Why is the United States so much better at basketball than the rest of the world?

[jongib369]

FIBA rules are now almost identical to NBA rules, even the way refs interpret fouls is 100% copied from the NBA now.

What you claim was only true in the past.

who is considered the best European player EVER?

[Euroleague]

You people with your hair brained theories and uninformed opinions on genetics and intelligence

It's because U.S.A. is the father-country and central hub of professional basketball, it has a league (the NBA) with the tenured and well-earned reputation as the "best" in the world as such - more systems and opportunities have been in place to develop our young talent. And it is an absolute magnet for the greatest U.S. and International talent. The best players in the world will always gravitate towards the NBA - not some scrub-league team. So more great players also want to live here.

Europe for example, isn't producing "inferior" competition (Dirk, Sabonis, the Gasols, Manu, Parker - etc) - the reason foreign leagues like EUROLEAGUE sucks in comparison is because the good Europeans play for the NBA. The American NBA is stacked with not just America's best talent - but also the greatest talent from everywhere on the planet. Therefore American and International scrubs alike who can't make it in the U.S.A. tend to get repelled towards International leagues.

Again to the people getting caught up in race

And the reason International teams don't look like U.S. teams is because the U.S.A. is f*cking massive in talent pool compared to the countries we face. We have 50 f*cking States to pull our talent from many of which have large cities which are extremely competitive with the kind of basketball talent they cultivate - some of which (like California) are as big or bigger than the countries we are facing. Europe as a whole, does not necessarily produce inferior talent. And even China is getting in the game now. Race isn't the problem. International basketball isn't really that bad considering their lesser population pools (Europe) and/or level of economic development or interest in the game (Asia, Africa, South America). I think what people get confused by things like EUROLEAGUE. And Euroleague does suck at basketball. Royally. Because nobody great wants to play for some second rate Euroleague. But that doesn't represent International basketball - the NBA's great European players do.

/thread

Team USA can beat Spain, Lithuania, Russia, but it could NOT beat a unified European team, such as a Euroleague all star team.

You are an even bigger moron than the racist Afro supremacists are. Because they say the things they do out of racism. You are evidently saying them out of simply being a freaking dumb ass.

[Euroleague]

who is considered the best European player EVER?

In top European basketball circles (former hall of fame players, coaches, long time media that covered European basketball)....

The names you will hear the most as being discussed for it would be:

Dino Meneghin
Nikos Galis
Drazen Petrovic
Drazen Dalipagic
Kresimir Cosic
Radovaj Korac
Arvydas Sabonis
Dirk Nowitzki
Pau Gasol
Sergey Belov

If you only wanted to count the NBA, then objectively, you have to pick Dirk. If you wanted to count European club play, then it's probably Meneghin.

If you want to put world-wide international play at the top (things like Olympics and World Basketball Cup), then it's probably Belov.

If you simply want to go by who was the best player at their primes, then it should be either Galis or Petrovic.

[qrich]

Team USA can beat Spain, Lithuania, Russia, but it could NOT beat a unified European team, such as a Euroleague all star team.

You are a an even bigger moron than the racist Afro supremacists are. Because they say the things they do out of racism. You are evidently saying them out of simply being a freaking dumb ass.

What would make Team USA struggle against the EuroLeague All-Star Team?

[jongib369]

In top European basketball circles (former hall of fame players, coaches, long time media that covered European basketball)....

The names you will hear the most as being discussed for it would be:

Dino Meneghin
Nikos Galis
Drazen Petrovic
Drazen Dalipagic
Kresimir Cosic
Radovaj Korac
Arvydas Sabonis
Dirk Nowitzki
Pau Gasol
Sergey Belov

If you only wanted to count the NBA, then objectively, you have to pick Dirk. If you wanted to count European club play, then it's probably Meneghin.

If you want to put world-wide international play at the top (things like Olympics and World Basketball Cup), then it's probably Belov.

If you simply want to go by who was the best player at their primes, then it should be either Galis or Petrovic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy-f3C7e_kU

thats the only highlight I can find of him, do you know of any more? the music makes me LOL

And btw, I didn't create this thread to hate on overseas ball at all. If you want, message me sometime and possibly go into depth in your reasoning on some things. I'm interested in what you know

[G-train]

Yeah I'd say the college system, large population and to a small extent the African American race. They are the best but not by alot though. If anything the egos that many American players have had ingrained into them hold them back in team sports a bit.

[Zedja]

Team USA can beat Spain, Lithuania, Russia, but it could NOT beat a unified European team, such as a Euroleague all star team.

You are a an even bigger moron than the racist Afro supremacists are. Because they say the things they do out of racism. You are evidently saying them out of simply being a freaking dumb ass.

