How many years of college to be a basketball player

Do NBA players have to go to college? – Basketball Noise

One question that has continuously been raised throughout NBA history and which still has no definitive answer is should high school basketball players continue their education and go to college, or should they be able to skip it and go pro right away like some of the best have done previously? Are they missing valuable time and money to compete when they go to college or are they benefiting much more from learning and maturing in their formative years?

Do NBA players have to go to college? Perspective NBA players can go to college to reach the NBA or they can choose to play basketball overseas in order to play in the NBA.

One decision that offers a middle ground, and which many players chose, and are now forced to choose is to go to college, but for a shortened period of time. The league made a stance in 2005 with their one and done policy, but is that policy necessary, and is it here to stay is also a topic of discussion. The reason why this is such a problematic and controversial question is the individual nature of it all. There have been so many contrary and inconsistent experiences so far that the only way to offer some sort of conclusion is to take a more extensive approach, and look at individual cases and look into what has made them successful or not so successful.  But first, let’s take a look at some basic NBA regulations regarding this topic.

Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James… Besides being guaranteed future hall of famers, these superstars have one more thing in common. They opted to enter the NBA draft straight from high school, and each of them went on to have magnificent careers. McGrady was and still is considered to be one of the premier scorers in NBA history, the other three each MVPs and champions. When it comes to talent of that magnitude, few scouts and general managers ever doubt if the transition from high school is possible immediately. After all, LeBron was picked first in the 2003 NBA draft, which proves the point.

But that’s not always the case, sometimes the signs that the NBA level of basketball is just too big a step, the same signs that are pretty clear later on are not there at the age of 18. That was the case many times, most notably in 2001, when the Washington Wizards picked Kwame Brown at number 1, which soon proved to be a terrible mistake. So, 4 years later  the league office along with the commissioner David Stern pushed forward a new rule during collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The rule was called “one and done” and required players to attend college for at least one year or be of the age of 19 in order to be eligible for the NBA draft.  That condition has been present ever since, and during that time has never stopped being a talking point for players, fans, college coaches, general managers and others.

NBA draft is an annual after-season event in which all of the 30 NBA franchises select new players for their respective teams from the pool of new recruits. The format and requirements have changed from the early days on a couple of occasions, but have remained the same since the above mentioned introduction of the ”One and Done” rule. The requirements are the following:

• All 30  teams get to select one draft pick for each of the 2 rounds
• First 3 picks are determined by lottery drawing consisted of 14 non-playoff teams, with the teams with worse records having the more favourable odds.
• After those first 3 picks, all teams are put in reverse order based on their regular season record from the previous season.
• Players have to be 19 years old during draft calendar year, and at least one season has to pass since their graduation of high school
• Players have to declare their eligibility 60 days before draft night
• International players are automatically eligible if they are turning 22 by December 31^st and the American players if they complete college eligibility.
• An American player who has a contract with an international team is automatically eligible by the age of 19.
• No player can be eligible for more than 2 drafts

A few of these rules are rumoured to change sometime in the near future, probably before 2022. The biggest of these changes is certainly the expected lowering of the required age for eligibility.  According to USA Today, the league has submitted a proposal to the NBA Players Association to lower the required age from 19 to 18. The other possible change is also very interesting. The NCAA apparently wishes that NBA would alter the rules for undrafted players, allowing them to return to school if they are not selected.

The NBA age limit is a subject almost every involved party has an issue with. Everyone has an opinion and everyone wants to think they are trying to protect the game and not solely their own interest. But in a matter this multi- layered, it’s almost impossible to understand better one side’s position without hurting the other’s. So, before getting into what was former commissioner David Stern’s reasoning for introducing this notorious rule, and if it is justifiable, let’s first take a look at the stances of the other involved parties: the players and the NCAA.

From the player perspective, since being forced to wait a whole year before entering the league has prevented talented young men from being able to get out of the first contract sooner and therefore earn big bucks, it is easy to see how this rule is one that frustrates them. For all their talent, playing college basketball is something that gives them only paid tuition in return, which is almost insulting a compensation compared to the views and money they draw.

