Nba

Search Players

search_players

Read-onlyIdempotent

"Find NBA player [name]" / "search NBA roster for [X]" / "is [player] in the NBA" — search NBA players by name on BallDontLie. Returns position, height, weight, college, country, draft info, and current team. NOTE: per-season averages (PPG/RPG/APG) and career stats are NOT in this response — those require BallDontLie's ALL-STAR tier ($9.99/mo at https://www.balldontlie.io/) via the /season_averages endpoint, which is not currently exposed by Pipeworx. Free-tier _apiKey works for this tool.

Example tool call

This call uses example arguments supplied in the tool’s input schema.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {
      "query": "LeBron James"
    },
    "name": "search_players"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`limit`	No	Number of results to return (default: 10, max: 100)
`query`	Yes	Player name or partial name to search for
`_apiKey`	Yes	BallDontLie API key

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`query`	Yes	Search query for player names
`total`	Yes	Total count of matching players
`players`	Yes	List of matching players
`returned`	Yes	Number of players returned in this response

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedNov 3, 2026

changedInput schema / examples

Previous value: -[
-  {
-    "_apiKey": "your-nba-api-key",
-    "query": "LeBron James"
-  },
-  {
-    "_apiKey": "your-nba-api-key",
-    "limit": 5,
-    "query": "Luka"
-  }
-]New value: +[
+  {
+    "query": "LeBron James"
+  },
+  {
+    "limit": 5,
+    "query": "Luka"
+  }
+]

Changed2 schema fields changedMay 24, 2026

addedInput schema / examples

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "_apiKey": "your-nba-api-key",
+    "query": "LeBron James"
+  },
+  {
+    "_apiKey": "your-nba-api-key",
+    "limit": 5,
+    "query": "Luka"
+  }
+]

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "players": {
+      "description": "List of matching players",
+      "items": {
+        "properties": {
+          "college": {
+            "description": "College attended",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "country": {
+            "description": "Country of origin",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "draft_number": {
+            "description": "Draft pick number",
+            "type": [
+              "number",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "draft_round": {
+            "description": "Draft round",
+            "type": [
+              "number",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "draft_year": {
+            "description": "Year drafted",
+            "type": [
+              "number",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "height": {
+            "description": "Player height",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "id": {
+            "description": "Player ID",
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "jersey_number": {
+            "description": "Jersey number",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "name": {
+            "description": "Full name (first + last)",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "position": {
+            "description": "Player position",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "team": {
+            "description": "Current team information",
+            "properties": {
+              "abbreviation": {
+                "description": "Team abbreviation",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "city": {
+                "description": "Team city",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "conference": {
+                "description": "Conference (East/West)",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "division": {
+                "description": "Division name",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "full_name": {
+                "description": "Full team name",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "id": {
+                "description": "Team ID",
+                "type": "number"
+              },
+              "name": {
+                "description": "Team name",
+                "type": "string"
+              }
+            },
+            "type": [
+              "object",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "weight": {
+            "description": "Player weight",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "query": {
+      "description": "Search query for player names",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "returned": {
+      "description": "Number of players returned in this response",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "total": {
+      "description": "Total count of matching players",
+      "type": "number"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "query",
+    "total",
+    "returned",
+    "players"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed2 schema fields changedMay 13, 2026

removedInput schema / examples

Removed value: -[
-  {
-    "_apiKey": "your-nba-api-key",
-    "query": "LeBron James"
-  },
-  {
-    "_apiKey": "your-nba-api-key",
-    "limit": 5,
-    "query": "Luka"
-  }
-]

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -{
-  "properties": {
-    "players": {
-      "description": "List of matching players",
-      "items": {
-        "properties": {
-          "college": {
-            "description": "College attended",
-            "type": [
-              "string",
-              "null"
-            ]
-          },
-          "country": {
-            "description": "Country of origin",
-            "type": [
-              "string",
-              "null"
-            ]
-          },
-          "draft_number": {
-            "description": "Draft pick number",
-            "type": [
-              "number",
-              "null"
-            ]
-          },
-          "draft_round": {
-            "description": "Draft round",
-            "type": [
-              "number",
-              "null"
-            ]
-          },
-          "draft_year": {
-            "description": "Year drafted",
-            "type": [
-              "number",
-              "null"
-            ]
-          },
-          "height": {
-            "description": "Player height",
-            "type": [
-              "string",
-              "null"
-            ]
-          },
-          "id": {
-            "description": "Player ID",
-            "type": "number"
-          },
-          "jersey_number": {
-            "description": "Jersey number",
-            "type": [
-              "string",
-              "null"
-            ]
-          },
-          "name": {
-            "description": "Full name (first + last)",
-            "type": "string"
-          },
-          "position": {
-            "description": "Player position",
-            "type": [
-              "string",
-              "null"
-            ]
-          },
-          "team": {
-            "description": "Current team information",
-            "properties": {
-              "abbreviation": {
-                "description": "Team abbreviation",
-                "type": "string"
-              },
-              "city": {
-                "description": "Team city",
-                "type": "string"
-              },
-              "conference": {
-                "description": "Conference (East/West)",
-                "type": "string"
-              },
-              "division": {
-                "description": "Division name",
-                "type": "string"
-              },
-              "full_name": {
-                "description": "Full team name",
-                "type": "string"
-              },
-              "id": {
-                "description": "Team ID",
-                "type": "number"
-              },
-              "name": {
-                "description": "Team name",
-                "type": "string"
-              }
-            },
-            "type": [
-              "object",
-              "null"
-            ]
-          },
-          "weight": {
-            "description": "Player weight",
-            "type": [
-              "string",
-              "null"
-            ]
-          }
-        },
-        "type": "object"
-      },
-      "type": "array"
-    },
-    "query": {
-      "description": "Search query for player names",
-      "type": "string"
-    },
-    "returned": {
-      "description": "Number of players returned in this response",
-      "type": "number"
-    },
-    "total": {
-      "description": "Total count of matching players",
-      "type": "number"
-    }
-  },
-  "required": [
-    "query",
-    "total",
-    "returned",
-    "players"
-  ],
-  "type": "object"
-}New value: +null

