Major League Stars by City - NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL Athletes Born Where You Live

Editor-In-Chief with 20 years experience covering the betting angles to breaking news stories. Daily slots player, Portsmouth fan and League Snooker Player

The US is blessed with an incredibly rich history in sports. We have been graced with some fantastic teams, some dramatic games, and some iconic players. It takes so much hard work to make it into one of the major leagues, so much that it fills your heart with pride if a player makes it out of your hometown.

We all have different ways of showing that pride, whether you buy their jersey, bet on their success on betting sites, or visit the stadium to cheer them on.

With so many players in the major leagues’ history, we wanted to know which city has produced the most athletes. We’ve looked at US-born athletes in football, basketball, baseball, and hockey to find out which cities are supplying the most talent.

New York has produced over 1,000 major league athletes, more than any other city

New York view

We’ve looked at every US-born player to play in the four major leagues, and looked at the city they were born in to reveal which city has produced the most athletes.

Rank	City	State	NFL Athletes	NBA Athletes	MLB Athletes	NHL Athletes	Total Number of Athletes born in City
1	New York	New York	334	257	549	14	1,154
2	Chicago	Illinois	494	155	387	25	1,061
3	Los Angeles	California	460	113	240	5	818
4	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	216	122	372	7	717
5	Houston	Texas	340	43	143	2	528
6	Detroit	Michigan	275	71	126	41	513
7	Dallas	Texas	258	48	95	*	401
8	Cincinnati	Ohio	175	20	204	1	400
9	Miami	Florida	314	15	69	*	398
10	Cleveland	Ohio	220	27	137	11	395
11	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	212	23	139	14	388
12	New Orleans	Louisiana	235	30	99	*	364
13	Baltimore	Maryland	123	44	178	*	345
14	Atlanta	Georgia	175	49	107	2	333
15	San Francisco	California	125	25	180	1	331
16	San Diego	California	151	19	134	2	306
17	Birmingham	Alabama	147	27	87	*	261
18	Boston	Massachusetts	85	15	100	35	235
19	Columbus	Ohio	137	23	55	4	219
19	Louisville	Kentucky	95	37	87	*	219
21	Oakland	California	93	25	92	2	212
22	Minneapolis	Minnesota	103	23	41	38	205
23	Jacksonville	Florida	132	11	56	1	200
24	Indianapolis	Indiana	95	34	56	3	188
25	Milwaukee	Wisconsin	89	33	58	4	184
26	Long Beach	California	78	17	80	6	181
27	Sacramento	California	81	10	88	*	179
28	San Antonio	Texas	106	11	49	*	166
29	Buffalo	New York	60	17	65	22	164
30	Seattle	Washington	72	30	59	1	162
31	Portland	Oregon	73	22	63	3	161
32	Baton Rouge	Louisiana	107	25	28	*	160
33	Denver	Colorado	88	8	42	13	151
34	Mobile	Alabama	88	10	52	*	150
35	Fort Worth	Texas	101	8	35	*	144
36	Kansas City	Missouri	71	12	59	1	143
37	Shreveport	Louisiana	90	10	39	*	139
38	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	76	12	47	3	138
39	Dayton	Ohio	78	22	37	*	137
40	Richmond	Virginia	74	13	44	1	132
41	Newark	New Jersey	68	23	40	*	131
42	Phoenix	Arizona	76	10	37	4	127
43	Omaha	Nebraska	65	8	39	4	116
44	Fort Lauderdale	Florida	87	2	25	1	115
45	Charlotte	North Carolina	57	19	36	1	113
46	Orlando	Florida	61	11	32	3	107
47	Austin	Texas	53	1	50	*	104
47	Fresno	California	57	10	37	*	104
47	Montgomery	Alabama	61	8	35	*	104
50	Las Vegas	Nevada	53	13	34	1	101

*means no players born here

Los Angeles - 1,154 major league athletes produced

Los Angeles is the city that has produced the highest number of major league athletes, with 1,154. Nearly half of this total made it to MLB with over 250 making it to the NBA, and over 300 making it to the NFL. Los Angeles has the second-highest number of sports teams with eight, just behind New York with nine.

