Why These Highly Drafted Europeans NEVER Played In NBA

There were quite a few European basketball talents who, despite being drafted at quite high positions, never set foot on the NBA court. In this video, we’ll go into the intriguing journeys of 8 such European players & examine the factors that led to their absence from the league.
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[@alphaomega9511]

There were quite a lot Europeans who were drafted (lower), had a great career but never played in NBA: Dejan Bodiroga (Sacramento), Nikos Galis (Boston), Milos Vujanic (Knicks), Roberto Duenas (Chicago), Sani Becirovic (Denver)...

[@bastbast6464]

Duenas great career???

[@alphaomega9511]

@@bastbast6464 6 ACB titles, euroleague champion, best rebounder and blocker in Barca's history is bad?

[@cvilla5631]

You the GOAT for mentioning Galis!!

[@Pohi]

Also Erazem Lorbek, 46th overall by Pacers.

[@joechip733]

Dude, just lol at Becirovic... He played like 2.5 seasons at a decent level in Euroleague

[@vassilisxerikos3908]

Sofoklis was battling personal demons all his life. He even had to spend time in a clinic for mental health in Switzerland at some point.

[@alexteme4]

Plus it all translated in him eating his way through them...gaining so much weight that he would play 1 game with ARIS back then, and stay out the 2 next games due to his weak ankles not being able to support all the excess weight! So souch potential in Big Sofo.

[@kostascb1972]

He had to be hospitalized again recently (Nov 27th) hope he comes back for his family

[@Themistoklis16]

Δεν πηγε σε κλινικη ψυχικης υγειας , αυτο ηταν η καλυψη , ειχε παει σε κλινικη απεξαρτησης , ο σοφο φιλε ειχε μπλεξει εκεινα τα χρονια με τον καραγκιοζι τον gifted εναν dj που εκανε rnb παρτυ και τον ειχαν μπλεξει για τα καλα με οτι καταλαβες...

[@tmac5135]

Koponen has actually talked a little why he never went to the NBA. The closest he got to signing to the NBA was during his Khimki days but it came down to two problems, money and playing time. He was making way more money in Russia than he would've in the NBA. Also the team (Dallas at the time if I remember correctly) already had so many guards on the roster, making it really difficult to find minutes for him.

[@Zesijamez]

The biggest reason why Koponen never played in the NBA was money. In Khimki he was making double the amount he would have gotten from the Mavs.

[@tmac5135]

The Mavs also already had multiple good guards on a roster so he didn't feel like they wanted him to actually play rather than to see if he can make it in the NBA. He has always said that the NBA was his biggest dream but when he started to get some real playing time in Euroleague he realised that NBA wasn't all that great if the circumstances weren't right. Also he really angered his coach in Finland when he didn't go to the NBA but that's an another story.

[@nervewracking4971]

What a commentator. 2:57

[@innosanto]

Schortsianitis issue was the weight which staredd becoming huge after 2007 or 2008. He got weight issue. In 2005-2006 hus weight was fine.

[@markomarkovic5729]

Milutinov might have gotten a call if he had learned to shoot. He had a solid midrange and was expected to develop a 3p shot. Without that, he has nothing to offer to NBA teams, or rather nothing they don't already have at a higher level.

[@SuperYoungjb]

Spurs wanted to bring him over but there was some miscommunication on both sides.. so the Spurs went after Boban instead.. and just held onto his draft rights before trading it away..

[@alexteme4]

I think that after September's world cup many teams from the NBA are rethinking about him tho. He killed it there as he is killing it in Euroleague.

[@markomarkovic5729]

@@alexteme4 Serbia played a lot through him, but he's not that great and versatile scorer at the NBA level for teams to build offenses around him. Additionally, his pick'n'roll defense is not at a high level, he can't switch to Euroleague guards, imagine what much faster and more explosive guards in the NBA would do to him. Plus, he's not 20yo, he will turn 30 next year.

[@alexteme4]

@@markomarkovic5729 that's always the case with European players after all. If they can adapt to the fast paced game overseas. You're right about the age, he'll be 29 in less than a month, he's not young, but if he can adapt he'll be a nice addition. See Sasha Vezenkov. Even he has to adapt and he's a shooting guard/small forward.

[@stamosrigas8758]

Sofo the year after that game that greece beat u.s. ballooned to 400 pounds. His lucrative contract with olympiacos was suspended and he went to a clinic to Switzerland in order to face his mental health issues. He came back and he was good but his weight troubles were not over. For his entire career he was toying with defenses for as long as he could stay on the court cause of his pounds. Thank god he never went to the nba because it would have been even more difficult for him to overcome his troubles if he went to the us at 21 without his friends and family.

