A round-up of the best European NBA players

In 1946, Hank Biasatti became the first European to play in the NBA. Born in Italy, Biasatti spent a season with the Toronto Huskies before being drafted by the Celtics. Although his time in the league (and the sport of basketball in general) was very short, he was the first in a long line of Europeans to make it to the league. Since Biasatti, the league has become home to an ever-increasing number of players from all corners of the world. In 2020, 21.8% of player were classed as international. The talent of these players has improved with each passing decade, so much so that the MVP in each of the last three NBA seasons were born in Europe with Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo earning the award in back-to-back seasons starting in 18-19 and Serbian Nikola Jokic taking the crown in 20-21.

With European talent shining in recent years, it is no shock that the continent is the home to the most international players in the league. So much so that according to the NBA odds Slovenian born Luka Doncic is the favourite to win the league’s MVP award in 2022. In this piece we will profile the best of them to grace an NBA court.

Toni Kukoc

In many ways, the Croation Kukoc was ahead of his time. Despite towering over most players in the league at 6 ft 11 in, he was incredibly agile for his size and had a penchant for scoring from downtown. Although primarily a power-forward, he was extremely versatile and played in all five positions on the court during his career. It is this style of play that is now a must for any franchise worth its salt.

He was a part of the legendary Chicago Bulls team with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen who won three titles between 19996 and 1998 and his influence on the game is still seen today.

Predrag Stojakovic

Known to most basketball fans as Peja, the forward from Serbia is one of the most talented three-point shooters the league has ever seen. He won back-to-back three-point contests in ’02 and ’03 and during his first season with the Sacramento Kings he averaged 40% from three point range.

He made the All-Star team three times during his time with the Kings. Peja later went on to play for the Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks where he earned a championship ring in 2011. He announced his retirement at the culmination of that season, finishing with a career average of 17 points per game.

Pau Gasol

Pau edges out his younger brother Marc on this list. A 6x All-Star, he got his start in Spain with F Barcelona before being traded 3^rd overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. It is there where he holds the franchise records for blocks per game (1.8) and player efficiency rating (21.6).