Top International NBA Players Playing in Rio 2016 Olympics: Pau Gasol, Tony Parker Among Star Players
There are 47 NBA players who will participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics Basketball competition. Only one team will not have an NBA player in their roster, at least so far, since the finalization of rosters isn't due yet.
There might be changes and some players may decide to play or opt out of the Olympics, but so far, here are the top international NBA players in the Rio Olympics.
1. Pau Gasol, Spain
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Pau Gasol leads team Spain as they try to beat the highly favored USA Basketball team to the gold medal of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.
Pau Gasol averaged 16.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game last season.
2. Nicolas Batum, France
Nicolas Batum was the last player named to the French national basketball team roster. The delay has something to do with Batum's free agency which was resolved when the Hornets promptly made a deal with him.
Batum had arguably his best NBA season in 2015-16 with the Charlotte Hornets, averaging 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. All of these numbers are higher than his career NBA average.
3. Ricky Rubio, Spain
Ricky Rubio averaged 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists last season, playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He recently suffered a minor thigh injury which he got in a tune-up game against Angola two weeks ago.
4. Rudy Gobert, France
While many players backed out of playing in Rio due to the Zika virus scare, Gobert made it clear that he wants to get a medal in the 2016 Olympics. In a tweet, Gobert said, "I'm not going to stop playing basketball. You can get hurt anywhere and anytime on a basketball court."
Gobert averaged 9.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game last season. He played for the Utah Jazz.
5. Tony Parker, France
Tony Parker led France in a victory over Canada in the Manila leg of the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. The San Antonio Spurs point guard scored 26 points in the finals. France had to go through this tournament because they lost in the qualifications last year against Spain.
Tony Parker averaged 11. 9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists last season.
6. Al-Farouq Aminu, Nigeria
Nigeria got an automatic qualification to join the Rio Olympics by winning the AfroBasket 2015 Championship, beating Angola in the finals. Aminu was an essential part of that team, averaging 12 points and 5.4 rebounds per game during the tournament.
Aminu averaged 10.2 points, 1.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game last season with the Portland Trailblazers.
7. Andrew Bogut, Australia
Andrew Bogut averaged 5.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game with the Golden State Warriors last season.
Bogut and Steph Curry played with the Warriors for four straight years, and they have become a lethal pick-and-roll combo. Bogut now plays for the Dallas Mavericks in a trade.
