Do you remember Toni Kukoc as a Sixer?

He played in 80 games over parts of two seasons with the 76ers in 2000 and 2001, averaging 9.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. Kukoc contributed 8.0 points per game for the 2000-01 team that reached the NBA Finals, where it lost to the Lakers in five games.

A native of Croatia, Kukoc is one of the most successful European players to wear a Sixers uniform.

When we were kids, we usually knew just about every player in the NBA. Today, you truly need a scorecard — remember that term? — to recognize all the names, especially with the steady stream of international players making their mark in both the college and pro game.

In this week’s version of “Yesterday” — reminiscing about sports and pop culture — we’ll look back at the influx of some memorable basketball immigrants, as well as Sixers who came directly from other countries.

Plus, do you know the late local Phillies player who was born in Czechoslovakia? Or what the NBA Draft’s “frozen envelope theory” from 1985 was? How about which former WWWF wrestler was known as the “Golden Greek”? And which former Phillies pitcher was born in England?

Player Potpourri ... In this year’s NBA Draft, 11 of the 30 first-round picks were either born outside the U.S., or played professionally in another country—continuing a growing trend.

Philadelphia’s top pick, V.J. Edgecombe, played collegiately at Baylor but is a native of the Bahamas.

France native Mohamed Diawara was selected by the Knicks in the second round.

This trend isn’t slowing down any time soon.

Have a League, They Will Come ... Italy’s Hank Biasatti was the first recorded foreign-born player to appear in what became the NBA (then the BAA) in 1946.

You might remember Sarunas Marciulionis, a Lithuanian star, who was drafted by Golden State in the sixth round in 1987. After playing with the USSR national team and club team Statyba, he began an eight-year NBA career with the Warriors, SuperSonics, Kings and Nuggets.

Fellow Lithuanian Arvydas Sabonis was Portland’s first-round pick in 1986, but didn’t debut in the NBA until 1995. He finished as runner-up for Rookie of the Year and enjoyed a seven-year NBA career.

The most recognizable foreign-born player from that era may be Vlade Divac, who had a productive 16-year career with the Lakers and Kings.

There’s also Germany native Detlef Schrempf, who played at the University of Washington and was drafted No. 8 overall by Dallas in 1985. He went on to play 16 seasons and earned NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors in 1991 and 1992.

Sixers’ Shippings ... Over the years, the Sixers have featured many international players — some who played collegiately in the U.S., others who came directly from abroad.

The most recognizable might be Manute Bol of Sudan (1990-91, 1993-94). But how many of these others do you recall?

• Mark Bradtke, Australia (1996-97)

• Dikembe Mutombo, Congo (2001-02)

• Efthimios Rentzias, Greece (2002-03)

• Gordan Giricek, Croatia (2007-08)

• Primoz Brezec, Slovenia (2009-10)

• Francisco Elson, Netherlands (2010-11)

• Andres Nocioni, Argentina (2010-12)

• Darius Songaila, Lithuania (2010-11)

• Alexey Shved, Russia (2014-15)

• Furkan Aldemir, Turkey (2014-15)

Several were short-term stays, especially in the 2010s.

Frozen Envelopes ... Is the NBA Draft worth watching anymore?

This year’s event, televised on ABC and ESPN, drew just 3.77 million viewers — a drop of 14.5% from the previous year.

ABC and SiriusXM both promoted the Duke/Cooper Flagg storyline, but it failed to generate strong national interest.

And speculation continues about the lottery being rigged to help certain franchises. It started with the infamous “frozen envelope theory” in 1985, when the Knicks landed the No. 1 pick and selected Patrick Ewing, despite having just a 14% chance of doing so.

This year, the Spurs had only a 6% chance to land the No. 1 pick — and did.

As for the Sixers, they’ve had notable lottery picks like Allen Iverson (No. 1 in 1996), Shawn Bradley (No. 2 in 1993), and Keith Van Horn (No. 2 in 1997, though he was traded to Philly).

In the 1985 draft, the Sixers took Iowa’s Greg Stokes in the second round. He played 31 games with Philly, averaging 4.1 points before finishing his career in Europe. He had a brief stint with Sacramento in 1989.

From Czechoslovakia to Palmerton ... Switching to baseball, Elmer Valo, born in Czechoslovakia, was raised in Palmerton and went on to play for the Philadelphia A’s and Phillies. He was one of the earliest international-born MLB players.

Other notable international-born players include:

• Chili Davis (Jamaica)

• Dennis Martinez (Nicaragua)

• Chan Ho Park (South Korea)

• Danny Graves (Vietnam)

• Bobby Chouinard (Philippines)

Another Classic Game (Item) ... In 1974, new Phillie Dave Cash coined the slogan “Yes We Can!” during the team’s resurgence. It showed up on bumper stickers and T-shirts — Tastykake even released collectible pins with the phrase.

The California Angels adopted the slogan in 1979. That year, they won the AL West with an 88-74 record before falling to the Orioles in the ALCS. Their manager? Former Phillies skipper Jim Fregosi.

The Brits Have Arrived ... Who was the first band of the British Invasion?

The Beatles, of course, with their iconic U.S. debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Feb. 7, 1964.

Following them were the Dave Clark Five, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits and The Animals.

WWWF/WWE Wrap ... Each week, we’ll look back at a former pro wrestler. In keeping with the international theme, let’s remember Spiros Arion.

Born in Egypt and raised in Greece, Arion was also known as Andreas Lambrakis and nicknamed “The Golden Greek.”

He debuted in 1961 and joined the WWWF in 1966, where he won U.S. Tag Team gold with Bruno Sammartino. He also teamed with Chief Jay Strongbow and later turned heel under Freddie Blassie.

Arion had legendary bouts with Sammartino — culminating in a “Greek Death Match” — and also challenged Bob Backlund.

In 1979, he moved to Great Britain, wrestling two final years before retiring. His signature moves included the atomic drop and diving knee drop. He compiled a career record of 483-167-97 over 29 years.

Memory Lane ... Do you remember former Phillies pitcher Danny Cox?

Born in Northampton, England, Cox made his MLB debut in 1983 with the Cardinals, throwing 10 scoreless innings in his first game — against the Phillies.

He signed with Philadelphia as a free agent in December 1990 but battled injuries. In 32 games over two seasons, he went 6-8 with a 4.80 ERA. He was released in July 1992.

In 1993, Cox was part of the Toronto Blue Jays team that beat the Phillies in the World Series.

He finished his career with an 11-year record of 74-75 and a 3.64 ERA over 278 games.

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