need indoor sport so that their athletes can play even during winters. The marketing made in basketball is successful. Basketball has grown tremendously and shall continue to grow in the coming years. 

As of now, basketball is stable, and the numbers of players are continuing to rise. I wonder how happy Dr. Naismith will be if he saw how his game was loved by all people in the world.

5 Reasons Why People Love Basketball

Basketball is one of the most loved sports in the whole world. There are various reasons why people love basketball:

1. Team Sport

The first reason why people love playing basketball is that it is a team sport. Humans are scientifically proven to have a healthier life if we have a healthy social life. Being social is one way that helped humans in the past to become more civilized, and this is why all countries today are successful. 

Basketball is a team sport that helps players to be more social and to learn to work with others. It is fun because five players will work as one and you don’t have to work alone to win. The challenge here is that teams must work together to win. If a team fails to work as a cohesive unit, then they will probably have a higher chance to lose. 

2. Accessibility

Another reason why people around the world love basketball is because the game can play anywhere. There are many courts established all over cities, and you can find a basketball court anywhere you go. Basketball requires only a ring and a ball, and it doesn’t need any special requirements. There are also different types of games you can execute even if you have no basketball ring, and all you have is a basketball. 

3. Physical Benefits

Basketball has many physical benefits that can help both the physical health and mental health of players. You will get a full-body exercise by playing one basketball game. You will move all your body parts. Legs and knees for running, upper body for defending, head for thinking, and arms and fingers for dribbling. 

Basketball can help your mental health because it is scientifically proven that the more a person exercises, the more it will likely keep their mental health healthy. The game also requires critical thinking to execute plays properly and avoid unwanted turnovers.

4. High Competitive

Humans are born to compete. People love basketball because it gives us a chance to compete and prove ourselves to others. Playing a sport is more fun if you have to compete with an opponent. You can compete for 1-on-1 or 5-on-5 anywhere as long as there is a basketball court. 

5. High Paced Game

Another reason why people love to play basketball is that because basketball is a high paced game. There are only a few dull moments during a ballgame like timeouts and free-throws. One usual basketball game has four quarters with 12 minutes of action each quarter. Each basketball game is exciting to watch primarily if an ace team will go against another ace team or if it is a close game. 

How Many Players In The NBA?

Let’s go check out how many players are currently playing in the NBA. We are going to check how many Americans and international players are running the league. Let’s go!

American Players

In the NBA, statistics show that 80 percent of NBA players are American citizen players. Knowing that each NBA team has 15 players. If you add it up or times it into 30 teams, the answer will be 450 players (not including the free agents). 80 percent of 450 is the number of American citizen players. 

International Players

According to the NBA, 108 players are playing in the league that is living from 38 different countries. Only 20 percent of international players are playing in the NBA, and the numbers will most likely increase in the next following years. 

For international players, it is a dream to play in the NBA. If you are not an American citizen, then most likely your chances of playing in the NBA are low. Even most of the free agents in the NBA are having a hard time getting a contract. That is why most free agents like Lance Stephenson preferred to play basketball overseas because it is easier to get a contract. 

What International Country Have The Most NBA Players?

As of the NBA season 2019-2020, the NBA statistics show that Canada has produced more talented players that successfully played in the NBA. Canada has 49 players, while European countries such as France, Serbia, and Croatia have a total of 86 players. 

These numbers will increase in the coming years as the numbers of good players in other countries are growing. 

Who Was The First International Player In The NBA?

The first international player to play in the NBA was Hank Biasatti. Biasatti is an Italian baseball player and a basketball player. He grew up in Windsor, Ontario where he was a basketball star during his college year and played baseball for the East Windsor Cubs. 

Biasatti decided to pursue his basketball career. He was invited to the inaugural training camp of the Toronto Huskies in the first season of the Basketball Association of America, which later evolved into the NBA. Biasatti was also selected by the Boston Celtics but never played for them.

After an impressive basketball career, Biasatti decided to leave his basketball career because his top priority is baseball. Even though his basketball career did not last long, Biasatti is still considered the first international player to play in the NBA. 

Final Verdict

Basketball was one of the best sports that have been invented in human history. Many changes make people dive into the conclusion that basketball will end soon because of the changes that happened. With the rapidly increasing number of players in basketball, I don’t see that basketball will die soon. 

The increasing number of players around the world can mean that sooner or later the NBA will be filled with many talented international basketball players. The game is involved along with the evolution of the players.

Now that you know how many people play basketball around the world, I hope you continue to support this awesome sport.

