Mumbai, May 12 (PTI) Two-time NBA winner Ray Allen on Friday said the success of non-American players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic is a testament to the growth of the league globally.
Antetokounmpo, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks is from Greece while also having ties to Nigeria. Slovenia’s Doncic plays for the Dallas Mavericks whereas Nikola Jokic is from Serbia and plays for the Denver Nuggets. Cameron’s Joel Embiid plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Of the four names that Allen mentioned, Antetokounmpo, Jokic and Embiid were among the most valuable players of the 2021-22 season.
“(It has been) global,” Allen, who is also a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member, told the media here during an interaction on Friday.
“If you think about what the players now look like in the NBA, Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, Doncic… you could make an argument that those four guys are the best four players in the NBA right now. And none of them are American born. So that’s just a testament to how global the game has gone over the last 20 years,” he said.
Allen is in India to promote the game.
The NBA Basketball School was launched in India in 2017 and Allen said he would be keen to learn of the impact it has had in the country.
“That’s what I will learn this week here in India. This is my first time here, so I look forward to being able to be part of clinics, be with different people and just to be in the market. Just see how people respond, understand the game of basketball and see where it stands here in India,” he said.
When asked about the challenge for the overseas players of sustaining in the NBA, Allen said talent is paramount.
“It’s really talent. Now when you look at the players and where they come from, maybe 20 years ago people were questioning, if he has come from Europe can they hack it? “But now we’ve seen it. I think present teams don’t really care where you come from,” said Allen, who held the record of shooting the most 3-Pointers until he was surpassed by Stephen Curry.
“They put you on the floor and you can compete, you can play, you can shoot, you have a good body then you’re definitely going to get a shot,” he said.
Allen said LeBron James’ ability to strike a balance between life on the court and off it helped him go a long distance.
“LeBron was a great teammate. The one thing he did was he took incredible care of his body, understanding how to eat, stretch obsessively, and he had fun. He enjoyed the game, and he enjoyed life off the court.
“All of that is what has allowed him to be so successful and you can still see that he is enjoying playing the game of basketball and that is ultimately what fans end up hanging to and appreciate,” Allen said.
“I think your legend grows every day the longer you’re available. Longevity, and consistency, ultimately breeds greatness. And he’s been persistent. And he’s been available for a long time.
“So the longer he plays, gets more buckets, more passes, more rebounds, just makes him more noteworthy for a long period of time,” Allen added while talking about James, who is NBA’s all-time top-scorer.
Source: PTI News
