Some players spend years trying to establish themselves in the NBA, leave the league, and end up becoming stars somewhere else . Others already had pretty successful NBA careers before deciding to continue playing overseas . And looking at the 2026-27 EuroLeague season, there are plenty of familiar names still putting up serious numbers.
We've got former NBA starters, championship winners, lottery picks, and even a few players who barely got an opportunity in the league. Some are leading their teams in scoring, others are still competing for European championships, and a couple could probably find another NBA job if they wanted to.
Here are the 15 best former NBA players currently playing internationally, ranked by their current performances, overall ability, and recent accomplishments.
Dubai Basketball has started the EuroLeague season 6-3, and Dwayne Bacon has been a major reason for that. The 31-year-old forward is averaging 16.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists through nine games, shooting 50.5% from the field and 36.4% from three. He's fourth in the competition in scoring and among the top 10 in performance index rating, averaging 19.1.
It's a pretty different situation from his NBA days. Bacon was selected 40th overall by the Hornets in 2017 and spent three seasons there before signing with the Magic . He averaged 7.3 points across four NBA seasons, although he did finish his final year with Orlando putting up 10.9 points in 25.7 minutes per game.
Since leaving the NBA, he's played for Monaco, Panathinaikos, and several other international teams before arriving in Dubai. He now shares the court with Mfiondu Kabengele, who's averaging 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds, and McKinley Wright IV, who's contributing 10.0 points and 3.6 assists. Bacon isn't the most recognizable player on this list, but his current scoring numbers are better than several former NBA starters.
Seven three-pointers, 30 points, five assists, and a 103-101 victory over Virtus Bologna. That's what Lonnie Walker IV delivered this week, earning EuroLeague Round 9 MVP honors with a performance index rating of 36. It was only his second appearance for Turkish side Besiktas, and he already gave the team one of its biggest wins of the season.
Walker is averaging 17.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in those two games, although the sample is obviously tiny. Besiktas is 4-5, and adding another perimeter scorer could help a team that has struggled to find consistency. Walker also has plenty of experience competing against NBA-level defenders, having played for the Spurs , Lakers , Nets, and 76ers.
His most memorable NBA performance probably came during the Lakers' 2023 playoff run, when he scored 15 fourth-quarter points against the Warriors in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. Walker averaged 10.0 points during his NBA career and had multiple seasons scoring in double figures. He was waived by the Nuggets before this season, but his latest performance shows he can still get hot pretty quickly.
Remember Carsen Edwards at Purdue in 2019? The Celtics selected him 33rd overall that summer, expecting his shooting to translate to the NBA. It never really happened, and he ended up playing only 72 games across stints with the Celtics and Pistons.
Europe has been much better for him. Edwards averaged 20.5 points and 3.3 assists for Bayern Munich in 2024-25, earning All-EuroLeague First Team honors. He followed that with 17.3 points per game for Virtus Bologna before joining Zalgiris, where he's now sharing the offense with Jonas Valanciunas.
Through nine games, Edwards is averaging 15.8 points and 2.6 assists while shooting around 39.6% from three. Zalgiris is 5-4, and he's been one of its main perimeter scorers. At 28, Edwards has already established himself as a productive EuroLeague guard, even though his NBA career barely got started.
At 38 years old, Patty Mills is still averaging 15.1 points per game, and he's doing it in only 20.9 minutes. The former Spurs guard is shooting 55.3% from the field and an impressive 47.5% from three through eight EuroLeague games with ASVEL. He's making 2.4 three-pointers per game, which is excellent production for someone approaching his 40s.
Mills spent most of his NBA career as a backup point guard, but he was one of the better ones for a long time. He played 10 seasons with the Spurs, won the 2014 championship, and later had stops with the Nets, Hawks, Heat, Jazz, and Clippers. His NBA career included more than 900 appearances and a reputation as one of the league's more reliable bench shooters.
ASVEL is only 4-5, but Mills has been one of the team's better offensive players. He's also averaging 2.3 assists while making more than half his field-goal attempts. His international résumé with Australia is impressive as well, including a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics. He's probably the oldest player in this ranking, but his shooting numbers haven't suffered much.
A 12-rebound performance against Panathinaikos on Friday showed exactly what Dario Saric has been providing Anadolu Efes this season. He finished that game with 11 points, four assists, and two steals, helping Efes secure an 83-68 victory over one of the EuroLeague's strongest teams.
The Croatian is at 11.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists through nine games, giving Efes another experienced frontcourt option alongside Mike James and Cameron Payne. He's among the team's leaders in rebounding, and his passing remains valuable in an offense that has several players capable of creating their own shots.
