Basketball in the United States

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Basketball in the United States
Phil Jackson Lipofsky.JPG
Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls with head coach Phil Jackson in 1997; together, the duo won six NBA championships in the 1990s.
CountryUnited States
Governing body USA Basketball
National team(s) United States
Registered players24.3 million [1]
Club competitions
List
International competitions

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league that governs most levels of basketball in the United States. Basketball is the second most popular sport in the United States (counting amateur levels), after American football. [2] [3] [4] In terms of revenue, the NBA is the third most profitable sports league in the United States and the world, after the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB). [5] According to the National Sporting Goods Association, over 26 million Americans play basketball regularly[ clarification needed ], more than any other team sport. Basketball was invented in 1891 by Canadian physical education teacher James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts. [6]

Contents

NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the world's premier men's professional basketball league and one of the major professional sports leagues of North America. It contains 30 teams (29 teams in the U.S. and 1 in Canada) that play an 82-game season from October to June. After the regular season, eight teams from each conference compete in the playoffs for the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. [7] [8] [9] The NBA gets high ratings on television. [10] [11]

Race and ethnicity

The composition of race and ethnicity in the National Basketball Association (NBA) has changed throughout the league's history. [12] [13] [14] [15]

By 2020, 81.1% of players in the NBA are Black (if mixed are also counted as black), 17.9% white, 12.5% mixed race (mostly half-black half-white), and 1.1% of other races. [16] [17] The league has the highest percentage of Black players of any major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. [18] As of 2020, the NBA's viewership appears to be predominantly Black and Hispanic. [19]

National teams

U.S. men's national basketball team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. TeamUSA2008bball.jpg
U.S. men's national basketball team at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Since the 1992 Summer Olympics, NBA players have represented the United States in international competition and won numerous important tournaments. The Dream Team was the unofficial nickname of the United States men's basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. [20] The Women's national team has won eight gold medals at the Olympics. [21] [22]

High school Basketball

High school Basketball is a popular activity. [23] [24] The National Federation of State High School Associations featured 541,479 boys and 429,504 girls in basketball teams as of the 2014–15 season. [25]

Many high school basketball teams have intense local followings, especially in the Midwest and Upper South.[ citation needed ] Indiana has 10 of the 12 largest high school gyms in the United States, [26] and is famous for its basketball passion, known as Hoosier Hysteria.

College Basketball

College basketball is quite popular and draws TV high ratings. [27] Every March, a 68-team, six-round, single-elimination tournament (commonly called March Madness) determines the national champions of NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament men's college basketball. [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34]

Women's Basketball

The Women's National Basketball Association or WNBA is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States. [35] The WNBA was formed in 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association, and league play began in 1997. [36] The regular WNBA season is June to September (North American Spring and Summer). Most WNBA teams play at the same venue as their NBA counterparts. [37] The WNBA is the premier professional Basketball league for women in the world. [38] [39] Despite being the premier women's basketball league the WNBA struggles to attract a large mainstream audience. [40] [41] Women's NCAA Basketball is also popular, although less so than men's basketball. [42]

The women's national team has won eight Olympic gold medals and ten FIBA World Cups.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basketball</span> Team sport

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball through the defender's hoop, while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop. A field goal is worth two points, unless made from behind the three-point line, when it is worth three. After a foul, timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one, two or three one-point free throws. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but if regulation play expires with the score tied, an additional period of play (overtime) is mandated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's National Basketball Association</span> Professional womens basketball league in the United States

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league composed of 12 teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association (NBA), and league play started in 1997. The regular season is played from May to September, with the All Star game being played midway through the season in July and the WNBA Finals at the end of September until the beginning of October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNBA All-Star Game</span> Annual exhibition basketball game

The Women's National Basketball Association All-Star Game, commonly referred to as the WNBA All-Star Game, is an annual exhibition basketball game played in the United States between the best players of the Western and Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Since 2004, the game is not held in years when the Summer Olympics take place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's basketball</span> Basketball played by women

Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college competitions, and has since spread globally. As of 2020, basketball is one of the most popular and fastest growing sports in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Taurasi</span> American basketball player (born 1982)

