# Sticky  Best International Players Incl. Countries



## Porn Player

Ok so I will edit this thread every week (mid-weekish), hopefully by that time people will have contributed a few players from different countries. I will then slot these players into the list. *Try not to just name players* because this thread can be used as a tool to help those who may not know much about International basketball, so more info/clips/pictures the better. 

7 Players from each country *MAXIMUM*
Allowed to be any country in the world even USA 
No hogging all the players let people contribute unless of course this thread dies on its feet then go crazy :biggrin:

You name them and I compile them. 


Perhaps I will even conduct a vote to rank teams once ordered :biggrin:

I will get things underway -

*Brazil's* _Oscar Schmidt 6'8" Shooting Guard_- This guy averaged over 30ppg in Brazilian league at almost 40. One of the best 3point shooters ever with a stroke that was clean but not so pretty. Although drafted by the Nets, he kept playing in Brazil and went to Spain, where he amazed with his scoring abilities . He played in 5 olympics his first in 1980 and his final appearance 16 years later. His scoring average on the world stage was 28.8 but during Barcelona in '92 he remarkably went off for 42.3 average on the tournament.

A substantial player not only for his incredible scoring abilities but he was in fact the *first* foreign player with no college experience to be drafted into the NBA. Schmidt never did make it to the L citing understandle reasons _"I know my limitations, my defects, but I could never play 10 minutes a game. [The] NBA is great if you are a star. But if not, you get moved around. My friend (Georgi) Glouchkov played a year in Phoenix. He tells me bad stories about [the] NBA. The guards [did not] like him, they don’t pass him the ball. I would not like that. I could not stand that."_

Video of an awesome battle where Schmidt scores 44 (I think) while Petrovic drops 62  in '89 European Cup Winners Cup, Enjoy :biggrin:
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*LIST*

*Australia*
_Andrew Gaze_

*Brazil:*
_Oscar Schmidt_

*Germany*
_Dirk Nowitzki_

*Greece *
_Nick Galis_

*Portugal*
_Joao Betinho Gomes_

*Israel*
_Oded Katash_

*Serbia*
_Dejan Bodiroga_

*Spain*
_Alberto Herreros Ros_

*Turkey*
_Ibrahim Kutluay
Hidayet Turkoglu_

*Croatia* 
_Toni Kukoc_

*Lithuania*
_Arvydas Sabonis
Sarunas Marciulionis
Sarunas Jasikevicius_

*United Kingdom*
_John Amaechi_

*Slovenia*
_Marko Milic_

*Russia*
_Sergei Belov_


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## Krstic All-Star

Israel
Oded Katash

A 6'4 guard known for his ball-handling and shooting skills, formed a dynamic backcourt with former UConn star Doron Sheffer for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the late 1990s. Was going to play in the NBA, but the lockout of 1998 ended that hope, and he later suffered a career-ending knee injury in 2000, though he wouldn't formally retire until 2004.

Israeli League MVP 1997-1998 season, led Maccabi Tel Aviv to four Israeli championships and two Israeli cups, but ironically won the Euroleague title with Panathinaikos - beating his old team to win it.


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## luther

Serbia, Dejan Bodiroga, 6-9 SF (1973, drafted in 2nd round of 1995 NBA Draft by Sacramento Kings).

Probably the closest thing Europe has had to a Magic Johnson or Larry Bird in that Bodiroga never was a brilliant athlete. And like Magic, he never was a pure, deadeye shooter. He seemed like a PG sometimes, a SF or even PF at others. But he won multiple Euroleague championships and proved in international competition, including against the USA, that he was a truly top-flight _player_, if not talent.

Bodiroga played with powerhouses such as Real Madrid, Panathinaikos and FC Barcelona, as well as Rome and KK Zadar. Despite being drafted, he never came to the NBA.

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## HB

Turkey
Hidayet Turkoglu

Very unique skillset. Excellent shooter, nice handles for a big man. More comfortable at the 3 spot, but I am sure you could get away with playing him at the 4 on occasion.


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## Porn Player

luther said:


> Serbia, Dejan Bodiroga, 6-9 SF (1973, drafted in 2nd round of 1995 NBA Draft by Sacramento Kings).


Great choice, the 'Bodriga bodywrap crossover' (as i have just officially dubbed it :biggrin was so darn effective and I never seen him mess it up. I practice that move everytime I step on court it just delivers perfect ball protection from the defender. 

P.S - It is real easy to embed video's next time you go onto youtube and watch a video underneath About This Video is a little embed code just simply copy and paste that. Hope that helped :cheers:


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## luther

Porn_Player said:


> P.S - It is real easy to embed video's next time you go onto youtube and watch a video underneath About This Video is a little embed code just simply copy and paste that. Hope that helped :cheers:


Ah, i was thinking it was a button on the msg board--and obv not finding it. Thanks. And cheers, indeed (as i actually was taking a drink when i read your post).

But I think you're wrong that Schmidt was the 1st international, non-collegian to be drafted. I'll do some research to prove it...eventually.


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## luther

HB said:


> Turkey
> Hidayet Turkoglu
> 
> Very unique skillset. Excellent shooter, nice handles for a big man. More comfortable at the 3 spot, but I am sure you could get away with playing him at the 4 on occasion.


He's starting at the 4 this year, isn't he?

Great choice, anyway. I love Turkoglu, and think he's been underrated for years. He played all five positions while he was in Sacramento. One of those guys (like my Serbian nominee, Bodiroga) who is simple a basketball player. I love skill guys. 

If I can add to the Turkey list...

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Ibrahim Kutluay, a 6-3 combination guard. There was a time I thought he might be the first Turkish player to make the NBA, but he didn't actually get a shot until the mid-00s (if you can call what Seattle gave him "a shot"). Not a real PG, not a SG, not a shooter, not a leaper, just a player. Very good. The guy can score. A staple on the Turkish national teams, even when guys like Turkoglu sometimes begged competitions off.


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## luther

*Croatia*: I'll begin with a controversial choice. There are arguably two men who stand above the others, but I'll go with the one who (at least in America) isn't considered a legend.

Toni Kukoc, 6-11 F/G. 

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The other player who is obviously deserving as being named among the top couple of Croatian players ever is the late, great Drazen Petrovic. And because of his scoring prowess, many people probably would rate him first. But Kukoc was such an amazing, versatile, multi-skilled player that I had to start with him. He won European league titles and competitions while with Jugoplastika Split and Benneton Treviso, then came to America and was a key factor in the Bulls' second set of titles. The 6-11 player could play all five positions ... and did, even in the NBA. Arguably both the best shooter and passer on the late Bulls teams, although inarguably not as good as either Jordan or Pippen overall. A player who was either behind or ahead of his time, his style was better suited to either the 80s or 00s, with tempos increased and a less physical game. Think about a younger, healthy Kukoc on the Phoenix Suns, the Orlando Magic or even the early 00s Sacramento Kings teams.

