The Greatest Lebanese Basketball Player of All Time?
I'm sure you were wondering the same thing I was when Youssef Khayat committed to the good guys today: "So exactly how many great Lebanese basketball players have there ever been?"
Answer: Not many. Actually, one.
According to this site, there have been five Lebanese players make it to the NBA. The best, by far, was Rony Seikaly, who (like Youssef) is from Beirut. Seikaly played at Syracuse and then spent 13 seasons in the NBA. He had some truly excellent seasons with Miami and Golden State, averaging 14.7 PPG over his career.
Steve Kerr was also born in Beirut and spent much of his childhood there, but he's not Lebanese, so while he's a Lebanese-born player, he doesn't count on this list.
After Seikaly, the list of Lebanese players drops off significantly. There are currently no Lebanese players in the NBA, so the door is wide open for Youssef to make his mark.
I had no idea Seikaly averaged almost 15 for that long! I just remember him as some ugly goon Jordan would teabag on the regular.
Seikaly also makes club music.
Oh to be so ugly and marry this woman
So, by the transitive property, did Jordan also teabag her?
And there goes the sexy bits rule right out the window.
I'm sure you were wondering the same thing I was when Youssef Khayat committed to the good guys today: "So exactly how many great Lebanese basketball players have there ever been?"
I was debating whether I should have put the /s on there. Apparently, I should have.
It's all good fun and upvotes, my friend.
Why did I think Rony Seikaly was Greek?
Man, I loved those Sherman Douglas Orangemen squads. 1980s Big East basketball was the best.
I would have guessed Greek too, but he is Lebanese.
I had a Lebanese friend who came to the US in the early 80s. I'm guessing he was actually a refugee. I guess a lot of Lebanese Christians got the heck out around then.
Seikaly's family moved to Greece when he was a teenager, so he does have ties to that country, also.
Rony would be a bigger household name if Sherman Douglas could hit free throws or if Keith Smart didn't hit "the shot". https://youtu.be/2dgkmikdVM8
Agree about 80's Big East basketball. Also really enjoyed watching Allen Iverson play as well.
Yeah, I thought he was Cypriot - Cypriot Greek maybe? You are 100% right on old school Big East.
Steve Kerr was also born in Beirut and spent much of his childhood there, but he's not Lebanese, so while he's a Lebanese-born player, he doesn't count on this list.
Isn't one's nationality determined by birthplace? I guess he's just not a Lebanese citizen? From wikipedia- "Kerr spent much of his childhood in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries. While in Beirut in the summer of 1983, he met a number of US Marines who were later killed in the Beirut barracks bombings. Kerr attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the American Community School in Beirut, Lebanon..."
Doesn't sound like a "mom gave birth on vacation" kind of thing to me. Idk.
Kerr’s father was the president of the American University of Beirut and was executed by members of Islamic Jihad. The Kerr family is definitely not Lebanese.
Yes, Steve Kerr's father Malcolm Kerr was assassinated for being American even though he had grown up in Lebanon and supported the rights of Palestinians.
There was a surge in anti-American, anti-European, anti-Israeli sentiment because Israel had recently invaded Lebanon.
It's unknown who assassinated him. There's a decent chance it was Israel since he was critical of their invasion of Lebanon which led to many civilian deaths:
Israel had invaded the country, and Kerr “personally stood down an Israeli armored personnel carrier that crashed through a campus gate,” The Post reported.
"I wish they'd knocked, but their way of knocking is to crash through with a tank," Kerr told an Associated Press reporter.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/05/25/malcolm-kerr-steve-assassination-lebanon/
His father was the dean of American University of Beirut.
He's born in Lebanon but isn't ethnically Lebanese. I'm not sure he has Lebanese citizenship either.
Most countries (Lebanon included) do not grand birthright citizenship just for being born there. It's largely a western hemisphere thing.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-birthright-citizenship
Japan has birthright citizenship (per the map)? I don't think that's correct.
I also don't think France and much of South America does either, but I could be wrong.
The color coding of that map doesn't make sense. The wikipedia one is more accurate. Japan is definitely not jus soli except for the seemingly very rare instances where parentage is unknown. Most of South America is jus soli, except for Colombia. France is jus soli with restrictions, i.e. if born in France to non-French parents, you can become a citizen at various ages based on how long you've lived there.
Japan is definitely not jus soli except
Um, no.
https://www.moj.go.jp/ENGLISH/information/tnl-01.html
Japan is clearly a citizen by birth state.
the seemingly very rare instances where parentage is unknown
You're still misinterpreting Japanese law.
https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/human/civil_rep4/article24.html
Clearly states in such a case the intent is not for the child go stateless.
Yes, but when people speak of "citizenship by birth" they are usually referring to a case of a child born in the country to non-citizen parents. That child would have automatic citizenship here, but not in Japan, outside of unusual cases like the family being stateless.
That child would have automatic citizenship here, but not in Japan, outside of unusual cases like the family being stateless.
That's not what the links I posted say.
Read it again:
A child shall, in any of the following cases, be a Japanese national:
(1) When, at the time of its birth, the father or the mother is a Japanese national;
(2) When the father who died prior to the birth of the child was a Japanese national at the time of his death;
(3) When both parents are unknown or have no nationality in a case where the child is born in Japan.
This does not cover children born to parents of non-Japanese nationality, outside of the rare case described in #3.
I've been wondering about shawarma since he committed.
But I definitely hope he becomes the greatest Lebanese player of all time. I hope he wins a national championship at Michigan and that propels him to be a lottery pick.
Funny you should mention it. There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it.
you don't know what it is?
I discover new food every day. That's the joy in it. Not everyone grows up in place with a lot of ethnic food choices.
Do yourself a favor and head over there. Slow roasted seasoned marinated meat... thin sliced with veggies on flat bread. Similar to gyro. You won't regret it.
I didn't think the reference was that obscure. Shows what I know.
Averaging 15 pts 10 rebs over the course of 11 seasons and winning the NBA most improved player award is a great career. While the door is open for Khayat, I wouldn’t say it’s wide open or will be easy for him to overtake the title as best Lebanese player
Max Kilinger for the Toledo Mud Hens.
And Rony Seikaly's roots are actually Palestinian.
Rony Seikaly is definitely the best Lebanese player ever. Also went on to become a great DJ (!)
None of the others on your list are really Lebanese. They were all born outside Lebanon and became citizens to play on the national team (NTTAWWT). We love Steve Kerr, but he probably doesn't qualify as Lebanese, even you ask him. Would love to have him, though.
The second best player ever is undoubtedly Fadi Khatib . He might have had a chance to play in the NBA if not for some contract issues with his club team, but I digress... He was part of the golden era of Lebanese basketball that included a couple trips to the world championships and a win over France.
Anyway, super excited to see Khayyat play.
Also can't wait for the maize and blue Lebanese flag 🇱🇧