Anthropometric Evolution Of Professional Basketball Positions

Abstract

Coaches and management should constantly monitor long-term development of both current and prospective athletes in order to ensure proper fit into their system. Longitudinal analysis of player development and changing physical requirements of specific player positions can help to further evaluate player characteristics and allow for more effective comparison within their organization. PURPOSE: To identify whether the anthropometric characteristics of professional basketball positions have changed over the past 20 years (1997-2016). METHODS: Anthropometric assessments (height, weight, body fat, wingspan, and wingspan:height ratio) were taken by staff from multiple NBA settings (combines, individual team tryouts, etc.) over the course of 20 NBA seasons (1997-2016) and pooled together in order to evaluate changes in anthropometric characteristics of each the following positions: point guard (PG), shooting guard (SG), small forward (SF), power forward (PF), and center (C). All players included in the analysis were either current NBA players or prospective NBA players selectively chosen by the NBA and its respective organizations. Multilevel modelling was used to explore trends in anthropometric variation over time using linear regression analysis. RESULTS: With the exception of PG (2.626 cm), average height decreased for all positions over the course of 20 years (SG: -1.072 cm; SF: -0.335 cm; PF: -0.625 cm; C: -1.646 cm). Weight decreased for the PF position over time (-2.549kg), while all other positions reported increases in average weight (PG: 1.085 kg, SG: 1.301 kg; SF: 0.368 kg; C: 0.017 kg). Wingspan increased for all positions (PG: 2.306 cm; SG: 2.322 cm; SF: 2.581 cm; PF: 1.991 cm) with the exception of C (-0.655 cm). Improved body composition was observed with body fat percentage decreasing for all positions (PF: -2.55%; SG: -1.45%; SF: -1.45%; PF: -2.48%; C: -0.72%). PG showed minimal change in winspan:height ratio (-0.02%), while all other positions reported a slight increase in this ratio (SG: 1.80%; SF: 1.40%; PF: 1.20%; C: 0.60%). CONCLUSION: Findings demonstrate the long-term evolution of professional basketball players has resulted in minimal changes in height and weight, while all positions appear to have a become longer and leaner over the past 20 years.