Changed1 schema field changedMay 8, 2026

changedOutput schema / (root)

Previous value: -nullNew value: +{
+  "properties": {
+    "players": {
+      "description": "List of matching players",
+      "items": {
+        "properties": {
+          "college": {
+            "description": "College attended",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "country": {
+            "description": "Country of origin",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "draft_number": {
+            "description": "Draft pick number",
+            "type": [
+              "number",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "draft_round": {
+            "description": "Draft round",
+            "type": [
+              "number",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "draft_year": {
+            "description": "Year drafted",
+            "type": [
+              "number",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "height": {
+            "description": "Player height",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "id": {
+            "description": "Player ID",
+            "type": "number"
+          },
+          "jersey_number": {
+            "description": "Jersey number",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "name": {
+            "description": "Full name (first + last)",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "position": {
+            "description": "Player position",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "team": {
+            "description": "Current team information",
+            "properties": {
+              "abbreviation": {
+                "description": "Team abbreviation",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "city": {
+                "description": "Team city",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "conference": {
+                "description": "Conference (East/West)",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "division": {
+                "description": "Division name",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "full_name": {
+                "description": "Full team name",
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "id": {
+                "description": "Team ID",
+                "type": "number"
+              },
+              "name": {
+                "description": "Team name",
+                "type": "string"
+              }
+            },
+            "type": [
+              "object",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          },
+          "weight": {
+            "description": "Player weight",
+            "type": [
+              "string",
+              "null"
+            ]
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object"
+      },
+      "type": "array"
+    },
+    "query": {
+      "description": "Search query for player names",
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "returned": {
+      "description": "Number of players returned in this response",
+      "type": "number"
+    },
+    "total": {
+      "description": "Total count of matching players",
+      "type": "number"
+    }
+  },
+  "required": [
+    "query",
+    "total",
+    "returned",
+    "players"
+  ],
+  "type": "object"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedMay 6, 2026

addedInput schema / examples

Added value: +[
+  {
+    "_apiKey": "your-nba-api-key",
+    "query": "LeBron James"
+  },
+  {
+    "_apiKey": "your-nba-api-key",
+    "limit": 5,
+    "query": "Luka"
+  }
+]

Changed2 schema fields changedApr 27, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / _apiKey

Added value: +{
+  "description": "BallDontLie API key",
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedInput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "query"
-]New value: +[
+  "query",
+  "_apiKey"
+]

First observedApr 22, 2026

TDQS

A3.9/5.0

Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already cover the safety profile (readOnly, idempotent, non-destructive), and the description goes beyond them by disclosing an auth prerequisite ('free-tier _apiKey works for this tool') and a data-availability limitation (per-season averages require the paid ALL-STAR tier and are not exposed). It does not discuss rate limits, pagination behavior, or what an empty match looks like, so it stops short of full transparency.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is front-loaded with trigger phrasings before the capability statement, which is good structure. It is dense but mostly earns its words; the pricing figure and URL are somewhat promotional, though they justify the 'not available' caveat.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With an output schema present, return values need not be explained, yet the description helpfully names the fields returned and, unusually, names what is deliberately absent. The main gap for a search tool with a sibling lookup tool is the absence of any relationship note to get_player.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%: query (partial name), limit (default 10, max 100), and _apiKey are all documented in the schema. The description adds nothing about matching semantics (prefix vs. substring, case sensitivity) or how limit interacts with ranking, so baseline 3 applies.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose4/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description states a specific verb and resource ('search NBA players by name on BallDontLie') and lists the returned fields (position, height, weight, college, country, draft info, team). It is clear what the tool does, but it never mentions the sibling get_player, so an agent cannot tell from the text alone when a direct-lookup tool would be preferable.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The three quoted example phrasings ('Find NBA player [name]', 'search NBA roster for [X]', 'is [player] in the NBA') give concrete trigger contexts, and the note about missing stat data steers agents away from this tool for averages. It stops short of naming the alternative route (get_player or an external stats source), so guidance is clear but not fully routing.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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Search Players

Example tool call

Input Schema

Output Schema

Schema Changelog

TDQS

Glama MCP Gateway

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