The NBA has become a global game because Americans are no longer the single-most dominant force in the league. Nowadays, we are seeing MVP winners who are European (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic) for the past four years, and they are even winning NBA titles, as seen by what the Milwaukee Bucks did in 2021. Despite the rise of superstar players, foreign players have actually not had a disadvantage in the league because they have brought elite skill to the table every night. Other than the United States, arguably the greatest basketball nation is Spain.
Spain has had a great impact on the court on an international level, as the country has won 3 gold medals in the Olympics (1955, 1997, 2001), four silver medals (1951, 1959, 1963, 1987), and a bronze medal in 2005. The Spanish are always in the mix for any global sport because they are dedicated to winning, skillfully, and training to be the best. Even if Spanish players have had more success on an international level rather than in the NBA, there have been a select few Spanish players who had excellent careers filled with accolades and achievements.
Spanish superstar and retired NBA legend Pau Gasol recently got his jersey retired, and it was both a wonderful and emotional moment as the big man’s shirt was lifted into the rafters alongside Kobe Bryant’s. Gasol is Kobe’s greatest teammate after Shaquille O’Neal, as they won back-to-back NBA titles in 2009 and 2010 together. After all, Bryant always knew the big man would have his name honored in the rafters one day. Even before Gasol joined the Lakers, he was a bonafide All-Star with the Memphis Grizzlies. No doubt, Pau Gasol is one of the greatest Spanish players ever, but where does he rank among the 10 greatest Spanish NBA players of all time? It is time to go through history and name the 10 best Spanish players who have ever competed in the National Basketball Association.
Honorable Mentions
Alex Abrines
Career Stats: 5.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: None
Alex Abrines is mainly known for being a role player for the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Russell Westbrook. Abrines was drafted No. 32 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft and was expected to be a bench player who can shoot the ball. Abrines actually ended up making his debut in the 2017 NBA season. Much like most other Spanish players, shooting was a key component of Abrines’ game.
Unfortunately, Abrines never had a chance to show what he could really do as he only played three seasons in the NBA, with his best season coming in his rookie campaign (6.0 PPG on 38.1% 3-PT FG). Perhaps Abrines’ lack of athleticism and defensive impact is the main reason the player has not played in the NBA since 2019. He was still a very good shooter from the three-point line, which begs the question if he can find an NBA roster spot for himself at 29 years old currently.
Sergio Rodriguez
Career Stats: 7.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 5.1 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: None
Sergio Rodriguez is one of those bench players that had a tendency to create some offense when he entered the game. The guard averages 33.7% from three over his career and has not been in the NBA since the 2017 season with the Philadelphia 76ers. In that season, Sergio posted 7.8 PPG and 5.1 APG on 36.5% from the three-point line.
Interestingly enough, Rodriguez also played in the NBA between 2007 and 2010 for the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and the New York Knicks. Out of all the 5 seasons he played in the league, his best easily came in 2017, as he was a valuable addition competing in 68 games with 30 starts. At age 36, Rodriguez probably won’t be coming back to the NBA anytime soon.
10. Juancho Hernangomez
Career Stats: 5.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: None
Juancho Hernangomez is an actual NBA player more than he is a movie star. Juancho was excellent in Adam Sandler’s “Hustle” and certainly gained credibility as a fan-favorite. In the NBA, he is not exactly an international star who is setting the world on fire but is a capable bench player who can space the floor and play high-IQ basketball.
Juancho has played in 7 NBA seasons so far, an impressive run after getting selected No. 15 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. At 6’9” and 214 lbs, Juancho is smaller than his brother and often occupies the forward spots as a result. The Spanish forward had his best season in 2021 when he averaged 7.2 PPG and 3.9 RPG for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Hernangomez changed four teams in the last two years, and he was waived in February by the Toronto Raptors.
