NBA — additional Python functions

Hand-written wrappers, loaders, and helpers in sportsdataverse.nba not covered by the generated API-endpoint reference above.

Highlights

Function	Summary
bref_players_stats	Player season statistics for an entire league season.
bref_standings	Conference standings for a season, both conferences stacked.
bref_teams_stats	Team season statistics from the league season page.
compile_nba_season	Compile a full season's possession stint matrix (cached + resumable + throttled).
espn_nba_player_stats	Pull an NBA athlete's ESPN season stat line as one wide row.
espn_nba_schedule	espn_nba_schedule - look up the NBA schedule for a given date from ESPN
espn_nba_teams	espn_nba_teams - look up NBA teams
most_recent_nba_season	Return the most recent NBA season year based on today's date.

ESPN

Function	Summary
espn_nba_game_rosters	espn_nba_game_rosters() - Pull the game by id.
espn_nba_pbp	espn_nba_pbp() - Pull the game by id - Data from API endpoints - nba/playbyplay, nba/summary
scoreboard_event_parsing	Internal helper that flattens an ESPN NBA scoreboard event dict into a

sportsdataverse-data releases

Function	Summary
load_nba_stats_leaguedash	Load one asset family of the nba_stats_leaguedash release.

NBA Stats API

Function	Summary
nba_live_boxscore	Fetch and parse NBA cdn.nba.com liveData boxscore for a game.
nba_live_pbp	Fetch and parse NBA cdn.nba.com liveData play-by-play for a game.

Fox Sports API

Function	Summary
fox_nba_boxscore	NBA boxscore (long: one row per player-stat).
fox_nba_event_matchup	Fox Sports nba pregame team-stat comparison (one row per stat).
fox_nba_event_recap	Fox Sports nba postgame top performers (one row per player).
fox_nba_event_standings	Fox Sports nba the two teams' standings context.
fox_nba_league_conferences	Fox Sports nba conference / group directory.
fox_nba_league_header	Fox Sports nba league header (one row).
fox_nba_league_leaders	NBA statistical leaders (stats-con); who=player|team.
fox_nba_league_odds	Fox Sports nba league odds board (one row per team per game).
fox_nba_league_player_news	Fox Sports nba league-wide player news feed.
fox_nba_league_polls	Fox Sports nba rankings / polls rendered as standings tables.
fox_nba_league_schedule	Fox Sports nba league schedule nav selections.
fox_nba_league_scores	Fox Sports nba league scores nav selections.
fox_nba_league_standings	Fox Sports nba league-wide standings tables.
fox_nba_league_stat_leaders	Fox Sports nba league stats landing leaders.
fox_nba_odds	NBA game odds six-pack (spread / to-win / total per team).
fox_nba_pbp	NBA play-by-play (one row per play; period-based).
fox_nba_scoreboard	Fox Sports nba scoreboard nav selections (weeks / dates / groups).
fox_nba_scorechip	Fox Sports nba compact live score chip (raw dict -- live-only, uncaptured shape).
fox_nba_scores_segment	Fox Sports nba one row per game in a scoreboard segment.
fox_nba_standings	NBA standings for a team's conference/division.
fox_nba_team_gamelog	NBA team game log (long: one row per game-stat).
fox_nba_team_header	Fox Sports nba team header (one row).
fox_nba_team_roster	NBA team roster (one row per player).
fox_nba_team_stats	NBA team stat leaders by category.
fox_nba_teamnav	Fox Sports nba team directory (one row per team).
fox_nba_teams	NBA team directory (fox_team_id / fox_team_name / fox_section).

Basketball-Reference

Function	Summary
bref_awards	End-of-season award voting, all awards stacked into one frame.
bref_draft	NBA draft results with each pick's career totals and advanced metrics.
bref_injuries	The current NBA injury report.
bref_player_bios	The player index for one last-name initial -- bios plus the id slugs.
bref_player_game_log	A player's regular-season game-by-game log.
bref_team_roster	A team's roster for one season.

