International players are arriving at the league’s doorstep every single year and are quickly making their mark in the game. To put it into perspective, nobody from the US has won one of the most prestigious awards in the league, the MVP trophy, within the last five years. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who hails from Greece, won the award in back to back fashion in 2019 and 2020. Serbian Nikola Jokic took home the hardware in 2021 and 2022. Last season, it was Cameroonian Joel Embiid who won the award in a tight race against Nikola Jokic.
Last season, the league had 120 international players on opening day roster spots. Today, we’ll discuss the best players from every country in the 2023-2024 season. Lets have a look…
Angola – Bruno Fernando
A young journeyman center from Angola, the 6’9” Fernando was the 34th pick of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2019 NBA Draft. He is currently playing for the Atlanta Hawks.
Australia – Kyrie Irving
It may become a surprise to many that Kyrie Irving is perhaps Australia’s best player ever but only by technicality. Although his parents were American, Irving was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1992. They went back to the US when he was two. Considered one of the best ball handlers in the game, Kyrie never represented Australia in any international competition.
Austria – Jakob Poeltl
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While Austria is not known as a basketball hotbed, Poeltl has since carved out a nice career in the league and had a breakout year last season while playing for the Toronto Raptors.
Bahamas – Deandre Ayton
After dominating college basketball while donning the Arizona jersey, Ayton became the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft in 2018. He is currently the starting center of the newly-revamped Phoenix Suns.
Belgium – Frank Ntilikina
While we constantly see Ntilikina in a Les Bleus jersey in international competition, not many know that he was born in Belgium in 1998 to Rwandan parents. He spent his first three years in Belgium before his family decided to settle in France.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Bojan Bogdanovic
Jusuf Nurkic would also be a great selection here, but Bogdanovic takes the cake for now. Bojan is a late bloomer but when he started to show his prowess as a shooter, teams quickly took notice. He is considered as one of the best shooters in the league today.
Brazil – Raul Neto
Neto has been with four different teams during his eight years in the league. Neto is known as a hard-working point guard a steady presence inside the locker room.
Cameroon – Joel Embiid
The reigning league MVP was born in Yaounde, Cameroon, in 1994. The 29-year-old is considered as a top five player in today’s NBA and is currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers since 2014. Embiid is also a two-time NBA scoring champion and a six-time all-star.
Canada – Jamal Murray
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is definitely an appealing option here, but Murray has proven his worth after playing second option and winning an NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets last season.
Croatia – Dario Saric
Saric was born in Croatia and was once a promising young player before injuries derailed his career. The 29-year-old was a starter for most of his career until he suffered an ACL injury during the 2020-2021 season.
Czech Republic – Vit Krejci
The 23-year-old was selected as the 37th overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2020 NBA draft and has since played for the Thunder and the Hawks during his young career.
Congo – Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo had a decent career as an NBA journeyman for several teams. He is known for his defensive abilities and is a widely-regarded positive voice in locker rooms throughout his career.
Dominican Republic – Al Horford
Horford is considered as the best player to ever come out of the Dominican Republic. He has been named to numerous all-star games and has been a steady veteran presence for young teams such as the Celtics.
Finland – Lauri Markkanen
Nicknamed “The Finnisher”, Markkanen was originally drafted by the Chicago Bulls and now plays for the Utah Jazz. He is primed to represent his native country in the upcoming FIBA World Cup this upcoming August.
France – Rudy Gobert
His position on this list could replaced soon due to the arrival of French phenom Victor Wembanyama. But for now, Gobert gets the nod due to the accolades he gathered so far in his career which included multiple Defensive Player of the year awards.
Georgia – Goga Bitzade
Bitzade is the sole representative for the country of Georgia since he was drafted in 2019. Originally drafted by the Indiana Pacers, he is now plying his trade for the Orlando Magic.
Germany – Franz Wagner
Dennis Schroder is also a great pick here, but when it’s all said and done, Wagner could statistically enjoy a better career than the former. A 6’10” guard, he is one of Orlando Magic’s promising players and part of their relatively young roster.
Greece – Giannis Antetokounmpo
There’s no competition with this one. Giannis is simply the greatest Greek who ever picked up a basketball. A two-time MVP and a FMVP recipient, the Greek Freak is one of the best ever to play the game.
Guinea – Mamadi Diakite
Diakite is currently toiling between the NBA and the G-League in his first few seasons in the league. He is best remembered for his contributions to Virginia’s national championship winning team in 2019.
Israel – Dani Avdija
Avdija is starting to hit his stride and is slowly becoming a solid contributor for the Washington Wizards. Expect that his game will continue to evolve as he gets more playing time this upcoming season.
Italy – Danilo Gallinari
Gallinari has been a strong contributor for various teams throughout his career. An agile big man who could shoot, the 6’10” Italian is currently on a string of injuries the past couple of years.
Jamaica – Nick Richards
The big man was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1997. Richards is slowly adapting to the NBA’s pace and is expected to be a major contributor for the Charlotte Hornets next season.
Japan – Rui Hachimura
After a standout college career in Gonzaga, Hachimura was selected in the lottery by the Wizards in 2019. The Toyama native now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, where he recently signed a lengthy extension with the team.
Latvia – Kristaps Porzingis
Originally selected by the Knicks in 2015, the 7’3” sweet shooting big man has since played for Dallas, Washington and now, Boston. He is expected to help the young duo of Tatum and Brown into title contention next season.
Lithuania – Domantas Sabonis
The son of European legend Arvydas, the younger Sabonis has carved a pretty nice career for himself in the NBA. In 2023, Domas led the Sacramento Kings to their first playoff appearance since 2006.
New Zealand – Steven Adams
Generally considered as one of the good guys in the entire league, Adams remains the lone representative of New Zealand since Sean Marks. He is currently the starting center for the young Memphis Grizzlies.
Nigeria – Precious Achiuwa
Achiuwa started his career with a slew of DNPs but started to get recognized for his efforts during the 2021-2022 season. The Nigerian native is enjoying his time in Toronto as he is expected to be a main contributor next season.
Serbia – Nikola Jokic
Words could not justify the greatness of the Joker. He is the best player in the world right now.
Slovenia – Luka Doncic
Let me put it in this way – without Luka, Slovenia will not be a contending team during international competitions. The Mavericks struck beyond gold by trading for him in the 2018 NBA draft.
Spain – Ricky Rubio
With the departure of the Gasol brothers, Rubio is one of the remaining members of Spain’s basketball golden generation. A little bit older now, he plays back-up point guard for the Cavaliers.
Sudan – Bol Bol
Bol undoubtedly has the talent to play among the best, but his talent is often overlooked by teams due to his injury history. Recently signed by the Phoenix Suns, Bol is expected to be unleashed next season, for better or worse.
Switzerland – Clint Capela
Capela is considered as one of the best defensive big the league for quite sometime now. The Swiss big man is currently playing for the Atlanta Hawks alongside Trae Young.
Turkey – Alperen Sengun
Many analysts agree that Sengun will become Houston’s franchise player sooner rather than later. The Turkish big man has the IQ of Nikola Jokic, but equipped with more athleticism than the former MVP.
United Kingdom – OG Anunoby
The Knicks forward is slowly becoming one of the best two-way players in the league at the age of 26. Born in London in 1997, he spent his first four years there before his family immigrated to the US and eventually settled in Missouri.
United States – Stephen Curry
There are tons of players who qualify for this prestigious list but Steph occupies the position for the best player in the US right now. Even at 35 years old, Curry continues to elevate his game and is shooting an absurd clip from the three-point line in his 14th season. Curry is widely considered as the best shooter in the history of the game.
