The New York Knicks held the fourth overall pick in 2015 after posting the team’s worst record in its 71-year existence.

They were expected to select a collegiate superstar to energize the rebuilding process; however, the slot was filled by a 19-year-old Latvian whose name has the same amount of letters as the Knicks had wins in their previous season, 16.

Kristaps Porzingis entered the league at 7 feet 2 inches and earned the nickname “The Unicorn” because he has such unusual as a 7 feet 6 inches wingspan and an above average three-point shot. But Porzingis isn’t the only current international player well on his way to NBA stardom.

Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo from Greece currently ranks in the top 20 for points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. If he maintains these stats to close the season, he will be the first player to accomplish this feat in NBA history.

Antetokounmpo quickly rose from a mere bench player to the team superstar through his showmanship of  dunks from the free throw line with ease, which fans hadn’t seen since the 1980s.

The mid 1980’s also had a turning point in respect given to international players. In the NBA as Nigeria and Jamaica produced centers that first led their teams to NCAA national championships and then went back-to-back number one picks in the draft.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing combined for 23 all-star appearances and captured three Olympic gold medals before becoming Hall of Famers. To this day, Olajuwon is still known as the smoothest big man in history, because he routinely embarrassed defenders with his infamous “dream shake.”

In addition, kids still wag their finger back and forth after blocking opponents, trying to imitate 7 feet 2 inches Dikembe Mutombo from Congo.

The rest of the world has been known for producing superhuman big men as nine of the league’s 15 tallest players have come from outside U.S. borders.

Over the years, the foreign percentage of players has grown from 2 percent in the 1980s to 30 percent today.

The San Antonio Spurs took the trend to a completely new level when their 2013 finals roster was made up of 10 international players.

Even our neighbors to the north have become known for producing dynamic guards, such as Steve Nash and Kyrie Irving.

Most recently, German-born Dirk Nowitzki achieved the 30,000-point mark, becoming sixth on the all-time points list. Nowitzki has spent almost 19 years in the NBA, all with the Dallas Mavericks, and says he has no plans of retiring this offseason.

Lauri Markkanen, who is currently a freshman from Finland at the University of Arizona, has earned the nickname “Baby Dirk,” and is projected to be a top pick if he declares for the draft. This shows that the world has no plans of slowing down when it comes to the globalization of the league’s rosters.