National Basketball Association Teams Research Articles

A basketball paradox: exploring NBA team defensive efficiency in a positionless game

Abstract In the last decade, the offensive and defensive philosophies employed by teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) have changed substantially. As a result, most players can no longer be classified into only one of the five traditional positions (PG, SG, SF, PF, C) and instead spend a percentage of their playing time at multiple positions, making positional data compositional. Further, given the desirability for versatile players, an argument can be made that traditional positions themselves are archaic. Using data from the 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19 seasons, I explore how Bayesian hierarchical models can be used to estimate team defensive strength in three ways. First, only considering players classified by their majority traditional position. Second, by using compositional traditional positional data. Third, using compositional data from modern positions (archetypes) defined by fuzzy k-means clustering. I find that the fuzzy k-means approach leads to a modest improvement in both the root mean squared error and median 95 % posterior predictive interval width for the test data, and, more importantly, identifies 11 modern archetypes that, when combined, are correlated with team win total and adjusted team defensive rating. The modern archetype compositions can be used by stakeholders to better understand team defensive strength.

Changes in Defensive Variables Determining Success in the NBA over the Last 10 Years

This study aimed to determine changes in defensive strategies over the past decade in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and identify the most crucial factors for winning games. The study analyzed all games where the 30 NBA teams played over 11 seasons (13,530 games) and created outcome statistics based on win–loss records. Five defensive variables (OREB [offensive rebound], DREB [defensive rebound], TREB [total rebound], ST [steal] and BLK [block]) were compared, revealing that OREB (p < 0.03), DREB (p < 0.001), TREB (p < 0.001), ST (p < 0.001) and BLK (p < 0.001) occur significantly in winning teams. Also, it has been observed that the changes over the years in the variables OREB (p < 0.01), DREB (p < 0.01), TREB (p < 0.01) and ST (p < 0.01) are statistically significant. However, there was no significant difference in the BLK variable over the years (p = 0.24). The impact of defensive variables on winning and their factor loadings are as follows: DREB (λ = 0.50), ST (λ = 0.15), TREB (λ = 0.10), BLK (λ = 0.08) and OREB (λ = 0.06). Coaches can use these findings on defensive variables to strategize and counter opponents during games.

Sports team success and managerial decisions: the role of playing-time concentration

PurposeProfessional sports teams employ highly paid managers and coaches to train players and make tactical and strategic team decisions. A large literature analyzes the impact of manager decisions on team outcomes. Empirical analysis of manager decisions requires a quantifiable proxy variable for manager decisions. Previous research focused on manager dismissals, tenure on teams, the number of substitutions made in games or the number of healthy players on rosters held out of games for rest, generally finding small positive impacts of manager decisions on team success.Design/methodology/approachThe authors quantify manager decisions by developing a novel measure of game-specific coaching decisions: the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI) of playing-time across players on a team roster over the course of a season.FindingsEvidence from two-way fixed effects regression models explaining observed variation in National Basketball Association team winning percentage over the 1999–2000 to 2018–2019 seasons show a significant association between managers’ allocation of playing time and team success. A one standard deviation change in playing-time HHI that reflects a flattened distribution of player talent is associated with between one and two additional wins per season, holding the talent of players on the team roster constant. Heterogeneity exists in the impact across teams with different player talent.Originality/valueThis is one of the first papers to examine playing-time concentration in the NBA. The results are important for understanding how managerial decisions about resource allocation lead to sustained competitive advantage. Linking coaching decisions to wins can help teams to better promote this core product.

