By Semih Altınbaş / info@eurohoops.net
Sergio Llull is the current example of what Nikos Galis or Dejan Bodiroga were in the past. A star player, with a great career in Europe, though he decided not to play in the NBA.
With that in mind, the Draft is a great opportunity for many young players to land to the best league in the world, but for one reason or another, the following 15 players who were picked by NBA franchise after the turn of this century never made the leap. Still, they left their mark in the sport while playing in Europe. Obviously, we have left out those with options to sign for NBA franchises in the near future, such as Nikola Milutinov and Vasilije Micic.
Some of the following names have even been first-round picks, though chose to stay in the Old Continent:
Fran Vázquez
Country: Spain
NBA Draft: 2005 / 1st Round, 11th pick – Orlando Magic
Perhaps one of the most unique cases on the list. Fran Vázquez was one of the highest picks on the list and has been chosen ahead of players like Danny Green, Gerald Green, Nate Robinson, or David Lee, who had major roles in the NBA for many years.
Axel Hervelle
Country: Belgium
NBA Draft: 2005 / 2nd Round – 52nd pick – Denver Nuggets
Five seasons in the Euroleague and another eight seasons in the EuroCup endorse the career of Axel Hervelle, a legendary player in European basketball.
At the end of his first season as a Real Madrid player, at age 22, he was selected by the Denver Nuggets, becoming the first Belgian to have achieved this. His rights were transferred a couple of times. The last one, on November 27, 2020, three days before his retirement.
Robertas Javtokas
Country: Lithuania
NBA Draft: 2001 / 2nd Round, 55th pick – San Antonio Spurs
Robertas Javtokas was one of the most valuable bigs in Lithuanian basketball, especially in the 2000s. Although Arvydas Sabonis was obviously still the great reference, the player with the tattooed shark on his arm made a name for himself in Europe.
Javtokas won the EuroCup with Rytas Vilnius in 2005 and the Euroleague with Panathinaikos in 2007, as well as going through a run with Valencia Basket.
Milos Vujanic
Country: Serbia
NBA Draft: 2002 / 2nd Round, 36th pick – New York Knicks
Milos Vujanic is one of the biggest names of the 2000s. The Serbian guard was twice chosen in the Second Best Five of the Euroleague and, at just 22 years old, he became the top scorer in the competition after averaging 25.8 points with Partizan.
Knee injuries prevented one of the greatest talents in European basketball from playing in the NBA, although he has reached the Euroleague title with Panathinaikos.
Sani Becirovic
Country: Slovenia
NBA Draft: 2003 / 2nd Round, 46th pick – Denver Nuggets
Sani Becirovic was part of the great Virtus Bologna after making himself known as a player with Olimpija between 1999 and 2001.
In his first season in Italy, Becirovic failed to win the Euroleague title with Virtus after losing to Panathinaikos in the final, though five years later, luck was on his side as he won the title with the Greens in 2007!
Sofoklis Schortsanitis
Country: Greece
NBA Draft: 2003 / 2nd Round, 34th pick – Los Angeles Clippers
I guess we can’t find many European basketball lovers who don’t know Sofoklis Schortsanitis. Whether because of his physical characteristics or because of his nickname, Baby Shaq, he is a mythical player.
However, in addition to these details, he was a very effective player in the paint. He didn’t have the physique to make a career in the NBA, but he has always been indefensible in the Euroleague.