Chicago - 1,061 major league athletes produced

Taking second spot is Chicago in Illinois producing over 1,000 major league athletes. Chicago produced the most NFL athletes , the second most NBA and MLB athletes and the fifth-highest number of NHL athletes. Chicago is home to five teams in the major leagues and is one of ten cities to have at least one sports team in each of the four leagues.

Philadelphia - 717 major league athletes produced

In third place is Philadelphia, where 717 major league athletes have been born. The Pennsylvania city proved to be a hotspot for MLB athletes, accounting for over half of Philadelphia’s total. Philly isn’t short of sports teams either, with one team in each major league in the US.

Almost 500 NFL athletes were born in Chicago, the most of any US city

NFL athletes Chicago

Rank	City	State	Number of athletes born in city
1	Chicago	Illinois	494
2	Los Angeles	California	460
3	Houston	Texas	340
4	New York	New York	334
5	Miami	Florida	314
6	Detroit	Michigan	275
7	Dallas	Texas	258
8	New Orleans	Louisiana	235
9	Cleveland	Ohio	220
10	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	216
11	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	212
12	Washington	Columbia	203
13	St. Louis	Missouri	187
14	Atlanta	Georgia	175
14	Cincinnati	Ohio	175
16	San Diego	California	151
17	Birmingham	Alabama	147
18	Columbus	Ohio	137
19	Jacksonville	Florida	132
20	San Francisco	California	125
21	Baltimore	Maryland	123
22	Baton Rouge	Louisiana	107
23	San Antonio	Texas	106
24	Minneapolis	Minnesota	103
25	Tampa	Florida	102
26	Fort Worth	Texas	101
27	Indianapolis	Indiana	95
27	Louisville	Kentucky	95
29	Oakland	California	93
30	Shreveport	Louisiana	90
31	Milwaukee	Wisconsin	89
32	Denver	Colorado	88
32	Mobile	Alabama	88
34	Fort Lauderdale	Florida	87
35	Boston	Massachusetts	85
36	Sacramento	California	81
37	Dayton	Ohio	78
37	Long Beach	California	78
37	Toledo	Ohio	78
40	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	76
40	Phoenix	Arizona	76
42	Richmond	Virginia	74
43	Portland	Oregon	73
44	Seattle	Washington	72
44	Youngstown	Ohio	72
46	Honolulu	Hawaii	71
46	Kansas City	Missouri	71
48	Newark	New Jersey	68
49	Akron	Ohio	65
49	Omaha	Nebraska	65

Chicago - 494 NFL athletes produced

Out of all the US-born players to play in the NFL, almost 500 of them were born in Chicago, which gives them the top spot. Two of the NFL’s best, Dick Butkus and Charles Tillman, were not only born in Chicago but spent the majority of their careers playing for the Chicago Bears.

Los Angeles - 460 NFL athletes produced

Following closely behind with 460 athletes produced, is Los Angeles which takes second place. Los Angeles is the birthplace of some great NFL players, including Bobby Wagner, Tyron Smith, and David Long.

Houston - 340 NFL athletes produced

Houston completes our top three producing 340 NFL athletes. Vince Young, Payton Turner, and Jalen Hurts are some of the best players to be born in Houston and play in the NFL. The Houston Texans are Houston’s very own NFL team. Despite struggling during the early 2000s, the Texans experienced some success in 2011 winning a division championship.

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257 NBA players were born in New York, more than any other US city

New York City skyline // EWY Media/shutterstock

After looking at the birthplaces of all US-born NBA athletes, we can reveal the most common city that NBA athletes are born in.

