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basketball player

basketball player

70 1.0
A person who plays basketball for a team, often professionally
  • noun
  • /ˈbæskɪtˌbɔl ˈpleɪər/
translation icon : jugador de baloncesto
  • Most people agree that he is the greatest basketball player there ever was.
  • professional basketball player
  • college basketball player
  • high school basketball player

And then you see basketball players, NBA players, and they're men.

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Examples

  • You have basketball players making $30 million a year decrying racism.

  • Yeah, because I think more kids dream about being a star basketball player than they do.

  • Why did he hate those basketball players so much?

  • I wanna be a basketball player, Dad.

  • In his last year as a basketball player, the Bulls are in the finals once again.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • When I grow up, my goal is to be the best women's basketball player in the world.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Cal was the one who had fulfilled his father's dream of becoming a professional basketball player.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Fans outside of the U.S. are pleased to see basketball players from their own countries competing in the world's premier league.

    Academic text (2017)
  • He's he's such an amazing basketball player and we'll always remember him.

  • Michael Jordan is considered one of the greatest basketball players to have ever played the game.

Synonyms

baller
vsbasketball player
  • Slang
4 8.0

A person who plays basketball professionally or at a high level

is used neutrally for any team member or participant
basketballer
vsbasketball player
1 2.5

A person who plays basketball, usually as a professional or skilled player

is broader, including casual team members and amateurs
hooper
vsbasketball player
  • Slang
1 7.4

A person who plays basketball for fun

is focused on team membership or professional status
basketeer
vsbasketball player
1 7.9

A person who plays basketball

is more tied to team or professional involvement
hoopster
vsbasketball player
  • Slang
1 8.4

A person who plays basketball

is the standard neutral term rather than slang
cager
vsbasketball player
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who plays basketball, especially in the early days of the sport

is the modern general designation used today for team members

How Skilled

star player
13 2.0
basketball player
70 1.0
beginner
81 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

basketball + player

The meaning 'a person who plays basketball' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'basketball' (the sport) with 'player' (someone who plays). This is a regular noun+agent pattern common across languages and standard English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Basketball player comes from the simple image of a basket, a ball, and a player: someone who throws a ball into a basket in a game. So, basketball player means 'a person who plays basketball', often as part of a team or professionally.