Over the last 76 years, the NBA has transformed from a small and very select league filled with American-born players into one of the most diverse leagues in all of sports and a powerhouse brand. Over the last 20 years, we have seen the NBA’s international talent pool grow immensely, and one of the spots that have produced a good chunk of that talent is the beautiful continent of Africa. Back in 1984, Hakeem Olajuwon became the first African-born player to debut in the NBA. Since that time, 76 players who were born in Africa have made their way to the NBA.
Today, we are going to celebrate these African-born legends in the same way we have celebrated the greatest current European players in the past. These players have paved the way for young men and women to see the dream of making the NBA is possible. The 10 players below are the greatest African players to ever hit the NBA, but all 76 in history deserve recognition for what they have done for the international growth of the game.
These are the 10 greatest African-born NBA players in history.
Honorable MentionsGorgui Dieng
Credit: Bruce Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 7.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.9 BPG
Gorgui Dieng is a 10-year veteran of the NBA who was born in Kebemer, Senegal, in 1990. Dieng would eventually attend Huntington Prep in West Virginia to play his high school basketball and earn a spot at the University of Louisville to play college. His college days earned him a shot at the NBA, and he was drafted 21st overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Dieng would spend his first six and a half seasons in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He would be a member of the All-Rookie Team in his first season averaging 4.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG. In 2016 and 2017, Dieng would have back-to-back 10.0 PPG and 7.0 RPG seasons for Minnesota. Dieng has bounced around since leaving Minnesota and has mostly done all of his work off the bench wherever he goes.
Bol Bol
Career Stats: 6.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Bol Bol was born in Khartoum, Sudan, in 1999 and was destined to be a basketball player. His father, Manute, was a star during the 90s for the Washington Bullets, mostly as a shot-blocker and rim-protector. Bol Bol brought a little more to the table. He would play his high school basketball at Findlay Prep in Nevada which eventually earned him the right to play in college at Oregon. The Heat would take Bol in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft and trade him to Denver that evening.
Bol Bol has barely had a chance to shine in the NBA so far in his career. He played just seven games in his rookie season and 46 games in two seasons with the Nuggets following that season. He averaged just 2.7 PPG and 1.2 RPG for Denver in three years. In 2022-23, Bol has gotten a much better opportunity with the Orlando Magic. He appeared in 67 games with 32 starts for Orlando and has averaged 9.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.2 BPG. Bol has become a fan favorite around the league, and I am sure many are glad to see him shine in Orlando.
10. Emmanuel Mudiay
Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 10.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Emmanuel Mudiay was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1996. He is one of six players in NBA history to hail from the DRC and one of four to play at least six seasons in the NBA. Mudiay would attend high school in Dallas, Texas, at one of the top programs in the state before foregoing college to play overseas in the Chinese Basketball League. Mudiay would play just 10 games overseas due to injury but still managed to become the seventh overall pick by the Nuggets in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Mudiay would be handed the keys to the Nuggets’ starting point guard job right away. He started 66 games in his rookie season and averaged 12.8 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.0 SPG. Mudiay would struggle from there on out for the most part in his NBA career. By the 2017-18 season, Mudiay had been sent to the bench by Denver, and they traded him to the Knicks. Mudiay would spend two seasons in New York and even averaged 14.8 PPG and 3.9 APG in 2018-19 for New York. He has not appeared in an NBA game since 2021-22, but Mudiay’s journey to the NBA and through it make him the 10th best African-born player ever.
9. Luc Mbah A Moute
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 6.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Although he did not have the prettiest offensive game in the world, Luc Mbah A Moute played a significant defensive game to make up for it. Mbah A Moute was born in Cameroon in 1986, making him one of five players from Cameroon to make it to the NBA. Mbah A Moute is still, as of now, the only player from Cameroon to play more than 10 seasons in the NBA as well. Mbah A Moute was the 37th overall pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2008 and would earn 52 starts with them as a rookie.
