Countries With the Most NBA Players

It's weird that Canada has been so bad in international competition given the number of NBA players they've produced. Of course, Steve Nash not suiting up for them in his day probably didn't help.

It is not strange if you know basketball history of Yugoslavia and its former republics. We have long basletball tradition, since WWII and very quality basketball schools. Hight have its roll also. Yes we are among highest people in the world. For example, I am 180 cm tall and I can not be considered as very tall man in Serbia. Also Slovenia is current European champion and Serbia is vice-champion at the World Cup and Basketball Olympic Tournament.

Which makes me wonder why Netherlands isn't represented. Those people are tall as well!

Because basketball is not so popular in Netherlands.

Also teams like Bosna Sarajevo, Cibona Zagreb, Jugoplastika Split and Partizan Belgrade were European champions with players from Yugoslavia only.

Bosnia? I thought it was the Dutch and Danes who were the tallest people in the world.

I think it's more just that basketball is more popular in the Balkans than in the rest of Europe. You see more basketball courts there, anyway.

I am born and raise on Dalmatia, Croatia. I was always second lowest kid in my class and they called me "Mrva"(meaning: little boy). Funny thing is I was 183 cm tall in first grade of highschool and grew to 190cm by the end of fourth grade. There were 3 guys over 2m in my class and almost 10 in our generation. I am not saying it is like that in whole Balkans but that is my expirience. Of course when i came to Zagreb to college I wasnt the lowest kid anymore.

I also think that the Soviets did a lot to fuel interest in basketball in all the countries in their sphere of influence, including Yugoslavia, back before '92 when Communist countries could still beat the USA in Olympic basketball, due to the restriction on NBA players being allowed to participate.

Simply put, ex-Yugoslavia is historically the heart of European basketball, even more than the former Soviet Union. Slovenia is at the top, right now, while Serbia and Croatia used to lead the way in past decades. The first truly impactful European players in NBA history came from there.

Dutch men are the tallest in the world (185,6 cm / 6 feet 1). and we are shit. I don't think it's height. Serbia has ruled European basketball for some time. It's kinda like baseball where the every european championship has been won by either the Dutch or Italians

Yugoslavia doesn't stand out much in height compared to the rest of Europe except south. Interest/tradition/training quality is much more important than height (like speed skating in the Netherlands, Lithuania is also a similar "anomaly" in basketball). At some point half of the Euroleague coaches were ex-YU.

I love how Kyrie must count for Australia in this quiz

Got everything except Senegal.

7 chinese players in history, they will be on the list soon enough :)

Missed Bosnia and Lithuania. Should have remembered what I heard of Lithuanian basketball, but Bosnia is a surprise

Montenegrins are the tallest among the Balkans, but they're on listed. In Lithuania, Basketball is most popular sport, so it's surprising it doesn't have more players.

No Netherlands?

They're too nerdy, in a good way

There have been 6: -Hank Beenders (1945-1950) Celtics -Swen Nater (1973-1985) Bucks/Clippers/Lakers -Geert Hammink (1993-2004) Magic/Racers/Warriors -Rik Smits "The dunking dutchman" (1988-2000) (1998 All-Star) Indiana Pacers -Francisco Elson (1999-2013) Nuggets/Spurs/SuperSonics/Bucks/76ers/Jazz -Dan Gadzuric (2002-2015) Bucks/Warriors/Nets Lot more college players though.