There are players from 131 Division I men's college basketball teams represented across the NBA, occupying 431 spots. For the third year in a row, Kentucky and Duke have the most active players around the league.
Each of the NBA's 30 teams has room for 17 players, including space for a pair of two-way contracts. This means a maximum of 510 players are in the NBA at the start of a new season.
The Kentucky Wildcats have 32 players throughout the NBA. All-Stars Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat) and Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) have made meaningful contributions early in their careers while rookies Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers) and Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks) begin their NBA journeys this season.
Duke (29 players) is the only other school with more than 20 active NBA players. Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) and Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans) are among the veterans. Rookies Vernon Carey Jr., Tre Jones and Cassius Stanley are the latest Blue Devils to go from Durham to the NBA. This was the first time since 2010 that Duke did not have a player taken in the first round of the NBA draft.
Six other schools — North Carolina (13), Arizona, Kansas Michigan, Texas and UCLA (11 each) — have double-digit players at the next level. All eight colleges with 10 or more NBA players competes in the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, or SEC.
Rosters were current as of 5 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 19, 2020, from official team pages on NBA.com.
College conferences with the most players on 2020-21 NBA rosters
| Conference | Total |
|---|---|
| ACC | 88 |
| SEC | 82 |
| Pac-12 | 65 |
| Big 12 | 45 |
| Big Ten | 44 |
| Big East | 35 |
| American | 18 |
| MWC | 18 |
| A-10 | 9 |
| WCC | 8 |
| CUSA | 5 |
| Colonial | 4 |
| OVC | 4 |
| Big South | 3 |
| Big West | 3 |
| Horizon | 3 |
| ASUN | 2 |
| Big Sky | 2 |
| Ivy | 2 |
| Patriot | 2 |
| Summit | 2 |
| Sun Belt | 2 |
| WAC | 2 |
| MAC | 1 |
| MVC | 1 |
| GLVC (DII) | 1 |
Overall, 84.5 percent of NBA players this season played college basketball at one point or another.
Here’s the full breakdown of every NCAA school with players on NBA opening day rosters.
Colleges with the most players on 2020-21 NBA rosters
| School | Number |
|---|---|
| Kentucky | 32 |
| Duke | 29 |
| North Carolina | 13 |
| Arizona | 11 |
| Kansas | 11 |
| Michigan | 11 |
| Texas | 11 |
| UCLA | 11 |
| Villanova | 9 |
| Washington | 9 |
| Florida State | 8 |
| Michigan State | 8 |
| USC | 8 |
| Virginia | 8 |
| Iowa State | 7 |
| Gonzaga | 6 |
| Indiana | 6 |
| Louisville | 6 |
| Wake Forest | 6 |
| Arkansas | 5 |
| Florida | 5 |
| LSU | 5 |
| Marquette | 5 |
| Maryland | 5 |
| Memphis | 5 |
| Oregon | 5 |
| Stanford | 5 |
| Texas A&M | 5 |
| UConn | 5 |
| Vanderbilt | 5 |
| Alabama | 4 |
| Colorado | 4 |
| Georgia | 4 |
| Kansas State | 4 |
| Nevada | 4 |
| Ohio State | 4 |
| Tennessee | 4 |
| UNLV | 4 |
| Washington State | 4 |
| Arizona State | 3 |
| Auburn | 3 |
| Baylor | 3 |
| Boston College | 3 |
| Butler | 3 |
| Fresno State | 3 |
| Georgetown | 3 |
| Georgia Tech | 3 |
| Mississippi State | 3 |
| Missouri | 3 |
| Oklahoma | 3 |
| Purdue | 3 |
| Saint Joseph's | 3 |
| San Diego State | 3 |
| SMU | 3 |
| South Carolina | 3 |
| Syracuse | 3 |
| Texas Tech | 3 |
| Tulsa | 3 |
| Utah | 3 |
| College of Charleston | 2 |
| Creighton | 2 |
| Dayton | 2 |
| DePaul | 2 |
| Houston | 2 |
| Miami (FL) | 2 |
| Minnesota | 2 |
| Murray State | 2 |
| NC State | 2 |
| Old Dominion | 2 |
| Pitt | 2 |
| Saint Mary's | 2 |
| St. John's | 2 |
| TCU | 2 |
| Western Kentucky | 2 |
| Wichita State | 2 |
| Wyoming | 2 |
| Xavier | 2 |
| Belmont | 1 |
| Boise State | 1 |
| Bowling Green | 1 |
| Bucknell | 1 |
| Cal Poly | 1 |
| Cal State Long Beach | 1 |
| California | 1 |
| Campbell | 1 |
| Central Florida | 1 |
| Cincinnati | 1 |
| Davidson | 1 |
| Delaware | 1 |
| Denver | 1 |
| Florida Gulf Coast | 1 |
| George Washington | 1 |
| Green Bay | 1 |
| Illinois | 1 |
| Iowa | 1 |
| IUPUI | 1 |
| La Salle | 1 |
| Lehigh | 1 |
| Lipscomb | 1 |
| Louisiana | 1 |
| Louisiana Tech | 1 |
| Marshall | 1 |
| Missouri State | 1 |
| Montana State | 1 |
| Nebraska | 1 |
| New Mexico | 1 |
| New Mexico State | 1 |
| Notre Dame | 1 |
| Oakland | 1 |
| Oklahoma State | 1 |
| Ole Miss | 1 |
| Oregon State | 1 |
| Penn State | 1 |
| Princeton | 1 |
| Providence | 1 |
| Purdue-Fort Wayne | 1 |
| Radford | 1 |
| Seton Hall | 1 |
| St. Bonaventure | 1 |
| Syracuse | 1 |
| Tennessee State | 1 |
| Truman State | 1 |
| Tulane | 1 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 1 |
| USC Upstate | 1 |
| Utah State University | 1 |
| Virginia Tech | 1 |
| Weber State | 1 |
| West Virginia | 1 |
| William & Mary | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 |
| Yale | 1 |
