Juan Carlos Navarro showed he's on an equal footing with the NBA's top players during Spain's 92-88 defeat of the Lakers in early October.
Mr. Navarro, who scored 25 points while routing Kobe Byant's championship-winning team, played in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2007-08 season and was named an All-Rookie Second Team. While the Grizzlies offered him an extension to his contract, he opted to return to his native Spain to play in the European league.
As the Monitor reported in 2008: "More players are flocking to European teams, lured by high salaries, tax breaks, and other perks. While this migration to the continent is largely motivated by a need to ensure financial security, it has increased the competitiveness of European play. Indeed, European leagues are emerging as a viable alternative to the NBA."
“It’s the new market,” Luciano Capicchioni, president and CEO of the San Marino-based Interperformances sports agency, which he estimates represents 500 basketball players worldwide, told the Monitor. “You have to go where the money is. Players fire you if you don’t tell them what’s out there.”
