The Birthplaces of Basketball Hall of Famers

From California to Connecticut, the USA has witnessed the birth of over 150 basketball players inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

More than a dozen other countries have also offered a native son—or two, or three—who went on to achieve the highest level of success in the NBA.

View NBA Hall of Famers by Birthplace in a full screen map

Click any marker and see the details for the Hall of Fame players, including their stats and ages. You can even choose one or more categories to filter your data. For example, did you know that the 12 players with more than 22,000 career points and who retired before 37 were all born east of the Mississippi River? Facts like these are far easier to see on a map than to read in a spreadsheet.
Almost Every Hall of Famer is from the USA
Basketball was invented in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. With its roots in the United States, it’s no surprise that nearly 90% of inducted players are American. Their birthplaces are scattered among 28 states and 110 cities.

The top states for basketball inductees roughly follow those with the largest populations. New York, California, and Pennsylvania lead the way. But the top 10 (or so, there are some ties) includes some surprises:

  • New York (23)
  • California (17)
  • Pennsylvania (13)
  • Illinois (11)
  • Louisiana (8)
  • North Carolina (8)
  • Michigan (7)
  • Virginia (6)
  • Ohio (6)
  • Kentucky (6)
  • Texas (6)

Louisiana and Kentucky are 25th and 26th in population, yet their players shine in basketball. Similarly, Texas has a larger population than every state but California, yet it barely makes the list.

Basketball breaks tradition with baseball and football, which share Chicago as the most common birth city. As mentioned, the NBA largely follows population trends in producing Hall of Famers.

New York City leads the way by far with 17 players (including eight from Brooklyn, a borough of NYC). That leaves only six New Yorkers from outside the Big Apple in the Hall. Other top cities include Philadelphia (6), Oakland (4), Chicago (4), Detroit (4), and Washington DC (4). Ten other cities can claim two or more Hall of Famers.

Interestingly, no players in the Hall of Fame were born in Massachusetts, despite the state being the birthplace of basketball. Of course, basketball has since been exported all over the world. One in 10 basketball Hall of Famers comes from outside the US.
Countries with the Most Basketball Hall of Famers
While the international wing of the Hall of Fame is much smaller, it is well represented. Foreign-born Hall of Famers in basketball come from 18 countries, more than any other American sport. For example, the Baseball Hall of Fame has players from nine non-US countries.

Which countries produce basketball stars who play in the US won’t surprise anyone watching the sport in the last few decades. To start, we turn to Eastern Europe, which has a significant presence in the Olympics, the European leagues, as well as the NBA. Croatia has three Hall of Famers, and Lithuania has two. All other countries only have one inductee. Europe continues to represent, with a player each in Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, and Serbia.

We can look further than Europe, though. Almost every continent has at least one player in the basketball Hall of Fame. Africa has three (Hakeem Olajuwon was the first, in 2008). South America has Manu Ginóbili (2022), while Asia has Yao Ming (2016). There are no Hall of Famers from Australia or New Zealand. Or Antarctica.

There are two cities outside the US that have made an impact on the Hall of Fame: Kaunas, the largest city in Lithuania, is the birthplace of both Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis; Meanwhile, in Croatia, the city of Split (the second largest in the country) splits its pride between Toni Kukoč and Dino Radja.
Make a Map of Your Own Data
You may have your own data sitting in a spreadsheet on your computer. Instead of basketball Hall of Famers, it might consist of customer addresses, business locations, or a list of deliveries. In each case, maps can help tell the story. They’ll plot your course or show the trends.

BatchGeo is your fastest way to make a custom map. There’s even sample data to use if you’re not yet sure which spreadsheet to upload. Try it today for free!