The 5 Greatest Latino NBA Players in History
Spanish Heritage Month begins on September 15 and ends three days before the start of the NBA season. In honor of the month, FanRankings broke the top 10 Latino athletes of all time with their impressive accolades. Find out below who made the top 5.
5. Nene
In fifth place is the Brazilian, formerly known as No Hilario. He legally changed his name to just Nenê in 2003 and played for the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets. He averaged 11.3 points per game throughout his NBA career, while averaging six rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. His last game was Game 6 of the 2019 Western Conference Semifinals with the Rockets against the Golden State Warriors on May 10, 2019.
4. Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez takes fourth place. The half Cuban played for the New Jersey Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers and currently plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. Throughout his career, he showed his strength in various positions, scoring an average of more than 20 points per game in four different seasons. In the 2020-21 NBA season, he averaged 16.5 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
3. Al Horford
Born in the Dominican Republic, Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso takes third place. The power forward and center currently plays for the Boston Celtics, but has also played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder. He was drafted as the number three overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft and has made five NBA All-Star teams. He has averaged 13.9 points per game, with 8.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game throughout his career.
2. Manu Ginobilic
Emanuel David Ginobili Maccaric was born in Argentina and played for the San Antonio Spurs. He started his professional career in Argentina and was drafted by the team in 1999. He helped the team win four NBA championships between 2003 and 2014 and was a two-time NBA All-Star. Over his career, he averaged 13.3 points per game, with 3.8 assists per game and 3.5 rebounds per game. His last game was on April 24, 2018 in the Western Conference against the Golden State Warriors.
1. Carmelo Anthony
Taking the number 1 spot is Carmelo Anthony. Born in Manhattan, he is half Puerto Rican. He last played for the Los Angeles Lakers and is currently a free agent. Anthony has also played for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers. With an average of 23 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists, he is one of the greatest and most talked about athletes. He is a 10x All-Star player and was named Scoring Champion in 2013