Saric spent nine seasons in the NBA after debuting with the 76ers in 2016. He averaged 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds as a rookie, made the All-Rookie First Team, and became an important starter alongside Joel Embiid. His career later included stops with the Timberwolves, Suns, Thunder, Warriors, Nuggets, and Kings. A torn ACL during the 2021 Finals affected his later years, but he's still producing consistently at 32.
Last season's EuroLeague Final Four tells you why Evan Fournier still deserves a spot among the best players competing overseas. He scored 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, and added four assists against Real Madrid in the championship game, leading Olympiacos to a 92-85 victory and its fourth European title. He was named Final Four MVP after delivering in both games.
That was a pretty impressive turnaround for someone who had barely played toward the end of his NBA career. Fournier spent more than a decade in the league, mostly with the Magic, before joining the Celtics, Knicks, and Pistons. His best scoring season came in 2019-20, when he posted 18.5 points and 3.2 assists while shooting 39.9% from three.
The numbers aren't nearly as impressive to start 2026-27. Fournier is averaging 11.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, shooting just 34.4% from the field. Still, Olympiacos is 7-2, and he's playing alongside Sasha Vezenkov on the defending champions. At 34, he's not producing like he did with the Magic, but his performance in last season's championship game deserves plenty of credit.
Five assists in fewer than 20 minutes per game is pretty impressive, especially when you're 35 and sharing the backcourt with so much talent. Facundo Campazzo is averaging 9.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists for Real Madrid this season, shooting 39.5% from three. The team is 6-3, and Campazzo continues to handle an important part of its offense.
His NBA career never reached the same level. Campazzo played two seasons with the Nuggets and briefly joined the Mavericks , averaging 5.3 points and 3.3 assists across 138 appearances. At 5-foot-10, defending taller guards was always difficult, although he had some impressive passing performances and became a favorite among Nuggets fans.
Returning to Real Madrid has worked out well. Campazzo won the EuroLeague championship in 2023, made the All-EuroLeague First Team in 2024, and remains one of Europe's greatest point guards. His current scoring average isn't particularly high, but his assist production, three-point shooting, and years of success with Madrid explain why he's still such an important player at 35.
By the time Vasilije Micic made his NBA debut in 2023, he already had two EuroLeague championships, an MVP award, and two Final Four MVP trophies. He'd accomplished nearly everything possible with Anadolu Efes, winning consecutive European titles in 2021 and 2022 while establishing himself as one of the competition's top point guards.
His NBA career lasted only two seasons. He played for the Thunder , Hornets, and Suns, averaging 7.5 points and 4.3 assists. His best opportunities came with the Hornets, where he occasionally started and handled significant playmaking responsibilities, but his shooting wasn't consistent enough to secure a long-term role.
Now he's playing for Hapoel Tel Aviv, posting 13.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in seven EuroLeague games. Hapoel is 6-3, and Vasa is averaging more than 26 minutes per game. His three-point shooting is down to 30.0%, which has limited his efficiency, but he's still contributing as one of the team's main ball-handlers. His current production isn't quite at his MVP level, although his EuroLeague legacy remains one of the best here.
Fifty points against ALBA Berlin in March 2024, the EuroLeague single-game scoring record, followed by a championship and Final Four MVP honors in 2025. Nigel Hayes-Davis accomplished all of that with Fenerbahce before deciding to give the NBA another chance. He averaged 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds during the 2024-25 EuroLeague regular season, shooting 42.3% from three.
His return to the NBA was disappointing. Hayes joined the Suns in 2025 after previously making brief appearances with the Lakers, Raptors, and Kings in 2017-18. He never established himself in Phoenix, was traded to the Bucks in February 2026, and eventually returned to Europe with Panathinaikos.
The 31-year-old is now averaging 12.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in seven EuroLeague games, shooting 41.4% from three. Panathinaikos is 7-2 and has several established players, including Kendrick Nunn, so Hayes isn't carrying the same scoring responsibility he had before. Still, he's a proven championship contributor with strong defensive versatility, and his recent European accomplishments put him very high here.
Only 16.5 minutes per game, but 13.0 points. Nikola Mirotic has been extremely productive in limited playing time for Valencia Basket, which has started the EuroLeague season 6-3. He's also averaging 3.1 rebounds through eight games, contributing to an offense that's scoring 97.1 points per contest, one of the highest marks in the competition.
Mirotic was already a successful European player before coming to the NBA in 2014. He spent five seasons with the Bulls , Pelicans, and Bucks, averaging 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds while establishing himself as a scoring power forward who could shoot from outside. His final NBA season included a trade from the Pelicans to the Bucks, where he appeared in 14 playoff games.
He returned to Europe in 2019 and eventually won the EuroLeague MVP award in 2022 with Barcelona. After later playing for Olimpia Milano, he joined Valencia and has continued producing at 35. His minutes have decreased, but he's still scoring efficiently enough to remain among the team's main offensive pieces. Not many players can average 13 points while spending less than half the game on the court.
