Basketball Reference
Basketball Reference Playoff Probabilities Report
During the season, Basketball Reference presents projected standings for the NBA. These estimates are based on thousands of simulations of the remainder of the season. More details on these reports can be found here: ...
Hall of Fame Probabilities on Basketball Reference
Basketball Reference presents a Hall of Fame probability for NBA and ABA players with 400 games played. The Hall of Fame Probability model attempts to predict the likelihood that a player will be elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame given ...
Draft Information on Basketball Reference
NBA Draft Information A complete index of NBA drafts can be found at the following link: https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/ That page is accessible from the Draft menu in the navigation bar at the top of every page on the site, or by typing ...
A History of Major NBA Rule Changes
Overview The NBA rulebook has been rewritten repeatedly to solve problems the league was facing at the time. Understanding when these took effect is essential context for comparing statistics across eras. Timeline at a glance Season Change 1951-52: ...
Why LeBron James is listed as a Center in 2021-22
Basketball Reference lists a single position for each player each season. For the 2021-22 season, LeBron James's primary position is listed as Center. Notably it is the only season in his career where he is listed as a Center, and also means that he ...
All-Star Games
All-Star Games A complete index of NBA and ABA All-Star Games can be found at the following link: https://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/ That page is accessible from the footer of every page on the site, or by typing "All-Star Game" into the ...
Who Is Considered "Active"?
Defining "Active" Status: Coaches & Players On Basketball Reference, players and coaches are defined as active or inactive according to the following guidelines. Coaches On the coaches register, only currently active head coaches are bolded. The ...
Team Turnovers
What Are "Team Turnovers"? When you look at an Official Scorer's Report (the NBA's official box score document) for any game, you'll see a column listing turnovers for each individual player. The "TOTALS" row at the bottom sums those player ...
PER Explainer
Player Efficiency Rating (PER): What It Is and What It Measures Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is a per-minute rating of basketball performance originally developed by ESPN columnist John Hollinger. In Hollinger's words, PER "sums up all a player's ...
Minimum Rate Stat Requirements
Rate Stat Requirements for Appearing on Leaderboards To ensure league leaderboards, awards consideration, and historical comparisons reflect sustained performance rather than statistical flukes, the NBA sets minimum thresholds (such as games played, ...
Charlotte Hornets / Bobcats Franchise History
Hornets/Bobcats/Pelicans Franchise History and Records The Charlotte Hornets were an expansion franchise that entered the NBA in 1988. In 2002, the franchise relocated to New Orleans and eventually became the New Orleans Hornets and later, the New ...
All-NBA Vote Shares
Understanding All-NBA Voting Data on Basketball Reference Basketball Reference includes historical All-NBA voting data on player and award pages, but the completeness of that data varies depending on the season. Here's a quick guide to what's ...
Position Estimates
How Basketball Reference's Position Estimates Work The Play-by-Play tables on Basketball Reference feature position estimates for players. These estimates are generated by a proprietary formula that analyzes every lineup a player appeared in ...
Box Plus-Minus (BPM)
Box Plus-Minus (BPM) BPM is an estimate of a player's points contribution relative to a league-average player. The metric was developed by Daniel Myers as a way of evaluating a player's value to a team in a single statistic that synthesizes the ...
NBA/ABA Buzzer Beater Criteria
NBA/ABA Buzzer Beater Criteria We maintain lists of every buzzer beater in NBA historyand ABA history. The criteria for these shots is that they must be taken with the shooter's team trailing or tied and leave no time left on the clock after it went ...
NBA Active Leaders List
NBA Active Leaders List Basketball Reference users often note that are some players listed on the NBA active leaderboards who have not played in the NBA for a few seasons. While we do review this list at the beginning of every season, we tend to err ...
NBA Single Game Records
NBA Single Game Records Why records before 1983-84 aren't listed Basketball Reference's data is largely complete for most stats going back to the league's founding. However, there are enough missing records before the 1983-84 season that we don't ...
Team Turnovers vs. Individual Turnovers
Team Turnovers vs. Individual Turnovers On team pages, the total number of team turnovers will usually not match the sum of individual turnovers. This is because there is a category of turnovers known as 'team turnovers', which are not charged to ...
Basketball Reference Heights and Weights
Player Heights and Weights Sometimes there are discrepancies between the listed heights and weights on Basketball Reference and those found on other sites, including NBA.com and team websites. While we do our best to be as accurate as possible, there ...
In-Season Tournament and Play-In Game Statistics
NBA Cup (In-Season Tournament) In most cases, NBA Cup (formerly known as In-Season Tournament) games count as normal regular season games. In the current format, there are 67 of these games played throughout the league each season. The NBA Cup Final, ...