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Philly has claim as top NBA player producer

Philadelphia is a city rich in sports history. Think: the Eagles and the Body Bag Game, the Sixers and Moses Malone's "Fo', fo', fo'", the Flyers and the Broad Street Bullies vs. the Red Army, and the Phillies and the improbable '93 run just to name a few.

Taking the focus off the four major sports and you can include The Palestra and the Big 5 and many champion boxers.

However, the city is widely regarded as a football town, judging by the "E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!" chants at local sporting events.

But does another sport deserve recognition as the city's go-to sport? It appears so.

Reuben Fischer-Baum published a piece on Deadspin that asked the simple question, "Where do pro basketball players come from?"

If you look at the major cities in the United States per capita, Philadelphia produced the most NBA and ABA players. It's not a huge victory as Philly narrowly outpaces Chicago and Detroit, but it's a victory nonetheless.

In case you were wondering, Muncie, Ind. (population 119,000) is the town with the highest rate per capita of NBA players.

Not only can Philly boast about producing the highest rate of pro players, but the city also introduced some memorable nicknames to the pro leagues as well: Overbrook's Wilt "the Stilt" Chamberlain (and don't forget "The Big Dipper), Earl "the Pearl" and "Jesus" Monroe, and Joe "Jellybean" Bryant.

The entire piece is a fascinating look at where pro talent originates throughout the history of pro hoops, but one that proves Philadelphia was and still is a hotbed for NBA prospects.

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