RealGM

Function	Summary
realgm_close_browser	Close the cached headless browser, if one is open.
realgm_coaches	Current NBA head coaches.
realgm_draft	Results of one past NBA draft.
realgm_draft_prospects	Current NBA draft-prospect statistics.
realgm_early_entry	The current NBA draft early-entrant and withdrawal list.
realgm_future_free_agents	RealGM's projected future NBA free-agent classes, with each player's agent.
realgm_gms	Current NBA general managers.
realgm_individual_games	The all-time best individual NBA games leaderboard.
realgm_individual_seasons	The all-time best individual NBA seasons leaderboard.
realgm_player_stats	Season player-statistics leaderboard for one stat family and season segment.
realgm_players	The active NBA player index from RealGM.
realgm_players_abroad	NBA-affiliated players currently playing overseas.
realgm_rookie_scale	The current NBA rookie-scale salary table.
realgm_salary_cap	NBA salary-cap history and projections.
realgm_standings	Current NBA standings, both conferences stacked.
realgm_team_stats	Season team statistics for one stat family and season segment.
realgm_teams	The NBA team index with division and conference.
realgm_transactions	The NBA league transactions log.

Public model datasets

Function	Summary
load_darko_dpm	Parse a DARKO DPM leaderboard CSV (e.g. 2026-darko-dpm-leaderboard.csv).
load_dunks_threes_stats	Parse a Dunks & Threes counting-stats CSV (e.g. 2025_Dunks_&_Threes_Stats.csv).
load_epm	Parse a Dunks & Threes EPM CSV ({season}_EPM_data.csv).
load_lebron_daily	Parse a LEBRON daily-snapshot CSV (e.g. lebron_daily_2026-07-02.csv).
load_lebron_season	Parse a LEBRON season-file CSV (e.g. lebron-data-2026.csv).
load_rapm_ryan_davis	Parse a Ryan Davis published RAPM CSV (single-season or multi-year window).
normalize_player_name	Fold a player display name to a join-safe key.

Play-by-play processing

Function	Summary
build_athlete_identity_lookup	R build_athlete_identity_lookup: athlete_id -> identity from team rosters.
build_nba_player_identity_lookup	R build_identity_lookup(season): athlete_id -> identity from the
nba_pbp_disk	Load a previously cached ESPN NBA summary JSON for a game from disk.
nba_v3_to_v2_pbp	Convert a v3 playbyplayv3 payload into the full v2-schema pbp frame.