Athletes and activism, and the NBA: through the lens of added value theory

This research study took an in-depth look at how the National Basketball Association (NBA) and its athletes influenced voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election. The NBA worked with athletes and communities to create a space for Black voters to cast their ballot in a safe and efficient manner in the 2020 presidential election. Value Added Theory (VAT) assisted in understanding how events in 2020 surrounding the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, influenced the NBA as an organisation and NBA athletes to mobilise and use their influence and platform to increase voter turnout in urban areas across the U.S. This study applied a mixed methods methodology in which researchers interviewed a representative from three voting rights organisations who were dedicated to mobilising Black voters during the 2020 presidential election. A content analysis methodology was also used to gather voter turnout data for U.S. counties with NBA teams to compare voter turnout from 2016 to 2020. This methodology helped to produce context for how athlete activism influenced the 2020 election. Results show that NBA athletes and the NBA as a league, had a notable impact on voter turnout in the 2020 election through the use of social media, donations, access, mobilisation of Black voters, and combating voter suppression. This paper illustrates how athletes and an organisation, worked together to make structural and effective change within their communities, by leveraging their resources and influential platform.

The "Bubble": What Can Be Learned from the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2019-20 Season Restart in Orlando during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. To safely complete the 2019-20 season, the NBA created a closed campus in Orlando, Florida, known as the NBA "Bubble." More than 5000 individuals lived, worked, and played basketball at a time of high local prevalence of SARS-CoV-2. Stringent protocols governed campus life to protect NBA and support personnel from contracting COVID-19. Participants quarantined before departure and upon arrival. Medical and social protocols required that participants remain on campus, test regularly, physically distance, mask, use hand hygiene, and more. Cleaning, disinfection, and air filtration was enhanced. Campus residents were screened daily and confirmed cases of COVID-19 were investigated. In the Bubble population, 148 043 COVID-19 reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) tests were performed across approximately 5000 individuals; Orlando had a 4% to 15% test positivity rate in this timeframe. There were 44 COVID-19 cases diagnosed either among persons during arrival quarantine or in non-team personnel while working on campus after testing but before receipt of a positive result. No cases of COVID-19 were identified among NBA players or NBA team staff living in the Bubble once cleared from quarantine. Drivers of success included the requirement for players and team staff to reside and remain on campus, well-trained compliance monitors, unified communication, layers of protection between teams and the outside, activation of high-quality laboratory diagnostics, and available mental health services. An emphasis on data management, evidence-based decision-making, and the willingness to evolve protocols were instrumental to successful operations. These lessons hold broad applicability for future pandemic preparedness efforts.

“To Build a More Just Society”: Women’s National Basketball Association Teams’ Uses of Social Media for Advocacy

Sports brands and properties are using social media platforms to take a stand on controversial social issues. This paper draws on the concept of corporate social advocacy to examine how Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) teams used their social media platforms to communicate about social issues during the 2021 season. We conducted a thematic and semantic analysis of advocacy-related tweets to examine the communicative actions and salient issues across the teams’ accounts. WNBA teams posted about racial justice, women’s empowerment, and LGBTQ+ rights, which represent a shift in the WNBA’s discursive promotional strategies. The findings of the study indicate that WNBA teams’ use of social media to take a stand on social issues aligns with, and extends, conceptualizations of corporate social advocacy. Further, social media advocacy provides insight into the sociocultural significance and the economic viability of women’s sport.

Wage dispersion and sports performance: does gender matter?

PurposePrevious studies focused predominantly on wage dispersion within men’ sports teams. This study aims to reveal how the relationship between wage dispersion and team performance applies for women’s sport.Design/methodology/approachThe sample comprises 168 observations of four consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) regular seasons (2018–2021). Eight econometric models are performed for comparing the leagues.FindingsThe findings indicate that the wage dispersion within the squads affects the women’s and men’s basketball teams differently. Cohesiveness theory is applicable for WNBA teams, while NBA teams follow the tournament theory.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper which inspects the relationship between wage dispersion and team performance using data from women’s sports. Further research may examine whether the differences found in sports also apply in different labor markets.

Training Background and Characteristics of NFL, MLB, and NBA Team Physicians.

