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The popularity of the EuroLeague is spreading wider than the European continent, and it is widely considered the second-best basketball competition in the world. The gap between the NBA and the EuroLeague is not as big as it was, and with the teams growing financially, many basketball stars are choosing to make NBA to EuroLeague transfers. In the following lines, we will take a look at the five best players who moved from the NBA to the EuroLeague.
The best NBA signings in EuroLeague
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There are European players who decided to move back from the NBA to the EuroLeague in a search of a bigger role in the team but there are also non-European players who made a move to the old continent.
1. Kemba Walker (Monaco)
Walker is the best player who moved from the NBA to EuroLeague this summer. The four-time NBA All-Star signed a deal with Monaco who made their first Final Four appearance last season.
Walker spent 12 seasons in the NBA and scored in double figures in all but the last season. He was a NCAA champion with the University of Connecticut in 2011 and was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
Walker was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats as the 9th overall pick at the 2011 NBA Draft. He spent 8 seasons in Charlotte and had his best one in 2018-19 where he averaged 25.6 points, 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. After only two Playoff appearances and no series won, Walker moved to Boston signing a four-year, $141 million contract with the Celtics in 2019. He had good couple of seasons in Boston averaging 20.4 and 19.3 points per game but was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021.
Walker was not pleased with the move and demanded a buyout. Later that season, he signed with the New York Knicks, going back to his hometown. It did not end up being a good move for him as he played only 37 games for the Knicks averaging 11.6 points per game.
In the middle of the last season, Walker signed with the Dallas Mavericks and was waived only nine games later.
He is now joining Monaco where he will have a chance to play with another former NBA guard Mike James.
2. Juancho Hernangomez (Panathinaikos)
The younger of the Hernangomez brothers spent seven seasons in the NBA playing for six different teams. He stated his career with the Denver Nuggets, who drafted him 15th overall at the 2016 NBA Draft. The Spaniard didn’t average more than 6 points per game in his three and a half years season with the Nuggets. He spent the next two seasons in Minnesota and then split the next two years between Boston, San Antonio, Utah and Toronto.
He didn’t leave a significant mark in any of those teams and was more known for his role of Bo Cruz in the movie “Hustle” than for his NBA career.
This offseason, Juancho signed a two-year deal with Panathinaikos, worth $4.5 million.
3. Serge Ibaka (Bayern Munich)
Ibaka had a long and successful 14-year career in the NBA. He won the championship in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors and led the league in blocks twice, in 2012 and 2013.
He played the majority of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder where he was a defensive specialist for the team that featured Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
After seven years there, he played for the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. Ibaka played a total of 35 games in the least two seasons and at the age of 34, decided that he can have a bigger role in Europe and signed with Bayern Munich.
4. Willy Hernangomez (Barcelona)
The older of the Hernangomez brothers also returned to Europe in the offseason. Despite beginning his career with Real Madrid, Willy signed with Barcelona in the offseason.
The center spent five seasons in the NBA playing for the New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. He had his best season in 2021-22 when he averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Pelicans.
5. Jabari Parker (Barcelona)
Parker signed with Barcelona this summer hoping to revive his career. He was selected second overall in 2014 and was seen as the cornerstone of the Milwaukee Bucks. After a couple of solid seasons, Parker suffered a knee injury that ruined his career.
He was traded to the Chicago Bulls in 2018 and later had short stints with the Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics.
After missing the entire season last week, Parker was signed by Barcelona as a replacement for Nikola Mirotic.
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