By Giorgos Orfanakis/ info@eurohoops.net
How many players from Euroleague teams have played even one game in the NBA? Which team has the players with the greatest experience in the NBA? Eurohoops.net searched and found which Euroleague stars have the strongest links to the NBA.
From the 16 teams that take part in the Top 16 only one doesn’t include in their roster a player with experience in the NBA. Zalgiris has invested more in native players and in young and players of promise.
The ranking was based on the total number of NBA games in which the players of every Euroleague team have taken part. Below, you can see in detail the teams that have players with an overall experience that is greater than 100 games.
Let’s start with the teams that have players with an overall experience of games in the NBA that is less than 100.
Laboral Kutxa
Together with Bamberg, Laboral Kutxa belongs to the club of Top 16 teams with only one NBAer in their roster. That is Tornike Shengelia, who played in the colors of the Nets and the Bulls over two seasons and played in 45 games. He’s a highly capable player, just 24 years of age and in the future he might try to cross the Atlantic once again.
| Player | Games | Seasons |
| Tornike Shengelia | 45 | 2 |
| Total | 45 | 2 |
Unicaja Malaga
They went, they saw and they departed. This is how one can characterize the spells of Nedovic, Cooley and Nelson in the NBA, since they only played there for one season before looking for a team in Europe. For the two Americans, their return to the top championship is considered unlikely, and while the Serbian guard is highly explosive, this is an element that doesn’t seem sufficient. Now, the three of them play for Malaga with whom they are doing so well.
| Player | Games | Seasons |
| Nemanja Nedovic | 24 | 1 |
| Jack Cooley | 16 | 1 |
| DeMarcus Nelson | 13 | 1 |
| Total | 53 | 3 |