Published 29 days ago
by Mike B.
at Bleacher Report - NBA
In today's NBA, several European players have made a name for themselves. German-born Dirk Nowitzki, Spaniard Pau Gasol, and Turkey's Hedo Turkoglu are just a few examples.
Sure, Europeans are enjoying some major success in the league now, but it hasn't always been like that. Until the 1980s, seeing a European player in the NBA was basically unheard of.
In the 1981 draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Iceland native Petur Gudmundsson with the 61st overall pick. The former University of Washington star appeared in 68 games for the Blazers in 1981-82 posting averages of 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest.
Although Gudmundsson didn't exactly put up eye-popping numbers, he still had made history by becoming the first ever European to play in the league.
A guy by the name of Georgi Glouchkov was the first player from an Eastern bloc country. The 148th overall pick of the 1985 draft, he is widely considered as the one who "paved the way" for Europeans since he didn't play any college ...
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