Many of these “One and Done” players are hugely popular even in their teens. That was the case for Kevin Durant, John Wall, Anthony Davis and most recently Zion Williamson. Before even stepping foot on the NBA floors, Zion was dominating media headlines and securing big money deals with Nike, while Anthony Davis played for USA national team. Telling these guys they are not ready and mature enough to have an actual job at the age of 18 just seems patronising and hypocritical. After all, nobody complains about guys working in factories and construction sites to support their families and make a living, so why is this different. Obviously, they are just selling the image that this policy is here for the benefit of the player, while in reality it benefits the NCAA and limits the financial risk for the NBA general managers. All the young athletes in high school ask for is the same opportunity which is given to their peers in other fields, and it will be very interesting to see for how long will their voice be ignored.

Couple of years ago, Kevin Durant was asked about this in an interview. His response was simple and logical: “You should let these kids make a decision, however they want to. If they want to come out of high school, it should be on them. You can’t control everything. So if they feel as though they’re ready, that’s on them. They want to make a decision on their life, that’s on them. If they don’t get drafted, it’s on them”. He also went on to say he would have gone straight to the NBA if he had that choice, because some guys just need the money at that time.

From the NCAA’s perspective, the views are significantly higher each year with growing talent level compared to the time without “One and Done”. 2017 NCAA tournament was the most watched college basketball event in 24 years. But, even with boosted money, ticket sales and television revenue, some important voices in NCAA circles aren’t completely sold on this rule. Some coaches have been frustrated by the unpredictability of having to completely reshape the roster and tactics each year due to losing key players.

The biggest criticism, however, comes from the president of the NCAA himself, Mark Emmert. He said on multiple occasions: “The one-and-done rule is something I’ve made no secret about how much I dislike it. It makes a farce of going to school. What is this about? Is this about someone being part of a university and playing basketball or any other sport with that school’s jersey on, representing that institution or is (it) about preparing me for my career, my professional career as a ball player. If it’s the latter, you can do that inside a university, and that might be a really good way to go. But if you don’t want to and you don’t think you should and you don’t think that’s right for your family then don’t come. Don’t be a part of this. Don’t muck around in the system. Just go. Have a good life. But let’s not confuse those two things”.

So let’s get to David Stern’s reasoning for this policy. Originally, soon after the rule’s introduction, he often cited the social aspect of the decision.  Apparently, he thought that too many of young urban Americans are looking at the NBA as a viable path –to financially secure their families, which it often isn’t in his opinion. However, that explanation was received terribly by many players, some of whom even blamed the rule on racism.

So he tried to clarify his true purpose in a later interview: “Our rule is that they won’t be eligible for the draft until they’re 19. They can play in Europe, they can play in the D-League, they can go to college. This is not a social program, this is a business rule for us. The NFL has a rule which requires three years of college. So the focus is often on ours, but it’s really not what we require in college. It’s that we say we would like a year to look at them and I think it’s been interesting to see how the players do against first-class competition in the NCAAs and then teams have the ability to judge and make judgments, because high-ranking draft picks are very, very valuable. ’’

Basically, the idea is that for every few Lebrons and Zions, there are many guys who just never get accustomed, and whom everybody forgets about in a few years. The league is coming from an angle where in a business where you invest millions of dollars in teenage prospects, you have to be careful enough and base your decision on a bigger body of work. This rule offers them that chance to judge how young talents fare against grown men, how they accept demanding coaches, and how they deal with adversity.

Current commissioner Adam Silver, very popular and highly regarded as just and thoughtful, has opted to take his time regarding any possible changes. He admitted on a number of occasions that he is well aware that “one and done” is currently failing both the NBA and college basketball. “My sense is, it’s not working for anyone,” Silver said a couple of years ago. “It’s not working certainly from the college coaches and athletics directors I hear from. They’re not happy with the current system. And I know our teams aren’t happy, either, in part because they don’t necessarily think that the players that are coming into the league are getting the kind of training that they would expect to see among top draft picks in the league. So we’re going to come together with everyone who is interested in the community, whether it be the colleges, our union, agents, lots of points of view out there, and see if we can come up with a better system.”

The reason he’s still standing still even though he admits changes have to be made is the conflict of beliefs between the players’ association and the league offices. Both parties agree that “one and done” era should come to an end, but the former want the age limit completely removed, and the latter raised from 19 to 20, which would force the players to stay in college for 2 years.

