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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) /
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Joel Embiid, Sixers
Joel Embiid, Sixers (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Greatest international NBA players of all time: 13. Joel Embiid

Even before being drafted, injuries were derailing Joel Embiid’s career. Originally slated to go No. 1 overall in 2014, a pre-draft injury sent fear around the league that had him drop to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3. It would then take two full years of rehab before Embiid would make his NBA debut. Although his absence may have been frustrating for Philly fans at first, his greatness ever since has proved well worth the wait.

The two years spent on the sidelines clearly helped shorten Embiid’s learning curve and allowed him to try and make up for lost times. He averaged a ridiculous 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in just 25.4 minutes a game as a rookie. Had he appeared in more than 31 games, the Rookie of the Year trophy would’ve been unquestionably his.

The NBA is full of seven-footers whose style of play is anything but their contemporaries of the past. Sure, Embiid can dominate the low block with sheer strength, but he’s got an array of fakes with precise footwork and at times has even broken out a euro-step that leaves defenders in the dust.

Over the past two seasons, Embiid has blossomed into the player many expected him to be coming out of college. He’s made two All-Star teams while being selected for both the All-Defense and All-NBA teams as well. His two-way prowess has the Sixers thinking championship, and it’s scary to think their franchise center has only scratched the surface of what he’s fully capable of.

During an ESPN Sixers broadcast during these past playoffs, analyst Mark Jackson made a statement about Embiid’s potential, saying “It will be a crime if he leaves this game, barring any injury, not being compared to the best big men that’s ever played this game.”

It seems like health is always going to be an issue. For all his statistical achievements, he has yet to play even 70 games in a single season and spent most of the 2019 postseason dealing with one ailment over another.

However, given his career averages of 24.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in a little over 30 minutes of nightly per game action, it’s hard not to see the truth in Jackson’s words. Embiid may have looked like a bust early on, but those early memories have been wiped away, replaced with a level of production that has him well on his way to a higher spot on this list in the coming years.