An analysis of the demographics and training of head team physicians (HTPs) in professional sports would be valuable for evaluating training programs and as a resource for aspirant HTPs. To outline common characteristics among professional sport HTPs. Cross-sectional study. In June 2021, publicly available directories and news articles were used to identify the head orthopaedic HTPs and primary care HTPs for every team in Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Football League (NFL). Data regarding HTP characteristics were collected via internet-based sources. Age, sex, years from fellowship completion to current team role, and years in current team role were compared across sports with chi-square analyses and analyses of variance; comparisons between orthopaedic and primary care HTPs were performed with Fisher exact tests and Student t tests. The most frequently attended residency and fellowship training programs were also calculated. The productivity of fellowship programs was calculated as the number of current HTPs from that institution divided by the number of fellowship positions currently offered. We identified 181 HTPs: 171 (94%) men and 10 (6%) women. The mean age was 55.4 years (range, 33-79 years); the mean time from fellowship training completion to first year in current team role was 9.8 years (range, 0-29 years); and the mean time spent in current team role was 14.1 years (range, 0-39 years). There were 94 orthopaedic HTPs and 87 primary care HTPs. The rate of fellowship training was significantly higher in orthopaedic HTPs (95%) than in primary care HTPs (67%; P < .001). The fellowship programs that produced the largest number of current HTPs were the Hospital for Special Surgery (n = 16; productivity = 2.3), the American Sports Medicine Institute (11; 1.8), and the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (11; 1.2). The years from fellowship to HTP varied significantly by sport: 7.2 for MLB, 10.0 for the NFL, and 11.7 for the NBA (P = .048). Almost all orthopaedic HTPs were fellowship trained, as compared with two-thirds of primary care HTPs. Of the 94 orthopaedic HTPs, 62% were trained at 6 specific fellowship programs. Men accounted for a majority of HTPs.

Game statistics that discriminate winning and losing at the NBA level of basketball competition.

The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in game-related statistical parameters between National Basketball Association (NBA) regular and post-season competitive periods and to determine which variables have the greatest contribution in discriminating between winning and losing game outcomes. The data scraping technique was used to obtain publicly available NBA game-related statistics over a three-year span (2016–2019). The total number of games examined in the present investigation was 3933 (3690 regular season and 243 post-season games). Despite small to moderate effect sizes, the findings suggest that NBA teams’ style of play (i.e., tactical strategies) changes when transitioning from the regular to post-season competitive period. It becomes more conservative (i.e., fewer field goal attempts, assists, steals, turnovers, and points scored), most likely due to greater defensive pressure. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified winning and losing game outcomes during the regular and post-season competitive periods in 82.8% and 87.2% of cases, respectively. Two key game-related statistics capable of discriminating between winning and losing game outcomes were field goal percentage and defensive rebounding, accounting for 13.6% and 14.2% of the total percentage of explained variance during the regular season and 11.5% and 14.7% during post-season competitive periods. Also, overall shooting efficiency (i.e., free-throw, 2-point, and 3-point combined) accounted for 23–26% of the total percentage of explained variance.

Associations of circadian change, travel distance, and their interaction with basketball performance: a retrospective analysis of 2014–2018 National Basketball Association data

ABSTRACT This investigation aimed to clarify the influence of circadian change and travel distance on National Basketball Association (NBA) team performance using a dataset from the 2014–2018 seasons. Data from 9,840 games were acquired from an open-access source. Game point differential and team free-throw percentage served as outcome variables. Time zone change (TZΔ) captured raw circadian delay/advance based on travel for a game and adjusted TZΔ (AdjTZΔ) evolved TZΔ by allowing acclimation to a novel TZ. We also further categorized AdjTZΔ into AdjTZΔ_A, which assumed travel the day before each game and AdjTZΔ_B, which assumed teams spent as many days in their home city as possible. Travel distance for each game was calculated. Linear mixed-effects modeling estimated associations, with games nested within team and year. Adjusted associations accounted for differences in team ability, whether the game was home or away, and whether the game occurred on the second half of a back-to-back game sequence. Greater circadian misalignment, regardless of delay or advance, and increasing travel distance negatively influenced NBA game performance. Yet, results suggest that performance outcomes may be more influenced by travel distance than circadian misalignment. Moreover, circadian misalignment and travel distance interacted to significantly influence game point differential. Furthermore, differences in results across analyses were observed between AdjTZΔ_A and AdjTZΔ_B, which suggests that subtle differences in constructed travel schedules can have notable impact on NBA performance outcomes. Lastly, playing on the second half of a back-to-back sequence emerged as a robust predictor of performance disadvantage, which corroborates the existing literature and provides further support for NBA schedule changes purposed to enhance competitive equity by reducing the number of back-to-back games across a season. These findings can help guide NBA teams on key strategies for reducing travel-related disadvantages and inform schedule makers on critical factors to prioritize across future schedules to attenuate competitive inequity from travel. Furthermore, they can help direct teams towards scenarios that are best to target for load management purposes due to the cumulative disadvantage arising from travel-related factors, opponent quality, game location, and game sequence.

