Massachusetts Athletes Chances of Going Pro in the NBA? ZERO! Which Sport Ranked Highest
If you’re looking to go pro in any sport in Massachusetts, your chances are pretty low. If you break down each sport individually, you’ll see when it comes to the…

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 01: John Cena during WrestleMania Goes Hollywood at SoFi Stadium on April 01, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)If you're looking to go pro in any sport in Massachusetts, your chances are pretty low. If you break down each sport individually, you'll see when it comes to the NBA, your chances are ZERO. This would come to quite a shock to local basketball phenoms like the one and only AJ Dybantsa from Brockton. He will most definitely be playing in the NBA so he for sure is defying the odds. The website www.gambling.com has released its list of the sports in Massachusetts and their odds of going pro. If you play or have a child that plays any of these sports in Massachusetts, it may be good to at least check to see what the odds are that a career can be made out of it.
Clearly, the more sort of impossible sports to make it professionally in are basketball and boxing with your odds being ZERO. Do you think this is deterring any local athletes from following their dreams? Definitely NOT. There are several athletes who have gone pro from Massachusetts, defying the odds. Some of the more memorable ones: Rocky Marciano from Brockton, Patrick Ewing from Cambridge, Tom Glavine from Billerica, Rebecca Lobo from Southwick, Doug Flutie from Natick and so many more.
On the flip side of this, Rhode Island actually produces the most sports stars for four of America’s favorite sports. The sports that Rhode Island is the top state for is, Soccer, Golf, Boxing and Tennis. Also, New Hampshire is one of the top states for producing the most Olympians.
As far as Massachusetts goes, let's take a look at the actual odds of going pro in 9 professional sports. Gambling.com looks at soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, boxing, olympians, golf, NHL and NFL. We will rank them from worst odds to best. Good luck!
#9 Basketball
Your chances of going pro in basketball if you're from MA are pretty low. How about ZERO. It's actually tied with boxing/MMA for ZERO percent. However, ask Patrick Ewing and Dana Barros who are from MA how they did it. It's definitely possible.
#8 Boxing/MMA
Becoming a professional boxer or MMA fighter is equally as hard as becoming an NBA player. Odds are ZERO. I mean, John Cena is a very successful WWE wrestler. Can we throw him in there? What about Rocky Marciano or Marvin Hagler?
#7 Tennis
Going pro in tennis if you're from MA is pretty low. 1 in 8642 athletes from MA will go pro in tennis. If you look, there really aren't too many and none that many would recognize.
#6 Golf
Chances of going pro in golf if you're from MA are 1 in 2033. This is even though MA is the 13th ranked state in the country for the most pro golfers.
#5 Olympians
The odds of becoming an Olympian in MA is 1 in 1333. Just tell that to these famous olympians from MA: Aly Raisman, Alex Shibutani and Ryan Donato.
#4 NFL
NFL is tied with the NHL for odds of going pro which are 1 in 1080. Athletes who defied those odds: Howie Long, Doug Flutie, Matt Hasselbeck and Fred Smerlas.
#3 NHL
NHL is tied with the NFL for odds of going pro which are 1 in 1080.