“We all agreed we need to make a change,” Silver said after the talks. “It’s one of those issues we need to come together and study. … My sense is, It’s not working for anyone.”

One thing is for sure, Silver is looking at new and better ways how to fix player development structure, and we’ll probably hear from him sooner rather than later.

Successful cases:

• LeBron James– Not much to say here. Arguably one of the greatest players of all time, multiple times MVP and Champion and still at the top of his game. He transitioned to the league smoothly and was an all-star in his second year.

Career stats: 27 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds

• Kobe Bryant– Also one of the greatest. Maybe his transition was a little slower than James’, but he reached the same “Mount Rushmore” heights. Also MVP and a champion.

       Career stats: 25 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds

• Kevin Garnett- Easily the best player of his draft class. He revolutionized the big man position in the early 2000s by adding drives and jumpers to the mix. He could do it all on the floor, and did it all with unrivalled passion. Retired also a champion and an MVP after 21 successful years.

       Career stats: 18 points, 10 rebounds

• Dwight Howard: His recent struggles shouldn’t fool you, we are talking about the  most accomplished center of the 2000s. Multiple times defensive player of the year, a slam dunk champion, an NBA finalist and a true superstar during his peak years.

Career stats: 17 points, 13 rebounds

• Tracy McGrady: He was the league’s leading scorer 2 times, also a 7- times All-Star. Most notably known for his scoring and that time he scored 13 points in half a minute. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Career stats: 20 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds

Other notable successful cases: Lou Williams,  Monta Ellis,  Amar’e Stoudemire,  Jermaine O’Neal,  Rashard Lewis,  Al Jefferson,  Darryl Dawkins,  Shaun Livingston, Tyson Chandler

Unsuccessful cases:

• Ousmane Cisse: In his senior year in high school, Cisse averaged; 29 points, 16 rebounds and 12 blocks. Drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2001 and unfortunately never played a single game in the league.
• Korleone Young: Averaged 21 and 10 in high school, but only played 3 games for the Pistons. He is mostly known as the poster boy for David Stern limiting the minimum age to 19.
• DeSagana Diop: The Cavs drafted him in 2001 before Joe Johnson, Richard Jefferson, Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas. Averaged 2 points and 4 rebounds.
• Thon Maker: Bucks gambled on his potential and after a couple of seasons gave up on him. He is now with the Pistons and it’s still too soon to call him a failed experiment, but he definitely has lived up to the hype so far.
• Kwame Brown: The first overall pick in 2001 and also a poster boy for age limit being 19 years or more. He averaged 10 points in his best season, which is bad for a first pick, but not nearly as bad as some people seem to think.

One option for young high school talents which emerged recently and has gained popularity in a short period of time is the National Basketball League – the professional basketball league covering Oceania. The NBL is made up of eight Australian teams and one team from New Zealand, offering two key things players want: real salary and focus on only basketball. For guys whose only dream is to play in the NBA, it’s easy to see how this option makes perfect sense, and so there was no surprise when even a 5-star recruit chose to go down that road. Instead of accepting offers from popular colleges in Kansas, Texas Tech or Memphis, RJ Hampton decided to compete for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL. Even though Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay skipped college and went abroad themselves, this case was the first of its kind when it comes to Australia, but it could be a very interesting path moving forward.

RJ Hampton went on to explain his move, saying to ESPN: “My No. 1 goal is to play in the NBA. I wanted to be an NBA player before I ever wanted to be a college player. This is about getting ready for the next level faster and more efficiently. Both of my parents went to college. My mom got her master’s degree. Education is a big thing in our family, but this is about focusing 100 percent on basketball. You can always go back to college, but there’s only a short window as an athlete where you can play professional basketball, and I want to take advantage of that. I think that challenging yourself on a daily basis is the best way to improve.”

Hampton is currently projected as the number 6 overall pick for the 2020 draft by ESPN. If his experiment turns out to be a success story, others will surely follow, which can potentially make NCAA think twice about their paying policies.