Models and calculators

Function	Summary
AdjRapmModel	Prior-informed RAPM: ridge toward a per-player box prior with an RTO posterior.
AgingCurve	Empirical aging deltas: delta_by_age[a] = expected rating change aging a -> a+1.
ExternalValidityResult	Concurrent-validity correlation of model ratings against a published oracle metric.
ForecastResult	Forecast-accuracy metrics: predicted-vs-actual next-season rating over held-out transitions.
LeagueConstants	Per-league_id fitted constants for the NBA prediction & market stack.
MeasureSpec	Per-model column map for a leaguedashptstats measure.
NbaBpmModel	A RatingsModel scoring a fold via faithful BPM 2.0.
NbaSpmModel	A RatingsModel that scores a fold via fitted SPM coefficients.
RidgeRapmModel	5179.47467923, 13894.95494373, 37275.93720315, 100000. ])) -> 'None'`
SpmCoefficients	Fitted SPM coefficients (box features -> offense/defense RAPM, per-100).
ValidationReport	Holds all oracle results for a single model evaluation run.
WalkForwardResult	Oracle 6: walk-forward ("predict tomorrow") retrodiction over a season timeline.
adjust_efficiency	Iterative opponent-adjusted rating -> AdjOffRtg / AdjDefRtg / AdjNet per team-season.
adjust_pace	Opponent-adjusted pace (possessions/game) per team-season.
as_of_ratings_split	Filter a results frame to games strictly before a cutoff date (leakage boundary).
calibrate_pts_per_win	Regress team wins on season point margin; return points-per-marginal-win.
calibrate_replacement_level	Solve for the replacement_level that makes summed league WAR hit a target.
darko_forecast_accuracy	Holdout forecast accuracy: for each transition, forecast N+1 from history <= N vs actual.
decay_weights	Exponential time-decay sample weights w = 0.5 ** (days_ago / half_life).
expected_possessions	Expected possessions for a matchup (Pythagorean-tempo blend).
external_validity	Oracle 5: correlate a model's ratings against a published external metric.
fit_aging_curve	Fit the aging curve by the delta method: avg YoY rating change grouped by starting age.
get_constants	Return the LeagueConstants for a league_id.
get_shrinkage_k	Shooter-talent shrinkage k for a league.
in_game_features	Per-play in-game win-probability features from a load_nba_pbp frame.
luck_adjusted_response	Attach a per-possession la_points expected-points response.
nba_adj_rapm	5179.47467923, 13894.95494373, 37275.93720315, 100000. ]), n_samples: 'int' = 200, seed: 'int' = 0, return_as_pandas: 'bool' = False) -> …
nba_aging_curve	Load the bundled per-age value-multiplier curve.
nba_bpm	Faithful BPM 2.0 per player, at season or single-game granularity.
nba_career_trajectory	Age-adjust player-season values with the bundled aging curve.
nba_darko	Project each player's next-season rating via a per-player Kalman filter + aging curve.
nba_decay_rapm	Time-decay RAPM: ridge weighted by 0.5 ** (days_ago / half_life_days).
nba_draft_model	Project prospect career value + draft probability from combine measurements.
nba_expected_turnovers	Expected TOV + residual ball-security skill from Synergy play-type mix.
nba_four_factor_rapm	Four-factor RAPM: four independent ridge fits (efg/ftr/orbd/tov) on the SAME design.
nba_in_game_win_prob	Per-play home win probability from the bundled in-game model.
nba_la_rapm	Luck-adjusted RAPM: ridge on an expected-points response (high-variance shooting regressed).
nba_matchup_drapm	Matchup-based defensive RAPM (offense-quality-controlled).
nba_predict_games	Vectorized pregame predictions for a schedule of games.
nba_rookie_projection	Project rookie/sophomore value by composing draft x aging x availability.
nba_spm	Apply fitted SPM coefficients to per-100 box features -> OSPM/DSPM/SPM.
nba_team_ratings	Opponent-adjusted team ratings (AdjOffRtg/AdjDefRtg/AdjNet/AdjPace), as-of-date aware.
nba_war	Points-above-replacement -> wins for each player.
predict_margin	Expected home-minus-away margin from two adjusted net ratings.
predict_total	Expected total points from adjusted ratings and paces.
raw_game_efficiency	Per-team, per-game possessions + raw offensive/defensive rating.
render_report	Render a ValidationReport as a human-readable markdown validation card.
train_spm	Ridge-fit box features onto o_rapm and d_rapm (two regressions).
validate_model	Run the selected oracles and assemble a ValidationReport.
walk_forward	Oracle 6: time-ordered "predict tomorrow" retrodiction.
win_prob_from_margin	Home win probability from an expected margin (normal-CDF closed form).