Why do you like playing basketball? Does playing basketball make you happy? Let us hear your opinion in the comments section below!

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Number Of Basketball Players In The US

Basketball Player Statistics By Gender

23. 0% of basketball players are women and 77.0% of basketball players are men.

• Male, 77.0%
• Female, 23.0%

Basketball Players By Gender

Gender	Percentages
Male	77.0%
Female	23.0%

Gender Pay Gap For Basketball Player

Women Earn 82¢ For Every $1 Earned By Men

Male Income

$74,200

Female Income

$61,103

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%
Basketball Player	77%	23%
Assistant Varsity Football Coach	98%	2%
Baseball Player	98%	2%
19D Cavalry Scout	99%	1%

19D Cavalry Scout

Baseball Player

Assistant Varsity Football Coach

Basketball Player

Modern Dancer

Actress

Harpist

Basketball Player Statistics By Race

The most common ethnicity among basketball players is White, which makes up 78. 0% of all 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%

Basketball Player Race

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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Basketball Player Age Breakdown

This chart breaks down the ages of basketball player employees. Interestingly enough, the average age of 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%

Basketball Player Age

Basketball Player Years	Percentages
40+ years	40%
30-40 years	33%
20-30 years	27%

Types of Basketball Player Degree Levels

The most common degree for basketball players is bachelor's degree 74% of basketball players earn that degree. A close second is associate degree with 15% and rounding it off is high school diploma with 5%.

• Bachelors, 74%
• Associate, 15%
• High School Diploma, 5%
• Masters, 4%
• Other Degrees, 2%

Basketball Players By Education

Basketball Player Degree	Percentages
Bachelors	74%
Associate	15%
High School Diploma	5%
Masters	4%
Other Degrees	2%

Basketball Player Jobs You Might Like

Basketball Player Wage Gap By Education

Basketball players with a Bachelors degree earn more than those without, at $74,200 annually. With a High School Diploma degree, basketball players earn a median annual income of $72,530 compared to $47,402 for 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	$72,530
Bachelor's Degree	$74,200
Some College/ Associate Degree	$47,402

Basketball Player Employment Statistics

Company Size

We created this chart to show you the average size of companies that typically hire basketball players.

< 50 employees

50 - 100 employees

100 - 500 employees

500 - 1,000 employees

1,000 - 10,000 employees

> 10,000

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Basketball Player Jobs By Employer Size

Company Size	Percentages
< 50 employees	3%
50 - 100 employees	4%
100 - 500 employees	23%
500 - 1,000 employees	17%
1,000 - 10,000 employees	44%
> 10,000 employees	9%

The Types Of Companies Basketball Player Work In

Employees with the basketball player job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most basketball players prefer to work at education companies over private companies.

Education

Public

Private

Government

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Basketball Player Jobs By Sector

Company Type	Percentages
Education	65%
Public	5%
Private	29%
Government	2%

Top Industries Hiring Basketball Players

Education

Manufacturing

Media

Government

Health Care

Show More

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Basketball Player Industry Statistics

Industry	Percentages
Education	62%
Manufacturing	7%
Media	5%
Government	4%
Health Care	4%
Telecommunication	3%
Construction	3%
Finance	3%
Transportation	1%
Start-up	1%
Fortune 500	1%
Internet	1%
Automotive	1%
Hospitality	1%
Retail	1%
Technology	1%

Basketball Player Turnover And Employment Statistics

The Average Number of Years That Basketball Player Stay in a Job

By looking over 668 basketball players resumes, we figured out that the average basketball player enjoys staying at their job for 1-2 years for a percentage of 38%.

Less than one year

1-2 years

3-4 years

5-7 years

8-10 years

11+ years

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Basketball Player Tenure

Number or Years	Percentages
Less than 1 year	28%
1-2 years	38%
3-4 years	16%
5-7 years	10%
8-10 years	4%
11+ years	5%

Comparing The LGBT Ratio of 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 basketball players.

Job Title	LGBT	Job Openings
Symphony Orchestra Musician	8.82%	8000.00%
Athletic Instructor	9. 28%	26,857
Story Teller	11.39%	8,812
Basketball Player	14.59%
Stage Manager	16.02%	69900.00%
Children's Choir Director	21.16%	13,013
Stand Up Comedian	23.07%	20600.00%

Stand Up Comedian

Children's Choir Director

Stage Manager

Basketball Player

Story Teller

Athletic Instructor

Symphony Orchestra Musician

0%

6%

12%

17%

23%

29%

35%

Basketball Player LGBT Demographics

Profession	Percentages of LGBT	Job Openings
Symphony Orchestra Musician	8. 82%	80
Athletic Instructor	9.28%	26,857
Story Teller	11.39%	8,812
Stage Manager	16.02%	699
Children's Choir Director	21.16%	13,013
Stand Up Comedian	23.07%	206

Foreign Languages Spoken By Basketball Players

The most common foreign language among basketball players is Spanish at 38.7%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is Russian at 16.1% and French is the third-most popular at 12.9%.

