Ready to test your skill as a Basketball GM? Sign up for the World Basketball Cup, a single-season league which will once and for all answer where the best NBA players are born. Select a USA region or state, or pick from an international region, and make your best team from any players who were born in qualifying states or countries in the list below. For an extra challenge and to improve parity, the salary cap is $44M. Think New York has the best hoop talent? Always wanted to put together a Slavic dream team with Donkic, Jokic and Petrovic? Now's your chance to do it. Team names (and arenas where possible) should reflect your region/state. No Clones.

We will use the Basketball Reference database for birth states/countries, no exceptions (even if you find research that shows a player was born somewhere else):
https://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/birthplaces.fcgi

Permitted states and regions are below, some liberties were taken in order to provide a deep enough talent pool in each one.
USA:

1. New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island)
2. New Jersey
3. New York
4. Pennsylvania
5. East North Central (Indiana, Wisconsin)
6. Ohio
7. Illinois
8. Michigan
9. West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota)
10. Florida
11. Georgia
12. South Atlantic (Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia)
13. East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee)
14. West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma)
15. Texas
16. Mountain (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming)
17. Pacific (Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington)
18. California

The World:

1. Europe (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom)
2. Balkans (Bosnia Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine)
3. Africa (Angola, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon,Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Tunisia)
4. Australasia (China, Iran, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand)
5. Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & The Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico)
6. Canada/Americas (Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, Venezuela)

First come, first serve so if you have a favorite sign up today! Multiple teams for single owners OK. Let the games begin!

LEAGUE NUMBER NBA74001

Teams/Owners:
1. New England - ccsweet
2. California - dBKC
3. Africa - redbooda
4. South Atlantic - berkelon
5. Ohio - PB&J
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California

I haven't gone in depth on every geographic area, but Pacific looks very weak compared to south atlantic. I think a re-distribution could help balance things out. the $44M cap only lowers the ceiling of quality talent, it doesn't increase the floor.

Africa

Thanks Chewy - Pacific may have less total available players than some other regions, but there are some awesome players hailing from those parts (Stockton, Banchero, Sabonis....). I think someone will do well with that region.

Update - commish has a Pacific team ready to go if we get full and nobody else wants it...

I'll take the South Atlantic

Welcome berkelon!

Welcome berkelon!

Only 20 spots left...

I'll take Ohio

6 in (counting commish second team)

Welp… I’m calling it - sadly it does seem like simhoop is dead but was fun while it lasted. Go Knicks!!! Peace out everyone.