Mbah A Moute was not the prettiest offensive presence, as previously mentioned. He made up for it with his versatile and disruptive defensive abilities. Mbah A Moute was quick and good enough to defend small forwards and some shooting guards while also possessing the ability to defend the frontcourt in the paint. In his first five seasons with Milwaukee, he averaged 6.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 0.9 SPG. He would have a career year with the Sixers in 2014-15 as well, with 67 appearances and a career-high 9.9 PPG. Mbah A Moute would retire in 2020, but not before having a solid 12-year career in the NBA.
8. Manute Bol
Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 2.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.2 SPG, 3.3 BPG
Manute Bol was born in South Sudan in 1962 and is one of five players from there to make it to the NBA. Bol is remembered as one of the great shot-blockers in NBA history. Bol played his college basketball at the University Of Bridgeport, where he would eventually catch the eyes of NBA scouts. After being selected in the fifth round of the 1983 NBA Draft, Bol decided to defer and try again in 1985. He was selected 31st overall this time by the Washington Bullets and became their starting center as a rookie.
As a rookie, Bol would lead the NBA with 5.0 BPG and earn the only All-Defensive selection of his career. In 1989, he would win his second blocks title averaging 4.3 BPG in 80 games off the bench for Washington. Bol never averaged more than 4.0 PPG in a season, but his interior defense was more than enough to earn him a 10-year NBA career with the Bullets, Sixers, Warriors, and Heat.
7. Luol Deng
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 14.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Luol Deng is another player who was born in South Sudan to make it to the NBA. Deng was born in 1985 in South Sudan and would attend high school in Blairstown, New Jersey. From there, he earned the right to play for Coach K at Duke University. Deng would have a stellar career at Duke, which put him on the radar of many teams selecting at the top of the 2004 NBA Draft. Eventually, Deng was selected by the Suns with the seventh overall pick and was traded to the Bulls that night.
For the Bulls, Deng was the perfect acquisition. Deng was very efficient and well-rounded at the small forward position and was a two-way terror on the court. With the Bulls, he would spend nine and a half seasons earning two All-Star appearances in 2012 and 2013. He was also named to the All-Defensive Team in 2012. In his near-decade with the Bulls, Deng averaged 16.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.0 SPG. He would play six more seasons in the NBA for the Heat, Lakers, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves before leaving the game in 2019 for good.
6. Serge Ibaka
Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 12.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.9 BPG
Serge Ibaka was born in the Republic of the Congo in 1989, making him the only player from that region to crack the NBA ranks. Ibaka would work his way up through the international ranks professionally from 2006 with Inter Club to 2008-09 with Manresa. Ibaka would enter the 2009 NBA Draft, where he was selected 24th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics, soon to become the Oklahoma City Thunder. As a rookie with the Thunder, Ibaka cracked the starting lineup and finished as the top rookie in blocked shots as well as the top 20 in the entire NBA.
In 2012 and 2013, Ibaka would lead the NBA in blocks with 3.7 BPG and 3.0 BPG, respectively. He also eventually became the NBA’s all-time blocks leader in the NBA playoffs. He earned a total of three All-Defensive Team selections as well. In 2019, Ibaka would help the Toronto Raptors reach and win their first NBA Finals in franchise history averaging 15.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 1.4 BPG. Ibaka is still active but has played just 16 games for the Bucks in 2022-23.
5. Pascal Siakam
Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 17.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Over the last seven seasons, Pascal Siakam has become one of the best players at the forward position in all of basketball. Siakam was born in Cameroon in 1994 and eventually would attend God’s Academy in Lewisville, Texas, for high school. He would earn a spot to play for New Mexico State Aggies in college and would enter the 2016 NBA Draft. The Toronto Raptors would select Siakam with the 27th overall pick, and the rest has unfolded quite well for them as a franchise and for Siakam as a player.
After coming off the bench for Toronto for the first two seasons of his career, Siakam eventually earned the starting power forward spot for 2018-19. He would become the NBA’s Most Improved Player that season and breakout averaging 16.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.1 APG. Siakam would help the Raptors capture an NBA championship that season and would earn the right to be considered their next star. He had earned two All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections since that NBA championship run. In 2022-23, he averaged a career-high in points and assists for Toronto and kept overachieving both individually and on the team level.
