Top 10 best foreign NBA players of all time

The NBA was initially a league for naturalized American citizens. With its payscale and the animosity between different races in the USA, it was quite difficult for people from other cultures to migrate to the country and become pro players.

But as the NBA became a global league in the 1980s and players started to earn better salaries, it became easier for teams to draft overseas players and bring them into the league. Thus, there came about a culture of immigration to US colleges to play basketball at that level, and today, there are tons of foreign NBA players.

In this list, we attempt to rank the best foreign NBA players in the league's history.

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Here are the top 10 best foreign NBA players of all time:

#10 Marc Gasol

Among the best foreign NBA players of all time, we feature 2019 NBA champion and 2012-13 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol. A second round draft pick by the LA Lakers in 2007, Gasol was traded away by the franchise with Kwame Brown in exchange for Pau Gasol in one of the most even NBA trades ever.

Through 12 seasons of play in the NBA, Gasol has been an exemplary paint protector. He was initially not that great a scorer, but worked on his post play and playmaking abilities to become an offensive player worth his salt. Late in his career, Gasol even added a reliable 3-pointer to his game.

A 3-time NBA All-Star, Gasol's presence on this list of best foreign NBA players ever was cemented when he played an integral role in the Raptors' championship.

#9 Toni Kukoc

Drafted in 1990 by the Chicago Bulls, Kukoc was long touted as the best foreign NBA player to never actually play in the league! After 3 seasons of Jordan's dominance and the Bulls' three-peat, Kukoc finally crossed the Atlantic to come and play in the NBA.

At 6'11", Kukoc was a hybrid forward with amazing shooting range. His game-winner against the Pacers as a rookie in the playoffs marked him out as a lethal scorer. Kukoc was an integral member of the Bulls' second three-peat in the 90s, winning Sixth Man of the Year for 1995-96.

Kukoc finished off his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks after spells with the Sixers and the Hawks.

#8 Giannis Antetokounmpo

Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 13th pick in 2013, few could have projected that the lanky 6'9" forward would go on to be one of the best foreign NBA players ever on the basis of his rookie season.

Giannis has gone from strength to strength in the NBA, improving his scoring every single season to the point where he's now the third-best scorer at 29.6 PPG. His first All-Star selection came in his 4th season, when he also won the NBA's Most Improved Player award.

Giannis was crowned the MVP last season after leading the Bucks to an NBA-best 60-22 record. He's also heavily tipped to win another this year. At only 25 years of age, there's a lot more to come from the 'Greek Freak', who has the ability to end up on top of lists like this in the future.

#7 Pau Gasol

The greatest Spanish player to ever play on American shores, Pau Gasol is definitely one of the best foreign NBA players of all time. Through 22 seasons of professional play, the older Gasol brother displayed some of the best offensive play and shooting touch ever for a big man.

Drafted by the Grizzlies in 2001, Gasol played 6-and-a-half seasons for the franchise before a trade landed him with the Los Angeles Lakers. In the most successful part of his career, Gasol was Kobe Bryant's sidekick in 3 NBA Finals trips and 2 championship runs.

A 6-time All Star, Gasol last played for the Trail Blazers, and has been a free agent for several months now.

#6 Yao Ming

The only Chinese player to ever be drafted, Yao Ming is a forgotten legend these days. But make no mistake, his dominance definitely merits his name on this list of best foreign NBA players.

Debuting in 2002-03, 7'6" Yao Ming was instantly the tallest player in the NBA. But his size wasn't his only advantage as Ming demonstrated a sweet shooting touch, great rebounding instincts and low-post dominance of the kind that had people reminiscing about Hakeem Olajuwon.

Yao's ill-fated career was punctuated by a number of foot injuries, and he had to retire after 9 seasons in the NBA. But at his best, Ming was a two-way beast who anchored some excellent Rockets teams. His first ballot Hall of Fame induction in 2016 with Shaq and AI was truly well-deserved.