The Croatian Sensation, the Waiter, the Spider from Split, the Pink Panther...Toni Kukoc.


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## Krstic All-Star

Can't see you going wrong with Kukoc.


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## luther

Lithuania might just end up with the best collection of guys (with Serbia and Croatia probably most likely to compete, and Spain catching up rapidly). And with Lithuania, it all starts with...

*Arvydas Sabonis* (b. 1964), 7-3, C.

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This is the one guy I honestly believe would have been a flat-out superstar, a Top 50 of all time type of player, had he been in the NBA sooner. Even with the injuries he suffered (feet, knees, etc), he could have been a very great player. He was roughly the contemporary of David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, and I do not believe he took a back seat to any of them. Go ahead and read that again: he was as good as or better than any of them. 

Perhaps the most disappointing thing--apart from his injuries--is that after playing for Zalgiris Kaunas, Sabonis was allowed by the then-Soviet Union to come to the U.S. to play in 1989, but he chose to sign with Forum Valladolid, then Real Madrid, prior to finally joining the Blazers in 1995 as a 31-year-old with a history of injuries.

Sabonis had everything: he was enormous, but was surprisingly mobile and agile. He was brilliantly skilled. And he saw the game in that clear way that only a very select few do: Magic, Bird, MJ, etc. He was one of the best passers of his generation, regardless of position. And considering that skill was coming from an immense, immensely talented post player, it created unique threats. I believe a Blazers team with Sabonis when he had rejected the chance to join the NBA--1989 and onward--would have won multiple NBA titles, even against MJ's Bulls. Remember, this was a Rick Adelman team with that beautiful offense. If you recall Vlade Divac being particularly effective as its center (in Sacramento in the early 00s), that was nothing compared to what Sabonis might have done. And paired with Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Danny Ainge, Jerome Kersey, Cliff Robinson, Buck Williams ... it would have been beautiful. Sheer artistry.


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## Krstic All-Star

^ _Great _post. I remember seeing clips from the 1988 Olympics, where Sabonis just annihilated Robinson left and right. I've been a huge fan of his for a while, and wanted him to stick around no matter how slow his injuries made him. He was just that good, and that much fun to watch.


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## Diophantos

I'm not Lithuanian, but let me throw another Lithuanian name in there, a guy who was a real joy to watch when he played in the NBA: Sarunas Marciulionis. Big time slasher who could really score.


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## Krstic All-Star

Nice call with Marciulionis. I loved watching him play with the Warriors - and on NBA Jam


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## gi0rdun

Some African Country - Hakeem Olajuwon

Hong Kong - ME


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## Krstic All-Star

Hakeem is Nigerian - easily the best from there. 

Nice to know we have Hong Kong's finest with us.


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## Porn Player

Man, great posts Luther your an awesome asset to this International forum :biggrin:

After my weekend long hiatus I have returned and shall throw a name into the mix a little later on, I also will add the already given names to the list.

And Giordun you called out Hakeem one of THE greatest players and didn't describe him or throw in a video - fancy fixing that? :biggrin:

Good work guys!

Edit - Updated the list, as for now I shall leave Hakeem off until atleast a small description is made of the player. Hopefully this will encourage longer and more in-depth coverage of players such as those done by Luther.


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## Porn Player

*United Kingdom* - _John Amaechi_

Now I do not claim Mr Amaechi to be a great player but good enough to represent his country (United Kingdom) in this list there can be no doubt. If you Google his name or mention it to a friend they always remember him for being the first gay NBA athlete, a fate he most certainly does not deserve but his honesty has brought upon him. Anyways to the athlete…

From Stockport, England in his early days he was picked off the street by a scout at 17 having never played bball simply because of his size, and over the course of the next few years made his way to Penn State university in America where he was a 2 time all American first team selection. 

He unluckily missed out on the draft and wound up in Europe, where he stayed for three years playing in Italy (Bologna), France (?) and Greece (Panathanikos). His big break came after much hard work when he made history and became the first undrafted free agent to start the opening game of an NBA season where he played for the Cavs against the Pacers. 

His best year came 99/00 where he averaged 10.5ppg and 3.3rpg in just 21 minutes per contest. He again made history by scoring the first NBA bucket of the new millennium a feat which earned a spot in the NBA Hall of Fame. 

A pioneer of British basketball who has never forgotten his roots representing his country numerous times even coming out of retirement to help them secure a bronze medal in the commonwealth games a few years back. The United Kingdom and its basketball owe a lot to this fundamentally sound 6’10 Centre… 

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Terrible video, more of an Iverson tribute but it is all I could find. Like I said all my searches just gave me video's of Amaechi being grilled about his sexual status...


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## luther

For our third Lithuanian...

*Sarunas Jasikevicius* (1976), Lithuania, Maryland, 6-4, G.
A guy (like Serbia's Aleksandar Djordjevic, Greece's Vassilis Spanioulis and others) whom I feel never had a fair shot in the NBA, even though his stats aren't as bad as one might suspect (More than 7 ppg in his time with Indiana before languishing on the bench in Golden State.). Admittedly, he had weaknesses after a good--but not great--career at Maryland (about 12-13 ppg his final two seasons, just under 4 apg). But he honed his game in Euroleague and became a flat-out star. Reportedly a favorite of Larry Bird, coach Rick Carlisle wasn't so keen on Jasikevicius, probably because he lacked the footspeed to effectively defend point guards (or wing guards, for that matter) man-to-man. Secondly, Carlisle used him primarily as a spot-up shooter. And while Jasikevicius can shoot, he's more a big-game, big-moment shooter than a spot-up guy. Frankly, anyone who uses him as a Steve Kerr type is wasting their and his time. 

Sarunas Jasikevicius may not be a pure point. He may not be a pure shooter. He may not be a good defender. But Jasikevicius is one hell of a great basketball player, and anyone who can watch him play and not see that is a damned fool. Have a look.

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He has great size when playing the one, and his passing ability is something that makes him unique. Not only does he get those angles from his height, but he's unselfish and clever with the ball. The embedded video shows it off from before he came to the NBA, playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Even when he's making "mistakes," such as passes from the top of the key, but on the left, to the low post on the right (diagonal passes like that are just BEGGING to be intercepted), he's succeeding. He has the kind of confidence that is maddening, but he backs it up enough for a smart coach to allow it. Magic, Bird, Jordan, Isiah, Iverson, Nash--these guys made mistakes, too, turning it over. Jasikevicius isn't in their leagues as a player, but as a strong will, a character, a force, he is. And he's a good enough player that I promise you, any of those guys (or any other smart player) would want him on their teams.

