Non-US Countries That Have Produced the Most NBA Draft Picks in the Last 10 Years
Not only is Victor Wembenyama now formally attached to the San Antonio Spurs, the French icon headlines the latest group of international prospects to hear their names called in the NBA draft.
While the list is not massive, relatively speaking, the last 10 years have included more than 100 picks from outside the United States.
And six countries have produced at least five selections.
In the U.S., Kentucky and Duke boast the most draft picks during the last decade. For this piece, however, we're focused on international players whose journeys didn't include a U.S. college.
The list is based solely on the total number of NBA draft selections. Neither pro production nor undrafted players—as valuable as some may be—are weighed.
Brazil
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Checking in with five selections, Brazil has unfortunately found itself drifting in a quieter direction.
Nene, Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejao and Tiago Splitter comprised a decent quartet of players in the 2010s. Short of 2013 second-rounder Raul Neto, who's worked into rotational spots on a few franchises, the drafted players have not panned out as hoped.
First-round picks Lucas Nogueria (2013) and Bruno Caboclo (2014) made 141 and 105 career appearances, respectively.
Marcos Louzada Silva and Gui Santos, second-rounders in 2019 and 2022, have yet to play in the NBA.
Spain
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The most famous Spaniards are the Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc. But another set of siblings made the NBA, too.
After the New York Knicks acquired Willy Hernangomez during the 2015 draft, the Denver Nuggets used a 2016 first-rounder on Juan Hernangomez. They both debuted in the 2016-17 season and have cleared 300 career games.
While 2013 second-round choice Alex Abrines spent three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, 2021 first-rounder Usman Garuba would be playing his third on the Houston Rockets in 2023-24.
The final pick, 2015 second-rounder Dani Diez, hasn't played in the NBA but completes the five-man group.
Australia
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The third country with a handful of draft selections, Australia has an ascending star in its ranks.
Josh Giddey went to Oklahoma City in 2021, and he's quickly become a key piece of the Thunder. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists during his second NBA season.
Perhaps there is a technicality with Dyson Daniels, considering he played in the G League before heading to the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2022 draft. Nevertheless, he'd gone through the NBA Global Academy and is very much a product of Australia.
Along with 2014 first-rounder Dante Exum, the others are Jonah Bolden (2019) and Luke Travers (2022).
Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Within the last decade, Bosnia and Herzegovina has celebrated two of its best NBA exports.
Jusuf Nurkic, a first-round selection in 2014, has played nine combined seasons with the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers. Through the 2022-23 campaign, he's averaged 12.3 points and 8.6 rebounds.
Two years later, Ivica Zubac headed to the Los Angeles Lakers as a second-round pick. He spent two-plus seasons primarily in a reserve role before a low-mileage trade to the Los Angeles Clippers. Zubac soon locked down a starting role for the Clippers.
Rounding out the country's six selections are Dragan Bender (2016)—a top pick who never found an NBA footing—Dzanan Musa (2018), Karlo Matkovic (2022) and Tarik Biberovic (2023).
Serbia
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Hall of Fame center Vlade Divac has stood as the most prominent Serbian player in NBA history.
Nikola Jokic is undoubtedly on track to swipe that label.
Through eight seasons, he's a five-time All-NBA choice, five-time All-Star and two-time league MVP. Most notably, though, he carried the Nuggets to a championship in 2023.
Jokic went to the Nuggets during the second round in 2014, a draft that also produced first-rounder Bogdan Bogdanovic. Not only has he emerged as one of the league's top three-point shooters, Bogdanovic has tallied 14.2 points per game in six seasons.
The reality is most of the other 12 total selections haven't appeared in the NBA, but Aleksej Pokusevski is a role player for the Thunder.
France
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Similar to Serbia, France has a considerably large list of players that largely revolves one major name.
For now, at least.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert established himself as a rim-protecting force after the Utah Jazz picked him in the first round of the 2013 draft. He's landed six All-Defensive Team honors and won Defensive Player of the Year three times, also making four All-NBA teams.
Victor Wembanyama is aiming to change that notion, along with fellow 2023 first-rounder Bilal Coulibaby. They'll be playing for the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers, respectively.
Including the French overseas departments, the country has generated 22 picks through the 2023 draft.
Other familiar names are Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (2016), Frank Ntilikina (2017) and Theo Maledon (2020).
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