[@elaycohen9218]

Forgot to mention Oded Katash who actually signed with the Knicks but bever played due to the NBA lockdown

[@emmanouilgoulidakis7712]

Sergio Llull. Great rolemodel. Legend

[@alexteme4]

I think that after last September's FIBA World Cup, many teams in the NBA are discussing about Milutinov again.

[@homerthompson416]

I don't think the Spurs did Livio Jean-Charles wrong. After blowing out his knee he never became the high level prospect he looked like he'd be on draft night, but they still gave him a guaranteed two year deal the last year he was bound by the rookie scale (and thus due guaranteed money if brought over). They could have just never brought him over and never had to pay him a cent. Another intriguing European prospect the Spurs had horrible luck with was Robertas Javtokas. Spurs fans were pretty excited about him but then he nearly killed himself in a motorcycle accident. Glad he was still able to carve out a long career in Europe. Though the two biggest what ifs for the Spurs were Luis Scola and Nenad Krstic. Scola was the one time the Spurs got cheap and it screwed them over in the WCF that year when Gasol and Odom were killing Fabricio Oberto and Matt Bonner, god Scola would have been great on that team. And then the Spurs badly wanted Krstic but word got out and the Nets scooped him up a pick or two before the Spurs' pick. And he was an awesome player until getting injured. After Krstic though you never heard a peep about who the Spurs liked in the draft again. It's funny because I knew they were desperate to land Tony Parker in the 2001 draft, but that was before anyone in the US other than the most hardcore Spurs fans really knew anything about Manu so the team didn't keep so tight lipped about the draft back then.

[@gotu1957]

Have you really not mention Bodiroga?? Thats crazy 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@BasketNews_com]

Bodiroga was picked with a 51st pick, we were looking only at the highest picked ones 😊

[@Visokolovic]

Really liked this video lol really funny

[@jesusfranco]

No legend about Fran Vazquez. It's completely true that he's wife (then girlfriend) was the one that said no. He also had problems with the Spanish National Team for similar reasons.

And I'm not DISAPPOINTED with this video

[@alvmmallorquin]

If you remember Juan Carlos Navarro in Memphis or Rudy Fernández in Portland, is easy to say no to the NBA. They are Legends in Europe but in the states they lack minutes and coaches didnt give them the trust to lead, putting them in a corner to make a couple of 3s. Whereas in Europe they lead their teams. They probably looked weak or soft, but reality is they overplayed americans in the olympics

[@Noname-hw9bx]

Let's be honest, you just named two players whose gmae didn't fit the NBA in the same way it fit the FIBA style. Specially Rudy. And I am saying this as a Real Madrid fan. No matter how many minutes he got in the NBA, he would've been a mid starter to solid sixth man.

[@gabepizza]

Rudy did play 4 years (3.5 because he got injured the last year) in the NBA

[@oocinom]

They don’t want to come to the NBA because their egos are big and don’t want a diminished role

[@petesmart1983]

Nope alot were making more money in Europe than the NBA

[@TheJapeKing]

About Sofo the information are wrong... After 2006 we went over over over over obese and Olympiakos sent him to Switzerland to a clinic dedicated to fat loss... He came back later that year but he wasnt the same... But I think this was never the issue with big Sofo or maybe this was exactly the reason... And I mean that all that says that Sofo's biggest enemy wasn't body weight but inconsistency... Even in a single match he could be a tank with 20 points in 1st half and then suddenly flagrant foul, poor defence and generally a meltdown...

[@user-vw1vf5cw7d]

Big Sopho should had been in the NBA

[@brunocercone9380]

How about Gentile in 2014?

[@petesmart1983]

He went to camps but wasn't seen as good enough, he also went to the rockets in 2018 and waived after a few weeks

[@zergbong]

I remember when Todor Stoykov went on trials in Cleveland to play with LeBron :D

[@statebriga6030]

All november five Campazzo Larkin Peters Leday Tiehmann

[@Youralwayswhining4367]

Most were better off playing in the euro league, most didn't make it unfortunately.

[@Nikola111180]

Completely crappy list without the greatest ever.... Dejan Bodiroga !!!!

[@aleksandaraleksic6752]

there were so many better players for example president of eurolegue Dejan Bodiroga, but why should they come to NBA. They were so good in Europe, play in finals and in NBA they would be in bench waiting for chance and here they play 30-35 minutes. Americans don get it we think different, it is not always all about money

[@petesmart1983]

Also a far right Serb so probably didn't like America and other country's saving the Bosniaks and Kosovo Albanians during your disgusting genocides that the real reason he didn't come 🇽🇰

[@aleksandaraleksic6752]

@@petesmart1983 You know šiptaru , you don't have players in any sports you are for raising cattle. don't get politics in normal sports things