It's tough competition among Lithuanians--they've had some great, great players--but Jasikevicius has to be ranked among the top four of all time.


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## Porn Player

luther said:


> It's tough competition among Lithuanians--they've had some great, great players--but Jasikevicius has to be ranked among the top four of all time.


I have him a close 5th in my mind :biggrin:


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## Plastic Man

I wandered in this interesting topic and since I've got a couple of minutes on my hands I've decided to pitch in a fellow citizen since you've not named any Slovenian players yet.

*Marko Milic (born 1977)* - was the first Slovenian born basketball player to get the chance to play in the NBA, when he was selected as the 5th pick of the 2nd round (34th pick overall) by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1997. His short NBA career also included a two year fling in Phoenix. Though he achieved nothing in the NBA, he has done a lot for our country's recognition and has played for some of Europe's finest basketball clubs (including Fenerbahce, Real Mardid and Fortitudo Bologna). He is one of the most liked athletes in our country and has this year returned to play for our best club, Union Olimpija (the biggest succes of the club is winning the European cup in 1994 and placing 3. in the 1997 Final Four). Milic is perhaps best known for his exceptional athleticism (for a caucasian European of course ) and has impressed with a number of dunks (still does at the age of 30) that were not seen often in the mid 90s throughout Europe. One of such is shown on this video, dating back to the 1994/95 (at the tender age of 17) season when he dunked over a Honda at the annual Slovenian All Star - 
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Another relatively famous feat was "achieved" on the aforementioned Final Four where he broke the backboard in the game for the 3rd place against Asvel (we won that game and I remember I almost cried of joy.. first when I saw this dunk and later when we placed third):
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In the back you can hear our fans chanting "Olimpija, Olimpija", since the game was in Rome and more than a half of the coliseum was colored white&green (I'm actually getting shivers writing this when I remember how great our club used to be and how feared our home court was because of our fans *tear*). Then our comentators begin to talk about how rarely this happens in Europe .

Some more videos that I found include this one handed alley-oop performed a month ago vs Tau Ceramica (I was at the game screaming my lungs out when he did this... remember dunking is not so widespread in Europe as it is in the USA, so that's why it's such a big deal to us Europeans =))):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9FvQ31V80w

And I actually found some footage of him wearing the Suns jersey :
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And some more random dunks to finish this off:
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They are really only 40-50 sec clips so don't be afraid to watch them  when I was young he was my no.1 idol, because of his style of play and I already consider him one of our basketball legends and I hope that he'll stay with us a couple more seasons because he's one of the few I really enjoy seeing at games (we been sucking pretty badly for the last couple of seasons that's why ).

That about sums it up, I've written much more than I had planned so I hope someone will read (and watch) this through and share his/her thoughts.

good night from Slovenia


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## Krstic All-Star

To be honest, I only know of Milic because of his dunking ability. I forgot that he'd even played in the NBA.


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## luther

I remember--and loved-Milic. He was one of the first Europeans who really broke the stereotype of "oh, he's slow and is just a 3-pt shooter." Instead, Milic couldn't shoot well and was very athletic.


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## Porn Player

Wow that Honda dunk is pretty impressive. His one handed oop was sick also, the skill it must take to control a ball with your left hand while your in the air must be such a high level. 

I think your a little down on Slovenian basketball saying you haven't been very good for a while, I thought you performed admirably at the Eurochamps just gone. 

Ohhh and my favourite dunk of his was one when he played for the Suns and stole down court and threw down a huge one eighty - the hops were ridiculously. Viva La White Boy :biggrin:


(p.s - hope you don't mind me altering your post to embed the video's, I was just trying to make it easier for people to catch a glimpse of Marko.)


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## Plastic Man

Porn_Player said:


> Wow that Honda dunk is pretty impressive. His one handed oop was sick also, the skill it must take to control a ball with your left hand while your in the air must be such a high level.
> 
> I think your a little down on Slovenian basketball saying you haven't been very good for a while, I thought you performed admirably at the Eurochamps just gone.
> 
> Ohhh and my favourite dunk of his was one when he played for the Suns and stole down court and threw down a huge one eighty - the hops were ridiculously. Viva La White Boy :biggrin:
> 
> 
> (p.s - hope you don't mind me altering your post to embed the video's, I was just trying to make it easier for people to catch a glimpse of Marko.)


Yeah, thanks for editing. I would've done it myself, but I don't know how .

As for the sucking part.. I was referring to Union Olimpija, not our national team, although blowing a double digit lead in the quarterfinals against Greece in the last minute is not regarded as "admirable" in my book


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## luther

Plastic Man, do you recall Arriel McDonald playing guard for Union Olimpija? I ask because he went to the University of Minnesota, which is in my hometown of Minneapolis. He was a beloved player there, a smart, steady player who led the Gophers to the NCAA Tournament several times in the early '90s. I know he played in Slovenia for years--I think even getting citizenship and playing for their national team at one point.

I'm curious of your impressions, if you saw him. I haven't in years now.


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## Plastic Man

luther said:


> Plastic Man, do you recall Arriel McDonald playing guard for Union Olimpija? I ask because he went to the University of Minnesota, which is in my hometown of Minneapolis. He was a beloved player there, a smart, steady player who led the Gophers to the NCAA Tournament several times in the early '90s. I know he played in Slovenia for years--I think even getting citizenship and playing for their national team at one point.
> 
> I'm curious of your impressions, if you saw him. I haven't in years now.


Of course I remember him... the years he spent with us can be considered the greatest years of our (my) club. I was just a kid then so I can't be overly objective about him but I loved the guy and always enjoyed watching him play. He led our team to the Final Four and was a true anchor (I think he was also the captain of our team, so that also says something about his influence among his teammates and basketball knowledge). When the team started to fall apart and he was one of the guys to be traded it was probably the saddest period I endured as a fan of my basketball club. And yes, as you've mentioned, he also got our citizenship and played for our squad for some time... also being a great contributor.

I sure do miss those days.


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## luther

Awesome. Glad to hear he was embraced there. I've always wondered what fans of European clubs think of Americans who join their domestic teams, often becoming key players. For example, I could understand a certain resentment. On the other hand, we have a similar phenomenon on a smaller scale with college teams, which (other than the super-schools that can always recruit nationwide) tend to have mostly players from that state or nearby states, but often bring in one or two players from a large metropolitan area to be featured players. So maybe it's like that.


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## Krstic All-Star

^ Not to mention how well they acclimate to the different cultures themselves. 