As things stand, NCAA regulations do not allow their athletes to sign any endorsement deals or accept payments. But, having in mind the increasing pressure on colleges from many sides, this is expected to be a subject of major changes. The first such step is scheduled for 2023, and that is the new California law, which will prohibit the NCAA punishing players for said endorsement deals. This will allow players, ones who actually provide the product, to get their share of the revenue worth billions of dollars.

The signing of this bill took place on the HBO program called “The Shop”, where democrat Gavin Newsom signed the bill alongside LeBron James, host of the show, and a loud supporter of students getting paid.

However, the NCAA will probably not go away without a fight. Their board of governors commented on this bill, calling it “harmful and unconstitutional.”

What awaits is a certain and unavoidable series of law battles and conflicts by the time 2023 comes. One thing is for sure though – players’ voices are no longer ignored.

What is A Basketball Player?

The average basketball player salary is $51,862. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes more than 10 years of experience to become a basketball player. Basketball players with a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Basketball Player Do

There are certain skills that many basketball players have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed athleticism, dedication and teamwork.

How To Become a Basketball Player

If you're interested in becoming a basketball player, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 74.2% of basketball players have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.5% of basketball players have master's degrees. Even though most basketball players have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Average Salary

$51,862

Top Basketball Player Jobs Near You

Basketball Players in America make an average salary of $51,862 per year or $25 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $109,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $24,000 per year.

Average Basketball Player Salary

$51,862 Yearly

$24.93 hourly

$24,000

10 %

$51,000

Median

$109,000

90 %

What Am I Worth?

Basketball Player Education

Basketball Player Majors

Business

20.2 %

Kinesiology

13.4 %

Communication

10.6 %

Basketball Player Degrees

Bachelors

74.2 %

Associate

15.0 %

High School Diploma

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 23.9% of basketball players listed ncaa on their resume, but soft skills such as athleticism and dedication are important as well.

• Ncaa, 23.9%
• Semi, 14.1%
• Basketball Program, 10.0%
• All-Conference, 7.6%
• Scholarship, 7.2%
• Other Skills, 37.2%

Basketball Player Demographics

Basketball Player Gender Distribution

Female

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

• Among basketball players, 23.0% of them are women, while 77.0% are men.

• The most common race/ethnicity among basketball players is White, which makes up 78.0% of all basketball players.

• The most common foreign language among basketball players is Spanish at 38.7%.

Online Courses For Basketball Player That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  The courses listed below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the course, we may receive a commission.

Math behind Moneyball

Learn how probability, math, and statistics can be used to help baseball, football and basketball teams improve, player and lineup selection as well as in game strategy. ..

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Exploring NCAA Data with BigQuery

BigQuery is Google's fully managed, NoOps, low-cost analytics database. With BigQuery you can query terabytes and terabytes of data without managing infrastructure or needing a database administrator. BigQuery uses SQL and takes advantage of the pay-as-you-go model. BigQuery allows you to focus on analyzing data to find meaningful insights. We have a newly available dataset for NCAA Basketball games, teams, and players. The game data covers play-by-play and box scores back to 2009, as well as fi...

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Sports Performance Analytics

Sports analytics has emerged as a field of research with increasing popularity propelled, in part, by the real-world success illustrated by the best-selling book and motion picture, Moneyball. Analysis of team and player performance data has continued to revolutionize the sports industry on the field, court, and ice as well as in living rooms among fantasy sports players and online sports gambling. \n\nDrawing from real data sets in Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association...

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Updated September 9, 2022

where to study, salary, pros and cons

Author: Professional Guide

Updated by October 31, 2022

Basketball player is a professional basketball player. Such a team game is popular, first of all, in the USA. In Russia, it is somewhat inferior to football and hockey, but still quite in demand. By the way, the ProfGid career guidance center has recently developed an accurate career guidance test that will tell you which professions suit you, give an opinion about your personality type and intelligence.

See also :

Brief description: who is a basketball player?

The basic rules of the game of basketball are usually known to everyone: two teams enter the field, the one that scores more points wins. Points are given for hitting the ball into a basket hanging at a height of 3.05 meters from the floor. The number of points that is counted for each hit depends on the distance from which the throw was made. In the process of moving around the field, players must dribble the ball, beating it off the floor, and not hold it in their hands.

