Rony Seikaly talks about his motivation to become one of the first international players in the NBA: "Let me be a pioneer"
In 2025, the abundance of international stars around the NBA is normal, as their steady rise has been a noted trend in recent years. However, that was far from the case in older eras of the Association. Players from all over the world started entering the league in the late 80s and early 90s, but even then, they were a minority without any significant roles.
One of the first was Rony Seikaly, a center of Lebanese descent. Seik was drafted ninth by the Miami Heat in the 1988 NBA Draft, the first pick for the new franchise in South Beach. According to Rony, his goal was to break the barrier and help other foreign players make the bold step of trying out their luck in the best league in the world.
"When I started playing basketball, basketball was an inner city sport. They never looked at European players; they never looked at any foreign-born players. It was all farmed in the U.S. I was one of the very few and first players to come from overseas to play basketball in the United States. It was a big gamble to take, because I know I could have been all set playing basketball in Greece, but I wanted the bigger challenge. And I figured, let me be a pioneer and be one of the very first few foreign basketball players to play at the highest level," Seikaly explained in a recent interview.
NBA bound
Born in Lebanon and attending an American school in Athens, Greece, Seikaly's basketball upbringing was international. However, he developed into a skilled 6'11" center who garnered interest from many European clubs.
However, Rony decided to go overseas after receiving a scholarship offer from Syracuse. As fate would have it, Seik spent four years with the Orange and turned himself into a legitimate NBA prospect who would eventually end up on the Heat.
"I came here and played against all the best players in high school. That's when I got a scholarship to play in college, and then in college, I was exposed to the whole television audience, the press and everything else. And that's when I was drafted as the number one pick to the Miami Heat," Rony added.
Seikaly spent the majority and best part of his career in Miami, averaging 15.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game during his six seasons with the Heat. The Lebanese international also played for the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, and Golden State Warriors to round out a solid 11-year career in the golden era of the 90s.The rise of international basketball
While nowadays guys like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyma and many more are dominating in the NBA, with fresh batches of international prospects entering the league every year, it is evident that American players no longer hold power over the foreign guys. In fact, many would say that they have overtaken them and are more desirable for teams to have.
The rise in skill and adaptability the overseas guys have shown in recent years is impressive, but if pioneers like Seikaly, Drazen Petrovic, Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc, and many other internationals had not taken risks 30+ years ago, all of this would not have been possible for the new generation.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
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