Analytics

Function	Summary
add_ctg_shot_zones	Append CTG's shot-location zone (ctg_shot_zone) to an enhanced PBP frame.
add_play_context	Build possessions and enrich them with the full CTG play-context surface.
add_start_type_detail	Append the full pbpstats start-type taxonomy to a possession frame.
add_transition	Flag possessions that started in transition, and time their initial play.
box_features	Aggregate per-player per-100-possession box features over a set of games.
build_play_context_shots	Build the per-shot frame carrying CTG's play context.
build_possession_shooting	Build the per-shooter companion frame from an enhanced play-by-play DataFrame.
clutch_delta	Clutch net-rating delta vs a full-game baseline, per (season, team_id).
flag_garbage_time	Flag CTG garbage time (excluded from CTG stats by default).
flag_heave_possessions	Flag CTG's "projected heave possessions" (excluded from CTG stats by default).
hoopshype_salaries	League-wide NBA player salaries from HoopsHype.
lineup_play_context	Roll possessions up into a per-5-man-lineup Play-Context table.
make_prob_by_context	Marginal FG% tables by defender distance and by shot clock.
make_prob_joint	Independence-combined defender x shot-clock make probability.
nba_availability	Project games-available % for a season (or seasons) from career GP history.
nba_box_logs	Fetch per-player and per-team game logs for a season (bulk, one call each).
nba_foul_drawing	Expected FTA + residual foul-drawing skill from Synergy play-type mix.
nba_l2m	Fetch and parse an NBA Last Two Minute report from official.nba.com.
nba_l2m_games	Fetch the list of games with Last Two Minute reports for an NBA season.
nba_play_context	Fetch one game and return its possessions with the full CTG play-context surface.
nba_player_ages	Per-player age for a season (bulk), for the DARKO aging curve.
nba_player_identity	Human-readable identity for every player in a season's box logs.
nba_player_positions	Fetch league-wide listed positions for a season as numeric 1-5.
nba_player_props	Per-player expected prop lines + team pace projection for a matchup.
nba_playtype_ratings	Season play-type-adjusted offensive/defensive team ratings.
nba_ratings_panel	Player-ratings-through-date long panel: one row per (player_id, date).
nba_raw_store_season_frame	Read a committed SEASON-LEVEL capture from the raw store, parsed to a frame.
nba_referee_assignments	Fetch and parse NBA referee assignments for a given date from official.nba.com.
nba_shot_value	One-call shot-value spine: fetch, score, and run all five models.
nba_shot_value_lineups	Scored per-shot frame for one 5-man lineup (shotchartlineupdetail).
nba_team_clutch	Opponent-agnostic clutch skill (shrunk clutch net-rating delta) per team.
nba_tracking_drive_value	Drive value over expected + rim-pressure, per player-season.
nba_tracking_pass_value	Expected-assists / passer value: ast_oe per player-season.
nba_tracking_reb_oe	Rebounding-over-expected: reb_oe plus OREB/DREB splits, per player-season.
nba_tracking_rim_protect_value	Rim-protection / shot-defend points-saved over expected, per player-season.
nba_tracking_shot_diet_value	Catch-&-shoot vs pull-up points-over-expected, per player-season.
nba_tracking_touch_value	Touch / possession-time value over expected, per player-season.
nbadraft_mock_draft	The current consensus mock draft from NBADraft.net.
player_play_context	Per-player offensive On/Off Play-Context table (CTG's On/Off page, offense half).
player_rates	Per-player per-minute rate stats from box logs.
players_on_court_from_pbp	Reconstruct the 5-on-5 on-court lineup from pbp subs + boxscore starters.
players_on_court_from_quarter_boxscores	Reconstruct the 5-on-5 on-court lineup, seeding each period exactly where possible.
players_on_court_from_rotation	Reconstruct the 5-on-5 on-court lineup via the rotation (gamerotation) algorithm.
prob_over	Probability a stat finishes strictly above line.
project_player_line	Project a player's expected counting line from per-minute rates.
prop_distribution	Distribution family + parameters for a projected stat mean.
ratings_as_of	Fit model on every possession dated on or before asof and return ratings.
rotowire_injuries	The current NBA injury report from RotoWire.
score_shot_xpoints	Score each shot with expected points from the league-average baseline.
shooter_talent	Regressed shooter true-talent: make%-above-expected, shrunk to the mean.
shot_selection_quality	Player shot-selection quality: mean expected value vs the league mean.
shrink_clutch	Empirical-Bayes / James-Stein shrinkage of clutch_delta toward zero.
spotrac_team_cap	Team salary-cap allocations from Spotrac.
starters_on_court_counts	Count, per possession, how many starters are on the floor across BOTH teams.
team_pace_projection	Expected possessions for a matchup (Phase-3 expected_possessions).
team_play_context	Roll possessions up into CTG's team Play-Context table.
xpoints_baseline	League-average FG% baseline table keyed by the three shot-zone columns.
zone_value_map	Per-player per-zone value map: points and expected points per shot.

Dates and seasons

Function	Summary
year_to_season	Convert a season START year (e.g. 2023) to the NBA's hyphenated label

IDs and crosswalks

Function	Summary
nba_player_crosswalk	Build the NBA cross-source player crosswalk (ESPN / NBA Stats / Fox).
nba_schedule_crosswalk	Build the NBA cross-source schedule crosswalk (ESPN / NBA Stats).
nba_team_crosswalk	Build the NBA cross-source team crosswalk (ESPN / NBA Stats / Fox).