The Most Famous
BASKETBALL PLAYERS from Netherlands
This page contains a list of the greatest Dutch Basketball Players. The pantheon dataset contains 1,757 Basketball Players, 5 of which were born in Netherlands. This makes Netherlands the birth place of the 36th most number of Basketball Players behind Finland, and Israel.
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Dutch Basketball Players of all time. This list of famous Dutch Basketball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Rik Smits (b. 1966)
With an HPI of 49.21, Rik Smits is the most famous Dutch Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages on wikipedia.
Rik Smits (born 23 August 1966), nicknamed "The Dunking Dutchman" is a Dutch former professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 7-foot-4-inch (2.24 m) center was drafted by the Pacers out of Marist College with the second overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft. An NBA All-Star in 1998, Smits reached the NBA Finals in 2000.
2. Francisco Elson (b. 1976)
With an HPI of 42.00, Francisco Elson is the 2nd most famous Dutch Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Francisco Marinho Robby Elson (born 28 February 1976) is a Dutch former professional basketball player. Elson was the seventh Dutch player to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Elson served as the captain of the Netherlands national basketball team in international basketball, as he led the team in several EuroBasket qualifying rounds. He was the first Dutch player to become an NBA champion, doing so with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.
3. Arvin Slagter (b. 1985)
With an HPI of 37.00, Arvin Slagter is the 3rd most famous Dutch Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Arvin Slagter (born 19 September 1985) is a Dutch basketball player who plays for the Netherlands men's national 3x3 team. Slagter became an Olympic champion in Paris 2024 with the Netherlands. Slagter also played for several other Dutch 5vs5 teams in his career, including Rotterdam, Bergen op Zoom, Leiden and Groningen. Slagter usually plays the point guard or shooting guard position and is also a member of the 5vs5 Dutch national basketball team since 2006. He is currently a member of the 3X3 Dutch National Team. Slagter is the all-time leader in assists (1,614) in the Dutch Basketball League.
4. Henk Norel (b. 1987)
With an HPI of 36.27, Henk Norel is the 4th most famous Dutch Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Henk Norel (born 17 September 1987) is a Dutch retired basketball player. He currently is a performance coach for the Heroes Den Bosch of the Dutch Basketball League (DBL). He was drafted with the 47th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also appeared in 79 international games representing the Netherlands.
5. Dan Gadzuric (b. 1978)
With an HPI of 35.36, Dan Gadzuric is the 5th most famous Dutch Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Daniel Gadzuric (Serbian: Даниел Гаџурић, romanized: Daniel Gadžurić; born February 2, 1978) is a Dutch-Serbian former professional basketball player. A center, Gadzuric attended preparatory school at The Governor's Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, before playing college basketball for the Bruins at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2002 NBA draft.
6. Dimeo van der Horst (b. 1991)
With an HPI of 34.38, Dimeo van der Horst is the 6th most famous Dutch Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Dimeo van der Horst (born 23 June 1991) is a Dutch 3x3 basketball player who plays for the Netherlands men's national 3x3 team. Standing at 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in), Van der Horst primarily plays as point guard. Born in Amsterdam, he played 11 seasons of professional basketball in the Dutch Basketball League for four different clubs.
People
Pantheon has 6 people classified as Dutch basketball players born between 1966 and 1991. Of these 6, 6 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Dutch basketball players include Rik Smits, Francisco Elson, and Arvin Slagter. As of April 2024, 1 new Dutch basketball players have been added to Pantheon including Henk Norel.
Living Dutch Basketball Players
Go to all Rankings
Rik Smits
1966 - Present
HPI: 49.21
Francisco Elson
1976 - Present
HPI: 42.00
Arvin Slagter
1985 - Present
HPI: 37.00
Henk Norel
1987 - Present
HPI: 36.27
Dan Gadzuric
1978 - Present
HPI: 35.36
Dimeo van der Horst
1991 - Present
HPI: 34.38