A cousin of mine played a year in Israel, and was effectively shut out of the offense because he couldn't follow the Hebrew. While the globalization of the game means that sort of thing isn't quite as detrimental, I wonder how much it affects both the players and the teams.


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## luther

I'm sure it's very difficult. I recall reading about Aleksandar Djordjevic having a very hard time in Portland because he didn't speak English (or maybe not well). I believe Alexander Volkov, a Russian forward, had a similar problem in Atlanta in the late 80s or early 90s.

It has to be worse in that regard for Americans abroad, considering that a far higher percentage of people everywhere else speak English than Americans do any other language. 

When you think about a certain amount of Euro backlash that NBA fans have seemingly reveled in the past five to seven years (Honestly, doesn't it seem people take more joy in Darko failing to live up to expectations than they ever have in anyone else's failings? Darko gets more **** than Kandi did, and he was a #1.) just because a couple of new international players join the league each year, it would seem to me that some kind of similar, nationalistic/patriotic pride must kick in somewhere, sometime.


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## Krstic All-Star

There have definitely been flashes of anti-foreign sentiment by fans, but overall it's manifested more in the theory that Euros don't play defense or are otherwise 'soft.'


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## CrackerJack

im gonna take you to the southern hemisphere ( i hope this is correct i sort of browsed over the instructions:whoknows

*Andrew Gaze - Australia*

Australia's greatest ever guard who was an outstanding shooter being able to hit anything including being a dead eye from beyond the arc and had an equally good passing game which resulted in him being viewed as a very unselfish and trusting player. Tried his trade in the NBA winning a championship on the pine for the Spurs. Excelled in the NBL (Australian League) and international play. Finished his NBL career after 22 seasons with an average of 30.9ppg in over 600 games for over 18000pts, which is still an NBL record all with the same team (melbourne Tigers). Won NBL MVP honours a record 7 times. Finished his international career representing Australia at the Olympics a record 5 times and finishing as the second highest scorer in World Championship history.


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## Krstic All-Star

^ Nobody can argue against Gaze. I remember the hype machine trying to build up Bogut as Australia's best, but there's no comparison. Good call.


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## Bruno

Portugal

*Joao Betinho Gomes*
H: 6' 7" 
W: 190 lbs 
Bday: 02/05/1985 
Positions: SF 

Without a doubt the best youth,hope portuguese player right now,i speaked with him the other day and he will try another shot in the NBA in a NBA summer league this offseason hopefully,right now he plays in the LEB ORO(Spain) for Leche Rio after he started season in Cantabria but he decided to switch teams and compete for a team with real hopes to be in ACB.

He gained more body and a better basketball IQ because usually he dont play 1 on 1 as much times he could.
Lead portuguese team to achieve the 9th place in last European in Spain as you can see in this video :
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And here he won the portuguese all star weekend dunk competition beating former NBA player Chris Porter(Golden State Warriors now in China),he was just 17 years old in this video:
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Offcourse in the history you can find Carlos Lisboa in the decades of 1980 and 90´s with that Benfica team that achieved great sucess in European competitions,once against Partizan if i´m correct he scored 45 points ,great european scorer and the best portuguese player ever.


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## Krstic All-Star

^ I know of Lisboa, but know next to nothing about Gomes. He'd be a small forward in the NBA, right?


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## luther

At 6-7, 190, something would (probably) have to change for him to play SF.


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## Krstic All-Star

He'd need to get a bit bigger - is his shooting good enough for a two?


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## SheriffKilla

Sergei Belov 
I haven't seen him play much
but what i have seen/heard he is very comparable to Jerry West

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RCIvmswd9XI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RCIvmswd9XI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

thats a short video about him getting inducted into FIBA hall of fame
I beleive he was the first European player to get inducted in Basketball Hall of Fame
and also was named the greatest european player of all time in the early 90s by FIBA
probably most recognized in the US because of his role for the Russian team in the 1972 olympics and the controversy that surrounds USSR's gold medal that year
would've definatly been in the NBA and could've had a pretty good career IMO cuz he was a such great scorer. Of course he wasn't able to do that because of communism/capatalism/cold war etc.....


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## Krstic All-Star

Belov is definitely an interesting choice, especially if Russian only refers to actual Russians rather than the old Soviet teams in their entirety. (i.e. Sabonis is considered Lithuanian rather than Soviet/Russian)

All in all, I can't see any real argument with Belov as the best Russian ever.


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## Bruno

Joao Gomes after some period he had of adaptation to the spanish league lately his been the MVP of his games averaging something around 14pts,7rebounds(but he can grab more rebounds then that)and sometimes i admit he have his nights off but usually he shots pretty decent from 2 and 3.

His stats this year in Spain are on the fallowing site:
http://competiciones.feb.es/estadisticas/Jugador.aspx?i=445228&c=1583386&med=1

More scout information about him is on this sites :
http://www.nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/joaogomes.html
http://www.nbadraft.net/2007eurocamp007.asp
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Joao-Gomes-1063/


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## Krstic All-Star

Judging by the Eurocamp2007 report, he could be a serious star in a couple of years. Will he declare for the draft?


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## Bruno

He went undrafted in the last year draft ,everyone hoped he could be picked by the Blazers around the 53th position but he didnt got drafted so this year he will try to be in the NBA summer league and show what he worth and hopefully sign with any NBA team but it wont be easy.


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## Krstic All-Star

It'll be interesting to watch him in summer camp. Too early to guess where he'll look though, I'm guessing.


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## Porn Player

I will update this thread starting next week, sorry I haven't been around for a while but moving house is a major pain on the whole internetting :biggrin:

Great shout outs though, impressed with the knowledge (once again) shown area here.


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## Gardan

Probably he's not the best but I think he deserves an article.

Name: Alberto Herreros Ros
Position: SG
Size: 6'6"

Breed in Real Canoe youth divisions he turned pro in 1988 for Estudiantes. Here he showed to be a great scorer, specially because of his impressive mide and long range shoot. Soon Herreros become Estudiantes' franchise player. In this time Estudiantes won Spanish Cup in 1992.

In 1995 Herreros signed for Real Madrid, archinemesis of Estudiantes, in a polemical move who was carried to the court. Herreros was an important player for Real Madrid (who was in a bad era), and key player for Spanish NT, in fact he was the top scorer in Euro 99'. Prior his signing for Real Madrid he was linked with Indiana Pacers

Herreros was always critizised for being allegadly a loser. However in 2005 in Vitoria he scored his most famous shoot. It was the fifth game (and final game) of ACB Final, between TAU Baskonia and Real Madrid in Vitoria. In an incredible final (Real Madrid get two points down and posession with 5 seconds left, after being loosing by 8 with 40 seconds left), Herreros received the ball and scored the 3-pointer.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cjjQXvFkGx0

Next to that Jose Manuel Calderón tried to score a layup, but was blocked by Fotsis.

