Players and Unique Identification

[Resistance]

Is there an agreed upon ID system that uniquely identifies players in database systems and similar?

Or is each organization or person creating their own player identification system that stands alone and makes sharing difficult?

[Smitty731]

Is there an agreed upon ID system that uniquely identifies players in database systems and similar?

Or is each organization or person creating their own player identification system that stands alone and makes sharing difficult?

The NBA itself has a large statistical and video database that is accessible by all. Much of it is has even been made public over recent years. There are also several independent companies that teams subscribe to like Synergy, SportVue, Second Spectrum, etc.

But each team also has their own standalone systems/databases that they have built. And they don't generally share, as to retain a competitive advantage.

[Resistance]

Is there an agreed upon ID system that uniquely identifies players in database systems and similar?

Or is each organization or person creating their own player identification system that stands alone and makes sharing difficult?

The NBA itself has a large statistical and video database that is accessible by all. Much of it is has even been made public over recent years. There are also several independent companies that teams subscribe to like Synergy, SportVue, Second Spectrum, etc.

But each team also has their own standalone systems/databases that they have built. And they don't generally share, as to retain a competitive advantage.

My question is more about if there is a common way of identifying players across the NBA world.

If you go into a grocery store and buy bananas, the bananas are likely to have a sticker with "4011 " on them. If you go to a competitor's store that carries a different brand of bananas, the bananas are probably going to have a sticker with "4011" as well.

The retail and produce industry agree several decades ago to a common set of codes for fresh produce items.

Mining the Data

* Retailers were managing their own internal numbering system to identify loose/variable measure
produce at point of sale

* In 1988, standardized PLU codes were developed by the PMA Produce Electronic Identification Board
(PEIB) to increase efficiencies at Retail

* Suppliers were asked to label each piece of loose fruit or vegetable at source

Here is a link to Produce PLU Codes.

PLU Codes



Now switching back to the NBA.

* Approximately 450 players in the NBA

* Players on two way contracts

* Players in the G League

* Players that were in an overseas league this season

* More players in the upcoming 2018 draft


That is a fair number of names to keep track of and some names that are very similar to each other.

On the ESPN web site, look at the URL in a drill down for a player and it appears that each player has a unique number.

John Wall

Ty Lawson


On the Basketball Reference web site, they don't use the player ID number that ESPN uses.

John Wall

Ty Lawson


I have no problem coming up with my own player identification system, but if there is currently an effort to standardize things, then I would be better served going with the industry standard.

[Smitty731]

Got it. Back when most everyone got their data from Stats Inc. it was set up as you proposed. But now that various companies use their own proprietary stuff, it isn't that way. I'm not sure they have any real desire or reason to go to anything standardized.

[Resistance]

Thank you for the responses.