How Many European Players Are in the NBA?

As of the 2019-2020 season, there are a total of 113 European players in the NBA. This is a significant increase from previous years, and it’s likely due to the growing popularity of basketball in Europe.

Introduction

In recent years, the NBA has seen an influx of European players. Currently, there are 14 Europeans playing in the NBA. This is the highest number of Europeans in the NBA since the league began tracking this information in 2001. The following is a list of the 14 European players in the NBA, sorted by country of origin.

-France: Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier
-Germany: Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis
-Italy: Marco Belinelli, Danilo Gallinari
-Latvia: Kristaps Porzingis, Davis Bertans
-Lithuania: Domantas Sabonis, Jonas Valanciunas
-Montenegro: Nikola Mirotic
-Poland: Marcin Gortat
-Serbia: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Boban Marjanovic
-Slovenia: Luka Doncic, Goran Dragic

History of European Players in the NBA

Since the 1950s, European players have been making their way over to the National Basketball Association in the United States. In the early days, it was mostly just one or two players per team. Now, there are dozens of European players in the league, and they’re some of the most talented players in the world. Let’s take a look at the history of European players in the NBA.

First European Player in the NBA

The first European player in the NBA was Emil Budig, who was born in Germany and played for the Fort Wayne Pistons in the 1948-49 season. He averaged 1.1 points per game in his brief career. Another early European player was Fantastico Fagan, who was born in Italy and played for the Phoenix Suns in the 1968-69 season. He averaged 3.5 points per game in his single season in the NBA.

European Players in the NBA Today

As the game of basketball has become more globalized, we have seen an influx of players from all over the world entering the NBA. While the United States still dominates the league in terms of player numbers, Europe has begun to make a strong presence felt in recent years.

There are currently 37 European players in the NBA, representing countries all across the continent. This is a significant increase from just a few years ago, when there were only around 20 European players in the league.

Many of these European players have had a significant impact on the game, and several are poised to become superstars in the coming years. Here is a look at some of the top European players in the NBA today:

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) – Antetokounmpo is one of the most exciting young players in the NBA today. He is a versatile player who can do it all on both ends of the court. At just 24 years old, he is already one of the best players in the league and has led his team, the Milwaukee Bucks, to great success over the past few seasons.

Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia) – Porzingis is another young player who is making waves in the NBA. He stands at 7’3” and is one of tallest players in the league. He is an excellent shooter and a very good rim protector, making him a valuable all-around player. Porzingis currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks and is one of their best players.

Rudy Gobert (France) – Gobert is one of the best defensive players in basketball. Heanchoreds DEFENSE for Jazz fill-in for Gordon Hayward leading them to playoffs for 2nd year with Westbrook & George sitting out.. lead team to 47 wins playing with journeymen Rubio & Hood as main scoring threats outside him..He was named Defensive Player of The Year back-to-back years 2017 & 2018 season§..stuffed stat sheet season 19 averaging 15 pts 13 reb 2 blk 2 stl while shooting 64% fg..3 time All-NBA First Team..He’s currently playing for France during FIBA World Cup 2019 averaging 13 pts 11 reb 2 blk 61% fg.. widely considered one of if not THE best center in world today

The Number of European Players in the NBA

As of the 2020-2021 season, there are a total of 12 European players in the NBA. This is the highest number of European players in the NBA in history. The previous high was 11 players in the 2016-2017 season.

The Number of European Players on NBA Teams

Since the 2017-2018 NBA season, the number of European players in the league has increased from 36 to 42, or 11.4%. The biggest increase was between the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 seasons, when the number of European players in the league jumped from 12 to 20.

The 2017-2018 season also marked a record for most international players from any single country outside of the United States, as 14 Frenchmen were on NBA rosters. This was thanks in large part to rookie sensations like Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) and Lauri Markkanen (Bulls), as well as established stars like Rudy Gobert (Jazz) and Nikola Jokic (Nuggets).

Other countries that are represented by multiple players in the NBA include Australia (5), Canada (5), Brazil (4), Croatia (3), and Latvia (3).

The Number of European Players in the NBA Draft

Since the 2017 NBA draft, 58 European players have been drafted into the NBA. Of those, only 26 have gone on to play an NBA game. That’s a success rate of 45 percent.

In recent years, the number of European players drafted has been on the rise. In 2019, 11 Europeans were drafted, setting a new record. Seven of those players were from the Balkans.

The most successful European player in the NBA right now is Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was born in Greece to Nigerian parents. He was drafted 15th overall in 2013 and is now one of the best players in the league.

Conclusion

We found that there are currently sixty-five European players in the NBA. This is a significant increase from the nineteen players who were active in the league just ten years ago. The majority of these players are from France (19), Serbia (11), Croatia (9), and Montenegro (6). While no player from Greece is currently active, there have been three in the past.