American sports are growing around the world, but whilst Football and baseball are experiencing growth in viewing numbers, basketball is also seeing growth in playing numbers. In recent years, basketball has grown phenomenally in Europe, seeing the establishment of more and more European leagues.
In addition to this, the growth of basketball overseas has seen an influx of European talent in the NBA. On the opening night of this season’s Championship, 107 internationals from 41 different countries were represented in the NBA.
It comes as no surprise then that this year’s NBA All-Star game will feature a record 8 international players, with 6 of them coming from Europe. In this article, we pay homage to the 6 Europeans smashing up the NBA.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Greece
European players really made their names in the 2018-2019 with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the pack as he was named league MVP. Since then, Antetokounmpo has gone from strength to strength with the Milwaukee Bucks, scooping the MVP once again in 2020.
Antetokounmpo started out his senior career with Filathlittikos in the semi-pro Greek B Basket League. During the 2012-2013 Greek league season Antetokounmpo shot 46.4% from the field, catching the eye of some of the biggest teams in Europe.
He chose to shun the approaches of Barcelona and Efes, instead, making himself eligible for the NBA Draft in 2013 when he signed up to the Milwaukee Bucks. Antetokounmpo has never looked back and has since gone on to establish himself as one of the best players in the NBA, consistently finding himself among the favorites in the MVP odds at an online sportsbook.
Luka Doncic: Slovenia
Basketball is incredibly popular in Eastern Europe with Doncic, born in Ljubljana growing up playing the sport. At the tender age of 8, Doncic started playing for his hometown club Union Olimpija before signing for Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2012 at the age of 13.
Over the next 6 years, Doncic wowed the continent with his talent, winning the EuroLeague Rising Star accolade 3 times in a row before eventually being inducted into the EuroLeague All-Decade Team in 2019.
All of this potential did not go unnoticed here in the United States, seeing him drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 Draft before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
The 2020-2021 season has been one to remember for Doncic, as he matched his then career-high 42 points in a win over the Golden State Warriors before setting a new high with 46 points in a comprehensive victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Luka Doncic’s career-high 46 points against the Pelicans
Nikola Jokic: Serbia
Another eastern European making a name for himself in the NBA is 6 foot 11 Serbian star Nikola Jokic. Unlike Doncic, Jokic’s career didn’t start out with as much fanfare as he took some time to show his potential in the Mega Basket.
The 2014-2015 season was the first in which he really excelled in his home country, attracting the attention of several NBA sides. He started the 2015-2016 in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets where he has remained ever since.
His early performances with the Nuggets saw him included in the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2016 and he has now been named in the All-Star team for three successive years.
Rudy Gobert: France
Basketball has a lot of competition in France with soccer, rugby and tennis tending to capture the imaginations of aspiring athletes. That didn’t stop a young Rudy Gobert from following his dreams though.
The 28-year-old started out his career mainly playing for the Cholet Basket junior team before joining the Utah Jazz in 2013. In order to gain some valuable experience, Gobert was assigned to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League in the 2013-2014 season.
After that, he went on to establish himself as a key player in the Utah Jazz team, leading his team’s defensive efforts. He has been named 4 times in the NBA All-Defensive First team with this year’s inclusion in the All-Star supplementing his inclusion last year.
Highlights from a season to remember for Rudy Gobert
Domantas Sabonis: Lithuania
Basketball is the national sport in Lithuania and Domantas Sabonis is one of the country’s proudest exports. Despite that, Sabonis is not even the most famous person in his family! His Father, Arvydas Sabonis who played for the Portland Trail Blazers is a national hero in his home country.
Domantas is trying to follow in his Father’s footsteps and is not doing too bad of a job. He made his debut in the NBA in 2016 for Oklahoma City Thunder before moving to the Indiana Pacers in 2017.
There he has really grown into a true NBA legend with this year’s inclusion in the All-Star team being his second in a row. National success remains high on the list of priorities though for Sabonis with many of his countrymen hoping that he can guide the Lithuania team to greater success on the international stage.
Nikola Vucevic: Montenegro
30-year-old Montenegrin Nikola Vucevic was born in Morges Switzerland in 1991, starting out his basketball career in Europe before moving to Simi Valley in California to play senior high school basketball.
From there, Vucevic went on to play three seasons with the Trojans of the University of Southern California before turning professional in 2011 and joining the Philadelphia 76ers. His time in Philadelphia was short-lived, moving to the Orlando Magic after just 1 year.
Since then he has been a staple of the Magic team, putting in a number of eye-catching performances that have seen him scoop a range of individual awards. This season’s inclusion in the All-Star team is his second in a row and he will be hoping to add many more accolades to his name as his career continues to progress.
