How Many Basketball Players On a Team: NBA, College, High School and Middle School
Of course, I have been playing basketball since I was 5 years old and followed it religiously all my life. So I think, on the surface, this seems to be a dumb question. But, based on how many people search for this information there are lots of people who want to know exactly how many basketball players are on a team. And when really dig into it this number can vary depending on the league and level of play.
Compared to other major sports leagues throughout North America, basketball has the lowest number of players on the court per team at a time (5). When you’re watching a basketball game on TV, you see the players sitting on the bench, and it seems like there’s a ton of guys available.
So, that begs the question, how many players are on a basketball team?
NBA Basketball Team Size
How Many Players are on an NBA Team?
According to the Hoops Rumors article “2019/20 NBA Roster Counts” NBA rosters are limited to 15 players during the regular season, but teams are allowed to carry up to 20 players during the offseason.
Every team is also allowed to have up to 2 “two-way” contracts. The salary of those players depends on which league they are playing in (either the NBA or the G League). That can also factor into how many players are on an NBA basketball team. These two-way contracts are good for no more than 50 games. The games don’t have to be successive; coaches can okay these players in a strategic manner.
How Many of These Players Can Be Active?
Each NBA team can have a maximum of 13 players active each game. If the roster of a team is suffering from a lot of injuries, a hardship exemption can allow teams to carry more than 15 players.
Having 13 to 15 players on a basketball team doesn’t mean that each one of them gets a chance to play. A number of these players only get in the game for a few minutes during the season. That would be known as a “healthy scratch” as opposed to being on the active roster.
Inactive players can be players the team doesn’t want to play or could be injured. The NBA doesn’t have a separate injured reserve like other professional sports. These rules are reflected in the NBA collective bargaining agreement that was ratified in July 2017.
Active and inactive lists can change daily for NBA teams. The players can be changed as a coach or general manager sees fit. Suspended players don’t count against an individual team’s roster count.
You will often see basketball players on NBA rosters classified in the following manner:
- Official: These players are officially under contract with a given team. They have standard contracts that run at least through the end of the season.
- 10-day: These are players who are on 10-day contracts.
- Two-way: These are players signed to two-way contracts.
All these factors can dictate how many players are on an NBA basketball team.
Unrestricted Vs. Restricted Free Agents
One of the most important decisions for a basketball player to make is whether or not to become a restricted-free agent. According to the NBA.com article “Free agency explained” Restricted Free Agency is defined as a player that can sign an offer sheet with any team, but the player’s original team can retain him by matching the terms of that offer. The original team is said to have the “right of first refusal.” Unrestricted Free Agency is defined as a player that is free to sign with any team. Once they sign, they are a part of that new team.
The key factors that dictate whether someone is considered a Restricted Free Agent (RFA) is the following:
- Following the fourth year of rookie “scale” contracts for former first-round Draft picks.
- For all veteran free agents who have been in the NBA for three seasons or less. The exception to this rule is a first-round Draft pick following his second or third season if his team doesn’t exercise its option to extend his rookie-scale contract for the following season. These players then become unrestricted free agents.
- A player coming off a two-way contract was on an NBA active or inactive roster for at least 15 days in the season beforehand.
There are five basic options for a restricted free agent:
- Accept his team’s prior qualifying offer, play out the season, and become a free agent the next summer.
- Accept his team’s maximum qualifying offer (where applicable) and play under that long-term deal.
- Negotiate a new contract with his original team that is independent of the qualifying/max qualifying offer.
- Sign an offer sheet with another team through March 1, which his original team has an opportunity to match.
- Negotiate a sign-and-trade if he hasn’t signed an offer sheet with another team.
- If there is no qualifying offer, contract or offer sheet signed for one year, the original team can submit a new qualifying offer and the player will be a restricted free agent the next summer.
Said another way, NBA-restricted free agents have the right to negotiate with other teams. They can also opt-out and test the free agent market. In restricted free agency, teams can offer a three-year deal worth 35% of the previous season’s salary cap. The new team cannot offer a higher salary than the previous team.
How Many Players Are On a College Basketball Team?
Figuring out how many players should be on an NBA team vs. how many players on a college basketball team is a little tricky. They are both allowed 15 players for their active roster at any given moment.
The most significant difference between NBA teams and college teams is that the college teams need 13 players that get suited for every game. The NBA, on the other hand, gives teams the choice between 12-13 participants.
Usually, the two players not allowed to get suited up can still sit near the bench, often behind it. This arrangement can be problematic when the team is playing road games.
There are some universities and colleges that don’t have a lot of financial resources available for traveling. These are typically less popular colleges in areas that don’t receive a lot of publicity. That can also dictate how many players are allowed on a college basketball team.
When the school budgets for games, they will count the two players that don’t get in as a healthy scratch. During home games, they can replace players on the active rosters. That occurs when someone fouls out or an injury occurs.
How Many Players Are On a Basketball Team In High School?
Figuring out how many players are on a high school basketball team depends on the actual high school. This number can vary dramatically because the junior varsity and varsity leagues can set limits for themselves.
These organizations get to control the size of their rosters. It is mostly related to how much interest they receive from the students.
The fact is, the majority of high schools can’t accept over 15 students at once, with the lowest number being 12. Often, the schools have a high turnout rate when they select the final team. That allows them to develop more than one team at a time.
Because these other teams are not a part of the conference, it comes as another expense that the school has to shoulder.
In a few cases, high schools will have over 15 players. This is allowed in different places, but it’s unlikely that each student gets adequate minutes to craft their game. In the end, it can take some of the minutes away from the players that deserve to play more.
How Many Players Are on a Middle School Basketball Team?
Determining how many players can be on a middle school basketball team has the same type of constraints as a high school team. If there are enough interested kids in the school there will normally be up to 12 kids on a junior high squad. At the middle school level, as long as there is funding for coaches, they will allow everyone interested to play and create an A, B, or C team, and possibly more. My middle school went all the way to an “E” team.
How Many Players on a Basketball Team Play at the Same Time?
There is a maximum of five players on the floor at one time. A minimum of three players may finish a game. You must have at least four players to start a game.
This doesn’t tend to occur in the NBA, but this is a general rule that is used in intramural and recreational leagues.
Final Thoughts
So, how many players can be on a basketball team depends on which level of basketball they’re playing. Hopefully, this guide gives you knowledge of how teams work on varying levels in different leagues.
You can check out some of our posts on basketball rules such as carrying, traveling, or charging.
Troy Wright
I am a lifetime basketball enthusiast and loved playing basketball competitively through high school. I still try and play at least 3 times a week and explore all kinds of equipment and training to keep myself on the court and continually getting better. I am a college basketball fanatic and move onto the NBA when March Madness ends.
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