Top 5 Greatest International NBA Players
The Best International Players in NBA History
Although basketball was invented in the United States and has a deep history there, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some great players from overseas who have come to the US and become great players.
In some cases, international NBA players have even entered the Hall of Fame!
In this article, we will discuss the top 5 greatest international NBA players, including Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Luka Donic (Slovenia), Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria) and Pau Gasol (Spain).
1. Dirk Nowitzki
Nowitzki is rare in the sense that he played basketball in the 2000s and he actually played his entire career with one team- the Dallas Mavericks.
In some ways, he was already ahead of his time early in his career as he was a 7-footer who could actually shoot from outside. He is the all-time leader in threes among 7 footers in NBA history and it’s not like he is in good company.
Although he only one won championship, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t able to dominate in the playoffs as he averaged 25.3 points per game during the playoffs.
He was actually able to break those nine times in the 20 years of his career, and he was the top scorer in the 2003-2004 playoffs where he averaged 26.6 points per game.
2. Luka Doncic
Although Doncic is still early in his career, barring any major injuries it is pretty certain that he is one of the rising stars in the National Basketball Association.
As a matter of fact, there have been quite a few people who compared him to Celtics great Larry Bird by greats of the 80s and 90s who have played against Bird such as former Pistons forward John Salley.
The Mavericks’ guard is the only player in history to hit four triple doubles by the age of 21, and to date he has 46.
Season career high for triple doubles to date is the 2019-2020 season when he recorded 17.
3. Dikembe Mutombo
If you were going to play against a Mikembe lead team and you were planning on driving to the basket at some point, it’s pretty much inevitable that you are eventually going to have to face Mutombo and chances are it’s not going to be a pleasant experience!
He is most famous for his superior shot-blocking abilities, which were often followed up by the wagging of his enormous finger as if to say, “no, no, no.”
As a matter of fact, Dikembe led the league in blocks three years in a row during a time when there were many other superior shot blockers in the NBA such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Dennis Rodman, David Robinson and numerous others.
More specifically, Mutombo led the NBA in blocks during 93-94, 94-95 and 95-96 seasons where he averaged 4.1, 3.9 and 4.5 blocks per game as a member of the Denver Nuggets.
He also had the same accomplishments with rebounds a few years later during the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons at 14.1 and 13.5 rebounds a game respectively.
Unlike Nowitzki and Doncic, Mutombo played for many more teams during his career.
More specifically he played for the Nuggets, Hawks, 76ers, Nets, Knicks and Rockets. After leaving the NBA, Mutombo went back to his home country to help the sick and less fortunate.
4. Hakeem Olajuwon
Also nicknamed “Hakeem the Dream” There is no doubt that Olajuwon was a force under the basket on both offense and defense.
There are numerous highlights of him showing superior footwork and it’s often been said that he has sub-moves to complement moves.
He is also most famous for his dream shake, where he will move one way or another and then finish off the move with a fadeaway jump shot.
On defense, Olajuwon was unique as, in addition to blocking a lot of shots, he also recorded a lot of steals for someone his size.
As a matter of fact, he averaged more than two steals and two blocks per game during five different seasons.
This is something that has only been done by four other players and none of the others accomplished it more than once.
The others are Gerald Wallace, David Robinson and Bobby Jones. Olajuwon, who played the bulk of his career with the Houston Rockets, was also the 1984-1985 rookie of the year.
He won the NBA finals MVP twice and also won two rebounding titles during his career.
5. Pau Gasol
During his career, Pau Gasol was blessed with plenty of superior teams.
As a matter of fact, he won two championships and played for the Chicago Bulls, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks.
In addition to a storied basketball career, much like Mutombo, Gasol has also attempted to use his fame to make a difference in the world.
He still invests in the sport, and he spends time helping others enjoy the game of basketball and health in general. He also played professionally in Spain.
During his NBA career, he was a six-time all-star, won two championships and he was the 2001-2002 “Rookie of the Year”, where he averaged 18.5 points and five rebounds per game, shooting at 57.1 percent clip from the field.
Although there are many great retired and current international NBA players, there is no doubt there will be many more to come.
