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Who are the top international players in NBA history? Here is our top 10 countdown:
Note: Updated in 2021.
10. Manu Ginobili (Argentina): part of the San Antonio Spurs’ “Big Three” alongside Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, Ginobili was an incredibly versatile and clutch player, alternating between All-Star-caliber starter and super-sub (2007-2008 Sixth Man of the Year) while helping the Spurs to four NBA titles.
9. Pau Gasol (Spain): the first non-American player to win Rookie of the Year and one of the best passing big men to ever play the game, Gasol was a 6x All-Star and 4x All-NBA player who teamed with Kobe Bryant to help guide the Los Angeles Lakers to a pair of championships in his prime.
8. Tony Parker (France): one of the fastest players in the NBA in his prime, Parker was the engine that helped spur (pun intended) San Antonio to four NBA titles, in the process racking up six All-Star and four All-NBA selections during his long career.
7. Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of Congo): one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history, Mutombo won Defensive Player of the Year a record 4x, while also leading the league in blocks three times and winning two rebounding titles.
6. Yao Ming (China): the top overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, Yao was an 8x All-Star (i.e. every season of his career, buoyed by the voting of an entire nation) and 5x All-NBA selection who averaged 19.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game during his Hall of Fame career.
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece): known as “The Greek Freak”, Antetokounmpo has quickly become one of the NBA’s best two-way players since winning Most Improved Player in 2016-2017: 5x All-Star, 4x All-NBA and 3x All-Defensive selection, 2019-2020 Defensive Player of the Year, and back-to-back MVPs.
4. Patrick Ewing (Jamaica): the top overall pick in 1985, Ewing was a 20-10 machine during his career and an imposing force on both ends of the court, though was never quite the best center in the league and could never get the New York Knicks over the hump to a title.
3. Steve Nash (Canada): the engine of the Phoenix Suns’ high-octane offense of the 2000s, Nash led the NBA in assists 5x and is only the ninth player in history to win back-to-back MVP awards; in addition, he was also a highly efficient shooter, 4x achieving the rare 50-40-90 mark.
2. Dirk Nowitzki (Germany): the greatest European-born player and arguably the best shooting big man in NBA history, Nowitzki was a 12x All-NBA selection and 2006-2007 MVP who led the Dallas Mavericks to their first (and currently only) NBA championship and is the all-time leading scorer among foreign-born players.
1. Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria): an MVP and 2x Defensive Player of the Year, among countless other accolades, Olajuwon was arguably the best player in the NBA during Michael Jordan’s retirement in the mid-1990s and is the only player in NBA history to win regular season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, an NBA title, and Finals MVP in the same season (1994).
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: While Tim Duncan is a native of the US Virgin Islands, it is a territory of the US and thus, he is not included as part of this list.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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