Features of the profession

A professional sports career requires a lot of energy, effort, time and dedication. A basketball player must always be in good shape, his salary and popularity largely depend on the performance of his performance on the field, and he must work closely with other team members. The main duties of a basketball player are as follows:

• Daily attendance at training.
• Compliance with the regime of the day and nutrition.
• Participation in matches.
• Participation in non-match events of the club.
• Regular medical examination, following the recommendations of the doctor and trainer.

A basketball player must be prepared for the fact that he will periodically have to change the clubs he plays for, participate in international competitions from his country, and even during the match, cooperate with different groups of players (frequent substitutions are very common in this game).

Pros and cons of the basketball profession

Pros

1. Prestigious profession with a decent salary.
2. Opportunity to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
3. Opportunity to travel, communicate with representatives of different countries and peoples.
4. The joy of victories and the support of the fans.

See also:

Cons

1. The need for talent or extensive experience to gain recognition and sign expensive contracts.
2. Negative emotions from defeats.
3. Occupational diseases (herniated disc, knee problems, Schlatter's disease).
4. Age restrictions on career length.

Important Personal Qualities

In order to successfully fill the position of a basketball player and succeed in this field, an athlete must be in very good physical shape, he must not have serious chronic diseases, he needs excellent endurance, concentration, speed of movement and reactions, perfect coordination. Most often, very tall athletes become successful basketball players. Analytical thinking, the ability to follow the strategy developed by the coach, make decisions quickly, and work together with the rest of the team will also not interfere.

Basketball training

Russian universities and colleges do not offer basketball training as such. You can learn how to play basketball in sports schools, and then improve your skills in basketball clubs. In parallel, you can get a sports education (including to successfully work as a coach after completing a career in big-time sports). In this context, the specialty "Physical Education" in colleges (code 49.02.01) or the same name in universities (code 49.03.01). A certificate is sufficient for admission to a secondary school, in addition to it, the results of the Unified State Examination in the Russian language, biology and physics are required for admission to the university.

Courses

Stremlenie Basketball Club

It is necessary to think about where to get the profession of a basketball player, if you have the appropriate inclinations, from childhood. Therefore, most basketball schools offer training for children and teenagers. One of these schools is the Stremlenie basketball club, where individual and team trainings are held. Members of the club also take part in competitions.

The best universities for basketball players

1. MSPU
2. RGSU
3. MGOU
4. RGUFKSMiT
5. RGUFK them. P.F. Lesgafta
6. RSPU im. A.I. Herzen

Read also:

Place of work

Basketball players play for basketball clubs, national teams. At the end of their careers, they work as coaches (both in adult clubs and in children's sports schools).

Salary of a basketball player

The level of income of such an athlete directly depends on his talent, experience, professionalism and fame. The more useful a basketball player can bring to the club, the higher the salary will be offered to him.

Basketball player salary for October 2022

Salary information provided by hh.ru portal.

Russia 100000-250000₽

Career growth

Building a career for a professional athlete is about improving your skills and getting more and more lucrative offers from clubs. With age, it may also involve a change from activity to coaching.

Professional knowledge

1. Human anatomy, physiology and biochemistry.
2. History of physical culture.
3. Psychology of physical culture.
4. Management of physical culture and sports.
5. Biomechanics of motor activity.
6. Rules of the game of basketball.
7. Team strategies when playing basketball.

Famous basketball players

1. Michael Jordan, one of the Chicago Bulls' most popular players, was on the club's winning streak six times in the NBA.
2. Shaquille O'Neal, recognized as one of the best players in the history of the NBA, also known for releasing rap albums and starring in several films.
3. Clyde Drexler, one of the best basketball players in the NBA, Olympian with 20,000 points in his entire career.

See also:

Examples of companies with vacancies for a basketball player

Go get an education, you're too late to be a basketball player - The Jay's - Blogs

NBA players who started playing basketball very late

We all know basketball players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan. They played basketball all their lives, they were talked about even during their school years and no one was surprised by the fact that sooner or later they would get into the world's major basketball league.

But what about the players who first picked up an orange ball not at age three, but in high school, or worse, in college? What chances do they have to achieve at least some success in the basketball field, and do they exist at all?