Diana Lorena Taurasi is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and is considered to be one of the greatest players in WNBA history. She was drafted by Phoenix first overall in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi has won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award (2004), three WNBA championships, a historic five Olympic gold medals, one WNBA Most Valuable Player Award (2009), two WNBA Finals MVP Awards, five scoring titles, and three FIBA World Cups. She has also been selected to ten WNBA All-Star teams and fourteen All-WNBA teams. In 2011, she was voted by fans as one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All Time, and was named by the league to its 20th and 25th anniversary teams, respectively the WNBA Top 20@20 in 2016 and The W25 in 2021. Also in 2021, she was selected by fans as the league's greatest player of all time. On June 18, 2017, Taurasi became the WNBA all-time leading scorer and on June 27, 2021, became the first player to surpass 9,000 points. On August 3, 2023, Taurasi became the first player to score 10,000 career points. Her penchant for scoring in crucial situations has earned her the nickname "White Mamba", coined by Kobe Bryant. Taurasi is one of 11 women to win an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup, and a WNBA Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Bird</span> American basketball player (born 1980)

Suzanne Brigit Bird is an American former professional basketball player who played her entire career with the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Bird was drafted by the Storm first overall in the 2002 WNBA draft and is considered to be one of the greatest players in WNBA history. As of 2021, Bird is the only WNBA player to win titles in three different decades. She held a front office position for the NBA's Denver Nuggets as their Basketball Operations Associate. She has also played for three teams in Russia, and also has dual citizenship with both U.S. and Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College basketball</span> Amateur basketball played by students of higher education institutions

In United States colleges and universities, basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Each of these various organizations is subdivided into one to three divisions, based on the number and level of scholarships that may be provided to the athletes. Teams with more talent tend to win over teams with less talent.

The WNBA draft is an annual draft held by the WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players. The first WNBA draft was held in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becky Hammon</span> Russian-American basketball player and coach

Rebecca Lynn Hammon is a Russian-American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She previously served as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time All-American basketball player for the Colorado State Rams, Hammon went on to play for the San Antonio Stars and New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for several other teams outside the United States. Hammon was born and raised in the United States, but she became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2008 and represented the Russian national team in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candace Parker</span> American basketball player

Candace Nicole Parker nicknamed "Ace", is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks, two seasons with the Chicago Sky, and as of 2023 has spent one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swin Cash</span> American basketball player

Swintayla Marie "Swin" Cash Canal is an American former professional basketball player who played professionally for 15 seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She currently serves as vice president of basketball operations and team development for the New Orleans Pelicans. A prolific scorer and rebounder, as well as a capable ball handler and defender, she helped lead the University of Connecticut women's basketball team to national titles in 2000 and 2002. In her second WNBA season, she led the Detroit Shock to their first ever WNBA title. In 2015, she was named a studio analyst for MSG Networks covering the New York Knicks pre-games and post-games as well as the weekly coaches show. In 2017, Cash was named the Director of franchise development for the New York Liberty. Cash was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 9, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Chancellor</span> American basketball player and coach

Van Winston Chancellor is an American former college and professional basketball coach. He coached University of Mississippi women's basketball, Louisiana State University women's basketball, and the professional Houston Comets. He was named head coach of the Lady Tigers on April 11, 2007, replacing Pokey Chatman. In 2001, Chancellor was elected to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was enshrined as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2007. Chancellor currently serves as an analyst for Southland Conference games on ESPN3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kara Lawson</span> American basketball player (born 1981)

Kara Marie Lawson is the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team. She is a former American professional women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and a basketball television analyst for ESPN and the Washington Wizards. Lawson primarily played as a shooting guard. She won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, a championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2005 WNBA Finals, and coached the United States women's national 3x3 team to gold in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Lawson retired from the WNBA in 2015 to focus on her broadcasting career. She began her coaching career as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the NBA in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elena Delle Donne</span> American basketball player (born 1989)

Elena Delle Donne is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Delle Donne played college basketball for the Delaware Blue Hens from 2009 to 2013. She was drafted by the Chicago Sky with the second overall pick of the 2013 WNBA draft, and led the Sky to the 2014 WNBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Phoenix Mercury. Delle Donne was traded to the Washington Mystics in 2017 and led them to their first WNBA championship in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maya Moore</span> American basketball player (born 1989)

Maya April Moore is an American social justice advocate and former professional basketball player. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, Sports Illustrated called Moore the "greatest winner in the history of women's basketball". Moore was selected for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brittney Griner</span> American basketball player (born 1990)

Brittney Yevette Griner is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. women's national basketball team and a six-time WNBA All-Star. She was additionally named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breanna Stewart</span> American basketball player (born 1994)

Breanna Mackenzie Stewart is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Fenerbahçe of the Women's Basketball Super League, Euroleague Women.