Where the stars still shine: Some effects of star‐performers‐turned‐managers on organizational performance

AbstractResearch summaryDo former star performers become superior managers? If so, why? Using performance data from a professional sports league, this study finds that organizational performance is greater under star‐performers‐turned‐managers (SPTMs) than other managers. We develop a typology of six causal mechanisms by which SPTMs might affect organizational performance, and we indirectly test for each of them using data from a professional sports league. Our results indicate that SPTMs outperform other managers, and that this benefit is due to their role modeling and their superior ability to train and incentivize subordinates.Managerial summaryOrganizations are often, but not always, led by managers who previously achieved outstanding performance in an individual contributor role. Do such star‐performers‐turned‐managers (SPTMs) benefit an organization's performance more than other managers? If so, why? Our statistical analysis finds that National Basketball Association (NBA) teams managed by head coaches who had previously been All‐Star NBA players win games more often than other NBA teams, and also that this effect is due to a combination of SPTMs serving as a role model for their players, as well as training and incentivizing their players better.

The History of Basketball Factors that Influence Perfomance Better. An Analysis Through 40 NBA Seasons.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is considered the most competitive basketball league in the world. Numerous articles have analyzed the game through different perspectives to understand better the processes that lead being more competitive and successful. Our goal is to determine the game-related factors that influence professional NBA basketball teams’ achievement of positive results, improving understanding of the game’s complexity through the years.&#x0D; We analyze the data for a total of 40 seasons, from 1979-1980 to 2018-2019, regular season and playoffs, into three groups through cluster analysis. These results are used later in discriminant analysis, distinguishing teams that reach at least the conference finals in playoffs to identify the performance profiles of the best teams.&#x0D; The work helps us understand the evolution of the game through the indicators that have defined the successful performance of NBA teams during their history.

Off the Court: Examining Social Media Activity and Engagement in Women’s Professional Sport

Sports organizations’ use of social media (SM) has become a key strategy in the coverage and promotion of sport. Although research has been done on the success of digital marketing for men’s professional sport, little is known about the impact of such in women’s sport. This study aimed to examine the SM activity and engagement with fans of the Women’s National Basketball Association. All posts from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the 2019 calendar year were collected from all 12 Women’s National Basketball Association teams and analyzed, in aggregate, for their SM metrics. Results indicated that there was a high level of interaction on SM during the in-season competition months, whereas engagement during the off-season period declined. Given these results, the Women’s National Basketball Association should create strategies to increase fan engagement when there is decreased interactivity to perpetually promote women’s sport. This research provides a starting point for future research on women’s sport involving SM metrics.

Salary Cap, Organizational Gap, and Catch-up in the Performance of NBA Teams: A Two-Stage DEA Model Under Heterogeneity

This paper evaluates National Basketball Association teams performance using a two-stage approach under a metafrontier framework. Our approach decomposes overall efficiency into salary-cap and on-court efficiency. Organizational gaps between different organizational structures are calculated as well. The introduction of the salary cap as an important element for a competitive market preventing monopoly formation allows the examination of the effects on different types of performance. Findings reveal that teams experience increased performance while organizational gaps decline. Moreover, a [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] convergence analysis reveals convergence patterns. Finally, the catch-up index denotes that the speed of convergence increases, especially after the salary cap policy implementation.

