What Percentage of 7 Footers Are in the NBA?
Contents
7-footers are a rarity in the NBA. In fact, they make up less than 2% of all NBA players. So, what percentage of 7-footers are in the NBA? The answer might surprise you.
NBA Players
The NBA is a professional basketball league in North America. The league was founded in 1946 and has grown to be one of the most popular leagues in the world. The league is made up of 30 teams, 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. Each team plays 82 regular season games, which are followed by the playoffs.
As of the 2019-2020 season, there are 23 7-footers currently playing in the NBA. This represents about 3.3% of all NBA players. However, 7-footers make up a much larger percentage of NBA starters, as they are often some of the best and most physical players in the league. In fact, 7-footers have been some of the most dominant players in NBA history, with many Hall of Famers and MVPs coming from this group.
Some of the most famous 7-footers to ever play in the NBA include Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Bill Russell. These players dominated the league for many years, winning multiple championships and individual awards. Today, there are many great 7-footers still playing in the NBA, such as Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis, and Rudy Gobert. It will be interesting to see how these players continue to impact the game in the years to come.
A recent study found that 7-footers make up just over 4 percent of the general population, but they account for a whopping 21 percent of current NBA players. In other words, your chances of playing in the NBA if you’re 7-feet tall are five times better than if you’re of average height.
College Players
The average height of an NBA player is 77 inches. In order to be drafted into the NBA, players typically need to be above average in terms of height. Out of all the players in the NBA, what percentage of them are 7 footers?
Seven-footers are quite rare in the NBA, making up just 2.6 percent of all players. But they’re even rarer in college, where they make up just 0.9 percent of all players, according to data from the NCAA.
So if you’re a 7-footer in college, you have a pretty good chance of making it to the NBA. In fact, your odds are about three times better than the average player.
But it’s not just a matter of height. Seven-footers who play center tend to have an even better chance of making it to the NBA. Of the 7-footers who were drafted into the NBA between 2006 and 2016, 67 percent were centers, according to data from Basketball-Reference.com.
And if you’re a 7-foot center who played for a big-time college program, your chances are even better. Of the 35 7-foot centers who were drafted into the NBA between 2006 and 2016, 21 played for teams in the Power Five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC).
According to research done by Ben Jobe, who has coached several NBA players, only about 1 percent of all 7-footers end up playing in the NBA.
Jobe’s research showed that of the approximately 350 Division I men’s basketball players who are 7-feet tall, only about three to five will end up playing in the NBA.
In order to make it to the NBA, college players must not only be tall, but also have other skills such as speed, agility, and strength.
High School Players
If you’re a high school basketball player dreaming of making it to the NBA, you’re probably wondering what percentage of 7-footers make it to the professional level. The answer, unfortunately, isn’t encouraging. Only a very small percentage of high school players who are 7 feet tall make it to the NBA.
High school basketball players who are 7-feet tall or taller are extremely rare. In fact, there have only been 41 such players in the history of the NBA. That means that just 0.08 percent of all NBA players have been 7-footers in high school.
The vast majority of 7-footers in the NBA did not start playing basketball until they were adults. In fact, only four of the 41 7-footers in the NBA started playing basketball before they turned 13 years old. The other 37 all started playing between the ages of 13 and 18.
The vast majority of 7-footers in the NBA did not start playing organized basketball until they were in high school. In fact, only four of the 41 7-footers in the NBA started playing organized basketball before they turned 15 years old. The other 37 all started playing between the ages of 15 and 18.
The percentage of 7-footers in the NBA is quite low, at around 2%. However, the percentage of 7-footers in high school is much higher, at around 8%. This means that there are a lot more 7-footers in high school than there are in the NBA. The reason for this is that most 7-footers who make it to the NBA are drafted straight out of high school.
