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Basketball is often considered to be an all-American sport. It’s one of the nation’s most popular sports to both watch and play, and the NBA brings in huge amounts of money every year. Yet the US is not the only country to have amazing basketball players, as evidenced by the fact that it’s an Olympic sport. And basketball players from other countries don’t just play for their own national or regional teams, but also make their way to the US to join NBA teams too. Some of these countries might seem a little surprising if you haven’t previously thought much about which of them produce top NBA players.
Nigeria
An impressive 30 NBA players have hailed from Nigeria, including 17 foreign-born Nigerians (mostly born in the US). These include the current players Precious Achiuwa, Udoka Azubuike, and Charles Bassey. Several Nigerian NBA players have also represented Nigeria internationally, and the first Nigerian NBA players were Yinka Dare and Julius Nwoso, who both began their NBA careers in 1994. Many other African countries are responsible for some fantastic players, including Senegal and Cameroon, which have produced 12 and 6 players, respectively.
Lithuania
Multiple countries in Europe have respected basketball teams who have performed well at the Olympics and other international events. If you’re an NBA fan, you’re probably already aware that countries such as France, Serbia, and Croatia are responsible for many NBA stars. However, as Algirdas Janilionis points out, the Baltic country of Lithuania is home to a number of NBA players too. 15 players have Lithuanian backgrounds, with all but one born in Lithuania. Current players include Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valančiūnas.
Argentina
If you follow international basketball, it might not come as a surprise to you that there are some excellent Argentinian players in the NBA. They have previously won Olympic medals and 16 NBA players hail from the South American country. Interestingly, several of them also hold Italian citizenship, including Leandro Bolmaro and Patricio Garino. There aren’t currently any active Argentinian players in the NBA, but it looks like it could be pretty likely in the future.
Japan
Basketball is generally associated with tall people, something that Japan is not typically associated with. Nevertheless, basketball has a following in Japan and the country is responsible for 5 NBA players, two of whom were born in the US. The two current players in the NBA are LA Lakers forward Rui Hachimura and Phoenix Suns forward Yuta Watanabe. The first Japanese NBA player was J. R. Sakuragi, who was born in the US but later became a naturalized Japanese citizen and represented Japan internationally.
New Zealand
While Australia has produced more than 30 NBA players, its smaller island “neighbor” hasn’t been so prolific. But New Zealand is still the home nation of three NBA players, including Steven Adams, who still plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. Sean Marks was the first NBA player born in New Zealand and played for several teams across his career. He is now the general manager of the Brooklyn Nets.
Basketball might be a very American sport, but the NBA welcomes players from around the world who have the right skills.
