The NBA has been dominated by black players like Michael Jordan and the other stars since the 1990s. Since then, the growth of African-American basketball players has increased over the past decades and has continued to grow in the NBA.

The most recent stats about the league's percentage of different ethnicities can be traced to 2022. According to statistica.com, the league is 71.8% led by African-American athletes. This is followed by Caucasians or white basketball players, with 17.4% of the league's population belonging to them.

Players of Hispanic descent take up only 2.4% of the NBA's population while Asian players only have 0.2%.

Black athletes have dominated the league with their incredible athleticism. Many fans can easily recognize this with LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Joel Embiid being the faces of their teams.

Curry was huge for the league's history last season as he was the highest-paid player in the NBA. The All-Star guard earned $48 million last season from his four-year $215 million deal that he signed in 2021.

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Almost half of the league is dominated by black head coaches

The NBA cannot function well without the help of great head coaches. Over the years, many spectators have started to recognize the head coaches of each team and their contributions to the organization. Over a year ago, history was made when half of the league featured black head coaches.

The teams that have coaches who are of African-American descent are the Washington Wizards, the Sacramento Kings, the Portland Trail Blazers, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Milwaukee Bucks, the LA Clippers and Lakers, the Houston Rockets, the Detroit Pistons, the Brooklyn Nets, and the Boston Celtics.

Monty Williams, the Pistons' head coach, is of African-American descent and recently made history by becoming the highest-paid head coach in the league. He signed a six-year $78.5 million deal with the Pistons. This came after he was fired by the Phoenix Suns following their second-round exit.

Monty will earn around $13.08 million per year with his new deal. The Pistons also added travel and healthcare benefits for the head coach's wife's condition. During the postseason, Lisa Keeth was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Some of the most notable black head coaches over the years are Bill Russell, KC Jones, and Tyronn Lue. Russell made history in the NBA when he became the first black head coach in 1966.

Also read: Who was the first Black basketball player to have played in the NBA?