• Spanish, 38.7%
• Russian, 16.1%
• French, 12.9%
• Portuguese, 9.7%
• Bulgarian, 3.2%
• Other, 19.4%

Basketball Player Languages Spoken

Foreign Language	Percentages
Spanish	38.7%
Russian	16.1%
French	12.9%
Portuguese	9. 7%
Bulgarian	3.2%
Other	19.4%

Basketball Player Heatmaps

Which State Has The Most Basketball Players?

By looking through more than 668 resumes, we found that the most popular places for basketball players are New York, NY and Phoenix, AZ.

Number of Basketball Players

Number Of Basketball Player Jobs By State

Rank	State	Number of Jobs	Average Salary
1	California	14	$60,409
2	New York	12	$63,821
3	Missouri	11	$38,247
4	Iowa	10	$51,224
5	Oregon	9	$44,819
6	Connecticut	8	$67,972
7	Maryland	8	$64,396
8	Illinois	7	$50,783
9	Michigan	7	$41,610
10	Colorado	6	$35,923
11	North Carolina	5	$51,854
12	Kansas	5	$47,837
13	Nevada	4	$56,442
14	Arizona	4	$56,836
15	Georgia	4	$46,348
16	Minnesota	4	$38,085
17	Indiana	4	$35,216
18	New Mexico	3	$51,888
19	West Virginia	3	$48,380
20	Texas	3	$55,170
21	Montana	3	$41,717
22	Mississippi	3	$39,381
23	Nebraska	3	$37,116
24	Washington	3	$29,266
25	New Hampshire	2	$63,988
26	North Dakota	2	$56,574
27	District of Columbia	2	$63,593
28	Louisiana	2	$49,769
29	Pennsylvania	2	$50,039
30	Oklahoma	2	$44,738
31	Florida	2	$47,469
32	Kentucky	2	$41,947
33	Idaho	2	$28,322
34	Massachusetts	1	$66,040
35	New Jersey	1	$64,261
36	Ohio	1	$57,148
37	Virginia	1	$60,254
38	Wyoming	1	$40,791
39	Wisconsin	1	$44,055
40	Tennessee	1	$42,727
41	Alaska	0	$90,082
42	Rhode Island	0	$67,291
43	Delaware	0	$66,308
44	Vermont	0	$60,510
45	Utah	0	$51,173
46	South Carolina	0	$47,551
47	Hawaii	0	$49,662
48	Arkansas	0	$44,705
49	South Dakota	0	$44,532
50	Maine	0	$39,750
51	Alabama	0	$34,310

Basketball Player Demographics FAQs

How Many Basketball Player Are There In The Us?

There are over 1,000 Basketball Players in the United States.

What Percentage Of Basketball Players Are Black?

6.8% of Basketball Players are Black or African American

What Race Are Most Basketball Players?

Most a are White, with 78.0% of Basketball Players belonging to this ethnicity. 7.2% of Basketball Players are Hispanic or Latino, 6.8% of Basketball Players are Black or African American, 3.9% of Basketball Players are Asian, 3.7% of Basketball Players are Unknown, and 0.4% of Basketball Players are American Indian and Alaska Native

Are Basketball Player Jobs Male - Dominated ?

Yes, Basketball Player jobs are male - dominated. 77% of Basketball Players are male, and 23% are female, so there are more male Basketball Players than female Basketball Players in the United States.

How Old Is The Average Basketball Player ?

The average Basketball Player is 39 years old. 40% of 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.

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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 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 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.

Nikita Evdokimov, Charleston Cougars

2021/22 stats: 2 games, 10.5 minutes avg. .5 assists, 1 turnover

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 already 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 Kotov, Illinois State Redbirds

2021/22 stats: 12 games, 8 minutes avg. .9 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0. 1 blocks, 0.2 steals, 0.8 losses

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. Among Alex's partners then were, 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 somehow influence this, 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 the university, getting an education, but I still have, roughly speaking, two seasons to play in the NCAA,” says Kotov.