This was Herreros' last match. Actually he's working for Real Madrid staff

Herreros is the leader in the historical ACB ranking of scorers

PS: Would be a great idea to create a similar thread talking about americans who have shined in our countries.


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## Krstic All-Star

^ Looks like a thread about Americans playing in Europe has been created already. Thanks, luther!


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## Porn Player

Updated completely (just realised I had never added Oded Katash despite him being the first reply :biggrin:

After Thursday (when I have flown back to the UK) I will throw some more names in the mix 'cos right now my computer system is really poor and it struggles to open more than one browser at any time.


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## argusa

I don't want to be captain obvious, but if your talking about the best from certain countries you have to throw in Dirk.


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## Porn Player

argusa said:


> I don't want to be captain obvious, but if your talking about the best from certain countries you have to throw in Dirk.


Nothing wrong with being Captain Obvious but Dirk won't make it on the list unless you expand on him as a player (maybe even throw in some little youtube clips of what he can do :biggrin




On a side note how awesome is this :smoothcriminal:


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## luther

*Dirk Nowitzki*, 7-0 PF, Germany. Nowitzki burst into the American consciousness after leading the International team in the Hoop Summit to a 5-point victory despite not being the most highly regarded post on his own team coming in. (That honor would have gone to Dan Gadzuric.) He had a game-high 33 points and 14 rebounds, not to mention a red-hot 19-23 FT. Nowitzki at that time was tall and lean, able to run and handle the ball better than anyone his size, to say nothing of his amazing shot. he rode the momentum into the draft, selected an impressive (at the time for an international) ninth, but going behind the likes of Michael Olowokandi, Raef LaFrentz, Robert Traylor, Larry Hughes and Jason Williams. After a so-so rookie year, he was constantly called a bust despite being a teenager in the NBA just one year after playing Division B German basketball. "Irk" Nowitzki, as in "No D." Of course, in no time the qualities I mentioned earlier came through: no power forward I can recall could run like him, shoot like him from as far out as him, or play such an all-around game. He's still criticized for lack of toughness or lack of defense, but there aren't many teams who would refuse the services of someone with such a complete game. In some ways, he's like Kevin Garnett in that his talents aren't usually seen in someone that size. However, Nowitzki has the scoring drive KG lacks, while KG's passing and defense are well above Nowitzki's. He is not unprecedented as a European in the NBA, but quite possibly unprecedented in the NBA, period.


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## argusa

Thanks for the pick up Luther

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlrroNYStPs


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## Perseas

*Greece:* *Nick Galis*...(6-1, SG) hands down the best player but also the player to which Greek basketball owes where it is today... here's a small bio taken by wikipedia and some videos... I feel lucky as a greek and a basketball fan to have been blessed to watch him in my lifetime. 

Link (Always provide one :biggrin

*Nick Galis* (born July 23, 1957 in New Jersey, USA), known in Greece as *Nikos Galis* (Greek: Νίκος Γκάλης), is a retired Greek basketball player, a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference">[1]</sup> and regarded as one of Europe's all-time greats in the sport and the greatest European scorer of all time. With his unbelievable performances on the basketball court and his rare professionalism, Galis grew into a living legend in Greece and is considered by many Greeks to be the greatest athlete the country has ever known.

The child of a poor immigrant family from Rhodes, Greece, Nick took up boxing in his early years, his father George Georgalis having been a very good boxer in his youth. He was persuaded to give up boxing by his mother, who was shaking with fright every afternoon that her son would return with a new facial injury. As a result, he started playing basketball and attended Union Hill High School in Union City, New Jersey.<sup id="cite_ref-greatest_1-0" class="reference">[2]</sup>
After high school, Galis enrolled at Seton Hall University as a college basketball player. In his senior season, Galis, a shooting guard, saw his scoring average reach 27.5 points per game, ranking him third among the leading 1978-1979 NCAA Division I College Basketball scorers, behind Larry Bird and Lawrence Butler. Galis' agent, Bill Manon, who also managed Diana Ross, did not have Galis work out with any NBA team.<sup id="cite_ref-Interbasket_2-0" class="reference">[3]</sup> Galis was eventually selected by the Boston Celtics in the 4th round of the 1979 NBA Draft, 68th overall.<sup id="cite_ref-greatest_1-1" class="reference">[2]</sup>
Due to a severe injury that he suffered during the Celtics pre-season training camp, the franchise was no longer interested in offering him a contract because Gerald Henderson had taken his place<sup id="cite_ref-Interbasket_2-1" class="reference">[3]</sup> and his injury would keep him out for the foreseeable future. It was then that Galis decided to pursue a professional career in Greece's A1 League.


*Greek National Team*

Galis made the move across the Atlantic and signed to play with Aris of Thessaloniki, Greece in 1979. Panathinaikos and Olympiacos had also shown some interest in signing the newcomer, but it was Aris' interest that was the most persuasive.<sup id="cite_ref-greatest_1-2" class="reference">[2]</sup> His move to the country helped Greek basketball reach heights never before imagined. He played in the 1986 FIBA World Championship, where he led all players in scoring average with 33.0 points per game. In that tournament, he had a 56 point outburst against the Panamanian National Team. Galis next led the Greek National Team to the Eurobasket 1987 gold medal. Averaging 37.0 points per game during the tournament, he was named MVP after scoring 40 points in the final against the Soviet National Team and its legendary player Šarūnas Marčiulionis for a 103-101 victory.
Galis also led Greece to the second place at Eurobasket 1989, averaging 35.6 points per game. Galis is remembered for a stunning effort against the Soviet team led by Marčiulionis and its other star player, Arvydas Sabonis, in the semi-final game. He scored 45 out of his team's 81 total points in a dramatic, last-gasp 81-80 victory.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference">[4]</sup> The team settled for a second place finish against the ever-dominant Yugoslavian National Team.

*Aris Thessaloniki*

Averaging more than 30 points per game every season, Galis was the indisputable leader of Aris BC. Playing alongside other great players at Aris such as Panagiotis Giannakis and Slobodan Subotić, Galis won 8 Greek Championships (7 of them consecutively and 3 undefeated, in the years 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991), 6 Greek Cups (4 of them consecutively, in the years 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992), and led Aris to 3 consecutive appearances at the European Champions' Cup Final Four (1988-1990). In the one disappointment of an otherwise glittering career with Aris, all three European Champions' Cup appearances ended in defeat in the semi-finals, thus depriving him of the opportunity to shine on Europe's biggest club stage.<sup id="cite_ref-greatest_1-3" class="reference">[2]</sup> The team's performances and general standard of play however won the heart of every basketball fan in Greece, as well as creating thousands more Aris supporters. Indeed, cinemas and theaters would often reduce their admission prices on Thursday evenings when Aris was playing and the entire country settled down to watch them on television.