Everyone has a chance. This is the beauty of basketball. Today we will talk about athletes who got acquainted with basketball much later than most players.

Joel Embid

When I started: 2011 (15 years)

Statistics for career: 22.8 + 9.9 + 2.8 + 2.0 (Blocks \ Blocks)

Achievements: All-Rookie First Team, All-Star, NCAA Defensive Player of the Year.

Process already looks like the top 3 center in the entire league. In today's NBA, if you're a center and you don't have a good and consistent shot, you're in for the fate of Hassan Whiteside. Old-school centers are no longer interesting to anyone, their actions are predictable, there is no threat from them on the arc, therefore this gives more freedom to the defending team. And that's why players like Anthony Davis, Karl Towns, DeMarcus Cousins ​​and Joel Embiid sat down on the "basketball Olympus".

But if in the case of the first three centers, the ascent took 15-20 years, then Embiid needed only 7.

Initially, "The Process" wanted to become a volleyball player and try his hand at the European Championships. But when the young Embiid was 15 years old, he picked up a basketball for the first time and began to copy Hakim Olajuwon's style of play. Joel liked the game so much that in the same year he went to a basketball camp organized by Luc Mba a Mute in Cameroon.

As a result of this camp, Luke was so impressed with Embiid's game and potential that he invites him to try himself in America.

At the age of 16, Joel Embiid moves to the USA and decides to become a professional basketball player.

In the states, the "Process" continued to progress and got into one of the best student organizations - Kansas. In his only college season, Embiid scored something like 11+8, entered the top 30 students and entered the draft with a back injury.

At first, Joel did not work out in the NBA, just because of the unfortunate injury, and for the first two years he almost completely lay in the infirmary. But after the recovery and after the last season, we see a top center, who is undoubtedly far from his peak and will continue to progress.

Dennis Rodman

When I started: 1983 (21)

Statistics on the career: 7.3 + 13.1 + 1.8 + 0.6

Achieving: Member of the Glory Hall, 5-fold champion NBA, 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time All-Star, 7-time defensive top five.

The best rebounder in basketball history, ready to rip opponents' elbows out with the ball, only got to know basketball in high school. And it is very difficult to call this acquaintance the beginning of his basketball career. Rodman, a model of his school years, did not really know how to dribble, and his shots from under the basket left much to be desired, not to mention the shots from the middle. As a result, throughout his school career, Rodman sat on the bench. Also, young Dennis tried to get into the school football team, but failed there too.

Of course, after such a school "performance", no college offered Rodman an athletic scholarship. As a result, Dennis graduates from high school and goes to work as a janitor at the local airport. And just at that time, the young player has a so-called "growth spurt" and decides to try his hand at basketball again, despite the fact that he did not feel very comfortable in his new two-meter body.

A friend of the Rodman family, he got a position as head coach at a small college in Texas, and offered the young Dennis a scholarship. As a result of his first and only semester (Rodman was expelled for poor progress), the young player scores 17 + 13! Agree, very good numbers for a player who a couple of years ago could not get out from under the basket.

The most interesting thing is that during high school, Dennis was only 170 cm tall. But by the time he went to college at 21, Rodman was already 204 cm tall! It's amazing how he has grown so much in just 4 years.

After his first undergraduate performance failure, Rodman was given a second chance at an Oklahoma college whose team was NAIA. There he spends three fruitful years, gaining 25 + 15, becomes the leader in rebounds and gets into the 19th draft.86, where he was drafted 3rd overall by the Detroit Pistons in the second round.

Everything that happened next is history. Dennis went from a calm and reserved player who did his job in the Pistons, like other "bad guys", into an outrageous, media player.

But it is worth noting that this did not affect his game in any way. Rodman became the best defensive player of the championship 2 times, got into the top five defensively 7 times and became the best rebounder 7 times in a row. Well, it’s not worth talking about his five championships, everyone already knows about it.

Interesting fact: Father Dennis Rodman has 48 children.

Another interesting fact: Dennis Rodman is the oldest of them.

Moving on.