Victor Lakhin, Cincinnati Bearcats

2021/22 stats: 14 games, 14.1 minutes average

6.2 points (56.9% 2-pointers, 0% 3-pointers), 4.9 rebounds , 0.4 assists, 0.5 blocks, 0.7 steals, 1.2 losses

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 in Loko on a permanent basis, but by the 7th-8th grade he was regularly included in the team to participate in the Russian championships. The "railroad" 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 composition.

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% 2-point, 30% 3-point, 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

2021/22 stats: 7 games, 4. 7 minutes average

2 points (60% 2-pointers, 0% 3-pointers, 33.3% free throws), 1 .1 rebounds, no assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.1 steals, no losses

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 to what extent 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 Didenko, UT Martin Skyhawks

2021/22 stats: 11 games, 17 minutes average

6. 2 points (37.3% two-pointers, 37.8% three-pointers, 33.3% free throws), 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.2 steals, 1.7 turnovers

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.

David ended up in the USA in 2010 even before he started playing basketball. He was 10. The 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 at the university level for the same amount of time.

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.

Pavel Zakharov, California Baptist Lancers

2021/22 stats: 4 games, 10 minutes average

1.3 points (14.3% 2-pointers, 0% 3-pointers, 60% free throws), 1 .5 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 1 block shot, 0. 3 steals, 1 turnover

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 the game 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.

If you want to keep a close eye on Rosbasket, subscribe to my Telegram channel. There I regularly publish news, insiders, interviews and analyzes.

Photo: official websites of clubs, personal archives of players; twitter.com; instagram.com; cskabasket.com

How many players are there in basketball? Positions of players and their meanings

Home / All sports / How many players are there in basketball? Player positions and their meanings

03/23/2020 All sports Leave a comment 43,387 Views

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Basketball is a popular indoor team game played by 2 teams of 5 players each. The essence of the game is to throw the ball into the opponent's ring from different positions, score more points than the opponent. The official basketball rules indicate the following number of players:

• How many in one team on the field - 5
• How many on the site at the same time - 10
• Total number of substitutions in each team - 12
• How many sit on the bench - 7 for each team

It is necessary to clarify that in the past this sport was played 9v9, then came to the 7v7 version, and today they play 5v5 in all tournaments. Each basketball match consists of 4 periods: 10 minutes each in competitions under the auspices of FIBA ​​and 12 minutes each. in the National Basketball League (NBA). The number of substitutions in basketball is not limited.

We also note that there are no differences in the number of people on the court in the NBA and FIBA: both play 5 vs 5.

Mini-basketball is also played 5v5. This is a kind of basketball played by girls and boys up to 12 years old. True, here each team can have 10 people in the application (5 on the field, 5 on the substitution).

There is another common version of basketball called "streetball". Here they play 3 on 3 plus, and in total there can be 6 people in the squad with spares. Read more about the rules of the streetball game here.

Positions of players in basketball and their meanings

There are 3 positions in basketball (defender, forward and center), but if the players are divided by ampoule, then 5 categories are distinguished:

• Point guard (number one) - Point Guard (PG)
• Shooting guard (second number) -Shooting Guard (SG)
• Small Forward (SF)
• Power Forward (PF)
• Center (fifth number) - Center (C)

Point guard

Point guard is a player who must have good ball handling, dribbling and leadership skills. Traditionally, point guard enters the field at number 1: they are short, very fast and agile. As a rule, basketball players of this role play away from their own and other people's baskets and in the other half of the court they are a playmaker who performs a large number of attacking actions.

Attacking defender

Such a player is responsible for long-range 3-point shots on the field, he must have good accuracy and hit the basket from different distances. The attacking defender must also be excellent with the ball and assist the point guard in creating combinations. Perhaps the most striking example of the best shooting guard in basketball history is Michael Jordan.

Small forward

The small forward is the most versatile player on the basketball team. Its functions include scoring, rebounding, blocking. The combination of height, agility and speed allows the small forward to play well in a number of positions and score a lot of points.

Power Forward

The power forward must be tall and strong in order to be proficient under the basket. Many basketball players in this position do not score many points, but they bring a lot of value on rebounds. Such forwards are also good at blocking other people's shots.

Center

As a rule, these are the most powerful and tall members of the team with a height of more than 2 meters and a weight of more than 100 kg. The center can be an excellent scorer, as well as an excellent ball interceptor and blocker. For most teams, the center is the last line of defense. Especially in the 20th century in the NBA, the presence of a center on the field was considered a fundamental factor in winning matches and the tournament as a whole. The most striking example of a center is Shaquille O'Neal.

Basketball rules do not establish a strictly regulated position of players on the court - it's all purely formal. Any player during the match can be anywhere on the court.

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