#5 Tony Parker

An import from France, Tony Parker was drafted by Greg Popovich at the young age of 19. Parker was coach Pop's favorite scapegoat in his initial years, serving as the lightning rod for his outbursts on many occasions as Parker took some time to get adjusted to the NBA game.

Once he had the hang of it, though, Parker was more than a handful, and became one of the best foreign NBA players ever. His speed off the dribble, ball movement and ability to create open shots for himself opened up tons of possibilities for the Spurs. Parker was an integral member of 4 Spurs championships, winning the Finals MVP trophy in 2007 for a dominant display against the Cavs.

Parker retired as a 6-time All-Star after 18 seasons in the NBA. Romantics will do their best to forget his final season in the league with the Hornets, but Parker will definitely rank somewhere near the top on most people's listings of the best foreign NBA players in the league's history.

#4 Manu Ginobili

Not only is Ginobili one of the best foreign NBA players ever, he ranks among the greatest players of all time as well. The Argentine, drafted in the second round by coach Pop and stashed overseas for 3 seasons, came into the league in the 2002-03 season.

Manu's presence gave an instant facelift to the Spurs offense, which suffered with Duncan off the floor. Ginobili became the creative fulcrum of the back-court, and his high-energy playstyle rubbed off on the rest of the team as they embarked on a championship run in his rookie season.

Ginobili was moved to the bench in 2007-08 by Coach Pop, and he responded by winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. Ginobili was so talented that he could well have led a playoff team anywhere else, but he chose to carry out his role to perfection. He retired as a beloved legend and one of the best foreign NBA players ever after 16 seasons with the Spurs.

#3 Steve Nash

Steve Nash is not only one of the best foreign NBA players ever; he has a shout to be considered as a top 5 player at his position of all time. With career shooting splits of 49/42.8/90.4, Nash is one of the greatest shooters of all time, but his strength lay in passing the rock.

Drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 1996, Nash played a backup role to Jason Kidd during the first few seasons of his career. He was traded to the Mavs in 1998, where he formed a dominant duo with the player who's just ahead of him on this list.

In 2004, Nash moved back to the Suns as a free agent after Mark Cuban opted not to pay him big money. Under Mike D'Antoni, Nash was the orchestrator of the Seven-Seconds-Or-Less offense which took the league by storm. On the back of his offensive prowess, Nash won two straight MVP trophies, but he never made it to the NBA Finals due to the ultra-competitive nature of the Western Conference.

Nash finished his career with the Lakers without much fanfare, but was a first ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame.

#2 Dirk Nowitzki

The greatest European player of all time, Dirk Nowitzki is not just one of the best foreign NBA players ever, but also a top 20 player at any position of all time. A 21-year veteran with the Dallas Mavericks, Dirk retired with over 31,000 points to his credit.

He broke the conventional big man's mould by being a world-class shooter. At 7 feet tall, there was precious little that any opponent could do to handle his shooting prowess. By the end of his prime, Nowitzki had even added the unguardable one-legged fadeaway to his arsenal, which he used lethally in his NBA Finals triumph in 2011.

A 14-time All-Star with a streak of 11 consecutive seasons, Nowitzki is one of the most respected players and one of the best foreign NBA players ever.

#1 Hakeem Olajuwon

The first draft pick ever announced by commissioner David Stern, Hakeem Olajuwon's place at the top of this list of best foreign NBA players ever was quite an easy decision. The Nigerian was a monster on both ends of the court. His 1993-94 season is the single most dominant season by a player ever - he won MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in addition to the Rockets' first NBA championship.

Olajuwon featured in 3 NBA Finals, winning 2 of them (1994, 1995). He made the All-Star team 12 times and was an All-NBA First Teamer 6 times, in addition to winning 2 Defensive Player of the Year titles.

The Dream Shake is one of the most iconic moves of all time, and has been successfully used by big men after him to score tons of points. He is undoubtedly the best foreign NBA player to ever play in the league.

Edited by Sai Krishna