*Panathinaikos Athens*

After a disappointing season in 1992, Galis was forced to leave Aris.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference">[5]</sup> The new president of Aris and the fact that the team was then in decay were the main causes for his departure. Galis, who adored Thessaloniki, insisted about remaining in the club and playing for the team, as he believed that he still could offer much. Giorgos Rampotas, his personal trainer and friend, writes in "Galis' Biography" that Thessaloniki was what mattered most to Galis. Consequently, after he was forced to leave he even contemplated playing for Aris' greatest opponent PAOK, but he never actually decided to do so.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference">[6]</sup>
Galis ended up moving to Athens, and specifically Panathinaikos, where he only managed to win one Greek Cup in 1993, his 7th Greek Cup. The following year, he returned to the European Champions' Cup Final Four with Panathinaikos, but as in his previous three attempts with Aris, he lost in the semi-finals and had to be content with being the top scorer in the 3rd-place match against FC Barcelona. His career ended controversially in 1994, when Kostas Politis (the then coach of Panathinaikos) chose not to include him in the starting line-up of a Greek Championship game against Ambelokipi. Galis left the court, never again to return to action.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference">[7]</sup>

*After Retirement*

Since his official retirement on September 29, 1995, and up until early 2006, he has been the owner of a summer basketball camp in Halkidiki, Greece. The basketball camp is listed at the Athens Stock Exchange.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference">[8]</sup> As a token of appreciation for his contribution to Greek sport, Galis was chosen to be the first torch bearer in the final round of the Olympic Flame for the Athens 2004 Olympics. Galis entered the stadium at the conclusion of the Opening Ceremony and set off the procession of the flame to the altar.
In September of 2007, Nikos Galis was elected as a member of the first class of the FIBA Hall of Fame, which includes the best basketball players in the history of the game internationally. Bill Russell of the famous Boston Celtics dynasty was another one of the 16 inaugural inductees. Galis is married to Eleni Panagiotou and he has one daughter, named Stella.

*Player Profile*

It has been noted that Galis was not only a legendary scorer, but was also a great play maker and passer.<sup id="cite_ref-greatest_1-4" class="reference">[2]</sup> The vast majority of his points scored came inside the paint area due to his penetrating ability.<sup id="cite_ref-ironman_8-0" class="reference">[9]</sup>Another enormous competitive advantage that Galis possessed was his incredible stamina, which was due to his exemplary physical condition. At the Eurobasket 1987, he was never once substituted out of any game after the second day of the competition.<sup id="cite_ref-ironman_8-1" class="reference">[9]</sup>
He averaged 33.0 points per game at the Eurobasket 1983, 33.7 points per game at the 1986 FIBA World Championship, 37.0 points per game at the Eurobasket 1987, 35.6 points per game at the Eurobasket 1989, and 32.4 points per game at the Eurobasket 1991. Galis was only a 1.86 m (6'1 1/4") tall shooting guard. In every one of the games that Galis played in these tournaments, the entire defenses of every opposing team was focused on stopping his scoring outbursts.

*Personal Achievements*

*Career*
In 854 official career games played (including his college games), Galis scored a total of 25,995 points, for a scoring average of 30.4 points per game.
In 753 career games played (excluding his college games), Galis scored a total of 24,721 points, for a career scoring average of 32.8 points per game.
His career scoring average in the Greek League was 33.4 points per game.
His career scoring average in the Greek Cup was 35.2 points per game.
His career scoring average in European continental club competitions was 32.9 points per game.
He led Aris BC to an 80 game winning streak in the 1980s.
*Greek National Team*
In 168 FIBA games played with the Greek National Basketball Team, he averaged 30.5 points per game.
Galis was the leading scorer in every major European and world international competition that he participated in from 1983 onwards, the Eurobasket 1983, the 1986 FIBA World Championship, the Eurobasket 1987, the Eurobasket 1989, and the Eurobasket 1991.
*Single Game Achievements Pro Career*
His personal scoring record in one game was 62 points, achieved in a Greek League game in 1981 (Aris vs. Ionikos Nikaias). However, in the same game, Ionikos' superstar Panagiotis Giannakis, who would later go on to become Galis' teammate on Aris, scored 73 points.
In 1981, he also had a 61 point game against Iraklis.
Also in 1981, he accomplished his career scoring high in a European continental competition, as he scored 57 points against Pallacanestro Venezia during the 1981 Korac Cup.
His high scoring game in the Greek Cup was 57 points against Panellinios in the 1987 Cup final.
Also in 1987, he scored his career high in points in the old FIBA Champions' Cup (now called the Euroleague), as he scored 50 points in a game against Tracer Milano.
He also holds 4 of the top 15 all-time individual scoring games in the Euroleague's modern record era (since 1991-1992).
He scored 55 or more points in a game 10 times in his professional club career while playing with Aris Thessaloniki and Panathinaikos Athens.
In 1990, in a FIBA Champions' Cup game versus Korihait Uusikaoupounk, he dished out 23 FIBA assists.
In 1993, while playing with Panathinaikos in a revenge game against his former team Aris, he had a game for the ages. Galis shot 13/13 from the field and recorded 19 FIBA assists in the game.
*Single Game Achievements Greek National Team*
At the 1986 FIBA World Championship, he scored 56 points in a game against the Panamanian National Team.
In the Eurobasket 1987 final, he scored 40 points against the Soviet National Team.
In the Eurobasket 1989 semifinal, he scored 45 points against the Soviet National Team.
*Team Titles and Personal Awards*

Galis won numerous titles and awards during his career. The following are some of them:<sup id="cite_ref-greatest_1-6" class="reference">[2]</sup>

*Aris and Panathinaikos*
8 Greek Championships: 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
7 Greek Cups: 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993
4-time Greek League regular season Most Valuable Player: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
5-time Greek League playoff Most Valuable Player: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
6-time Greek Cup Most Valuable Player: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993
15-time Greek League Scoring Champion: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
Greek League Assist Leader: 1993
Euroleague Assist Leader: 1994
2-time Euroleague Scoring Champion (since 1991-1992 era): 1992 (32.2 ppg), 1994 (23.8 ppg)
Greek Basketball Hall of Fame
Selected to the Euroleague's 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors 2008
*Greek National Team*
1986 FIBA World Championship Scoring Champion: 1986 (33.7 ppg)
Eurobasket 1987 Gold Medal
Eurobasket 1987 All-Tournament Team
Eurobasket 1987 Most Valuable Player
Eurobasket 1989 Silver Medal
Eurobasket 1989 All-Tournament Team
Eurobasket 1991 All-Tournament Team
4-time European Championship Scoring Champion: 1983 (33.0 ppg), 1987 (37.0 ppg), 1989 (35.6 ppg), 1991 (32.4 ppg)
FIBA Europe European Player of the Year 1987
FIBA Hall of Fame 2007
<object height="344" width="425">

