Some of these guys were insanely talented
Basketball has become a seriously international sport since 1992, when the Dream Team caught the world’s imagination. Today you see many international stars in the NBA. The last two drafts have seen French players go #1, so it’s quite a difference.
For decades though international players mostly stayed overseas and there were some great ones who stayed away from the NBA.
Most of this list of the Top Ten players who never played in the NBA will be obscure to most of you but #1 and #4 may not be.
Oscar Schmidt is a Brazilian who was not passionate about defense but it didn’t matter because he was going to outscore you every night. He finished his career with 49,737 points, which is incredible. However, he wouldn’t have scored that many in the NBA and he would have had to have played defense. He could not be merely a savant.
And #4, Sergey Belov, was a great Soviet player who helped the USSR controversially upset the US in 1972. The Americans have never accepted their silver medals.
Here’s the list:
