Andrei Kirilenko grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia, believing "that gods played in the NBA."

He watched the 1992 Dream Team crush the opposition in Barcelona, Spain, when he was 11. He will be 21 when he likely plays against the latest Dream Team this summer at the FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis.

And while he hasn't lost any respect for the American pros or the game they play, the big rookie with the Utah Jazz now knows "I can play here" and is out to make his mark.

Players such as Kirilenko aren't unique any longer. If teams want to get a quick lift in the NBA today, the best route may be to look overseas rather than wait two or three seasons for an American early-entry draft pick to develop. Last June five high school players made headlines by being drafted, but the drafting of seven foreign players didn't get nearly as much attention.

"It's a combination of a couple of things," said Dallas assistant coach Donn Nelson, who has coached in Lithuania and is a recognized authority on foreign players.

"First, there are more foreigners in the draft because of the dilution of our college product as a result of the early entries, but also the rest of the world is catching up. Basketball is no longer a new sport. The popularity of the game globally combined with the demographics mean that the chances of a tall, talented kid being born outside the United States are great."