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## Porn Player

> In 1990, in a FIBA Champions' Cup game versus Korihait Uusikaoupounk, he dished out 23 FIBA assists


Holy cow. I will add him to the main page now Perseus, good to see you contributing :biggrin:


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## luther

A third Turkish player, despite Turkey traditionally being a second-rate (at best) finisher in national team competitions? Yep. *Petar Naumoski*, a 6-3 (or thereabouts: 1.94 m) point guard who is actually a Macedonian. However, he played his national team ball with Turkey, and that's the nation in which he had arguably his biggest pro success, too (Efes Pilsen), so that's where I'm placing him. Naumoski wasn't ever an NBA player, part of that unlucky generation of great players just a little too old to have had the realistic chance of coming over (b. 1968). But he was a very strong player--and strong-willed. He could shoot the lights out, pass well (and creatively) and just flat-out play. By the late '90s, he was a fixture in the Euroleague Top 10 of scoring and assists, generally around 20 and 4-5, respectively. And he regularly shot in the high 50s and low 60s from 2pt%, 40s and 50s for 3pt% (!) and mid-80s FT%. Naumoski looks a little stiff by NBA comparison, but that was pretty typical of European players of his generation. I have no doubt he could have adjusted and been a legitimate (although probably not star) point guard in the NBA. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eGM28fW5eBI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eGM28fW5eBI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>


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## luther

In the long and grand tradition of Danish basketball, there have been many great players and teams ... okay, actually as far as I know, just one. *Christian Drejer*. So he wins by default. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vcmBi0LiObo&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vcmBi0LiObo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> This video is flawed in that it shows the 6-9 F/G as if he were a 3-point specialist. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is, he was always at his best as a point forward. He was much-ballyhooed coming to Florida, where he debuted in the 2002-03 season. However, he had a serious ankle sprain followed by an ankle abscess that limited him to 18 games at far less than full strength. By his sophomore year, though, it was obvious what he was going to do: facilitate. Drejer was a very good complementary player, averaging about 10 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 4 apg in his one real season of college basketball, shooting 47%, 39% 3pt and mid-70s FT%. He caused a serious controversy by leaving in February--during the season--to sign with FC Barcelona and play pro ball (and was thereby automatically entered into that year's draft, where he was a 2nd rounder). Sadly, the ankle never truly healed and necessitated several further surgeries and he was never consistently productive on the court. He was released from his last pro contract in 2008 and retired in March of this year. In my opinion, having seen him play _injured_ in the SEC against very good competition, is that had he never gotten hurt, his entire career and life would've been different. He could have been a better player for Florida and have declared for the NBA or collected a big European contract and eventually made his way to a good NBA career as a complementary SF in someone's rotation.


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## Boris

In Croatia people are splitted in there players. Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc and Kresimir Cosic. I'm gona talk about Kreso. Born 26. 11. 1948 in Zagreb, died 25. 5. 1995. in Baltimore. He started his carer in 1965. with KK Zadar. If you think Magic, Bird or Kukoc was the first tall players that culd play gourd you are wrong. Kreso was 211cm (6-11) centar who could play evry spot in game. I din't wached him but evry one said that he was just genious on court, that he was one of the smartest players ever played the game. He was leader of the first golden generation of yugoslavias basketball. Team who ended Soviet domination in euro basketball. They were loaded with stars of that era like Dzerdza, Dalipagic, Delibasic, Daneu, Skansi, Slavinic, Kikanovic and others. He also played in USA universisity, somevere in Utah where he become mormon, stoped smooking and drinking. he was first ever europan all American and first ever europian drafted by Portland (72.), later Boston (73.) and Lakers (76.) all in 3rd, 4th rounds (difrent rules where than) and he was ofered 1 milion from Lakers but turned them down because he could not play for NT. Today some people like basketball legend Dino Meneghin says he was best europan player ever. He forever chanched dynstis of Cibona (coup of coups 82.), Zadar (played euroleague final) and Olimpia where he was coach and player at same time. played also in Italy. He won 3 eourobaskets (1973., 75. and 77.), 3 silver (69., 71, 81.) and bronze 79. was namen MVP 71. and 75., WC 70. and 78., silver 67. and 74. and olypic gold 80. and silvers from 68. and 76. Member of Hall of Fame from 96. As coach he wa remeberd as visonary coach, many said that he's only weeknes was that he was to kind as person. With former temate Moka Slavinic formed new yugo basketball generation of greats when invated kids in NT later known as Kukoc, Divac, Radja, Zdovc, Komazec...only Petrovic and Paspalj were bit older. Also personaly coached S. Vrankovic and D. Bodiroga and was the only one who saw talent in them when they were kids. He was suposed to be coach of KK Split who was in big problems in mid 80is and was close to colapse. but was there just 3days and said "my work here is done" and then pointed finger to kidd named Toni Kukoc and said "you have a kid who is going to be better then Drazen". Later Kukoc, Radja and co. won 3 euroleague titles in a row. As coach won broze at Eurobasket 87. and silver at olyipics 88. coached also in Greece. Overall after his basketball coach and players carer maybe the most deserved man for what is today's ex yugo and Croatian basketball. When war started become Croatian diplomat in USA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YesSmx8NarI&feature=related


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## sapphirekishi

China---Yaoming
www.nikes-jordan.com


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## Basel

Welcome to the boards.


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## imjames407

Oscar Schmidt from Brazil.


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## Vero30

*Dino Meneghin* (born January 18, 1950) is an Italian former professional basketball player. He was considered the best player of his country for decades and for several years, also the best in all of the history of Europe. He is 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tall. Meneghin was born in Alano di Piave, Veneto (northeast Italy). On November 20, 1966, when he was 16 years old, he played his first match in the Italian A League with the Ignis Varese club. He played the last match of his career at the age of 45. Today, he works for the Italian Basketball Federation and for the club Olimpia Milano.
In total, he played in 836 matches and scored 8,560 points in the Italian Championship. With the Italian national basketball team, he played in 271 matches and totaled 2,847 points scored. Meneghin became the second player from a European league to be drafted by an NBA team when the Atlanta Hawks manager Marty Blake selected him with a late-round pick in the 1970 NBA Draft. He never played in America, however.

