Playing for your country in the Olympics is one of the best ways to garner the attention of NBA scouts. By playing against the best basketball players in the world, the international arena will be an enticing destination for NBA scouts looking to beef up their team's rosters with hidden gems.
Let's take a look at 10 international players who earned an NBA contract after a monster Olympic stint.
Nando de Colo
The San Antonio Spurs drafted Nando de Colo in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft with the 53rd overall pick. However, it would take four years before de Colo suited up in the NBA.
The French guard impressed at the 2012 London Olympics by averaging 7.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on a limited role. His best game came against Argentina, where de Colo finished with 11 points, spiked by 3-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Shortly after, de Colo joined the Spurs and was part of the 2013 NBA Finals team.
Nicolas Laprovittola
Speaking of the San Antonio Spurs, the squad is no stranger to enlisting foreign talents. One of their signings included Nicolas Laprovittola. Laprovittola played for Argentina at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. As a backup guard, Laprovittola played efficient basketball by putting up 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per outing.
The Argentinian guard stepped up against Spain, exploding for 21 points and four assists in 29 minutes of play. With his fine play, the Spurs added another international prospect to their roster.
Hamed Haddadi
A young Hamed Haddadi was a force to be reckoned with in FIBA Asia. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Haddadi proved that he was a world-class player by averaging 16.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Haddadi led all Olympians in rebounds and blocks.
For his efforts, the Iranian center was picked up by the Memphis Grizzlies, allowing him to become the first Iranian to play in the NBA.
Rudy Fernandez
After the Phoenix Suns drafted him in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, Rudy Fernandez played one more year overseas before announcing his intention to play in the NBA. The Suns eventually traded his rights to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Nate McMillan, an assistant coach of Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, got a firsthand look of his latest player in the gold-medal game. Fernandez helped Spain finish with the silver medal before gallantly fighting back against Team USA with 22 points, impressing McMillan.
Milos Teodosic
Regarded as the best guard not in the NBA at one point, after collecting several accolades and helping Serbia give a run for their money at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the NBA couldn't wait any longer to have the Serbian wizard in the league.
Teodosic averaged 12.1 points and 5.4 assists per game in Rio, including a 22-point performance against Australia to go along with five assists. In the 2017 offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers signed the former EuroLeague MVP.
Andrew Bogut
While Andrew Bogut was impressing scouts during his days with the University of Utah, the Australian big man boosted his stock with the Australia Boomers at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Bogut was a consistent double-double threat in Athens, including a victory over Angola which saw him drop 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Between his solid Olympic stint and his college basketball career, it was enough to convince the Milwaukee Bucks to draft him as the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
Sarunas Jasikevicius
Lithuania gave Team USA plenty of bad memories at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, thanks to Sarunas Jasikevicius. He first tormented Team USA with 27 points at the 2000 Summer Olympics, which saw Lithuania nearly pull off an upset. Four years later, Jasikevicius dropped 28 against the Americans to complete the upset.
According to reports, after those days, Pacers president Larry Bird revealed that he tried to recruit Jasikevicius into the NBA, which he eventually succeeded in 2005.
Arvydas Sabonis
Another European star that haunted Team USA was Arvydas Sabonis. The Atlanta Hawks first drafted Sabonis back in 1985. However, the Iron Curtain ultimately prevented him from playing in the NBA earlier. Nonetheless, Sabonis further impressed at the international stage, highlighted by a gold-medal finish for the Soviet Union.
At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Sabonis tallied 13.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, leading all Olympians in rebounds. After that, it wasn't long before Sabonis finally stepped foot in the NBA for the Blazers.
Vlade Divac
Aside from Sabonis, another European big man that garnered the attention of NBA scouts was Yugoslavian big man Vlade Divac. Divac led Yugoslavia to a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul.
He averaged 12.0 points per game, behind Drazen Petrovic, to go along with 7.0 rebounds per outing. The Olympic stint prompted the Los Angeles Lakers to draft Divac in the first round with the 26th overall pick at the 1989 NBA Draft.
Yao Ming
Known as the best basketball player to come from Asia, Yao Ming put the world on notice when he played for China at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Yao garnered everyone's attention with his 7-foot-6 stature, averaging 10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game to lead all Olympians in rejections.
The Chinese big man even tallied four blocks against Spain, which eventually led him to becoming the top-overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft.
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