The following are the basketball events of the year 2014 throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napheesa Collier</span> American basketball player

Napheesa Collier is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Fenerbahçe of the Women's Basketball Super League, Euroleague Women. After playing college basketball for the University of Connecticut Huskies, Collier was drafted by the Lynx with the 6th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft. She participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics games in Tokyo as part of the United States Women's Basketball team that won the Gold Medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on basketball</span> Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on basketball

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to basketball across the world, mirroring its impact across all sports. Across the world and to varying degrees, events and competitions have been cancelled or postponed with limited or no spectators, and other restrictions in 2020 and 2021. The National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended its 2019–20 season due to one player testing positive from COVID-19, and began to resume the season later in 2020.

References

  1. ↑ Number of participants in basketball in the United States from 2006 to 2018 Statista
  2. ↑ "Major League Baseball still leads the NBA when it comes to popularity – Business Insider". Uk.businessinsider.com. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  3. ↑ "Sports – Pro Football is Still America's Favorite Sport". Theharrispoll.com. 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "Harris Poll – NFL still most popular; MLB 2nd". Espn.com. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Harris Poll". Harrisinteractive.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  6. ↑ Catalina Logan. "The Effects of the Game of Basketball on America". Livestrong.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "New Documentary Explores History of Jews and Basketball". Npr.org. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  8. ↑ American Hoops: The History of United States Olympic Basketball from Berlin to Barcelona. 1 January 2006. ISBN   9780542864469.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ Thomas, Vince (10 March 2010). "Basketball's Forgotten (Black) History". Theroot.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Hoop Dreams: Multicultural Diversity in NBA Viewership". Nielsen.com. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "TV audience for NBA Finals was more diverse than a decade ago". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  12. ↑ Howard Nixon II (24 July 2015). Sport in a Changing World. p. 81. ISBN   9781317383789 . Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  13. ↑ "Where have all the white American NBA players gone?". Chicago Sun-Times . 19 November 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  14. ↑ Spears, Marc J. (25 October 2016). "Where are all the white American NBA players? — Andscape". Andscape . Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  15. ↑ Touré (14 June 2012). "Will There Ever Be Another Black America's Team?". Time– via ideas.time.com.
  16. ↑ "What Percentage of NBA players are Black (2019-20 season)?". 16 June 2020.
  17. ↑ "Adam Silver: NBA's return-to-play plan 'may not be for everyone' | Pelicans | nola.com". 16 June 2020.
  18. ↑ Landrum Jr., Jonathan (11 February 2012). "First Black NBA Player Gets Honor at Hawks Game". Archived from the original on 15 January 2014.
  19. ↑ "• NBA interest in the U.S. by ethnicity 2020 | Statista".
  20. ↑ Sean Gregory (13 August 2016). "Rio 2016 Olympics: Team USA Basketball Has A Problem". Time.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  21. ↑ Macguire, Eoghan (20 August 2016). "Olympics: US wins women's basketball gold.com". CNN. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  22. ↑ Schreiber, Jay (20 August 2016). "Women's Basketball USA – Spain Result". The New York Times . Retrieved 26 October 2016.
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  26. ↑ "largest Indiana high school gymnasiums". Indianahsbasketball.homestead.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  27. ↑ Simon Rice (17 March 2016). "March Madness: With even Barack Obama involved, why are college sports so popular in the United States?". The Independent . Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  28. ↑ "Ten years in, the NBA's one-and-done rule is no less controversial". Espn.co.uk. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  29. ↑ Patterson, Chip (28 January 2014). "College basketball sliding in Harris Poll of sport popularity". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  30. ↑ "More on college hoops and popularity – Men's College Basketball Blog". ESPN. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  31. ↑ "9 reasons college basketball is better than the NBA | For The Win". Ftw.usatoday.com. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  32. ↑ Sean Gregory (14 March 2015). "March Madness: College Basketball Struggles During Regular Season". Time.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  33. ↑ David Hein. "A European's view of US college basketball's March Madness | David Hein | Opinion". The Guardian . Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  34. ↑ Jones, Gordie (13 March 2015). "The state of college basketball? Dismal". Myajc.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  35. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (28 May 2016). "After Two Decades WNBA Still Struggling For Relevance". The New York Times . Retrieved 26 October 2016.
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  37. ↑ "COLUMN: In 20th season, WNBA still struggling | The Daily Courier | Prescott, AZ". Dcourier.com. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  38. ↑ Tingley, Kim (2 September 2019). "The W.N.B.A. Is Putting On Some of the Best Pro Basketball in America (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  39. ↑ Fagan, Kate (31 March 2016). "Fagan on why lower rims in women's basketball is flawed". Espn.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  40. ↑ Levin, Josh (20 October 2009). "How to fix the WNBA". Slate.com. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  41. ↑ "Adam Silver can save the WNBA | For The Win". Ftw.usatoday.com. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  42. ↑ "Women's College Basketball Taking It To New Heights". EBONY. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
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