Top 5 French NBA Players of All Time
In honor of Bastille Day, we’re counting down the top 5 French NBA players of all time! From Tony Parker to Boris Diaw, these ballers know how to make an impact on the court.
Introduction
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a Professional Basketball league in North America The league was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It changed its name to the NBA in 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League (NBL). The NBA is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, along with Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL).
The NBA consists of 30 teams, 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. The league’s rules are governed by the National Basketball Federation (FIBA). The league is split into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference Each conference has three divisions, and each division has five teams. The regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. The playoffs are played in May and June, leading up to the NBA Finals which are held in June.
France has been represented in the NBA since its inception, with players such as Bob Lanier, Michael Cooper dormantly Patrick Ewing Sr., and recently Tony Parker becoming household names. In honor of these Great players we have compiled a list of the top 5 French NBA players of all time.
Tony Parker
Tony Parker is a French professional basketball player who currently plays for the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA. Parker was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft He quickly became their starting point guard and helped lead the Spurs to four NBA championships becoming one of only nine players to have won an NBA title in three different decades. He has also been selected to six NBA All-Star teams and was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2007. Parker is currently the Hornets’ starting point guard and is averaging 15.2 points per game and 5.9 assists per game
Boris Diaw
Boris Diaw is a French professional basketball player who last played for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played for the Atlanta Hawks Phoenix Suns Charlotte Bobcats and San Antonio Spurs. Diaw was born in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val-d’Oise, and started his professional career in France with Pau-Orthez of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB). He was named the French League Rookie of the Year in 2001, and was named to the league’s All-Star team in 2004. In 2005, he was voted the best National Player in the European League.
Diaw was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 21st overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft He averaged 5.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game during his rookie season with Atlanta. Diaw improved his numbers during his second season with career highs in points (9.3), rebounds (4.3), assists (3.6), steals (1.4) and blocks (0.7). In December 2005, he helped lead France to a gold medal at EuroBasket 2005. Diaw’s career highs in points (19) and rebounds (11) came during his third season with Atlanta when he averaged 8.6 points per game during that campaign
On August 19, 2005, Diaw was traded along with two future first-Round Draft picks to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Martell Webster and a future second-round draft pick
Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert is a French professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the French national team in the international competitions. Standing at 7 feet 1 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds, he plays as a center. He was brought up in Saint-Quentin, Aisne, Picardy, France.
Before joining the NBA, Gobert played two years of college basketball in the United States for Saint Louis University He was then selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 27th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft but was later traded to Utah Jazz With the Jazz, Gobert has been voted NBA All-Defensive First Team three times and has been named to the All-NBA Second Team once. Rudy Gobert is also a two-time recipient of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
Nicolas Batum
Nicolas Batum is a French professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Batum was born in Lisieux, France. He grew up playing organized basketball in his hometown club JS Cherbourg-Octeville, from where he joined the youth club of Gravelines-Dunkerque. In 2004, he led his team to the championship of France’s under-18 National League
