California, Florida, Illinois and Texas are high school basketball hotbeds ripe with future professional talent. Headlined by superstars like Joel Embiid of
The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.), Kawhi Leonard of
King (Riverside, Calif.), Jimmy Butler of
Tomball (Texas) and Anthony Davis of
Perspectives Charter (Chicago), these four states combine to represent more than a quarter of the 498 active NBA players.
Using roster data from NBA.com, we mapped out where every one of those players went to high school when the teams finalized opening night rosters. While transfers cloud things a bit, we connected players to the high school where they finished their prep career.
Florida led the way with 44 former players in the league while 43 played their high school ball in California. Texas finished third with 25 players and Illinois was right behind with 23 guys getting ready to tip off their seasons.
North Carolina (20), Indiana (18), Georgia (16) and Pennsylvania (16) all had at least 15.
In total, 40 states are represented with a player on a NBA roster along with Washington D.C. See the map for a full breakdown below.
Florida on top1. Florida — 44
2. California — 43
3. Texas — 25
4. Illinois — 23
5. North Carolina — 20
6. Indiana — 18
T7. Georgia — 16
T7. Pennsylvania — 16
9. Virginia — 14
T10. Maryland — 13
T10. Washington — 13
T12. New Hampshire — 12
T12. New York — 12
T12. Ohio — 12
15. Nevada — 11
T16. Arizona — 10
T16. Michigan — 10
T16. Minnesota — 10
T16. Wisconsin — 10
T20. New Jersey — 9
T20. Tennessee — 9
22. South Carolina — 8
T23. Kansas — 7
T23. Massachusetts — 7
T23. Missouri — 7
T26. Alabama — 5
T26. Arkansas — 5
T26. Connecticut — 5
T29. Louisiana — 4
T29. Oklahoma — 4
T29. Washington D.C. — 4
T29. West Virginia — 4
T33. Iowa — 3
T33. Oregon —3
T35. Colorado — 2
T35. Delaware — 2
T35. Mississippi — 2
T35. Vermont — 2
T39. Kentucky — 1
T39. Rhode Island —1
T39. Wyoming — 1
