5 Best Basketball Players In The Spanish Leagues

Out of the many great players, here are just five of the best basketball players in the Spanish Leagues. What? You didn’t know there were Spanish leagues?

Well, that’s understandable. When we see the words “best basketball players”, we sometimes forget that sports do exist outside of America. In fact, the FIBA, which stands for Federation Internationale de Basketball (in French) and the International Basketball Federation (in English) has Spanish leagues, as well as those represented by other countries.

OK, now on to the 5 best basketball players in the Spanish Leagues.

1. Ricky Rubio- Ricky Rubio won the Spanish ACB League Top 5 Trophy: Most Spectacular Player of the Year for 2010. In addition, Ricky is one of the youngest players in the Spanish Leagues.
2. Pablo Prigioni- He was the ACB (Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto, or Basketball Clubs’ Association) Point Guard of the Year for 2008. He currently plays for Real Madrid.
3. Jose Calderon- He set an NBA free throw record in 2009 (98.1%). He plays on the Spanish national basketball team.
4. Pau Gasol- He was voted 2009 FIBA Player of the Year while playing for the Spanish National Teams. This is a major accomplishment, considering that he has been plagued with injuries the last few seasons.
5. Sergio Rodriguez- He was part of the basketball team that won the FIBA World Championship gold medal. Only select players are chosen to play on this specific team.

Of the five players listed above, Jose Calderon, Sergio Rodriguez, and Pau Gasol all currently play for the NBA. Calderon plays for the Toronto Raptors, Rodriguez plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, and Gasol is sharing his considerable playing talents with the Los Angeles Lakers.