4. Dikembe Mutombo
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 9.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.8 BPG
The top four African-born players are not only the most accomplished from their respective regions and countries, but they are also some of the most accomplished players overall. Hailing from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dikembe Mutombo is one of the greatest defensive centers in basketball history. He attended Georgetown University, where he became one of the top players in the country and was eventually drafted fourth overall by the Denver Nuggets in 1991.
Mutombo would spend the first five seasons of his career in Denver, where he was a three-time All-Star, three-time blocks champion, and Defensive Player of the Year in 1995. Next, Mutombo went to the Hawks from 1997 thru 2000 and won two more Defensive Player of the Year awards and two rebounding titles, as well as four All-Star selections. Mutombo would win his fourth Defensive Player of the Year in 2000-01 with the Hawks and Sixers. In total, Mutombo played 18 seasons in the NBA and was an eight-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA Team selection, and six-time All-Defensive Team selection.
3. Joel Embiid
Credit: Chris Coduto-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 27.2 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.7 BPG
When it comes to pure skill, only one man from Africa takes that over Joel Embiid. He is another Cameroonian-born player to reach our top 10 here today, hailing from Yaounde. Embiid would eventually make his way stateside to play high school basketball in Gainesville, Florida, at The Rock School. He went on to earn a scholarship to play basketball at Kansas, where he played for just one year. He became the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, although his career would begin painfully slow.
Due to foot issues, he had been dealing with since college, Joel Embiid would miss the first two seasons of his NBA career. Many were skeptical of how Embiid could possibly impact a team if he couldn’t get on the court. Here we are seven seasons later, and all of those questions have been answered. Since 2017, Embiid has been a six-time All-Star and two-time MVP runner-up in his career so far. He won a scoring title in 2022, averaging 30.6 PPG, and is on the verge of another in 2023 with 33.3 PPG. Embiid has also earned four All-NBA Team selections and three All-Defensive Team selections in his career as he seeks to deliver a championship to Philadelphia for the first time since 1983.
2. Steve Nash
Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Onto one of the greatest playmakers to ever play the game, Steve Nash. Although many would classify Nash as a Canadian, he was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1974 before moving to Victoria as a young child. Nash would go on to play his college ball at Santa Clara. In college, Nash became a two-time WCC Player of the Year and averaged over 20.0 PPG and 6.0 APG as a junior. He would end up becoming a part of the legendary 1996 NBA Draft class, where he went 15th overall to the Suns.
After struggling to see time on the court in his first two seasons with the Suns, Nash was traded to Dallas to possibly fill their starting role at point guard. By 2000-01, the starting job would be his, and Nash would be an All-Star the following season. After three All-Star appearances with Dallas, Nash went back to Phoenix. In his second stint, he would become a five-time assists champion and two-time MVP as the leader of the most potent offense in basketball. Nash would eventually retire before he could win a championship ring, but he is still regarded as one of the greatest playmakers and point guards in NBA history.
1. Hakeem Olajuwon
Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 3.1 BPG
The man who sits at number one needs no introduction. Hakeem Olajuwon paved the way for African-born players to make their way to the NBA as the first to do so in 1984. Olajuwon was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and would eventually travel from his home to play for the University of Houston in college. In Houston, Olajuwon would lead them to three trips to the Final Four in four years played at the school, which included a Most Outstanding Player award in 1983 for Olajuwon. He would be drafted first overall by the Rockets in 1984.
Olajuwon quickly emerged as one of the best defensive big men in basketball and even earned a trip to the NBA Finals with the Rockets in 1986. Hakeem would not lead them back to the NBA Finals until 1994, and this time, they would walk away as champions with Olajuwon winning Finals MVP. Hakeem and the Rockets would repeat that performance the following season, earning back-to-back titles and Olajuwon winning back-to-back Finals MVP awards. Hakeem is considered to be one of the most skilled and best defensive players in NBA history. He won two Finals MVPs, one MVP, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, and 12 All-Star selections in his career. He also earned 12 All-NBA Team selections and nine All-Defensive Team selections and is the NBA’s all-time leader in blocked shots.
Source: fadeawayworld