Hakim Potzzhivon

When I started: 1979 (16 years)

Statistics for the career: 21.8 + 11.1 + 2.5 + 3.1

Achievements for Kharmer: Member of the Hall of Slava, 2- 2- 1x NBA Champion, 1x NBA MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 12x All-Star, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, one of the top 50 basketball players of all time.

The Dream, until the age of 16 he was exclusively fond of football and handball. And it was a football career that helped Hakim with footwork and body balance in the future.

At the age of 16, the two-meter-high Olajuwon is invited to take part in a basketball tournament (even though Hakim has never played it). There, a basketball coach notices him and informs Hakim's parents that their son may have a good career, but in Nigeria he will remain only budding. Hakim begins to train hard with his coach in order to achieve something in professional sports. Here's what he said about basketball:

Basketball is something unique. When I took the ball in my hands, I immediately knew that this is what I want to do all my life, you know? After that moment, any other sports lost their meaning for me.

As a result of all this, the parents of a young basketball player sent him to America, where Houston College was waiting for him to watch. Hakim impressed coach Guy Lewis with his game and he accepted the young player into the squad.

Season 1980/1981 Olajuwon missed out because he was still too young to play in the NCAA (17 years old). But over the course of the next three years in college, Hakim screwed up and showed the entire student league who's boss in the paint!

He becomes the Final Four MVP, also earns the NCAA Southwest Conference MVP, and the Rockets begin to fold the 1983/1984 season in order to take Hakim with the first pick in the upcoming draft.

If you are reading this and think that Hakim was very good, you are right. But do not forget that The Dream achieved all this in 5 years from the moment of his first basketball game!

What happened next - you yourself know everything again. Hakim became one of the best centers in the history of basketball, an innovator and creator of new offensive techniques in the paint. Seriously, show me one player in the history of basketball that has played better than Hakim in the post?

Olajuwon led his hometown of Houston twice to the championship, became the most valuable player in one of the finals, the most valuable player in the league and was twice recognized as the best defensive player. Great career, great player!

Dikembes Mutombo

When I started: 1984 (17 years old)

Statistics for careers: 9.8 + 10.3 + 1.0 + 2.8

Achiors: Member All-Star, 4-time Defensive Player of the Year, 2-time rebounding leader, 3-time block shot leader.

Another African who started playing basketball very late.

Until the age of 17, Dikembe "not in my house" Mutombo was fond of exclusively football and did not see himself anywhere except on a wide lawn (or sandy wasteland) with goals along the edges. So his youth passed, if not for his older brother, who invited him to play basketball.

Basketball meets Dikembe in style. In the first game, Mutombo cracks his chin and tells his brother that he will never play this "stupid game" again.

But still, after a couple of weeks, the brother again persuades Dikembe to play. And from that moment began the basketball adventure of one of the best defensive players in the league. Mutombo started playing in the African League and achieved excellent results. A vivid confirmation of this is a sports scholarship from Georgetown.

Mutombo enters the NCAA at the age of 21 and immediately shows excellent results. In his very first season, Dikembe manages to make 12 blocks in ONE game! And in general, the period 1988-1990 was one of the best in history for Georgetown. Under the ring, along with Dikembe, was another future member of the hall of fame - Alonzo Morning. Their bunch was even nicknamed "Rejection Row".

College career can be called successful. Mutombo was named to the NCAA East Division First Team as well as the All NCAA Third Team, and was selected with the 4th pick in the 19 draft91, aged.. 25 years old.

But even with such a late start, Mutombo had a long and fruitful career, spending as many as 18 seasons in the league!

He achieved everything, almost everything. Dikembe never received the coveted ring, but few would say that his career was not a success.

Throughout his career, the Congolese basketball player has demonstrated high professionalism, quality defense and incredible block shots. Mutombo was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year four times, was elected to the league's All-Stars three times, and took part in the All-Star game eight times.

Tim Dancan

When he started: 1991 (15 years)

Statistics for career: 19. 0 + 10.8 + 3.0 + 2.2

Achievements for career: 5-time champion NBA, NBA, NBA, NBA, 5-time champion NBA, NBA, 5-time NBA, 5-time champion NBA, 5-time NBA 2-time MVP, 3-time Finals MVP, 15-time All-Star, 15-time All-Star (10 times first), 15-time Defensive Five, Rookie of the Year, 2003 Athlete of the Year, NCAA Player of the Year .

