Yahoo Sports How did international stars perform against Team USA with NBA players?
You may not remember since they gave up 110-plus points twice this week at the World Cup, but Team USA was once the gold standard for stifling defense in FIBA tournaments. There was a time when even the brightest international stars found it tough against them.
Who among these international legends managed to shine, and who got dimmed?
To find out, we delved into the archives, examining all the games Team USA (featuring NBA talent) played against players from our international GOAT list, focusing on their performances in the Olympics and World Cup.
Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) 🇩🇪
International GOAT ranking: No. 2
Stats: 24.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 37.1 FG%, 25.0 3P% in four games
Record: 0-4
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) 🇬🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 3 (as of 2022)
Stats: 15 points, 13 rebounds, 63.7 FG%, 50.0 3P% in one game
Record: 0-1
Pau Gasol (Spain) 🇪🇸
International GOAT ranking: No. 5
Stats: 17.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.9 apg, 50.5 FG%, 46.2 3P% in seven games
Record: 1-6
Nikola Jokic (Serbia) 🇷🇸
International GOAT ranking: No. 6 (as of 2022)
Stats: 13.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.0 apg, 70.8 FG% in three games
Record: 1-2
Tony Parker (France) 🇫🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 7
Stats: 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 36.4 FG% in one game
Record: 0-1
Manu Ginobili (Argentina) 🇦🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 8
Stats: 12.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 39.7 FG% in seven games
Record: 2-5
Marc Gasol (Spain) 🇪🇸
International GOAT ranking: No. 13
Stats: 9.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 65.2 FG% in four games
Record: 0-4
Rudy Gobert (France) 🇫🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 14 (as of 2022)
Stats: 14.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 67.9 FG% in four games
Record: 2-2
Drazen Petrovic (Croatia) 🇭🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 15
Stats: 21.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 42.4 FG%, 46.2 3P% in two games
Record: 0-2
Yao Ming (China) 🇨🇳
International GOAT ranking: No. 16
Stats: 11.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 53.1 FG% in five games
Record: 0-5
Predrag Stojakovic (Serbia) 🇷🇸
International GOAT ranking: No. 17
Stats: 20.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 40.0 FG%, 60.0 3P% in two games
Record: 1-1
Arvydas Sabonis (Lithuania) 🇱🇹
International GOAT ranking: No. 18
Stats: 8.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 26.1 FG% in two games
Record: 0-2
Detlef Schrempf (Germany) 🇩🇪
International GOAT ranking: No. 19
Stats: 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 41.7 FG% in one game
Record: 0-1
Vlade Divac (Serbia) 🇷🇸
International GOAT ranking: No. 21
Stats: 12.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 40.0 FG% in three games
Record: 1-2
Toni Kukoc (Croatia) 🇭🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 22
Stats: 10.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 8.0 apg, 35.5 FG% in three games
Record: 0-3
Nikola Vucevic (Montenegro) 🇲🇪
International GOAT ranking: No. 24 (as of 2022)
Stats: 18 points, 16 rebounds, 42.1 FG% in one game
Record: 0-1
Andrei Kirilenko (Russia) 🇷🇺
International GOAT ranking: No. 26
Stats: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 50.0 FG% in one game
Record: 0-1
Goran Dragic (Slovenia) 🇸🇮
International GOAT ranking: No. 28 (as of 2022)
Stats: 10.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 34.8 FG% in two games
Record: 0-2
Luis Scola (Argentina) 🇦🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 30
Stats: 16.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 50.0 FG% in seven games
Record: 2-5
Ricky Rubio (Spain) 🇪🇸
International GOAT ranking: No. 33 (as of 2022)
Stats: 13.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 48.4 FG% in four games
Record: 0-4
Andrew Bogut (Australia) 🇦🇺
International GOAT ranking: No. 35
Stats: 13.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 53.6 FG% in three games
Record: 0-3
Dino Radja (Croatia) 🇭🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 38
Stats: 15.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 52.6 FG% in three games
Record: 0-3
Sarunas Marciulionis (Lithuania) 🇱🇹
International GOAT ranking: No. 40
Stats: 20 points, 2 rebounds, 35.3 FG% in one game
Record: 0-1
Serge Ibaka (Republic of Congo) 🇨🇬
International GOAT ranking: No. 42 (as of 2022)
Stats: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 40.0 FG% in one game
Record: 0-1
Nicolas Batum (France) 🇫🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 43 (as of 2022)
Stats: 7.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 40.7 FG% in five games
Record: 2-3
Hidayet Turkoglu (Turkey) 🇹🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 44
Stats: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 62.5 FG% in one game
Record: 0-1
Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania) 🇱🇹
International GOAT ranking: No. 47 (as of 2022)
Stats: 10.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 53.3 FG% in three games
Record: 1-2
Patrick Mills (Australia) 🇦🇺
International GOAT ranking: No. 49 (as of 2022)
Stats: 22.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.0 apg, 44.4 FG% in four games
Record: 0-4
Dejan Bodiroga (Serbia) 🇷🇸
Leandro Barbosa (Brazil) 🇧🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 54
Stats: 14.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 34.4 FG% in two games
Record: 0-2
Jose Manuel Calderon (Spain) 🇪🇸
International GOAT ranking: No. 55
Stats: 2.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.5 apg, 10.0 FG% in two games
Record: 0-2
Boris Diaw (France) 🇫🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 56
Stats: 7.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, 46.2 FG% in two games
Record: 0-2
Juan Carlos Navarro (Spain) 🇪🇸
International GOAT ranking: No. 57
Stats: 17.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 34.8 FG%, 32.5 3P% in six games
Record: 1-5
Oscar Schmidt (Brazil) 🇧🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 60
Stats: 25.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 35.6 FG%, 45.0 3P% in two games
Record: 0-2
Bojan Bogdanovic (Croatia) 🇭🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 61 (as of 2022)
Stats: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 54.5 FG% in one game
Record: 0-1
Evan Fournier (France) 🇫🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 62 (as of 2022)
Stats: 22.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 43.1 FG% in three games
Record: 2-1
Joe Ingles (Australia) 🇦🇺
International GOAT ranking: No. 64 (as of 2022)
Stats: 11.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 69.6 FG% in four games
Record: 0-4
Dennis Schroeder (Germany) 🇩🇪
Predrag Danilovic (Serbia) 🇷🇸
International GOAT ranking: No. 68
Stats: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 33.3 FG% in one game
Record: 0-1
Vassilis Spanoulis (Greece) 🇬🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 71
Stats: 18.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 43.5 FG% in two games
Record: 1-1
Rudy Fernandez (Spain) 🇪🇸
International GOAT ranking: No. 73 (as of 2022)
Stats: 10.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, 41.0 FG%, in five games
Record: 0-5
Tiago Splitter (Brazil) 🇧🇷
International GOAT ranking: No. 76
Stats: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 50.0 FG% in one game
Record: 0-1
