Top 10 non-USA, non-European players

By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net As Stankovic states: "This is another difficult choice. I had 20 candidates in my short list of non-USA and non-European players. I thought about names like Chicho Sibilio (Dominican Rpeublic), Carl Herrera (Venezuela), Daniel Santiago and Ramon Rivas (Puerto Rico), or Jean-Jacques Conceicao (Angola).... Some of them will surely be on other lists, so I finally settled for these 10." 10. Manuel Raga (Mexico, 1944) Basketball knew about Raga from the world championship of 1963. His 24 points against Canada or 20 against Uruguay were signs telling the world that this 19-year-old point guard had the talent. Four years later, his average in the following world championship was 15.6 points. The following year, after Raga shined at home in the 1968 Olympics, Varese of Italy signed him as the leader of a new project. His first nickname was 'Indio' but soon he became the 'Flying Mexican' or 'The Phenomenon'. He was a natural-born scorer with a great ability for rebounds. He won three Italian League scudettos with Varese, three EuroLeague titles and two Intercontinental Cups. He was also the first non-American player to be drafted into the NBA, in 1970, picked by Atlanta in the seventh round, but he never played in the NBA. Raga returned to Europe thanks to a great initiative by Euroleague Basketball during the 2008 Final Four in Madrid. There, the 50th anniversary of European competitions spawned a list of the 50 biggest contributors to our sport during all those years. Of course, Manuel Raga could not miss being on that list. In Madrid, he was moved by the recognition and he managed to meet many old teammates and rivals to reminisce about the golden years. He was also back to "his" Varese on March 12, 2010 to receive, in front of 2,500 people, the recognition of Honorary Citizen. Varese had not forgotten about its idol during the 1970s. 9. Jose Rafael 'Piculin' Ortiz (Puerto Rico, 1963) He was born and raised in Puerto Rico, but Ortiz learned basketball in the United States. He was the first Puerto Rican draftee in the NBAl chosen 15th in 1987 by Utah. However, a call from Zaragoza, Spain changed his fate. He went back to the USA for the 1989-1990 season and made his debut in the NBA with 13 games played, but soon returned to Europe to join Real Madrid. In Spain he also wore the jerseys of Barcelona, Andorra and Malaga, averaging 15.2 points and 7.3 rebounds. His next stop would be Greece, for Larissa, Iraklis and Aris. With Puerto Rico he played in five World Championships and four Olympic Games. He was a big man at 2.11 meters, but he could move well and his long-range shot allowed him to even play small forward at times. 8. Bill Wennington (Canada, 1963) He only played two seasons in Europe, with Virtus Bologna between 1991 and 1993, but he sure left a mark. In his first season his average was 14.6 points plus 6.7 boards, and in his second, he led Bologna to the Italian League title with 12.7 points and 6.6 boards. Before landing in Europe he played six years in the NBA, five with Dallas and one with Sacramento. He was pick number 16 of the 1985 NBA draft. His best years in the NBA took place after he returned there in 1993 and won three rings with Chicago. He was a strong center standing at 2.13 meters, and he knew how to use his physical power. 7. David Andersen (Australia, 1980) A globetrotter who succeeded everywhere he played. After leaving the Wollongong Hawks in his native Australia in 1999, Andersen joined Virtus Bologna and after that was in Siena, CSKA Moscow and FC Barcelona. He then moved to the NBA to play with Houston, Toronto and New Orleans, but he returned to Europe for a second stint: Siena again, Fenerbahce, Strasbourg and Asvel. Although a center because of his 2.12 meters, Andersen can shoot like a forward. He is a true EuroLeague veteran with 224 games and 2,297 points. He was a EuroLeague champion in 2001 with Bologna, and in 2006 and 2008 with CSKA Moscow , plus an All-Euroleague first team member in 2005. He is the only player this century to play in the Final Four with four different clubs – Virtus, Siena, CSKA and Barcelona – and he ranks fifth in points scored at that event, 154, despite missing the 2006 edition due to injury. 6. Andres Nocioni (Argentina, 1979) A member of the Argentinian golden generation and Olympic champion in 2004, he had a great career both in Europe and the NBA. He started in Spain with Baskonia in 1999 and with Manresa in 2000. After that, he was back to Vitoria for three great years, including as an All-Euroleague selection in 2002-03, before moving to the NBA to play with Chicago for five seasons. Later he also played in Sacramento and Philadelphia until 2012. He had a brief stint in Argentina before returning to Baskonia and then, in 2014, he signed for Real Madrid, with whom he won the EuroLeague title in 2015 and was named Final Four MVP. A great scorer, rebounder and fighter, Nocioni has always been a true leader both on and off the court. He just announced his retirement when the current season ends. 5. Fabricio Oberto (Argentina, 1975) An unusual center and great passer, he had a great career with great European teams like Olympiacos, Baskonia and Valencia, and later in the NBA with San Antonio, Washington and Portland. He won almost everything with the Argentine national team and he also won a ULEB Cup with Valencia in 2003, forming a great duo with Dejan Tomasevic. He was a EuroLeague finalist in 2001 with Baskonia and also won the Spanish League and King's Cup double in 2003 the same club. In the NBA, he won a championship ring in 2007 with San Antonio. Oberto was a light center who used his basketball IQ way more than his physical power. He didn't have impressive numbers (11.0 points in 219 Spanish League games and some 4.0 points in 376 NBA games) but he was a consistent player who rarely played below his usual level. 4. Gustavo Ayon (Mexico, 1985) Many years after Manuel Raga, another Mexican made it big in Europe, this one with previous experience in the NBA. Ayon's path to glory was rather slow and was made step by step. He started in his native Mexico and after that in Venezuela, the Spanish second division... to then move to the NBA with New Orleans, Orlando, Milwaukee and Atlanta. In 2014, he was back to Europe to join Real Madrid and become a key part of them winning the EuroLeague title together in 2015. A strong and stable center, Ayon presents coordinated moves and good technique, almost guaranteeing 10 points and 6 rebounds per game. His shot accuracy in his three seasons in Madrid has been an impressive 65.2%, even if he could improve from the free-throw line (60.4%). He is also adept at steals and passing, making him an all-around threat at both ends of the court. His career is going strong, too, as he and Madrid try to reach the Final Four again this season. 3. Luis Scola (Argentina, 1980) Another member of the great Argentinian generation. As a 10-year-old, he cleaned the floor at the 1990 World Championship in Buenos Aires while dreaming of playing in a great competition himself someday. After three years in Ferrocarril Oeste, he landed in Europe. He started on loan with Gijon of Spain before returning to Baskonia, where he played from 2000 to 2007. He has been 10 years in the NBA since then, with Houston, Phoenix, Indiana, Toronto and now Brooklyn. In Spain he was the rookie of the year in 2002 and MVP in 2005 and 2007, winning a domestic title in 2002 and three King's Cups. At 2.06 meters, he played power forward with really good technique and scoring abilities. He scored 44 points once with Houston in the NBA. In the EuroLeague with Baskonia, he played 144 games, averaging 14.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. His carrer-high are 36 points against Bamberg in 2006 and a PIR 43 against Benetton in 2005. He is still among the Top 20 scorers of the EuroLeague 10 years after having last played in the league. He was runner-up to the EuroLeague title in 2001 and 2005 and led Baskonia to three Final Fours in a row between 2005 and 2007. 2. Manu Ginobili (Argentina, 1977) He did not play in Europe for long, only four years – in Calabria between 1998 and 2000 and with Virtus Bologna the next two seasons – but it was more than enough to leave his mark. His talent caught the eye of the NBA scouts in the 1999 draft and he was picked by San Antonio with number 57, but he stayed in Europe until 2002. He led Bologna to win the first title of the modern EuroLeague in 2001 and was voted MVP of the finals. He was also on the All-EuroLeague first team in 2002. He was the perfect combination of point and shooting guard, he could organize and score, sometimes at the same time, when the team needed it. He is left-handed and had a great shot but also great court vision for many assists and steals. Since 2002, he has been wearing the San Antonio jersey, winning four NBA championships and several individual accolades in the process. 1. Oscar Schmidt (Brazil, 1958) He was already on my Top 10 Scorers list, but I could not leave him out of this list. He just had to be here. His nickname, 'Holy Hand' says it all really. A restless shooter and a unique scorer. He could shoot easily and had amazing accuracy. Oscar spent most of his career in Italy with Caserta (1982-1990) and Pavia (1990-1993). He was also drafted with number 184 by the New Jersey Nets, but he stayed in Europe, becoming a legend.