In 1980 and 1983, he was elected the Mister Europa European Player of the Year and he also won the Euroscar European Player of the Year award in 1983. In 1991, was elected the greatest European basketball player of all time. On September 5, 2003, he became the second Italian player to enter into the Basketball Hall of Fame after Cesare Rubini, who played for and coached Olimpia Milano between the 1940s and the 1970s.

One of the greatest records of his career is his number of Finals appearances of the European Champions Cup. He played in 10 consecutive finals with Ignis Varese (winning 5 and losing 5) and later in 2 more consecutive finals with Olimpia Milano (he won both of those).

Before his playing career ended, Dino Meneghin played in the Italian League against his son Andrea, who was also a great international player.
Pro clubs

* Pallacanestro Varese (1966-1980)
* Olimpia Milano (1980-1990)
* Pallacanestro Trieste (1990-1993)
* Olimpia Milano (1993-1994)

[edit] Honours

[edit] Clubs

* 4 World Cup for Clubs (1967, 1970, 1973, 1987)
* 2 European Cup Winners Cup (1967, 1980)
* 12 Italian Championships (1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989). He was also on the runner up team 9 times.
* 6 Italian Cups (1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1986, 1987)
* 7 European Champions Cups (1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1987, 1988)
* 1 Korać Cup (1985)

[edit] Italian national team

* Bronze Medal at the 1975 European Championship
* Silver Medal at the 1980 Olympics Basketball Tournament
* Gold Medal at the 1983 European Championship
* Euroscar European Player of the Year 1983
* Mister Europa European Player of the Year 1980, 1983

right now he is the Italian Basketball federation president


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## CrackerJack

any chance to get this thread moving along again?? well im doing this in the hope that it does *cross fingers*

*Luc Longley - Australia*

A 7'2 centre out of Perth, Australia, he was the first Australian ever to play in the NBA. Started his career the Univerisity of New Mexico before being drafted 7th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1991 NBA Draft. He was seen as a servicable big man throughout his career with very good passing ability for his size. He was the starting centre for the Chicago Bulls championship sides in the 96, 97 and 98 three-peat and provided part of the defensive muscle in a team full of stars, including the superstar Michael Jordan. He also played for the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks before retiring in 2001. He retired as and still is the NBA games record holder for Australian born players and will also be rememebered for his eccentricity off the court which included a bodysurfing incident which cost him 18 games of season. Arguably the best ever Australian basketball player, his lack of exposure to Australian fans namely due to his omission from the Australian squad due to constant knee injuries and his lack of offensive polish compared to the likes of Shane Heal and Andrew Gaze resulted in his reputation being undermined by Australian basketball fans.


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## Krstic All-Star

Hm, hasn't Andrew Bogut already passed Longley as the best Aussie NBA player? 

[Nice job in getting the thread up and running again!]


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## CrackerJack

Krstic All-Star said:


> Hm, hasn't Andrew Bogut already passed Longley as the best Aussie NBA player?
> 
> [Nice job in getting the thread up and running again!]


in terms of skill level and natural talent bogut is without a doubt the superior player, but 3 championships as a solid starter you cant argue with longleys accomplishments even if he was lucky to be at the right place at the right time. still love bogut though definately hoping i can one day say he led a team to an nba championship


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## Krstic All-Star

You raise an interesting point - if Bogut's team were to win a championship, he'd probably play a larger role than Longley ever did with the Bulls (as part of the three-headed center rotation). But will his game rise to the level where Bogut is primarily responsible?


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## CrackerJack

wouldnt go as far to say he would be primarily responsible cos i cant see him becoming as dominant as shaq or hakeem where all a team would do was dish it inside and watch the bigs go to work, pair him with a good scorer who can take away some of the offensive load and i think you have a true contender in 2-3 years (bucks fans are probably hoping jennings is the man as am i). every season in the league hes shown steady if not unspectacular improvement. hes still only 25yo so he has alot of basketball ahead of him and in his nba career has developed into a very sturdy underrated defender and has shown great improement in his back to the basket game. as long as he stays out of injury trouble i can see him winning a few all-star appearances and developing into a very good centre


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## Krstic All-Star

Yeah, I think that it's almost impossible in today's NBA for any center to indisputably be THE reason a team wins it all, but could definitely see Bogut as reason 1A, should his team win the championship.


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## elif#7

Hidayet Turkoglu because he is cold blooded, he never hesisates even during the critical positions. He is quite fast as a 2.06 m man. His dribbling skills are great so that he can play as a play-maker eventough he is 2.06 cm. But the most important thing he is a wonderful defenser...


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## CosaNostra

I didn't go all the way through this thread, but has Chris Anstey been nominated for Australia? And if not, why not?


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## FaNashtic

*Andrew Bogut:* I know you said earlier about him not being as good as Andrew Gaze, and you're probably right, but Andrew Bogut is definitely right up there with the best basketballers to come out of the country. In some ways he's had a lot more success than Andrew Gaze in the NBA as he is a starter and one of the premiere centers in the league, which Gaze was never able to achieve for his position, and the time that Gaze did get the ring, I don't think he played a minute. 
Also, just because I can,
*Luc Longley:* The first Australian to play in the NBA. Won three straight championships with the Bulls team. He is the most successful Australian in regards to the NBA.


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## TheAnswer

Didn't know Hedo had a brother playing international ball.


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## Alp13

Can you guys help me im trying to find a hypertrophy basketball lifting program but i cant. Are you guys qualified to write one no one anyone who can help me thnx


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## Jamil

Looking to play pro this upcoming season! Just finished university and looking to take the next step in my basketball career!






Article Post #6 - 

http://en.cis-sic.ca/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/donnovanbreakdown23


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## Vilius

NBA heads think the best player outside the NBA is Milos Teodosic. His career is on the rise for the past few years. After a number of failures to win the EuroLeague with CSKA, Teodosic finally won it last year and appears to be feeling more and more comfortable. His passing is getting better each season.


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## allan_373

For me its Tony Parker from France,had several championship on San Antonio Spurs while lifting France in World Tournaments.


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## berniestein

Lachlan Edwards, New York Jets (Australia)	
Adam Gotsis, Denver Broncos (Australia)
Tom Hackett, Free Agent (Australia)


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## BalllikeMike

Check this out 
⬇⬇⬇
https://ckk.ai/MichaelJ 
He the real Goat I'm telling y'all.


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## BlogDude

I put out this list last December. I may need to update it after what has happened over the past year.
The Top 20 Greatest Foreign-Born Players in NBA History (thesportspageblog.com)


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## KS.G99

Giannis Antetokounmpo: I think he is the best so far


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