Donta Hall played just five regular-season games for the Brooklyn Nets back in the weird 2019-20 bubble season. Six years later, however, he has built a considerably more substantial career in Europe, where his latest season of work puts him among the best professional basketball players outside the NBA.
The 29-year-old spent the 2025-26 campaign with Greek giant Olympiacos, averaging 6.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in only 15.3 minutes per game across 38 EuroLeague appearances. He shot 76.5% from the field and 76.0% from the foul line, producing a 78.5% true shooting percentage. Those are modest scoring totals, perhaps, but they come with exceptional efficiency, trailing only the unfathomable efficiency of former Charlotte Hornets big man Kai Jones. And only Jones can compete with Hall’s combination of efficiency and athleticism.
Hall’s most striking numbers come in his advanced statistics. With an individual offensive rating of 152.7 and a defensive rating of 107.3, he sported a net rating of +45.4, rising to +52.3 in Greek league play. Across RealGM’s database of 11,669 qualified players last season across every meaningful men’s professional league in the world, Hall ranked seventh. Even Jones could only managed 15th.
Hall’s NBA Career
As alluded to above, Hall’s domestic production was stronger still. In 27 Greek league games, Hall averaged 10.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in fewer than 20 minutes per appearance. He made 113 of his 141 field-goal attempts, an 80.1% conversion rate, and although the Greek league is weaker than the intra-continental EuroLeague, it is no gimme.
Hall’s offensive value and production comes from a fairly specific set of responsibilities. Mostly, he provides a target around the basket, collects offensive rebounds and finishes opportunities without needing a large number of touches. His shooting percentages should be understood in that context: for example, he attempted just one EuroLeague three-pointer last season, and does not play away from the rim except to screen. He does not however try to, and does a decent job of playing within his offensive limitations – rolling, running the lanes, lurking in the dunker spot, catching lobs, and attacking the rim in space.
For Brooklyn supporters, that role should be familiar. Hall joined the Nets for the NBA’s restart in July 2020, having previously received two 10-day contracts with the Detroit Pistons. His Brooklyn opportunity came on a substitute contract during an unusual season, with little time to establish a lasting place in the organization. Nevertheless, in his rookie year, Hall averaged 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and one block during the Nets’ five seeding games in which he appeared.
After leaving the Nets, Hall subsequently played the following season for the Orlando Magic, averaging 5.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes of 13 games, shooting 70.2% from the field, and had a 10-day contract with the Toronto Raptors as well. Even in that small sample, the finishing ability and athleticism were evident. What he never secured was an extended opportunity.
Improving Throughout His Time in Europe
Europe offered greater continuity. Hall joined Monaco in 2021 and spent three seasons there before moving to Baskonia in Spain for the 2024-25 season. Olympiacos then signed him to a three-year deal in July 2025, giving him his best opportunity yet with an established EuroLeague club. With the Red and White, Hall won the EuroLeague title last season.
The best part of Hall’s European career has been the progression in his defensive intensity. The physical tools were always there, and are elite by EuroLeague standards, but the physicality, instincts, toughness, and willingness to play defense when a spectacular highlight is not on offer were not always there. It has improved, though, to the point that Hall resembles more of a defensive anchor than a defensive piece.
Whether that should lead to another NBA opportunity is a separate question. Hall would still need a team seeking his particular combination of interior finishing, rebounding and size, and his European success does not establish that he would reproduce the same numbers against a higher standard of opponent athleticism. The Portland Trail Blazers were rumoured to have Hall on their radar three years ago, but in basketball terms, that is equivalent to a million years ago.
It does, however, make him a credible candidate for such a role. Brooklyn saw only a brief portion of his development; Hall has since accumulated years of experience against the best opposition outside of the NBA, and last season showed how much production he can deliver without playing starter’s minutes or commanding starter’s touches. It was always known that Donta Hall could run and jump, but the incremental improvements around that have added up to a measurable difference.
Former Net Becomes One of the Best Players Outside the NBA