Rank	City	State	Number of athletes born in city
1	New York	New York	257
2	Chicago	Illinois	155
3	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	122
4	Los Angeles	California	113
5	Washington	District of Columbia	76
6	Detroit	Michigan	71
7	Atlanta	Georgia	49
8	Dallas	Texas	48
9	Baltimore	Maryland	44
10	Houston	Texas	43
11	Memphis	Tennessee	40
12	Louisville	Kentucky	37
13	St. Louis	Missouri	35
14	Indianapolis	Indiana	34
15	Milwaukee	Wisconsin	33
16	New Orleans	Louisiana	30
16	Seattle	Washington	30
18	Birmingham	Alabama	27
18	Cleveland	Ohio	27
20	Baton Rouge	Louisiana	25
20	Oakland	California	25
20	San Francisco	California	25
23	Columbus	Ohio	23
23	Minneapolis	Minnesota	23
23	Newark	New Jersey	23
23	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	23
27	Dayton	Ohio	22
27	Portland	Oregon	22
29	Cincinnati	Ohio	20
30	Charlotte	North Carolina	19
30	Nashville	Tennessee	19
30	San Diego	California	19
33	Gary	Indiana	18
33	Jackson	Mississippi	18
33	Toledo	Ohio	18
36	Buffalo	New York	17
36	Flint	Michigan	17
36	Long Beach	California	17
39	Boston	Massachusetts	15
39	Jersey City	New Jersey	15
39	Miami	Florida	15
42	Akron	Ohio	14
42	Fort Wayne	Indiana	14
42	Winston-Salem	North Carolina	14
45	Las Vegas	Nevada	13
45	Raleigh	North Carolina	13
45	Richmond	Virginia	13
48	Kansas City	Missouri	12
48	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	12
48	Rochester	New York	12

New York - 257 NBA athletes produced

New York sits at the top of the list, producing 257 NBA athletes - more than 100 greater than the second highest city Chicago. New York is home to two NBA teams, the Brooklyn Nets and the NY Knicks.
Among the 257 athletes born in NY are Karl-Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell and Tobias Harris.

Chicago - 155 NBA athletes produced

The city that produced the second highest number of NBA athletes is Chicago, with a total of 155 players, Chicago has produced some fine talents, including Dwayne Wade, Reggie Jordan, and Terry Cummings. Chicago is, of course, home to the Chicago Bulls, where Michael Jordan spent most of his career.

Philadelphia - 122 NBA athletes produced

In third place is Philadelphia which has produced 122 NBA athletes. Kobe Bryant, Kyle Lowry, and Wilt Chamberlain are some of the top picks among the 122 athletes produced. Wilt Chamberlain also went on to play for the Philadelphia 76ers for three seasons and was one of the star players during the 1966/67 season, a team that is considered one of the best the NBA has ever seen.

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New York is the main birthplace of MLB athletes, home to almost 550 athletes

New York view

We’ve looked at the birthplaces of US born MLB athletes to reveal the most common birthplaces.

Rank	City	State	Number of athletes born in city
1	New York	New York	549
2	Chicago	Illinois	387
3	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	372
4	St. Louis	Missouri	317
5	Los Angeles	California	240
6	Cincinnati	Ohio	204
7	San Francisco	California	180
8	Baltimore	Maryland	178
9	Houston	Texas	143
10	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	139
11	Cleveland	Ohio	137
12	San Diego	California	134
13	Detroit	Michigan	126
14	Washington	District of Columbia	111
15	Atlanta	Georgia	107
16	Boston	Massachusetts	100
17	New Orleans	Louisiana	99
18	Dallas	Texas	95
19	Oakland	California	92
20	Sacramento	California	88
21	Birmingham	Alabama	87
21	Louisville	Kentucky	87
23	Long Beach	California	80
24	Tampa	Florida	78
25	Miami	Florida	69
26	Buffalo	New York	65
27	Portland	Oregon	63
28	Memphis	Tennessee	60
28	Nashville	Tennessee	60
30	Kansas City	Missouri	59
30	Seattle	Washington	59
32	Milwaukee	Wisconsin	58
33	Indianapolis	Indiana	56
33	Jacksonville	Florida	56
35	Columbus	Ohio	55
36	Mobile	Alabama	52
37	Tulsa	Oklahoma	51
38	Austin	Texas	50
39	San Antonio	Texas	49
40	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	47
41	Richmond	Virginia	44
42	Denver	Colorado	42
42	Santa Monica	California	42
44	Minneapolis	Minnesota	41
45	Newark	New Jersey	40
46	Omaha	Nebraska	39
46	Shreveport	Louisiana	39
48	Dayton	Ohio	37
48	Fresno	California	37
48	Phoenix	Arizona	37

New York - 549 MLB athletes produced

New York is once again at the top of the list as it provides 449 athletes to Major League Baseball.. Marcus Stroman and Harrison Bader are just two examples of players from the city and there are two teams representing New York in MLB - the Mets and the Yankees.

