Best Basketball Countries Outside of US

Basketball is a hugely popular sport in the US. The country is home to the National Basketball Association (NBA), the most prominent professional basketball league in the world.

Most of the talent progresses to the NBA through college basketball programs and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), but outside of the US there are are number of countries where basketball is popular.

In this guide, we will examine what countries play basketball, popular players that have taken their talent international, and try to settle the debate of which country is the best at basketball.

• Canada
• Spain
• Greece
• Argentina
• Germany
• Australia
• Other Countries

Canada

Attached to the United States, Canada has one team that plays in the NBA – the Toronto Raptors who won their first championship in 2019.

Although the sport has long lived in the shadow of ice hockey in the North American country, there are three other professional basketball leagues that serve Canadian teams: the National Basketball League of Canada, the Canadian Elite Basketball League, and the American Basketball Association.

On the international scene, the Canadian men’s team hasn’t yet bettered the silver medal they won at the 1936 Olympics in Germany, while their best finish at the FIBA World Cup was third place in 2023. The Canadian women’s team’s best results has been third place at the FIBA World Cup in both 1979 and 1986.

Canadian Players

A host of Canadians are plying their trade in the NBA and abroad across the men’s and women’s games, with Steve Nash widely recognized as the greatest Canadian to have played the sport. Nash played almost 20 seasons in the NBA where he was an eight-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA selection. He was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player while playing for the Phoenix Suns, also turning out for the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers before going on to coach the Brooklyn Nets.

Of the current crop, Andrew Wiggins, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jamal Murray are three of the most talented. Wiggins won his first NBA championship in 2022 with the Golden State Warriors, Gilgeous-Alexander was an NBA All-Star in 2023 playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Murray was integral in leading the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA title in 2023.

Spain

Basketball isn’t anywhere near as big as soccer in Spain, but the sport is growing rapidly and is now regarded as the second most popular in the country.

The top tier of the Spanish basketball league system is the Liga ACB (or Liga Endesa) which has 18 teams from around the country including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Baskonia, Valencia Basket, and Joventut.

The Spain men’s team won silver at the Olympic Games three times in 1984, 2008, and 2012, as well as one bronze in 2016. They have won the FIBA World Cup twice – in 2006 and 2019 – as well as the EuroBasket on four different occasions. The Spain women’s team landed one silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, were runner’s up at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, and have lifted four EuroBasket titles.

Spanish Players

The top Spanish teams can compete in Europe, most notably in the EuroLeague and EuroCup, and while the majority of the current Spain men’s national team play for clubs in their home country, a few do play abroad. For example, Santi Aldama plays for the Memphis Grizzlies and Usman Garuba for the Houston Rockets in the NBA, and Juancho Hernangomez plays for Panathinaikos in Greece.

Pau Gasol is considered the greatest Spanish player of all time, having been a six-time NBA All-Star and four-time All-NBA team selection during his time in the US, where he won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Pau’s brother Marc Gasol also played in the States, becoming an NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

Greece

Basketball has been on the rise in Greece ever since the men’s national team won the 1987 EuroBasket in Athens, although it still lags behind soccer in the nation’s consciousness.

Greek teams play in the Greek Basket League (GBL) – the highest-tier level of the Greek league system. Their teams have tasted success in Europe too, with Panathinaikos winning six and Olympiacos three EuroLeague titles.

The Greece men’s national team have never gone further than 5th place at the Olympic Games, being knocked out of the competition at the quarter-final stage on three occasions. Their best result at the FIBA World Cup was silver in 2006, while they have won the EuroBasket twice in 1987 and 2005. The Greece women’s team’s best result was third at the 1991 Mediterranean Games.

Greek Players

The top players in Greece tend to play in their home country, although Thanasis Antetokounmpo turns out for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA, Nikos Rogkavopoulos plays for Spanish side Baskonia and Georgios Papagiannis for Turkish outfit Fenerbahce.

Giannis Antetokounmpo – known as the ‘Greek Freak’ – is widely regarded as one of the greatest European players of all time, landing back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Awards to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players to win two MVPs before turning 26. He led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971 in 2021 too. Other Greek legends include Kurt Rambis who was a key part of the ‘Showtime’ Los Angeles Lakers teams of the 1980s and the highly-decorated point guard Nick Calathes.

Argentina

Basketball was introduced in Argentina back in 1912 by the YMCA, with the first federations created in the 1920s. The first nationwide yearly professional basketball league in Argentina – the Liga Nacional de Basquet – was created in 1985 at the request of Leon Najnudel, allowing the game to grow in cities other than Buenos Aires such as Bahia Blanca and Cordoba.

As one of the best countries at basketball, Argentina is the only one outside of the USA, Soviet Union, and former Yugoslavia to have won an Olympic gold medal, when in 2004 they overcame the US team in the semi-finals before beating Italy 84-69 in the gold medal match. Argentina had already become the first country to defeat at US national team with a full squad of NBA players at the 2002 FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis, while their series of strong results in the 2000s saw them earn first position in the FIBA men’s rankings at the end of the 2008 Olympic Games, where they secured a bronze medal.