Real Madrid has two former NBA point guards in its rotation, but Theo Maledon has been the bigger scorer this season. He's at 16.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists through nine games, shooting 43.5% from the field and 92.2% from the free-throw line. His 20.4 performance index rating ranks among the EuroLeague's best.
The Thunder selected Maledon 34th overall in 2020, and he actually started 49 games during his rookie season. He averaged 10.1 points and 3.5 assists that year, but his role decreased as Oklahoma City added more young guards. He later played for the Hornets and Suns before returning to France, finishing his NBA career with averages of 7.8 points and 2.9 assists.
Maledon put up 17.0 points and 4.6 assists for ASVEL in 2024-25 before joining Real Madrid. His first season there was quieter, but his production has increased significantly to start 2026-27. He's also just 25, making him one of the youngest players in this ranking. If he continues averaging more than 16 points and five assists, another NBA opportunity wouldn't be particularly surprising.
Nine games into his return to Lithuania, Jonas Valanciunas is already leading the EuroLeague in rebounding. He's putting up 12.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists for Zalgiris, which has started 5-4. His performance index rating of 19.3 is also among the best in the competition, and he's averaging those numbers in just over 22 minutes per game.
Jonas has probably the most accomplished NBA career of anybody in this ranking. The Raptors selected him fifth overall in 2011, and he spent six full seasons and parts of another two as their starting center. He later played for the Grizzlies, Pelicans, Wizards, Kings, and Nuggets, posting 12.8 points and 9.0 rebounds across more than 900 regular-season games.
Now 34, he's back with the club where his professional career began. Zalgiris also has Carsen Edwards scoring 15.8 points per game, giving the team an experienced center and a productive perimeter scorer. Valanciunas still rebounds at a high level, dominates around the basket, and brings years of NBA experience to a relatively young rotation. His first nine games suggest he could remain one of the EuroLeague's better centers.
Forty-nine NBA games. That's all Mike James played with the Suns, Pelicans, and Nets before building one of the most impressive careers in EuroLeague history. He's now the competition's all-time leading scorer, won the MVP award in 2024, and has earned multiple All-EuroLeague selections during his years with teams like CSKA Moscow and Monaco.
After several seasons with Monaco, James moved to Anadolu Efes for 2026-27. He's scoring 15.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists through his first three appearances, playing nearly 29 minutes per game. His shooting has been rough, especially from three, where he's hitting only 16.7%, but he's still taking 13.3 field-goal attempts per contest.
Efes is 4-5 and has several other former NBA players, including Cam Payne and Saric. James is now 36, so expecting another MVP season might be asking too much, particularly with the team's other offensive options. Still, he's coming off another successful period with Monaco and remains one of Europe's most accomplished scorers. The fact that his NBA career lasted less than 50 games is pretty surprising considering what he's done since leaving.
Finishing second to Ja Morant in Rookie of the Year voting usually means you're off to a pretty good NBA career. Kendrick Nunn put up 15.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists with the Heat in 2019-20, making the All-Rookie First Team and helping Miami reach the NBA Finals. He followed that with another productive season before injuries completely changed his trajectory.
A knee injury kept Nunn out for the entire 2021-22 season with the Lakers, and he struggled after returning. His eventual move to Panathinaikos worked out much better. He averaged 20.2 points and 4.2 assists in 2024-25, winning the EuroLeague MVP award, and followed that with another strong season averaging 18.3 points and 3.5 assists.
This year, he's at 16.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists through three appearances. Panathinaikos is 7-2 and has one of the league's strongest rosters, with Nigel Hayes and several other experienced players. Nunn is now 31 and already has an MVP award, a EuroLeague championship, and multiple productive seasons in Europe. His NBA career started well, but his international career has been even more successful.
There's a pretty strong argument that Sasha Vezenkov is the best offensive forward in Europe right now. He's posting 18.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists through nine EuroLeague games, shooting 57.6% from the field. His 22.3 performance index rating leads the competition, while Olympiacos has started 7-2 after winning the championship last season.
What's interesting is how little his NBA career reflects that ability. Vezenkov won the 2023 EuroLeague MVP award before joining the Kings , but averaged only 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 42 games during the 2023-24 season. His minutes were limited, and after one year in Sacramento, he returned to Olympiacos, where he immediately became one of the team's leading scorers again.
He's shooting an incredible 70.1% on two-point attempts this season, making 5.2 shots inside the arc per game. He's also averaging only 0.9 turnovers while scoring more than 18 points, which shows how efficient he's been. At 31, Vezenkov already has an MVP award and a EuroLeague championship, and he's playing at that level again. Based on his current production and everything he's accomplished in recent years, he deserves the top spot.
