Obviously less well received in the United States than their American counterparts, Tony Parker, Rudy Gobert and Joakim Noah are still seen as major players in the history of the NBA. The three appear in the pretty Top 30 drawn up by a US media!
Before the NBA truly opened up to the world, and welcomed the best players from other continents into it, it was not easy to win without an American passport. Even today, differences in perception can also be noted between players from Uncle Sam’s country and others. Despite this, a few French players have managed to pull out of the game in the league’s rich history.
6 French people among the best all-time internationals
With an increasing number of representatives, France sees some of them establishing themselves as real references on the prosecution across the Atlantic. Tony Parker, Rudy Gobert and Joakim Noah are among them. The three were also listed among the top 30 international all-time players by the media. HoopsHype, which even places our national TP in 6th position!
Super fast leader with unparalleled talents to change direction, Tony Parker has made a name for himself by going into the paint and finishing in the middle of the greats thanks to his unstoppable floater. He was not a very good long-range shooter, nor in any case an elite defender, but he remains nevertheless one of the best all-time point guard, which proves his talent in his role, however difficult to to endorse for players coming from Europe.
Still far from having finished his career, Gobert appears in 13th place on this list, ahead of legends like Drazen Petrovic and Yao Ming… or even a star like Joel Embiid !
Rudy Gobert’s combination of length, mobility and intelligence makes him one of the most devastating defenders in history. Without having a real offensive game, Gobert can still cause a lot of damage on this side of the field by placing screens and placing himself at the finish of alley-oops.
Carried by his two selections at the All-Star Game, but especially by his title of Defender of the Year 2014, Joakim Noah comes in for his part in 25th place in the standings.
One of the most energetic players in history, Joakim Noah was considered one of the best pivots in the league at his height. Even though he couldn’t shoot very long range, Noah was nonetheless gifted with his ball handling and highmate or midrange playmaker talents. His efforts and instinct also allowed him to be considered an elite defender in his bonus.
The three French internationals are also not the only Blues to appear in this ranking. Nicolas Batum (44th), Boris Diaw (57th) and Evan Fournier (62nd) follow. What reminds us that France has definitely benefited from glorious standard-bearers in the NBA in recent years!
6 French people admitted to the Top 75 of all-time internationals in the NBA, including 3 among the top 30… Let us hope that these figures will continue to increase in the coming years!
