# List of Italian NBA players

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men's professional basketball league in North America. This list comprises all Italian players who have played in the NBA since its foundation in 1946. Each player's entry includes the seasons he spent in the league, the teams he played for, the number of appearances he made (both in regular season and playoffs) and his draft information. The list also includes players who were born outside of Italy but hold Italian citizenship or have represented the Italian national team in FIBA-sanctioned competitions, as well as Italian-born players who acquired another nationality at some point. Players who were born in Italy to foreign parents and never held Italian citizenship are not included.
By the aforementioned criteria, 11 Italian players have played in the NBA. The first Italian-born player to feature in the league was Hank Biasatti, who appeared in six games for the Toronto Huskies during the 1946–47 season and subsequently was picked by the Boston Celtics in the 1947 draft; Biasatti, however, was a Canadian citizen by naturalization at the time of his debut, having moved to Canada with his parents as a child. In the 1970 draft, Dino Meneghin was selected as an 11th round pick by the Atlanta Hawks, thus becoming the first Italian- and European-raised player to be drafted by an NBA team; nonetheless, Meneghin was never signed. In 1989, Mike D'Antoni became the first player with NBA experience to represent Italy in international competitions, being selected to the Italian squad for the European Championship; an American citizen by birth, D'Antoni had been playing in the Italian League for 12 years and had been granted Italian citizenship due to his Italian ancestry. On November 12, 1995, Stefano Rusconi became the first Italian-raised player to play in the NBA, as he made his debut for the Phoenix Suns. In the 2006 draft, Andrea Bargnani was selected by the Toronto Raptors as the first overall pick, being the first—and to date only—Italian and European player to be drafted first overall.
Marco Belinelli is currently the all-time leader among Italians in both regular season and playoff games played, with 860 and 65 respectively. Belinelli was also the first Italian to both play in the NBA Finals and win an NBA Championship, having done so as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.

## Key

| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| * | Denotes player who is still active in the NBA |

## Players

Note: Statistics are correct as of the end of the 2021–22 season.
| Player | Player | NBA career | NBA career | Games played | Games played | NBA draft | NBA draft | NBA draft | Notes | Ref. |
| Name | Pos. | Team(s) played | Years | RS | PO | Year | Pick | Team | Notes | Ref. |
| Paolo Banchero* | F | Orlando Magic (2022–present) | 2022–present | 72 | — | 2022 | 1st | Orlando Magic | Italian-American | |
| Andrea Bargnani | F/C | 3 teams Toronto Raptors (2006–2013) New York Knicks (2013–2015) Brooklyn Nets (2015–2016) | 2006–2016 | 550 | 11 | 2006 | 1st | Toronto Raptors | — | |
| Marco Belinelli | G | 9 teams Golden State Warriors (2007–2009) Toronto Raptors (2009–2010) New Orleans Hornets (2010–2012) Chicago Bulls (2012–2013) San Antonio Spurs (2013–2015, 2018–2020) Sacramento Kings (2015–2016) Charlotte Hornets (2016–2017) Atlanta Hawks (2017–2018) Philadelphia 76ers (2018) | 2007–2020 | 860 | 65 | 2007 | 18th | Golden State Warriors | — | |
| Hank Biasatti | G | Toronto Huskies | 1946–1947 | 6 | — | 1947 | n/a | Boston Celtics | Italian-Canadian | |
| Mike D'Antoni | G | 2 teams Kansas City–Omaha / Kansas City Kings (1973–1975) San Antonio Spurs (1976) | 1973–1976 | 130 | 4 | 1973 | 20th | Kansas City–Omaha Kings | Italian-American | |
| Luigi Datome | F | 2 teams Detroit Pistons (2013–2015) Boston Celtics (2015) | 2013–2015 | 55 | 3 | 2009 | Undrafted | Undrafted | — | |
| Travis Diener | G | 3 teams Orlando Magic (2005–2007) Indiana Pacers (2007–2010) Portland Trail Blazers (2010) | 2005–2010 | 179 | 2 | 2005 | 38th | Orlando Magic | American-born Italian | |
| Vincenzo Esposito | G | Toronto Raptors | 1995–1996 | 30 | — | 1991 | Undrafted | Undrafted | — | |
| Simone Fontecchio* | F | 2 teams Utah Jazz (2022–2024) Detroit Pistons (2024–present) | 2022–present | 52 | — | 2017 | Undrafted | Undrafted | — | |
| Danilo Gallinari* | F | 9 teams New York Knicks (2008–2011) Denver Nuggets (2011–2017) Los Angeles Clippers (2017–2019) Oklahoma City Thunder (2019–2020) Atlanta Hawks (2020–2022) Boston Celtics (2022–2023) Washington Wizards (2023–2024) Detroit Pistons (2024-2024) Milwaukee Bucks (2024-present) | 2008–present | 728 | 48 | 2008 | 6th | New York Knicks | — | |
| Nico Mannion | G | Golden State Warriors | 2020–2021 | 30 | — | 2020 | 48th | Golden State Warriors | Italian-American | |
| Nicolò Melli | F | 2 teams New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2021) Dallas Mavericks (2021) | 2019–2021 | 105 | 3 | 2013 | Undrafted | Undrafted | — | |
| Stefano Rusconi | C/F | Phoenix Suns | 1995–1996 | 7 | — | 1990 | 52nd | Cleveland Cavaliers | — | |

## Other draftees

The following players were drafted but either never played or have yet to play in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Year | Pick | Team | Notes |
| Augusto Binelli | C | 1986 | 40th | Atlanta Hawks | — |
| Alessandro Gentile | G | 2014 | 53rd | Minnesota Timberwolves | — |
| Dino Meneghin | C | 1970 | 182nd | Atlanta Hawks | — |
| Riccardo Morandotti | F | 1987 | 136th | Atlanta Hawks | — |
| Gabriele Procida | F | 2022 | 36th | Detroit Pistons | — |
| Matteo Spagnolo | G | 2022 | 50th | Minnesota Timberwolves | — |