No.

[Sakkreth]

Barely better with over 300million population than a country with under 3millions ? Wouldn't be proud...

[Euroleague]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy-f3C7e_kU

thats the only highlight I can find of him, do you know of any more? the music makes me LOL

And btw, I didn't create this thread to hate on overseas ball at all. If you want, message me sometime and possibly go into depth in your reasoning on some things. I'm interested in what you know

Belov was about a 6-4 180 SG. He was known as the Jerry West of Europe. He's still considered to be the best Russian player ever to this day in Russia.

Of course, in the US everyone says it is Kirilenko because he played in the NBA.

Anyway, Belov was the best player on the 1972 Soviet Olympic team...so that's probably why he has never gotten any mention in the US. People still won't let it go, even 40 years later. Of course we can't really compare these players across eras. Same as with NBA players.

Personally, myself, I think Galis is the best European player ever.

If you have a question about European basketball, feel free to ask.

[Euroleague]

Barely better with over 300million population than a country with under 3millions ? Wouldn't be proud...

Exactly. USA 99 - Lithuania 94...........

I fail to see how this thread makes sense.

Yes, the US is better than every other country of the world individually in basketball.

However, they are not "oh so very much better" as is implied here. Hell, they were losing to Spain in the gold medal game deep into the second half of the game.

Also, again, the "better than the rest of the world" thing isn't realistic or true.

USA never plays against a unified European team, or a unified world team. It's only against single individual countries that USA plays.

The people that think USA can really beat a unified European or world team are morons. So they are not actually "better than the rest of the world". That's WRONG.

They are better than any other single individual country.

And no, I don't think the 2012 Team USA Olympic team would be favored to beat a Euroleague all star team.

[julizaver]

A team of NBA All-Stars could be chalenged only when all the other countries join forces.

15-20 years ago US could beat anybody, any team assembled, and the gap was very obvious. And keep in mind that the game was played under FIBA rules.
Nowadays there is some lack of great talents in NBA, esspeccially with center positions. And the foreign players in NBA (a lot more than 15-20 years ago) knows that they can play the game with the best or at least they do not fear them anymore. Half of the Spanish team was assembled from NBA players.

[tomtucker]

Team USA can beat Spain, Lithuania, Russia, but it could NOT beat a unified European team, such as a Euroleague all star team.

You are a an even bigger moron than the racist Afro supremacists are. Because they say the things they do out of racism. You are evidently saying them out of simply being a freaking dumb ass.

please give player names on that team !

[gabepizza]

Exactly. USA 99 - Lithuania 94...........

I fail to see how this thread makes sense.

Yes, the US is better than every other country of the world individually in basketball.

However, they are not "oh so very much better" as is implied here. Hell, they were losing to Spain in the gold medal game deep into the second half of the game.

Also, again, the "better than the rest of the world" thing isn't realistic or true.

USA never plays against a unified European team, or a unified world team. It's only against single individual countries that USA plays.

The people that think USA can really beat a unified European or world team are morons. So they are not actually "better than the rest of the world". That's WRONG.

They are better than any other single individual country.

And no, I don't think the 2012 Team USA Olympic team would be favored to beat a Euroleague all star team.

Euroleague all star team? You're joking right? A good match up would be a European all-star team vs Team USA but as we have seen a Euroleague all star team would have difficulty beating Nigeria! What "great" Euroleague players even made the Olympics? Only Juan Carlos Navarro and he was on a team with two NBA stars and a couple of other NBA players. I guess if you include AK-47 but he only played one year in Euroleague (winning league MVP and DPOY) before going back to being a role player in the NBA.

And yes the US is all lot better then the rest of the world. You mention their close games this summer. The point is they have gone through the past three global tournament without losing a game. Yes on a bad day they beat Lithuania by 5 and Spain by 7 but on a good day they beat France by 27, Argentina by 29 and Nigeria by 83! On a bad day Spain loses to Brazil and Greece loses to Nigeria...NIGERIA!!!!!

[swi7ch]

We have black people who are driven to play either basketball or football. End of story. It is scientifically proven (and common sense, really) that black people have the superior athletic genes.

Imagine if soccer in the US became as big as basketball and football... we'll be taking over that sport, too!

[Kevin Love]

Barely better with over 300million population than a country with under 3millions ? Wouldn't be proud...

lawl, gtfo

take a specific state like maryland which has less than 6 mil people and they would still dominate teams like lithuania even though lithuania per population density has one of the highest participation rates in the world


even take a team of players from a single city like chicago and they would beat countries with similar population size with ease

i'm aussie and our national team would be torn to pieces from a team from california