In light of France’s win against USMNT in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, we decided to create a list of the best French basketball players. The world reacted very differently when the USA team lost against France and many NBA fans were upset. But today, we will mention the top French players who deserve the honors after winning against one of the favorite teams with fifteen gold medals under their belt.
If you enjoy sports betting, then this list will help you figure out if France has what it takes to win a second gold medal in history. You can check out the top sites for sports betting and see where you would like to bet on your favorite team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Our List of the Top French Basketball Players in the NBA
Twelve French players are currently playing in the NBA, but we won’t talk about all of them here. If we weren’t making a “current” list, we would name players like Dominique Wilkins, Joakim Noah, and Boris Diaw. Let’s see which of the twelve players are the current best in the NBA.
Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert is a center who is currently playing for the team Utah Jazz. He was drafted in 2013 as around one pick and among his career highlights are two times NBA All-Star player (in 2020 & 2021), blocks leader in 2017, French player of the year in 2019, and -time defensive player of the year, including in 2021.
Evan Fournier
Evan Fournier was drafted in 2012 and since then has played for five teams including Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and most recently, the Boston Celtics. Over the years at Orlando Magic, he achieved six of his regular reason career highs, including for PPG, FT%, GP, GS, and MPG. He has three bronze and one silver medal from the FIBA World Cup and European Championships.
Nicolas Batum
Nicolas Batum was drafted back in 2008 and since then has played for two French and three American teams (Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Clippers). His NBA career started in 2015 and Batum is considered one of the best defensive players. He is one of the few players who can execute the so-called “chase-down block.”
Theo Maledon
Theo Maledon is a point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was drafted in 2020 as a second-round pick. Maledon is still new, so we will be watching him closely in the future to see how he will evolve as a player. Theo Maledon is also one of the few French players that made it to one of the top players in the NBA 2K21 game.
Honorable Mentions
We can’t end this article without mentioning a few other French players that also deserve recognition for their style of play, career highs, and achievements.
- Jaylen Hoard (PF for Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Killian Hayes (G for Detroit Pistons)
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (F for Brooklyn Nets)
- Sekou Doumbouya (F for Detroit Pistons)
- Frank Ntilikina (PG for New York Nicks)
