An Analysis of the Career Length of Professional Basketball Players

Authors

Kwame D. Fynn, Macalester CollegeFollow
Morgan SonnenscheinFollow

Abstract

An interesting problem in professional basketball is predicting how long a player remains in the NBA League. Previous research on this problem has focused on factors such as race, performance in games, and size. We propose to analyze career duration in the NBA based on awards won, position played and biological variables such as height. Using Accelerated Failure Time models, Cox Proportional Hazards models and Kaplan-Meier analyses, we determine that both height and number of awards won lengthen career duration; however, only certain player positions significantly affect career length of a player.

Recommended Citation

Fynn, Kwame D. and Sonnenschein, Morgan (2012) "An Analysis of the Career Length of Professional Basketball Players," The Macalester Review: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/macreview/vol2/iss2/3