9. Willy Hernangomez
Career Stats: 7.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: 2016-17 All-Rookie Team Selection
Willy Hernangomez has a brother in the NBA, Juancho, and they both have similar playing styles. Willy, at 6’11” and 250 lbs, brings some skill at the center position. He is not a powerhouse by any means, but he can rebound quite well and has a high basketball IQ. So far in his career, Willy is posting 7.4 PPG and 5.8 RPG.
Hernangomez was selected 35th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft and has played 7 seasons in the NBA so far. Currently, Willy is playing for the New Orleans Pelicans after appearing in 33 games with 2 starts so far. Hernangomez is averaging 7.5 PPG and 5.2 RPG so far this season and is a player who can shore up an NBA team with his height and IQ.
8. Nikola Mirotic
Career Stats: 12.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: 2014-15 All-Rookie Team Selection
Nikola Mirotic is a talented offensive player who had a very solid start to his career, posting 10.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 0.7 BPG on 31.6% from the three-point line. A modern-day forward is 6’10” and 250 lbs, yet can space the floor from deep and get hot when in his rhythm. Mirotic played 5 seasons in the NBA, the last year coming in 2019.
Mirotic played three full seasons with the Chicago Bulls after getting drafted No. 23 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, making his debut in 2015. In each season, Mirotic posted over 10 PPG and had back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019, posting over 15 PPG and 7 RPG while nailing over 36% from three. After the Bulls, he played for the Pelicans and Bucks and never come back to the NBA league since 2019.
7. Rudy Fernandez
Career Stats: 9.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: 2008-09 All-Rookie Team Selection
Rudy Fernandez is one of the most talented perimeter shot-creators that has originated from Spain and competed in the NBA. The 6’6” shooting guard was always capable of finding space to get his shots up and had a very short memory if he ever missed. Playing his first three seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and one season with the Denver Nuggets, Fernandez had a short-lived career as he went off to Spain in 2013.
Fernandez averaged 36.0% from three over his career and was required to space the floor and provide an energizer bunny-like impact coming off the bench. Rudy started 10 games in his career over the 249 he played in, with his best campaign coming in his rookie season (10.4 PPG on 39.9% 3-PT FG). Now nearing 38 years old, Fernandez had a great run in Spain, more than what he did in the NBA for sure.
6. Ricky Rubio
Career Stats: 10.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: 2011-12 All-Rookie Team Selection
Ricky Rubio is one of the most talented international passers to come into the NBA in terms of elite playmaking ability. Rubio is a natural passer and is always reliable when it comes to running an offense and creating solid plays for his teammates. There is no wonder the Spanish point guard has played 12 years in the NBA for only four different teams.
Averaging a career 10.9 PPG and 7.5 APG, Rubio has solid numbers and is also capable on defense (1.8 SPG) when he isn’t running the offense. Rubio has also averaged at least 8 APG in six different seasons, a very elite statistic to consider. The Spanish maestro has played almost 700 games in the NBA over his career, which makes him one of the greatest Spanish players of all time in terms of longevity and impact. On January 2023, he returns from an injury, and since then, he played 20 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
5. Wally Szczerbiak
Career Stats: 14.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: 2001-02 All-Star, 1999-2000 All-Rookie Team Selection
Wally Szczerbiak is one of the best international floor-spacers as a wing player, and he might be the best perimeter Spanish scorer of all time. Szczerbiak made the All-Star Team in 2002 by posting 18.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 3.1 APG on 45.5% from the three-point line and was unable to replicate that season on an all-around level.
Szczerbiak was Kevin Garnett’s go-to scorer with the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2000s and was also reliable in terms of nailing outside shots. Szczerbiak played 10 seasons in the NBA, a very solid number, and started 393 out of 651 career games. Wally had five seasons posting at least 15 PPG and had a career 40.6% 3-PT FG at the time of his retirement.
4. Jose Calderon
Career Stats: 8.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 5.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: None
Much like Ricky Rubio, Jose Calderon was an excellent playmaker who had a natural knack for leading an offense. However, Calderon is a far better shooter who averaged a career 40.7% from the three-point line and 87.3% from the free-throw line. Anytime Calderon was open from three or from the free-throw line; it was almost always going to be a perfect swish.