Gender Disparity Among NBA and WNBA Team Physicians (112)

Objectives:Female physicians are underrepresented across a broad range of medical specialties, especially at senior levels. Previous research demonstrated poor representation of women in sports medicine leadership roles in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) compared to their male colleagues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution of men and women among team physicians on the medical staffs of National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) teams in the last 10 years and assess regional differences in representation of female physicians.Methods:A Google search of publicly available data regarding team physician gender, medical specialty, and medical degree was conducted in October 2019 for team physicians in the NBA and WNBA over the last 10 years. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. This data was then stratified by region of country in which NBA/WNBA franchises are located to provide regional comparison of team physician characteristics.Results:We identified 125 team physicians for NBA franchises. 122 (97.6%) were male and 3 (2.4%) were female. In the WNBA, a total of 28 physicians were identified. 20 (71.4%) were male and 8 (28.6%) were female. Osteopathic physicians accounted for 5 (4%) and 2 (7.1%) of the physicians associated with NBA and WNBA franchises, respectively. Demographic findings of NBA and WNBA team physicians are demonstrated in Table 1. The Northeast had the highest proportion of female team physicians, with 5 of 18 (27.8%).Conclusions:This study demonstrates a substantial difference in the number of female physicians with leadership roles in both the NBA and WNBA compared to male physicians. It is important to try to understand what barriers female physicians face in their pursuit of leadership positions in sports medicine and to implement strategies to provide equal opportunities to both male and female physicians.

Economic and Performance Impact of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in National Basketball Association Players.

Background:Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are one of the most devastating injuries seen in the National Basketball Association (NBA). No previous studies have examined the economic impact of ACL tears in the NBA.Purpose/Hypothesis:The purpose of this study was to examine the economic impact of ACL tears on NBA players and teams by calculating the costs of recovery (COR) and classifying players based on preinjury success level (All-Star or equivalent, starter, or reserve) and salary (in US$ million: <1.5, 1.5-4, or >4 per season). It was hypothesized that players with a lower preinjury salary or primarily a reserve role would have decreased costs, lower rates of return to play (RTP), and shorter careers.Study Design:Descriptive epidemiology study.Methods:We reviewed the publicly available records of NBA players treated with ACL reconstruction from 2000 to 2015. Data collected included player demographics, player salaries, statistical performance using player efficiency rating (PER), and specifics regarding time missed and RTP rate.Results:A total of 35 players met the study inclusion criteria. The cumulative economic loss from ACL injuries in the NBA from 2000 to 2015 was $99 million. The average COR was $2.9 million per player. RTP rate was 91% overall, with 70% retention at 3 years. Players that made a salary of less than $1.5 million per season before the injury had a significant drop in PER (difference of –7), RTP rate of 63%, and only 37% retention at 3 years. Conversely, recovering All-Star players also had a significant drop in PER (–6.2), and no players repeated as All-Stars in the season after ACL reconstruction (0%), although they did have a 100% RTP rate and an average career length of 5.6 seasons postinjury.Conclusion:While the RTP rate in NBA athletes remained high, ACL reconstruction can result in decreased statistical performance and/or inability to return to prior levels of play. Players who made less than $1.5 million preinjury or played primarily in a reserve role were associated with lower RTP and retention in the NBA at 3 years.

Acutely increased workload is correlated with significant injuries among national basketball association players

Background Particularly at the level of professional athletics, injury prevention is of critical importance. We hypothesized that elevated in-game statistics over a period of 3-10 games places increased cumulative stress on players’ joints and thus predisposes players to injury. Methods Utilizing a comprehensive database of National Basketball Association (NBA) player statistics, we identified 34 NBA players who suffered significant in-game injuries during the 2016-2019 seasons, leading them to miss at least ten consecutive games. We then assessed several potential markers of increased player workload during the cumulative one, three, five, and ten games directly preceding the injuries and compared them to season averages for each player. Results Increased minutes played per game over the cumulative three (4.9% increase, p = 0.04), five (5.8% increase, p = 0.004), and ten (4.0% increase, p = 0.02) games directly preceding injury were closely related to increased injury occurrence. In-game activity level as measured by statistics such as points scored and rebounds per game did not relate to injury occurrence. Conclusion In addition to injury mitigation practices currently used by NBA teams, maintaining players’ minutes played per game constant over time may be an additional effective strategy to be used by coaches and general managers in the future.

Skin in the Game: Affect, Materiality, and the WNBA Arena

Since its inception in 1997, the Women's Professional Basketball Association (WNBA) has attempted to present itself as a highly professional sport. With the advantage of its relationship with the successful and established men's National Basketball Association (NBA), the WNBA was able to play in the same arenas immediately, and this included all the trappings of American professional sport, including music, lights, a ‘Jumbotron’, and half-time entertainment. However, there are important distinctions between the material environments of men's and women's sport, and this has contributed to WNBA games being perceived as unpopular and uneventful. Much of the research on the WNBA has largely focused on the discourses of heteronormativity and gender that structure the league, however by drawing on a new materialist lens and examining the affective forces that circulate the arena, we are better able to understand the WNBA game as an assemblage that develops through the relationship of various material and discursive elements. This article explores the rhizomatic flows of affect that circulate the arena, creating the professional sport spectacle and the stadium assemblage, while highlighting the affective forces of non-human materials, space, and the built environment. It draws upon my ethnographic research with a WNBA team – pseudonymously called the Ravens – and their experience with various arenas, each of which have different histories, stadiums, facilities, entertainment, and relationships to NBA teams. It examines the way in which an affective response is deliberately designed and generated, as the built environment, production values, the crowd, and players’ bodies work together to create an arena experience that can either be professional and exciting, or lacklustre and limiting, which in turn can either help or hinder the physical capabilities of WNBA players, and which can direct the ‘feel of the game’ itself.

Examination of National Basketball Association (NBA) team values based on dynamic linear mixed models.

In the last decade, NBA has grown into a billion-dollar industry where technology and advanced game plans play an essential role. Investors are interested in research examining the factors that can affect the team value. The aim of this research is to investigate the factors that affect the NBA team values. The value of a team can be influenced not only by performance-based variables, but also by macroeconomic indicators and demographic statistics. Data, analyzed in this study, contains of game statistics, economic variables and demographic statistics of the 30 teams in the NBA for the 2013–2020 seasons. Firstly, Pearson correlation test was implemented in order to identify the related variables. NBA teams’ characteristics and similarities were assessed with Machine Learning techniques (K-means and Hierarchical clustering). Secondly, Ordinary linear regression (OLS), fixed effect and random effect models were implemented in the statistical analyses. The models were compared based on Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Fixed effect model with one lag was found the most effective model and our model produced consistently good results with the R2 statistics of 0.974. In the final model, we found that the significant determinants of team value at the NBA team level are revenue, GDP, championship, population and key player. In contrast, the total number of turnovers has a negative impact on team value. These findings would be beneficial to coaches and managers to improve their strategies to increase their teams’ value.

Loss aversion and high stakes

AbstractFollowing Kahneman and Tversky, studies such as those by Haigh and List, Ert and Erev and Mukherjee et al. find that loss aversion increases as stake increases. This study extends the 2011 work of Berger and Pope by analysing over 68,000 US professional basketball games played from the initial National Basketball Association (NBA) season in 1946/1947 to the 2018/2019 season, and over 69,000 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) games played from the 2007/2008 season to the 2018/2019 season. We posit that, a priori, stakes, and therefore loss aversion, will be greater for NBA teams than for NCAA teams, and higher for home teams than for away teams. Further, loss aversion is expected to be greater for favourites, that is, teams that are expected to win. We model outcomes using a digital call option. This model allows for necessary non‐linearity in the relation between halftime score and winning percentage. It also provides an analysis for which the result for home (favourite) teams is not simply the converse of that for away (underdog) teams. We find evidence of better‐than‐expected performance for NBA home teams that are behind by up to four points, and for favourites that are behind by between two and seven points. We find no evidence of this effect with respect to NBA away teams, NBA underdogs, nor for NCAA teams – whether home or away. Our results suggest that loss aversion is apparent when stakes are high.