Are You Really Cheering for Clothes?

By Paloma Mertel | March 28, 2022

While the frequent movement of players between teams creates a dynamic environment within the league, it can make fans feel as though they are, in the words of Jerry Sinefield, cheering for clothes

Many recent championship teams have been led to victory by players who were not acquired through their draft. Players such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers, Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry on the 2019 Toronto Raptors, Kevin Durant on the 2017 and 2018 Warriors, James and Chris Bosh on the 2012 and 2013 Miami Heat and others have offered no shortage of store-bought talent within the finals. Historically, however, NBA playoffs rosters followed a trend of being about 50% homegrown. So, are you really cheering for clothes? 

For the purpose of this study, I will define a homegrown player as a player drafted by the team itself or players who have spent at least five seasons with the team, championship season included. I also chose to include players involved in day draft trades as homegrown players, regardless of their original draft team. 

Year Team Total # of players # of homegrownPlayers Percentage of homegrown Players
1947 Philadelphia Warriors 10 0 0.00
1948 Baltimore Bullets 10 2 20.00
1949 Minneapolis Lakers 11 3 27.27
1950 Minneapolis Lakers 11 5 45.45
1951 Rochester Royals 10 4 40.00
1952 Minneapolis Lakers 9 5 55.56
1953 Minneapolis Lakers 10 6 60.00
1954 Minneapolis Lakers 9 6 66.67
1955 Syracuse Nationals 10 6 60.00
1956 Philadelphia Warriors 10 8 80.00
1957 Boston Celtics 10 7 70.00
1958 St. Louis Hawks 10 3 30.00
1959 Boston Celtics 10 10 100.00
1960 Boston Celtics 10 10 100.00
1961 Boston Celtics 10 10 100.00
1962 Boston Celtics 11 9 90.91
1963 Boston Celtics 11 9 90.91
1964 Boston Celtics 12 8 66.67
1965 Boston Celtics 11 9 81.82
1966 Boston Celtics 11 8 72.73
1967 Philadelphia 76ers 11 9 81.82
1968 Boston Celtics 12 7 58.33
1969 Boston Celtics 11 8 72.73
1970 New York Knicks 12 10 83.33
1971 Milwaukee Bucks 12 5 41.67
1972 Los Angeles Lakers 10 5 50.00
1973 New York Knicks 12 9 75.00
1974 Boston Celtics 12 10 83.33
1975 Golden State Warriors 12 7 58.33
1976 Boston Celtics 12 10 83.33
1977 Portland Trail Blazers 12 8 66.67
1978 Washington Bullets 11 7 63.64
1979 Seattle SuperSonics 11 4 36.36
1980 Los Angeles Lakers 11 6 54.55
1981 Boston Celtics 11 3 27.27
1982 Los Angeles Lakers 12 6 50.00
1983 Philadelphia 76ers 12 8 66.67
1984 Boston Celtics 12 8 66.67
1985 Los Angeles Lakers 12 6 50.00
1986 Boston Celtics 12 6 50.00
1987 Los Angeles Lakers 12 8 66.67
1988 Los Angeles Lakers 12 7 58.33
1989 Detroit Pistons 12 9 75.00
1990 Detroit Pistons 12 6 50.00
1991 Chicago Bulls 12 7 58.33
1992 Chicago Bulls 12 7 58.33
1993 Chicago Bulls 12 8 66.67
1994 Houston Rockets 12 5 41.67
1995 Houston Rockets 12 6 50.00
1996 Chicago Bulls 12 3 25.00
1997 Chicago Bulls 12 4 33.33
1998 Chicago Bulls 12 7 58.33
1999 San Antonio Spurs 12 4 33.33
2000 Los Angeles Lakers 12 4 33.33
2001 Los Angeles Lakers 12 7 58.33
2002 Los Angeles Lakers 12 7 58.33
2003 San Antonio Spurs 12 5 41.67
2004 Detroit Pistons 12 4 33.33
2005 San Antonio Spurs 12 5 41.67
2006 Miami Heat 13 2 15.38
2007 San Antonio Spurs 12 5 41.67
2008 Boston Celtics 12 6 50.00
2009 Los Angeles Lakers 12 7 58.33
2010 Los Angeles Lakers 13 7 53.85
2011 Dallas Mavericks 12 4 33.33
2012 Miami Heat 14 6 42.86
2013 Miami Heat 13 6 46.15
2014 San Antonio Spurs 14 7 50.00
2015 Golden State Warriors 14 6 42.86
2016 Cleveland Cavaliers 14 3 21.43
2017 Golden State Warriors 14 5 35.71
2018 Golden State Warriors 15 8 53.33
2019 Toronto Raptors 14 3 21.43
2020 Los Angeles Lakers 15 2 13.33
2021 Milwaukee Bucks 17 6 35.29
All-Time Averages   11.79 6.21 53.79
Averages Since 2000   13.18 5.23 40.07
Averages Since 2010   14.08 5.25 37.46

Source:Basketball Reference

Bad news, you may be cheering for clothes.

The Boston Celtics maintained a 100% homegrown player compromised championship roster between 1959 and 1961, crowning them the king of homegrown teams. Since then, the average percentage of homegrown players on championship teams has steadily decreased. 53.79% of all Championship winning Playoff Rosters are homegrown players, opposed to 40.07% since 2000 and just 37.46% since 2010. The decrease in the frequency of homegrown players on championship rosters can be attributed to increased player control in Free Agency and Trade Demands resulting in a less-important draft and increased player movement, or to the star-grabbing nature of the league repeatedly pushing heavily bought teams to the finals.

Either way, it is evident that the league no longer values homegrown rosters as it did historically.

Notable features of this data

The inaugural playoff champions, the Philadelphia Warriors, maintain the record for least homegrown championship roster, with 0% of its players being homegrown. With a 100% homegrown roster between 1959 and 1961 and their following five rosters maintaining an average of being 80.61% homegrown, The Boston Celtics possess the highest rate of homegrown players on their championship teams. Also notable was the 2020 Lakers championship team, which was only 13.33% homegrown and 45% less than the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers, which was 58.33% homegrown. The most recent playoff winning roster, the 2021 Bucks, was 35.29% homegrown - a more homegrown roster than we have seen in the past two years.

Good news, you may not be cheering for clothes forever. 

The heavily homegrown rosters utilized by the Suns and Bucks playoff in the 2021 finals suggest a potential change in roster-building trends, deviating from the heavily bought championship teams that preceded them.Through leading scorers and homegrown talents like Devin Booker and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Suns and Bucks broke out of two of the league's five largest championship droughts proving the modern value of a heavily homegrown team within the finals. 

The next championship roster will provide evidence regarding whether or not modern team development is trending towards or away from the largely homegrown playoff rosters of the early NBA. With heavily homegrown teams such as the Suns, Celtics, and Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, there is potential to see some heavily homegrown rosters within the Finals. Until then, enjoy cheering for clothes and appreciating the great sport of basketball that keeps us so engaged in laundry.

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