There is a theory that in this interconnected world, any two people can be connected by just six acquainted links or less. While this concept is famous for exploring the prolific film career of actor Kevin Bacon, the theory is actually a complicated 87-year-old computational mathematics problem that later took more than 20 years to prove and went on to serve as the basis of modern social media. In more practical terms, “Six Degrees” – or the “small world theory” – suggests that everything and everyone in this world is connected to one another in a meaningful way.

Fanatics decided to put this theory to the test by examining how separated NBA players who have played on the same team are from one another. Check out our methodology to see that while players who played in the same season would be connected by relatively short degrees chains, the chain of acquaintances between modern players and Hall of Famers may be significantly more complicated.

What do the networks of some of basketball’s greats look like? Check out the connections of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James.