5 Irish NBA Players Who Are Making a Name for Themselves

These five Irish NBA players are quickly making a name for themselves in the league and are ones to watch out for in the future.

Introduction

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the premier Professional Basketball league in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1946, the NBA is made up of 30 teams and is considered one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America along with Major League Baseball the National Football League and the National Hockey League

Players from all over the world come to compete in the NBA, and Ireland is no exception. In fact, there are currently five Irish players in the NBA:

-TJ McConnell (Philadelphia 76ers)
--Pat Connaughton (Portland Trail Blazers)
-Bonzie Colson (Milwaukee Bucks)
--Matt Ryan (Atlanta Hawks)
-Daniel O’Reilly (Los Angeles Lakers)

These five players are quickly making a name for themselves in the NBA and are sure to have successful careers in the league.

Patty Mills

Patty Mills is an Australian professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6’0″ point guard played college basketball for Saint Mary’s College of California and was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 55th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft He is one of only a handful of players of Aboriginal descent to play in the NBA. Mills has represented Australia twice in international competition, winning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft is an Irish-Australian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. He was born in Melbourne to Melissa Simmons, an American-born former professional soccer player, and Dave Simmons, an Australian-born professional basketball player As a teenager, he played for the Australian National Team and was a member of the squad that won a bronze medal at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship He moved to the United States in 2013 to play college basketball for Louisiana State University (LSU). In his only season at LSU, he was named a consensus first-team All-American and SEC Freshman of the Year. He also set an LSU single-season record for most points scored by a freshman.

TJ Warren

Warren was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina but he holds an Irish passport through his grandparents, who were both born in Ireland. He played College Basketball for North Carolina State University before being drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft He is currently in his sixth season with the Suns, and he is one of the team’s most important players. Warren is averaging 19.6 points per game this season and is shooting a career-high 52 percent from three-point range

##Other Irish NBA players

Bogdan Bogdanovic – Sacramento Kings
Born in Serbia, Bogdanovic became an Irish citizen in 2016 after getting a passport through his grandmother, who was born in Ireland. He is currently in his fourth NBA season and is averaging 14.5 points per game for the Kings.

Daniel Hackett – Memphis Grizzlies
Hackett was born in Rome to an Italian mother and an American father but he also has Irish citizenship thanks to his paternal grandmother, who was born in Ireland. He is currently in his ninth NBA season and is averaging 5.9 points per game for the Grizzlies.

Sean Kilpatrick – Los Angeles Clippers
Kilpatrick was born in Yonkers, New York but he holds an Irish passport thanks to his maternal grandparents, who were both born in Ireland. He is currently in his seventh NBA season and is averaging 5.7 points per game for the Clippers.

Bogdan Bogdanovic

Bogdan Bogdanovic is a Serbian professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Serbian national team Standing at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), he plays the shooting guard and small forward positions.

Bogdanovic was born in Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia, to Zoran Bogdanović, a former professional basketball player who spent most of his career with Crvena Zvezda of the Yugoslav League. He started playing basketball for Crvena zvezda’s youth teams. In 2009, he represented Serbia at the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship where he won a bronze medal.

He played professional basketball in Europe from 2010 to 2016 before moving to the NBA. In July 2016, Bogdanovic signed with the Kings. He made his Nba Debut against the Phoenix Suns on October 26, 2016.

In February 2019, Bogdanović was selected to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend as a part of Team World.

Conclusion

The five Irish NBA players who are making a name for themselves are:

1. Pat Connaughton of the Portland Trail Blazers
2. TJ McConnell of the Indiana Pacers
3. Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs
4. Ronan O’Donovan of the Brooklyn Nets
5. Sean Sweeney of the Houston Rockets