Argentinian Players

Manu Ginobili is regarded as the greatest Latin American player of all time, leading Argentina to gold at Athens 2004 as well as being credited for changing the game of basketball by popularizing the Euro step move in the NBA and winning four NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs, causing them to retire his No. 20 shirt upon his departure. Luis Scola played for five teams in the NBA, while Carlos Delfino and Fabricio Oberto are other notable Argentine players.

Of the current men’s national team only Tayavek Gallizzi plays in Argentina for Instituto, with the majority of players plying their trade for clubs in Spain but also Serbia, Brazil, Italy, and Lithuania. Leandro Bolmaro turns out for NBA side Utah Jazz.

Germany

Germany has a long and storied history with basketball, with the sport first introduced in the country at the end of the 19th century. The sport has grown quite slowly in Germany but increased in popularity in the 1930s with the 1936 Olympics in Berlin a landmark moment.

The German Basketball Federation was founded in 1949 and the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) created in 1996 as the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. Comprising 18 teams, the best also qualify for the EuroLeague and EuroCup.

The Germany men’s national team have never made it past the quarter-final stage at the Olympics, but as mentioned won the FIBA World Cup in 2023 after their previous best finish of third in 2002. At the EuroBasket they took gold in 1993, silver in 2005, and bronze in 2022. The Germany women’s team’s best result is bronze at the 1997 EuroBasket.

German Players

The top German players play for a mix of clubs across Europe and North America. Some play for big clubs in Germany like Bayern Munich and Alba Berlin as well as teams in Italy, Turkey, and Spain, while the likes of Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner play for Orlando Magic and Daniel Theis for the Indiana Pacers in the NBA.

Dirk Nowitzki is considered by many to be the greatest European basketball player of all time, selected into the NBA 7th Anniversary Team in 2021 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame two years later. He has one NBA Championship to his name having played for the Dallas Mavericks for 21 seasons. Detlef Schrempf was an All-NBA Third Team member in 1995, three-time NBA All-Star, and reached the NBA Finals with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1996. Shawn Bradley is one of the tallest players in NBA history standing at 7 ft 6 in, while Dennis Shroder led the German national team to their first World Cup title in 2023 as he was named Most Valuable Player.

Australia

Basketball is played both indoors and outdoors in Australia, with research suggesting one in three Australians has an interest in the sport and that it is the second-highest team participation sport in the country.

The National Basketball League (NBL) had its best days from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s after being founded in 1979, while its popularity, media attention, attendances and corporate support deteriorated during the 2000s. From the mid-2010s basketball saw a renewed interest following a record number of Australians playing in the NBA, while the NBL has experienced a resurgence in recent years.

The Australia men’s national team – nicknamed the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo – secured a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics after four previous exits at the semi-final stage. Their best performance at the FIBA World Cup was semi-finalists in 2019, while they have won the Asia Cup twice and the Oceania Championship 19 times. The Australia women’s team – nicknamed the Opals after the brightly-colored gemstone common to the country – have three Olympic silver medals and two bronzes, as well as having won the FIBA World Cup in 2006 alongside 15 Oceania Championships.

Australian Players

Most of the Australia men’s team play for clubs in the NBA such as captain Patty Mills of the Atlanta Hawks, Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets, and Joe Ingles of the Orlando Magic. Some players do play elsewhere, with Chris Golding at Melbourne United in Australia, Nick Kay playing in Japan, and Duop Reath in Lebanon.

Andrew Bogut is a hugely influential player in Australian basketball, credited for serving as a cornerstone of the national team and paving the way for an entire generation of Australians to join the NBA and in playing a leading role in reviving the NBL. Bogut won an NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015. Luc Longley was the first Australian to play in the NBA and won three championships with the Chicago Bulls, while Matthew Dellavedova was an NBA champion in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Mills helped the San Antonio Spurs win the 2014 title.

Other Countries Where Basketball is Popular

Basketball is hugely popular across Russia, and during the Soviet era the game became an important part of the country’s sporting culture, with the Soviet Union winning gold at the Olympics in 1972 and 1988, as well as three FIBA World Cups in 1967, 1974 and 1982. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia finished third at the 2012 Olympics.

Basketball is the national sport in Lithuania and although they only have a population of 2.9 million people, the country’s devotion to the game has made them a force to be reckoned with – landing bronze at three Olympics in 1992, 1996 and 2000.

Serbia is one of the strongest basketball nations to emerge from first the Soviet Union and then Yugoslavia being broken up – they won silver at the Olympics in 1996 and 2016.

There are countless other countries where basketball is popular and deserve to be mentioned among the best basketball countries, such as France who have won three silver Olympic medals, Slovenia who reached the semi-finals in 2020, and Italy who earned silver at the Olympics in 1980 and 2004.

Which Country Is the Best at Basketball Outside the US?

Given the US’ dominance at the Olympic Games across both men’s and women’s basketball there is no surprise that we’ve had to assess a clutch of other nations to try and pick one as the next best.

Spain have made the strongest case for the second spot with their men winning the 2019 FIBA World Cup as well as finishing runners-up at the Olympics twice and their women just falling short to the US (who else?) at the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.