The influx of foreign-born NBA players has been one of the biggest changes in the NBA in recent years.
The NBA has seen European players be drafted number one overall (Andrea Bargnani), become franchise-worthy players (Dirk Nowitzki) and win NBA Finals MVP honors (Tony Parker).
The NBA is truly an international sport but with the many great European players to play on the highest basketball court in the globe and at European leagues, the question becomes – which European player is the best ever?
HoopsHype.com conducted a survey among 38 players currently hooping it up at EuroBasket 2013 and coming in as the second-best European player ever was San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker trailing only to the late Drazen Petrovic.
The players competing at the tournament apparently put a lot of stock in the performances at FIBA championships as Petrovic, Arvydas Sabonis and Dejan Bodiroga – with 11 NBA seasons combined – made the Top 4 while All-Stars like Detlef Schrempf, Predrag Stojakovic and Zydrunas Ilgauskas were massively snubbed and Dirk Nowitzki, the only Euro to win regular season and Finals MVP, ended up in a surprising fifth position.
Considering the survey was given to Parker's peers this is quite an honor. Add the fact he is a three-time NBA champion (2003, 2005, 2007), NBA Finals MVP (2007), five-time NBA All-Star, garnered NBA MVP attention last season, considered one of the best the best point guards in the league right now, and is currently trying to win his first ever EuroBasket title with Team France, it goes without saying No. 9 is one of the best Euro players.
Here are the top-10 Euro players in the Hoops Hype survey and make sure to weigh with your thoughts Spurs fans.
