New record number of 74 Europeans in the NBA

By Dionysis Aravantinos/ info@eurohoops.net

This summer, European basketball star players, like Milos Teodosic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, and big-time prospects, like Lauri Markkanen and Frank Ntilikina, have decided to take their talents to the NBA.

Over the last decade, the NBA is globalizing as the commissioner, the players and fans from all over the world want to make the league bigger than ever, the best global sport. By signing European and international stars, the NBA draws the attention of all over the globe. Eurohoops brings you specific details, graphs and analysis on how many European players have been playing in the NBA the last years, the record set this year with 74 (!) European players participating in the NBA, but also takes you back to the 1940s where Frido Frey from Germany was the first player to ever play in the NBA.

The graph below shows the rate of European players playing basketball in the NBA. Since the early 1980s/1990s, with Drazen Petrovic and Tony Kukoc (two Hall of Famers), playing in the NBA and having tremendous careers, NBA’s teams tested out more European talent and by the late 1990s, early 2000s signed Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki. These two players played a crucial role on how Europeans can actually compete with the Americans in the top level of competition, the NBA. Moreover, in the 2000s, more Europeans wanted to try out and play in the States and so in the 2017-18 season, a new record is set with 74 European players competing in the NBA.

*There are many years where no European player competed in the NBA, especially during the 1960s. Since 1973 however, for 44 consecutive years there has been at least one NBA player representing Europe. We include also those who were born on European soil or got European passports during their career. 

Furthermore, the country with most players in the history of the NBA is Serbia with 31. With the addition of Milos Teodosic (Clippers), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Kings) and Rade Zagorac (Grizzlies), Serbia moved above France and captured the No. 1 spot. France has the second most European NBA players with 29. Players like Tony Parker, Boris Diaw have had exceptional careers in the NBA and will be remembered by the fans for their mentality on and off the court.

Croatia is in third place with 22 players, while Spain and Germany share the fourth spot with 17 (including players with dual citizenship like Chris Kaman, Shawn Bradley and even Kiki Vandeweghe who was born in Germany). Croatian legend Drazen Petrovic, one of the greatest international players of all-time, and certainly one of the best (if not the best) 60th NBA draft pick of all-time, was one reason as to why European players wanted to try out the NBA.

Since the early 2000s, many more European countries are now sending their players to try out the NBA, and some of the players have succeeded. Players like Kristaps Porzingis is now the face of the New York Knicks, Lauri Markkanen is a young and promising talent, but also Nikola Vucevic has a stable role with his team, and averages a double-double.

Finally, the NBA is changing as it is adopting new rules, a faster game tempo with many three-point shots, but also international talent. The graphs speak for themselves.