5 best European players to ever play for the Memphis Grizzlies
Eurobasket gets underway today and it’s expected to be one of the toughest tournaments ever. A big reason for this is the amount of NBA talent it will feature, which is a great time to reflect on some of the all-time great European players to ever play for the Memphis Grizzlies.
NBA superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Nikola Jokic are ready to lead their national teams on their path to a gold medal.
Besides these stars, there are plenty of players around the league that will represent their country and add more glamour to the competition (Rudy Gobert, Domantas Sabonis, Bojan Bogdanovic, Goran Dragic, Alperen Sengun, Jusuf Nurkic to name a few).
As the heart of basketball will beat in Europe for the next several days, it’s the perfect time to remember the best European players to play for the Memphis Grizzlies.
No 5. Former Memphis Grizzlies guard Nick Calathes’ NBA career fell short
Fun fact: Nick Calathes is the Grizzlies’ all-time leader in Defensive Box Plus/Minus (2.3). Advanced stats are weird, right?
While Nick Calathes is remembered by Grizzlies fans for the wrong reasons, like his 20-game suspension for violating the NBA’s drug policy or getting into a confrontation with Tony Allen, his short NBA career wasn’t as bad as you may think.
His averages of 4.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists on 129 total games may not look appealing, but for two seasons (2013-14, 2014-15) Nick Calathes was an active part of the team’s rotation and was showing— at times— great glimpses as a playmaker and perimeter defender.
Overseas, his career turned out way more successful, as Calathes has become an absolute superstar. He currently leads Euroleague in all-time total assists, while he won a Euroleague title with Panathinaikos in 2011. Rick Pitino once said Calathes is the best passer he’s seen in his lifetime, so I don’t think there’s anything else to add.
If you want to see for yourself, Calathes will be Giannis’ teammate in the Eurobasket, and next season will be playing in Turkey for Fenerbache.