Calderon never made an All-Star Team, but he had five seasons posting at least 7 APG and even had five seasons shooting at least 90% from the free-throw line. The Spaniard shot an incredible 98.1% from the free-throw line in 2009, a record that is held until today. Calderon only missed three free throws that entire season, and beyond being a capable marksman, he was a consistent floor general.
3. Serge Ibaka
Career Stats: 12.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.9 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: 2019 NBA Champion, 3x All-Defensive Team Selections, 2x Blocks Champion
Serge Ibaka is one of the best shot-blockers of his generation, hence his nickname Serge “Iblacka.” The Spanish star originates from the Republic of Congo but competes for the Spanish international team and has had an excellent career so far. The big man made his name with the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, winning back-to-back blocks titles in 2012 and 2013 by averaging 3.7 BPG and 3.0 BPG, respectively.
Ibaka bounced around a bit but found his best role as a shot-blocking and mid-range scoring big man for the Toronto Raptors in 2019. Ibaka played a critical role alongside Marc Gasol (another fellow Spaniard) to stifle opposing players and provide veteran experience. Ibaka is always capable of defending the rim and had the third-largest impact as a Spanish player in NBA history.
2. Marc Gasol
Career Stats: 14.0 PPG. 7.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.4 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: 2019 NBA Champion, 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year, 2012-13 All-Defensive Team Selection, 2008-09 All-Rookie Team Selection
Marc Gasol, one-half of the legendary Gasol brothers, was a dominant defensive player in his prime. The Spanish center relied on brute strength, size, and defensive IQ to be a force inside the paint for the Memphis Grizzlies, making three All-Star Teams with the franchise. Gasol also won a Defensive Player of the Year with the franchise (beating out LeBron James) and later proved to be a valuable member of the 2019 Toronto Raptors.
Gasol was a steal of a pickup by the Raptors franchise in 2019 as he fortified the paint and provided depth alongside Serge Ibaka and Pascal Siakam. With Marc bringing his elite defensive IQ and leadership to the team, the Raptors made it to the 2019 NBA Finals and won the NBA title. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020-21 season, and since then, he never returned to the NBA. Marc was a more powerful player than his brother Pau was, but he was still not as good as the legendary Grizzlies and Lakers star.
1. Pau Gasol
Career Stats: 17.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.6 BPG
Career Achievements And Awards: 2x NBA Champion, 6x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team Selection, 2001-02 Rookie of the Year, 2001-02 All-Rookie Team Selection
Pau Gasol is, without a doubt, the greatest Spanish NBA player of all time. The Spaniard captured the Rookie of the Year award in 2002 by posting 17.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, and 2.1 BPG for the Memphis Grizzlies as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Pau would later make his first All-Star Team in 2006 for the Grizzlies, posting 20.4 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 1.9 BPG.
Gasol was one of the best bigs in the league with Memphis, but his stock took a massive jump when the Los Angeles Lakers acquired him in a massive heist at the time. Pau Gasol was acquired to be Kobe Bryant’s sidekick in Los Angeles, and it only took two seasons before the duo led the team to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. Pau made three straight All-Star Teams between 2009 and 2011 and proved to be Kobe’s best teammate since Shaquille O’Neal. Without Gasol, the Lakers do not win the two championships, and Lakers Nation is grateful for that as they retired the star’s jersey.
Even after Gasol left the Lakers, he wasn’t done. At 34 years old, Pau Gasol joined the Chicago Bulls in free agency, making back-to-back All-Star Teams by posting double-double averages and still proving to be an elite big man. Following the 2016 season, Pau joined the San Antonio Spurs, and that is when his decline started. With 18 seasons played in the NBA, Gasol managed to win two NBA titles, make 6 All-Star Teams and 4 All-NBA Teams, and retire as the greatest Spanish player of all time.
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