We are witnessing the NBA becoming more globalized than ever before. The debate over the greatest international player of all time has been reignited from the era of Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, and Arvydas Sabonis through Dirk Nowitzki , Pau Gasol , Steve Nash , Manu Ginobili , and Tony Parker to today's dominance of Nikola Jokic , Luka Doncic , Giannis Antetokounmpo , and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander .
Surely a few names were left out, and players like Victor Wembanyama are still on their way to becoming international GOATs, but the fact is that throughout league history, there have been truly fantastic players, among them two Africans who took U.S. citizenship— Hakeem Olajuwon and Joel Embiid . Paul George recently dropped a hot take on his Podcast P, about who could become the international GOAT when it's all said and done.
"We're talking about being the biggest international player now. That's surpassing GOATs, you know what I mean? That's surpassing Dirk, that's surpassing Tony Parker, that's surpassing Hakeem," George said.
"He's got a chance to be the biggest international guy. Surpassing Giannis, in a way. He's got a chance to be one of the best to ever do it. His game is just way older than what he is. He's tough, man. He's a problem. Big fan of Luka. And he talks that sh*t too. He's a child killer."
Although Hakeem is rarely mentioned in these debates since he ultimately played for Team USA, the general opinion is that Dirk is the greatest non-American player ever. However, after Jokic's dominance over the last five seasons, more and more people would place the three-time MVP in that spot.
Still, it's hard to deny George has a point because Doncic is only 26. He has already been named to the All-NBA First Team five times, won WCF MVP, led the league in scoring, and, with the Slovenian national team, won EuroBasket gold in 2017. His individual achievements in Europe alone would deserve a separate article.
That there was something special about the kid who came into the league from Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid was noticed immediately by Dwyane Wade after just a few rookie appearances .
"Quote me right where I say this — it's LeBron James -like from the standpoint of how he's able to rope that pass to shooters in corners, getting blitzed. There's not many guys who can do that and put it right there. He does an amazing job of it," Wade said in 2019.
The fact that a young, chubby white European guard was compared so early to someone like LeBron James is proof enough of how high Doncic's ceiling really is.
Still, if we are including Hakeem on that list, it's hard to imagine anyone topping what he accomplished during Michael Jordan's era. But at the same time, some of Luka's unreal seasons show that we might see the full explosion of his enormous talent in the coming years. An NBA ring would surely push him into the same top-tier as Nowitzki and Jokic.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
