Of the 50 U.S. states, 49 have produced at least one NBA player, with several states featuring a rich culture of high school and college basketball.
With the athletes in any of the major North American professional sports leagues being in quite exclusive company, I’ve often wondered what parts of the country are more likely to be home to star players.
Of course, a star athlete can be from anywhere and can have just about any background, which makes the composition of the NBA perhaps the most fascinating.
Clearly the most global sport of the four major professional sports in North America, the NBA features an incredibly diverse player base, despite featuring the smallest rosters of the four leagues by a pretty significant margin.
While it’s certainly a separate conversation to look into which countries have sent the most athletes to the NBA and other pro sports leagues, it’s always intrigued me quite a bit to find out where the American players originate.
As someone who attended a suburban high school with a rather underwhelming basketball program, I was certainly not surrounded by any future Division I basketball players, let alone a player of NBA caliber.
Although my high school was far from a basketball factory, the opposite could be said for many other schools in Chicago and the nearby surrounding suburbs, with a total of 319 NBA players born in the state of Illinois – only trailing California and New York.
Unsurprisingly, many of the states that have sent the most players to the NBA are also the most populous states in the country. It shouldn’t come as much of a shock to learn that California, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Texas produce a large amount of NBA players.
Yet what’s also fascinating is seeing where local basketball culture leads to certain locations and states punching well above their weight.
This is perhaps best exemplified in the state of Indiana, which is renowned for its storied youth basketball culture, often nicknamed Hoosier hysteria. Despite ranking 17th in overall population, Indiana ranks seventh in NBA players, with a total of 184 players born in the state in league history.
The passion for the sport is felt in each small town in the state, with nine of the ten largest high school gyms in the United States located in Indiana – with the New Castle Fieldhouse seating nearly 8,500 fans.
A similar point can be made with Kentucky and the state’s deep, historic connection to college basketball, with the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville both featuring two of the country’s most storied programs.
With a population of just under 4.6 million, Kentucky ranks 26th among states in overall population, while coming in at 14th when it comes to players sent to the NBA – even outdoing its more populated neighbor in Tennessee.
Though some states are certainly stronger than others in basketball, the sport maintains its status as a cultural mainstay at all levels of sport, with all but one state having sent at least one player to the NBA in the league’s history.
As of February 2026, Vermont remains the lone U.S. state to have never had a player born in the state play in the NBA.
Overall, 16 states have had at least 100 players born within their boundaries make it to the NBA, with Mississippi on the cusp to be the 17th state to reach the feat, currently standing at 99 players.
Below is a look at the 16 states that have had 100 or more NBA players over the course of the league history, according to Basketball Reference.
Note: This list categorizes players by the state they were born in. Many players attended high school and/or college in a state different from the one they were born in.
* Updated 10/27/2026
1. California – 481 players
Notable players: James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Paul Pierce, DeMar DeRozan, Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, Damian Lillard, Gary Payton, Gail Goodrich, Paul George
2. New York – 461 players
Notable players: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Carmelo Anthony, Bernard King, Clifford Robinson, Bob Lanier, Dolph Schayes, Chris Mullin, Lenny Wilkens
3. Illinois – 324 players
Notable players: Dan Issel, Dwyane Wade, Terry Cummings, Anthony Davis, Eddie Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre, Shawn Marion, Michael Finley, Jack Sikma
4. Pennsylvania – 261 players
Notable players: Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Earl Monroe, Kyle Lowry, Paul Arizin, Rasheed Wallace, Pete Maravich, Jack Twyman, Richard Hamilton, Maurice Lucas
5. Texas – 229 players
Notable players: LaMarcus Aldridge, Chris Bosh, Grant Hill, Jimmy Butler, Zelmo Beaty, Julius Randle, Ricky Pierce, Stephen Jackson, Bill Sharman, Joe Caldwell
6. Ohio – 224 players
Notable players: LeBron James, John Havlicek, Stephen Curry, CJ McCullom, Nate Thurmond, Jerry Lucas, Ron Harper, Jim Jackson, Charles Oakley, Kevin Martin
7. Indiana – 186 players
Notable players: Larry Bird, Zach Randolph, Dick Barnett, Shawn Kemp, Louie Dampier, Dick Van Arsdale, Glenn Robinson, Tom Van Arsdale, Eric Gordon, Gordon Hayward
8. Michigan – 180 players
Notable players: George Gervin, Magic Johnson, Devin Booker, Chris Webber, Jason Richardson, Dave DeBusschere, Steve Smith, Rudy Tomjanovich, Jalen Rose, John Long
9. New Jersey – 168 players
Notable players: Shaquille O’Neal, Rick Barry, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mike Bibby, David West, Al Harrington, Billy Paultz, Tom Heinsohn, J.R. Smith, Kelly Tripucka
10. Georgia – 166 players
Notable players: Dwight Howard, Dale Ellis, World B. Free, Derek Harper, Walt Frazier, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Mike Mitchell, Horace Grant, Josh Smith, Jaylen Brown
11. North Carolina – 159 players
Notable players: Chris Paul, Walt Bellamy, Walter Davis, Bob McAdoo, Lou Hudson, Buck Williams, Jerry Stackhouse, James Worthy, Sam Jones, David Thompson
12. Florida – 140 players
Notable players: Vince Carter, Artis Gilmore, David Robinson, Mitch Richmond, Tracy McGrady, Otis Thorpe, Amar’e Stoudemire, Eddie Jones, Otis Birdsong, Jordan Clarkson
13. Louisiana – 134 players
Notable players: Karl Malone, Elvin Hayes, Robert Parish, Clyde Drexler, Bob Pettit, Antawn Jamison, Joe Dumars, Rashard Lewis, Paul Millsap, Bill Russell
14. Kentucky – 127 players
Notable players: Cliff Hagan, Allan Houston, Dave Cowens, Darrell Griffith, D’Angelo Russell, Wes Unseld, Rex Chapman, Rajon Rondo, Adrian Smith, Clem Haskins
15. Tennessee – 109 players
Notable players: Oscar Robertson, Bailey Howell, Lou Williams, JJ Redick, Bingo Smith, Anfernee Hardaway, Campy Russell, Rich Jones, Corey Brewer, Lorenzen Wright
16. Alabama – 104 players
Notable players: Charles Barkley, Jeff Malone, George McGinnis, John Drew, Chuck Person, Larry Kenon, Derrick Coleman, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Gerald Wallace
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