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The NBA currently has many foreign players who are hugely talented. Despite the decades-old notion that foreign players could not perform at an adequate level, international presence has existed in the NBA since its first game ever. Italian Hank Biasatti played in the league's first-ever game (when it was known as the Basketball Association of America), on November 1st, 1946, in Toronto.
10 greatest European players in NBA history
A number of international players have grabbed headlines in the NBA in recent decades. Legendary shooting guard Drazen Petrovic was a shooter who made a big impact in the league, while guys like Dirk Nowitzki and Giannis Antetokounmpo won MVP awards and became superstars of their eras.
Antetokounmpo has taken home the last two NBA MVP awards and is also the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Another European player who is currently in the elite group is Slovenian Luka Doncic, who might be the next European hooper to earn an MVP.
In this article, we will list the 10 greatest European basketball players who have played in the NBA.
#10 Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert has had a solid NBA career with the Utah Jazz since getting drafted in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets later traded him to the Jazz for Erick Green.
The Frenchman has taken home two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards and is certainly one of the top rim-protectors in today's NBA. He is limited offensively but is effective around the rim and is an anchor on offense.
Gobert averages 12 points and 11 rebounds per game in his eight-year career and has been to two All-Star games. He also earned three All-NBA selections and is a four-time All-Defensive player.
#9 Nikola Vucevic
Nikola Vucevic made it to his second All-Star Game in the 2020-21 NBA season. He has been consistently solid for the Orlando Magic since the 2012-13 season, his second year in the league, and is now playing for the Chicago Bulls.
Vucevic's NBA career started with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011. He has averages of 16.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game in his career. Moreover, he is efficient and versatile on offense, as he is posting shooting splits of 49.7/35/75.5 in his 10-year NBA career.
#8 Drazen Petrovic
Drazen Petrovic made a solid impact in the NBA courtesy of his shooting ability. The Croatian's career was tragically cut short after he died in a car crash in Germany on June 7th, 1993.
Petrovic passed away at age 28, but he had already paved the way for future generations of European (and international) players to reach the NBA.
Petrovic played for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1989-90 NBA season, but coach Rick Adelman did not give him many chances on the court. On January 23rd, 1991, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, where he showed his true potential.
In 195 regular-season games with the Nets, Petrovic averaged 19.5 points with 51/44/85 shooting splits. Overall, he put up 15.4 points per game and 51/44/84 shooting splits in 290 appearances.
Petrovic, who was an All-NBA third-teamer in his final season, was inducted posthumously into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
#7 Marc Gasol
Though he is at the tail end of his NBA career and is not amongst the league's best big men anymore, Marc Gasol was one of the most respected big men in the league in his prime. His career includes one NBA championship and a Defensive Player of the Year award (2012-13).
Gasol played 11 seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies between 2008 and 2019. He averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists at Memphis, where he had his best years. He got traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and won the 2019 NBA championship as a good contributor with the team.
A three-time All-Star, Gasol has been selected to two All-NBA teams and one All-Defensive team.
#6 Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic might go up a couple of places on this list if his career continues as it's been going for the last few years. The Serbian center is currently a solid candidate for the 2020-21 NBA MVP award, which would make him the third European player to win the award.
Jokic can score with great consistency and efficiency, while also facilitating a lot for his teammates on offense. He's been an All-Star three times in his six-year career and earned two All-NBA selections (once in the first team).
In his career, Jokic is putting up 19 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, with 53/35/83 shooting splits.
#5 Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic is, by far, the youngest player on this list, and he might be at the top once his career is over. Out of the 10 greats on this list, Doncic has had the most impressive start to his NBA career by far, and the 22-year-old seems to keep getting better.
Doncic started his professional career with Spanish giants Real Madrid and entered the NBA in 2018, at age 19, with polished fundamentals and lots of experience.
In three NBA seasons, the Slovenian guard has averaged 25.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game, with 45.6% shooting efficiency from the field, 33% from three, and 74% from the free-throw line.
Doncic has a long way to go with the Dallas Mavericks to even compete for the title of the best European to ever play for the franchise, but his start has been magnificent.
#4 Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol played in the NBA for 18 years and was a great player who impacted the game with his abilities. He was not a flashy athlete, but his fundamentals were solid.
The Spanish power forward entered the league with the Memphis Grizzlies and went to an All-Star Game as a member of the franchise. However, his career changed when he was traded to the LA Lakers in 2008.
At LA, the six-time All-Star went on to win two NBA championships (2009 and 2010) as the team's second-best player, with Kobe Bryant leading the charge.
#3 Tony Parker
Tony Parker became the first European player to win the Finals MVP award when he won it in 2007 with the San Antonio Spurs.
Parker played the first 17 seasons of his career with the Spurs, from 2001 to 2018, and was a member of the most successful 'Big Three' in NBA history, with Tim Duncan and Argentinian Manu Ginóbili.
The Frenchman point guard won four NBA titles with the Spurs and went to six All-Star games, in addition to four All-NBA selections.
Parker averaged 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game in his 18-year NBA career.
#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo
The two-time reigning NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has been extraordinary in his NBA career, and his resume has a great list of honors.
Though he has yet to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA championship, Giannis has been named to five All-Star games, four All-NBA teams and three All-Defensive teams. He has also won a Defensive Player of the Year award and is even an All-Star MVP in only eight years.
Giannis averages 20.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in his career.
#1 Dirk Nowitzki
Not only is Dirk Nowitzki the greatest European to have played in the NBA, but he is also one of the two greatest power forwards in the history of the league.
The German legend, who struggled in his first NBA season (1998-99), went on to play in the league for 21 years with the Dallas Mavericks, earning respect throughout the NBA in the process.
Dirk became the first European player to win the regular-season MVP award in 2007. He also led the Mavs to an unlikely championship in the 2011 postseason, after beating Kobe Bryant's LA Lakers, Kevin Durant's OKC Thunder, and the 'Big Three' Miami Heat of LeBron James.
Nowitzki won the Finals MVP award in 2011, went to 14 All-Star games and earned 12 All-NBA selections. He is also the only European ever to score over 30,000 points in the NBA (31,560) and is the only international player to do so.
Also read: 5 best role players in the NBA in the 2020-21 season
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