In recent years, the NBA has truly grown into a worldwide league. International big men have won five MVPs in a row. Additionally, at least four of the top players in the league are foreign players.
Honoring the illustrious foreign players who paved the way for today’s international stars is just as vital as promoting the league’s current stars. The top 20 foreign players in NBA history are listed below.
Not mentioned were Canadians who attended colleges in the United States. The same is true of Caribbean-born athletes who studied at American universities (Patrick Ewing, Tim Duncan, Mychal Thompson, etc.)
. We apologize to the individuals like Andrei Kirilenko (Russia), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Lithuania), Rolando Blackman (Panama), and Rik Smits (Netherlands) who were just not selected.
In NBA history, Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon remains the best foreign player. While it’s possible that someone like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, or Luka Doncic will surpass him in the future, folks should proceed with extreme caution when declaring that Olajuwon is superior.
In Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon played soccer as a youngster and early adolescent before beginning to play basketball at the age of fifteen. At the age of 22, he had surpassed Michael Jordan to be selected first in the 1984 NBA Draft, and given the style of basketball played at the time, it was still the “right” choice.
In 1994–95 and 1995–96, Olajuwon led the Houston Rockets to consecutive NBA championships. He is also one of the three winners in NBA history.