Tim Duncan is the best basketball player of the 2000s and possibly the greatest basketball player of the 21st century. Try to convince me of this as much as you like, but such a stable, unselfish and simply excellent player is very difficult to find. Duncan is a hard worker who does an enormous amount of work from game to game, from season to season, without requiring any attention and encouragement from the basketball community.

But it all started in the Virgin Islands, when young Tim, looking at his sister Trisha, who was a swimmer, wanted to follow in her footsteps. Duncan trained hard day after day and dreamed of taking part in the 1992 Olympic Games.

But his dream was not destined to come true. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo swept through the Caribbean and caused damage to many countries, including Tim Duncan's native Virgin Islands. And everything would be fine, but the same hurricane destroyed the only pool on the islands and Duncan now had nowhere to train.

You say - hey, if he lives on an island, then the ocean is around! Why shouldn't he train there? It's very simple - Duncan is terrified of sharks. That is why his swimming career ended so early.

At the age of 15, Duncan picks up a basketball for the first time and starts playing for the school team. And here is what his first coach said about Timmy:

Duncan was huge. He was big and tall, I haven't trained players like that for a long time. But despite all his dimensions - he was just terribly clumsy!

Gradually Tim began to improve, averaging 25 points in his senior year at school. His game has attracted a large number of universities and colleges from all over America. And Wake Forest offered the young player an athletic scholarship.

In college, Duncan begins to develop his usual playing style. Simple but effective. Duncan combined many aspects of the game, such as high-quality post play, open mid-range shots, and tough defense. It was this style that helped not only him, but also his team, to show good results in the NCAA.

Duncan, one of the few superstars (if not the only one) who spent all four years of college! All because he promised his mother, who died the day before Tim's 14th birthday, that he would graduate from college and get an education.

In the end, over 4 years in college, Tim was 97-31, scored over 2,000 points, 1,500 rebounds and 400 blocks and was automatically selected for the 1998 draft, where he was selected with the first pick of the San Antonio Spurs.

With the Spurs, Duncan first became David Robinson's assistant, then became a team leader himself for many years. San Antonio is a 15-year dynasty, just like the New England Patriots (as a fan of all Boston teams, I just had to compare the two franchises). And all this time, the main face of the team was Tim Duncan, the man who achieved everything in the NBA.

Yannis Antetokunmpo

When I started: 2007 (13 years old)

Statistics for the career: 12.2 + 6.6 + 2.9 + 1.1

Achiors: the most progressive player NBA, 2-Rap All-Star Team Member, 2nd NBA Team.

Giannis was born in Grezzi, in a family of Nigerian immigrants and until the age of 13 he played only football, having absolutely no idea what basketball is and who needs it at all.

Yannis and his family had a hard time, to put it mildly. There was a catastrophic lack of money, so he and his brother sold all sorts of trinkets, watches, bags on the streets, trying to somehow help their parents with finances. Well, after a hard day, Giannis and his brother went to the football field and chased the ball until late.

That was until 2007, when basketball appeared in the life of the young Antetokounmpo.

The young player fell in love with the game and started devoting all his free time to developing his basketball skills. And it paid off! Two years later, in 2009, Giannis starts playing for Fylatlitikos youth team.

In 2012, The Greek Freak made the main roster, spent a mid-season in the Greek League Two and entered the 2013 draft, where the Milwaukee Bucks nonetheless were selected.

Giannis' NBA career developed over three seasons. The coaching staff worked very competently here, which, as Antetokounmpo performed in the league, gradually loaded him with new baggage of knowledge and skills. Giannis soaked it all up like a sponge and as time went by, his minutes played and his role in the team increased.

Now Giannis is the future of basketball, the second LeBron, the man who can make the Eurostep from the three-point line. I'm afraid to imagine what will happen to this player in the future, because Giannis is only 23 years old! And he is already a franchise player and will progress in each next season.

Mark Eaton

Started: 1977 (21 years old)

Career stats: 6.0 + 7.9 + 1.0 9.0 + 1.00003

Achievements: 2x Defensive Player of the Year, All-Star, 4x Block Shot Leader, 3x Defensive Five.