The National Basketball Association, better known as the NBA, is a professional men’s basketball league in North America consisting of 29 United States teams and one Canadian team.
The NBA, despite only featuring North American teams, employs players from all over the world as interest in basketball has soared over the past few decades. The NBA actively seeks out and recruits players, either directly or indirectly, into its league. This trend is reflected in the composition of teams in the NBA in the 2017-18 season, which featured 108 international players from 42 countries and territories on the inaugural rosters.
Note that these statistics do not take into account American players who are originally from other countries and are children of immigrants.
A significant portion of the international players in the NBA hail from Africa, following in the footsteps of the greats of the past who went to the NBA to make their mark.
African countries have also caught the craze for the continent now having its own international basketball tournament, with scouts from the prestigious North American league scouting for players. Those who have made it to the NBA have proven that they are not only good, but very good at the game.
5 Best African Basketball Stars
1.Hakeem Olajuwon
Considered the most talented center in NBA history and the best African player in the NBA, Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon is ranked number one on the list of top African basketball stars.
Hakeem was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1963 and played basketball until he came to the United States in 1980. However, he went on to become one of the top centers where the game has ever been played. He played 18 years in the NBA, winning two NBA championships in 1994 and 1995 and was named NBA Finals MVP both times. He was also a 12-time NBA All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, an Olympic gold medalist, and many other accolades. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen.
2. Steve Nash
Steve Nash is one of those who can be Many countries said they grew up in British Columbia, Canada and are the child of a Welsh mother and an English father. However, he makes this list because he was born in 1974 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Steve played nineteen seasons as a point guard in the NBA. He played for teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, but is best known for his stint with the Phoenix Suns, where he won consistent MVP titles. He is also a member of the prestigious 50-40-90 club, having averaged over 50 percent of field goals, over 40 percent of the 3-point line and over 90 percent of the free throw line over multiple seasons. He has led the league a total of five times and assisted per game.
Nash has been honored for his contributions to various philanthropic causes. In 2006, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2007 he received the Order of Canada and in 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Victoria.
Nash is currently the executive director of the Canada National Team and is a player development consultant for the Golden State Warriors. He is also co-owner of a professional soccer team. Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
3. Bismack Biyombo
Bismack Biyombo is an NBA star from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was born on August 28, 1992.
Biyombo was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft before being immediately traded to the Charlotte Bobcats.
He has been ranked as one of the highest paid African players in the NBA with a very promising future and is one of the top blockers in the league.
4. Luol Deng
Luol Deng is another African player to come out on top in the NBA.
Deng was born on April 16, 1985 in Wau, Sudan (now South Sudan). His family left the embattled African nation for England, which granted his family political asylum when Sudan’s second civil war broke out.
Deng moved to the United States from England. She played basketball in high school and college. After a year of college basketball at Duke University, Deng entered the 2004 NBA draft and was selected seventh overall by the Phoenix Suns.
He went on to play for the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and the LA Lakers. In his 14 years in the league, he averaged 15 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 45.5% from the floor and 33.2% from three-point territory.
5. Dikembe Mutombo
The fifth player to list the top 5 African basketball stars is Dikembe Mutombo.
Mutombo was born on June 25, 1966 in Leopoldville (present-day Kinshasa), Democratic Republic of the Congo. He moved to the United States in 1987 at the age of 21 to enroll on a USAID scholarship to college at Georgetown University.
Despite high hopes of becoming a doctor, Mutombo thrived in basketball. After completing his bachelor’s degree in linguistics and diplomacy in 1991, he was drafted fourth overall by the Denver Nuggets of the 1991 NBA draft.
To date, Mutombo remains the highest-paid African player in NBA history. He earned more than $143 million in his 18 seasons in the league.