Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: 30 greatest international players in league history

By Daniel Lubofsky

SAN ANTONIO - MAY 09: Guard Steve Nash #13 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball past Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center on May 9, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO - MAY 09: Guard Steve Nash #13 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball past Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center on May 9, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
16 of 30
Next
Kiki VanDeWeghe
Kiki VanDeWeghe (Photo by NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Greatest international NBA players of all time: 15. Kiki VanDeWeghe

If at all, Kiki VanDeWeghe is most known for serving as the Executive Vice President of the NBA and also the face of the group that infamously suspended Draymond Green for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals. What casual fans may not know is that not only did VanDeWeghe play in the league for over a decade, he was also a really good scorer during the prime of his career.

After a so-so rookie season, VanDeWeghe burst onto the NBA landscape with incredible production in the scoring column. Built like a prototypical small forward at 6’8” and roughly 220 pounds, he would make the switch to the power forward prior to his sophomore season that allowed him to thrive.

From 1981-87, VanDeWeghe was a consistent 20 point per game scorer. His lowest in a single season was 20.2 while he posted a career-best mark of 29.4 a night during the 1982-83 campaign. He would also qualify for back-to-back All-Star appearances in 1983 and 1984, arguably his two best seasons as a pro.

Those two All-Star Games would come as a member of the Denver Nuggets, where VanDeWeghe spent the first four seasons of his career after being selected 11th overall back in 1980. The latter four and a half years of his scoring prowess came following a trade to the Portland Trail Blazers, who wound up moving him back to the small forward slot.

VanDeWeghe was still effective at the three-spot, actually posting a higher per game scoring average with the Blazers compared to Denver at 23.5 to 23.3 a game, respectively. Yet his trajectory was trending upwards during his last run with the Nuggets with that career-high scoring mark. Had Portland kept him at what appeared to be his ideal position, maybe he could’ve gone even higher.

Aside from his two All-Star appearances, VanDeWeghe didn’t accomplish much of anything during his time in the NBA. A forgotten scorer, he played the game at a level higher than most and seemed to be a man before his time as a small-ball forward.