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Over the years, while the NBA has been dominated by American athletes, there have been many international players who have left their mark. Some have cemented themselves as all-time greats while others have had great careers with multiple all-star appearances.
Their success has paved the way for the many international players who play in the NBA today and the number keeps increasing as the seasons go by. Here, I attempt to rank them based on their stats and achievements.
Honorable Mention
Drazen Petrovic (Croatia)
If it wasn't for his untimely death at the age of 28, Petrovic would have easily made the top 10. One of the best shooters of all time, he shot 43.7% from behind the arc, good enough for 4th all-time in league history.
Averaging over 20 points per game in his final two seasons with the Nets, one can only imagine what he could have gone on to become over the years.
#10 Detlef Schrempf (Germany)
Honors: 3x All-Star, 2x 6th Man of the Year, 1x All-Nba 3rd Team
Career Averages: 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists
Detlef Schrempf remains one of the most underrated players of all time. A versatile role player, he could rebound and pass well. He was a great shooter, shooting 51.4% from the 3 point line in 1994-95.
In 1992-93, Schrempf was the only player in the league in the top 25 in Points (19.1), Rebounds (9.5) and Assists (6) further displaying his versatility. He was rewarded with what would be the 1st of his 3 All-Star appearances.
Schrempf reached the NBA Finals once with the Supersonics in 1996 but lost in 6 games to Michael Jordan's Bulls. One factor holding Schrempf back, however, is his lack of defence.
#9 Marc Gasol (Spain)
Honors: 3x All-Star, 1x Defensive Player of the Year, 1x All Nba 1st team, 1x All Nba 2nd Team, 1x All-Defensive 2nd Team
Career Averages: 14.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 blocks
The other Gasol, Marc is the younger brother of Pau Gasol. He is one of the best big men in the NBA right now. The perfect modern day big, Gasol is capable of scoring inside and outside, and also defending and passing. Marc has been a key component of the most successful era in Memphis as they reached the Western Conference Finals in 2013 and have been a perennial playoff team for much of his career.
Marc was initially drafted by the Lakers in 2007 but was traded away to the Grizzlies in what at the time looked like an incredibly one-sided deal in favour of the Lakers. The Lakers gave up Marc and a few other fringe players for his brother Pau. In retrospect, however, it seems the deal sort of evened out as Marc ended up becoming one of the cornerstones of the franchise.
#8 Yao Ming (China)
Honors: 8x All-Star, 2x All-Nba 2nd Team, 3x All-Nba 3rd Team
Career Averages: 19 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks
Injuries prevented Yao Ming from being higher up the list, for when he was healthy, he was one of the best big men in the NBA. Yao combined great rim protection with the ability to hit mid range jump shots, which was rare for a man of his height.
In 2006-07, Yao averaged 25 points and almost 10 rebounds, showing his potential to become one of the all-time great bigs, but his body was breaking down. He only played 48 games that season, in fact, he didn't manage to play 80 games in a season since his 3rd campaign. It was a shame considering it looked like Yao and Tracy McGrady could become a great 1-2 option for Houston.
Apart from injuries, another reason for him being lower on the list is the fact that he only managed to advance past the 1st round of the playoffs once in his career.
#7 Dikembe Mutombo (Congo)
Honors: 8x All-Star, 1x All Nba 2nd Team, 2x All Nba 3rd Team, 4x Defensive Player of the Year, 3x NBA All-Defensive 1st Team, 3x NBA All-Defensive 2nd Team
Career Averages: 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.8 blocks
Dikembe Mutombo is one of the best defensive players in NBA history. An elite shot blocker, he ranks 2nd in NBA history, ahead of the likes of Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Mutombo was famous for his finger-wagging which he performed after blocking a shot.
His four Defensive Player of the Year awards are tied for most in league history along with Ben Wallace. A double-double machine for most of his career, Mutombo ranks 12th all time. He led the league in rebounds twice and blocks thrice. His only NBA Finals appearance came in 2001 when the 76ers lost in five games to the Lakers.
Mutombo would be ranked much higher on the list if he was a better offensive player, but he was never able to develop that aspect of his game.
#6 Pau Gasol (Spain)
Honors: 2x NBA Champion, 6x All-Star, 2x All Nba 2nd Team, 2x All Nba 3rd Team
Career Averages: 17.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.7 blocks
The older Gasol comes in higher than his brother. While Pau may not be the defensive presence that Marc is, he is a much better offensive threat. Like his brother, Pau is capable of scoring in the post and from the arc.
Pau began his career in Memphis but struggled from a team perspective as the Grizzlies weren't able to provide him with adequate supporting pieces. He was eventually dealt to the Lakers in a trade. This proved to be a great trade for the Lakers as Pau was the final piece needed for them to get over the hump.
He and Kobe Bryant won back to back NBA championships, in 2009 and 2010. Pau's greatness is further shown by the fact that he became just the 4th player in League history to tally over 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 3,500 assists and 1,500 blocks.
#5 Manu Ginobili (Argentina)
Honors: 4x NBA Champion, 2x NBA All-Star, 2x All Nba 3rd Team, 1x 6th Man of the Year.