Chicago - 387 MLB athletes produced

Chicago finds itself in second again, producing a total of 387 MLB athletes. Jim Clancy, Phil Collins, and Freddie Lindstrom are three of a selection of great MLB players born in Houston. There are two baseball teams in Chicago, the Chicago Cubs, and the Chicago White Sox.

Philadelphia - 372 MLB athletes produced

Philadelphia takes third place as the birthplace of 372 MLB athletes. Philadelphia has a great history of producing baseball legends, with Roy Campanella, Bucky Walters, and Rubén Amaro Jr. on that list. The Philadelphia Phillies, the local team, have won two World Series.

More NHL players were born in Detroit than any other US city

NHL players Detroit

Rank	City	State	Number of athletes born in city
1	Detroit	Michigan	41
2	Minneapolis	Minnesota	38
3	Boston	Massachusetts	35
4	St. Paul	Minnesota	34
5	Chicago	Illinois	25
6	Buffalo	New York	22
7	Duluth	Minnesota	15
8	New York	New York	14
8	Edina	Minnesota	14
8	St. Louis	Missouri	14
8	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	14
8	Madison	Wisconsin	14
13	Denver	Colorado	13
14	Anchorage	Alaska	12
15	Hibbing	Minnesota	11
15	Cleveland	Ohio	11
17	Grand Rapids	Minnesota	10
17	Bloomington	Minnesota	10
19	Cambridge	Massachusetts	9
19	Eveleth	Minnesota	9
19	Roseau	Minnesota	9
19	Rochester	Minnesota	9
25	New Haven	Connecticut	8
25	Melrose	Massachusetts	8
25	Livonia	Michigan	8
25	Ann Arbor	Michigan	8
25	Dearborn	Michigan	8
30	Winchester	Massachusetts	7
30	Lansing	Michigan	7
30	Burnsville	Minnesota	7
30	Grand Forks	North Dakota	7
30	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	7
30	Spokane	Washington	7
36	Long Beach	California	6
36	Hartford	Connecticut	6
36	Virginia	Minnesota	6
36	Lakeville	Minnesota	6
40	Los Angeles	California	5
40	Weymouth	Massachusetts	5
40	Waltham	Massachusetts	5
40	Springfield	Massachusetts	5
40	Trenton	Michigan	5
40	Moorhead	Minnesota	5
40	Minnetonka	Minnesota	5
40	Eden Prairie	Minnesota	5
40	Cranston	Rhode Island	5
49	Phoenix	Arizona	4
49	Park Ridge	Illinois	4
49	Evanston	Illinois	4
49	Hingham	Massachusetts	4

Detroit - 41 NHL athletes produced

Detroit was the birthplace of 41 NHL athletes, which is enough to give them the top spot in our list. Detroit is home to Mark Howe, Kevin Hatcher, and David Legwand, who are some of the best players to come out of the city in Michigan. Hockey has always been huge in Detroit. The Detroit Red Wings were one of the six teams to form the NHL.

Minneapolis - 38 NHL athletes produced

Falling just three athletes behind Detroit, is Minneapolis, where 38 NHL athletes were born. Zach Parise, Jake Gardiner, and Dustin Byfuglien are some of the best to come out of Minneapolis. Despite having some great talent come out of Minneapolis, Minnesota Wild have only won one division championship.

Boston - 35 NHL athletes produced

Just three athletes separate the places in our top three, with Boston producing 35 NHL athletes. Some of the top picks from Boston include Noah Hanifin, Colin White, and Jeremy Roenick. Not only has Boston produced some great players, but the Boston Bruins have won the Stanley Cup six times in their history.

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Methodology

For the NFL we used Pro Football Reference to get the birthplaces of each US-born player.

For the NBA we used Basketball Reference to get the birthplaces of each US-born player.

We used Baseball Reference for the birthplaces of each US-born player.

Finally, we used Hockey Reference for the birthplaces of each US-born player.

Players were removed from the data if no city was included. Only US-born players were included.

*represents 0 players born here.