Basketball Is Global. So Are the San Antonio Spurs
Finding a competitive advantage has long been the habit of successful sports franchises. For the San Antonio Spurs, it’s their penchant for drafting and signing international players that sets them apart ― a big reason they’re the NBA’s winningest franchise by winning percentage. The Spurs’ unprecedented three-decade run of success proves unequivocally that international players have a place in the NBA, reflecting a culture of innovation and globalism in the franchise.
Longtime head coach Gregg Popovich started the Spurs’ international reach back when he was an assistant coach in 1989. Pop was instrumental in the recruitment of Serbian wunderkind Žarko Paspalj. Paspalj was one of the first European basketball players to play in the NBA and, along with two Soviets and two fellow Yugoslavs who also came to the NBA in 1989, was part of the Green Card Five (comprised of Soviets (Šarūnas Marčiulionis and Alexander Volkov) and fellow Yugoslavs Dražen Petrović and Vlade Divac). Paspalj ― who smoked cigarettes and loved Pizza Hut ― endeared himself to the Spurs faithful, even if his game didn’t translate to the NBA at the time. And although his season in the NBA was underwhelming, he left a lasting impression on Pop, who would continue to scour the international market for future NBA stars. The two remain friends to this day.
The benchmark set by Paspalj led to the addition of Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili, two-thirds of the Spurs’ famous Big Three. In fact, it can be said that all three of the Big Three, including Tim Duncan, were international signings of a kind, as Duncan was scouted on the Virgin Islands, albeit in a U.S. territory there. Parker, Duncan and Manu were NBA powerhouses, proof of concept for the Spurs’ international scouting advantage.
George Gervin #44 of the San Antonio Spurs dribbles against the New York Knicks circa 1978 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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Basketball Is Global. So Are the San Antonio Spurs
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Pop was never surprised by the success
of his international players
Finding a competitive advantage has long been the habit of successful sports franchises. For the San Antonio Spurs, it’s their penchant for drafting and signing international players that sets them apart ― a big reason they’re the NBA’s winningest franchise by winning percentage. The Spurs’ unprecedented three-decade run of success proves unequivocally that international players have a place in the NBA, reflecting a culture of innovation and globalism in the franchise.
Longtime head coach Gregg Popovich started the Spurs’ international reach back when he was an assistant coach in 1989. Pop was instrumental in the recruitment of Serbian wunderkind Žarko Paspalj. Paspalj was one of the first European basketball players to play in the NBA and, along with two Soviets and two fellow Yugoslavs who also came to the NBA in 1989, was part of the Green Card Five (comprised of Soviets (Šarūnas Marčiulionis and Alexander Volkov) and fellow Yugoslavs Dražen Petrović and Vlade Divac). Paspalj ― who smoked cigarettes and loved Pizza Hut ― endeared himself to the Spurs faithful, even if his game didn’t translate to the NBA at the time. And although his season in the NBA was underwhelming, he left a lasting impression on Pop, who would continue to scour the international market for future NBA stars. The two remain friends to this day.
The benchmark set by Paspalj led to the addition of Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili, two-thirds of the Spurs’ famous Big Three. In fact, it can be said that all three of the Big Three, including Tim Duncan, were international signings of a kind, as Duncan was scouted on the Virgin Islands, albeit in a U.S. territory there. Parker, Duncan and Manu were NBA powerhouses, proof of concept for the Spurs’ international scouting advantage.
The Big Three may be the most well-known of the Spurs’ international players, but they were far from the last. In the 2012-13 season, the Spurs set a record for most-ever international players on one opening-night roster, with eight players born outside of the continental U.S., including the Big Three plus Nando De Colo, Boris Diaw, Cory Joseph, Patrick Mills and Tiago Splitter. Then in 2013-14, the Spurs added Italian superstar Marco Belinelli. The Spurs went on to lead the league with 62 wins that year and took home the NBA championship.
Pop was never surprised by the success of his international players, telling ESPN Magazine that international players spend far more of their developmental years focusing on the right basketball fundamentals, such as passing to an open teammate. By the time they come to the NBA, they're far more advanced in terms of basic, rudimentary skills than a typical U.S. player. Plus, they’re generally harder working than American players.
Pop formed his opinion of international players firsthand while touring Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union on the U.S. Armed Forces Basketball Team in the early ’70s. Then-Spurs general manager and now CEO R.C. Buford agreed with Pop’s assessment that the international market was an untapped resource that offered a competitive advantage, especially for a small market team like San Antonio. Together, Pop and Buford exploited a market inefficiency to their advantage. The Chicago Bulls of the ’90s may have ignited interest in basketball globally, but it was the Spurs who truly took advantage.
Today, basketball is a global game; no franchise reflects this more than the San Antonio Spurs. As the game has grown beyond borders, so has San Antonio, an apt characteristic for a city that embraces a multinational heritage. All told, Spurs lineups have featured 30 internationals over the years, the most of any NBA team. Throw a dart blindfolded at a world map and you’re likely to hit a country with a player on the Spurs at one time or another. The tradition carries on today with Gorgui Dieng from Senegal. It’s safe to assume the international philosophy isn’t going anywhere.
The Big Three may be the most well-known of the Spurs’ international players, but they were far from the last. In the 2012-13 season, the Spurs set a record for most-ever international players on one opening-night roster, with eight players born outside of the continental U.S., including the Big Three plus Nando De Colo, Boris Diaw, Cory Joseph, Patrick Mills and Tiago Splitter. Then in 2013-14, the Spurs added Italian superstar Marco Belinelli. The Spurs went on to lead the league with 62 wins that year and took home the NBA championship.
Pop was never surprised by the success of his international players, telling ESPN Magazine that international players spend far more of their developmental years focusing on the right basketball fundamentals, such as passing to an open teammate. By the time they come to the NBA, they're far more advanced in terms of basic, rudimentary skills than a typical U.S. player. Plus, they’re generally harder working than American players.
Pop formed his opinion of international players firsthand while touring Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union on the U.S. Armed Forces Basketball Team in the early ’70s. Then-Spurs general manager and now CEO R.C. Buford agreed with Pop’s assessment that the international market was an untapped resource that offered a competitive advantage, especially for a small market team like San Antonio. Together, Pop and Buford exploited a market inefficiency to their advantage. The Chicago Bulls of the ’90s may have ignited interest in basketball globally, but it was the Spurs who truly took advantage.
Today, basketball is a global game; no franchise reflects this more than the San Antonio Spurs. As the game has grown beyond borders, so has San Antonio, an apt characteristic for a city that embraces a multinational heritage. All told, Spurs lineups have featured 30 internationals over the years, the most of any NBA team. Throw a dart blindfolded at a world map and you’re likely to hit a country with a player on the Spurs at one time or another. The tradition carries on today with Gorgui Dieng from Senegal. It’s safe to assume the international philosophy isn’t going anywhere.
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Pop was never surprised by the success of his international players