6. Mengke Bateer
Born: November 20, 1975, Hanggin Banner, Inner Mongolia, China
NBA career: Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors
Best known as the first Mongolian to ever play in the NBA, Bateer has a distinction of being the first Chinese player and one of only two on our list that have won a championship ring. Setting aside the fact that he didn’t play a single game during the playoffs that led to Spurs’ winning the said championship, he still deserved his place on 9 best Asian NBA players ever list.