Career Averages: 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists
Manu Ginobili has for years been one of the vital cogs in the San Antonio machine. Ever reliable and the knack for coming up big in crunch time in the Playoffs earn Ginobili a high rank on the list. His numbers may not seem great but he often came off the bench to provide a spark in critical moments for the Spurs.
Ginobili is arguably the biggest draft steal in NBA history as he was selected with the 57th pick by the Spurs in 1999.
He didn't join the Spurs till 2002 as he was playing in Italy. He enjoyed immediate success on his arrival, as the Spurs won the title in 2003, 2005 and 2007, later going on to win another in 2014. It is often wondered as to what kind of numbers Manu could have put up if he started for most of his career. It is, however, a sign of his unselfishness as he was willing to do whatever it took to help the team win championships.
#4 Tony Parker (France)
Honors: 4x NBA Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 6x All-Star, 3x All NBA 2nd Team, 1x All NBA 3rd Team
Career Averages: 16.2 points, 5.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds
Like Ginobili, Parker has been another big reason why the Spurs have been so successful for the past two decades. While struggling with his shot selection in his initial years, he has now transformed into one of the better mid-range shooters in the league.
He joined the Spurs a year before Ginobili. Unlike Manu however, Parker wasn't as crucial a component to the wins in 2003 and 2005 as he struggled to remain consistent. That would change in the coming years.
Parker was perhaps at his best in the 2007 NBA Finals when he won Finals MVP by averaging a series-high 24.5 points along with shooting 57% from behind the Arc. Parker also played a key role in the last title the Spurs won, in 2014, as he led the team in scoring in the finals.
Like Manu, he is also considered a big draft steal having been picked 28th in the 2001 Draft.
#3 Steve Nash (Canada)
Honors: 2x MVP, 8x All-Star, 3x All NBA 1st Team, 2x All NBA 2nd Team, 2x All NBA 3rd Team
Career Averages: 14.3 points, 8.5 assists, 3 rebounds
Steve Nash is among the greatest Point Guards in NBA history, ranking 3rd all-time in Assists. A spectacular passer, he led the league in assists five times in his career. Nash won back to back MVPs in 2005 and 2006, transforming a Suns franchise which had won 29 games in 2004 to a league-leading 62 in 2005.
An excellent shooter, Nash recorded four seasons in the 50-40-90 club which is field goal, 3 pointers and free throw % respectively; no one else has more than two. He is also the all-time leader in terms of Free Throw % at 90.43%.
Nash was a part of one of the more successful eras for the Suns, reaching the western conference finals three times with Phoenix. He additionally made another western conference finals appearance with Dallas.
Nash is regarded as a pioneer when it comes to modern NBA offences. Almost every team now runs parts of the Seven Seconds or Less offence that the Suns ran with him.
#2 Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
Honors: 1x NBA Champion, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 13x All-Star, 4x All NBA 1st Team, 5x All NBA 2nd Team, 3x All NBA 3rd Team
Career Averages: 21.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Dirk Nowitzki is one of the greatest scorers in League history. Last season, he became just the 6th player to tally over 30,000 points in the regular season. A terrific shooter for a man his size, this has helped him develop a near unstoppable fadeaway jumpshot, which is difficult to contest because of his height.
Dirk won his only MVP in 2007, averaging over 24 points along with 8.9 rebounds and in the process, put up his only 50-40-90 season.
His finest achievement, however, is winning the 2011 NBA Championship against a heavily favoured Miami side boasting Lebron, Wade and Bosh, in six games. Dirk outplayed Lebron and Wade in the clutch moments as Dallas pulled off an extremely unlikely upset.
Despite Dirk's amazing career, one man stands head and shoulders ahead of the pack...
#1 Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria)
Honors: 2x NBA Champion, 1x MVP, 2x Finals MVP, 12x All-Star, 6x All Nba 1st Team, 3x All NBA 2nd Team, 3x All NBA 3rd Team, 2x Defensive Player of the Year, 5x NBA All-Defensive 1st Team, 4x NBA All-Defensive 2nd Team
Career Averages: 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 2.5 assists
There can hardly be any debate as to who is first on this list, as Olajuwon was that damn good. Nicknamed the Dream, Hakeem had a rare combination of size, skill and agility which made him one of the best scorers in the post. These skills helped him perfect the iconic Dream Shake wherein he used to fake one way then spin the other and score before the defender could properly contest.
Hakeem was also a dominant defensive presence and is the all-time leader in Blocked shots with 3,830 (almost 600 blocks clear of Mutombo in 2nd). He won MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and the NBA title in 1994, but his greatest performance came in the playoffs the following year.
Matched up with the Spurs who had reigning MVP David Robinson among their ranks, Olajuwon proceeded to dominate Robinson in one of the most memorable playoff encounters ever. After dumping out the Spurs, the Rockets went on to win the title again.
There are some top young international players coming up in the NBA now, like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Jokic and Rudy Gobert who could potentially make the list if they continue their growth.
Giannis perhaps has a shot at getting top spot from Olajuwon if he continues to put up freakish numbers and wins a title. It does seem unlikely. however. Hakeem was one of a kind and we likely won't see another one like him ever again.
Guess the Lakers players!
