Ranking the Best European NBA Players of All-Time
One of FIBA's premier events tips off Wednesday when Great Britain takes on Lithuania in Eurobasket 2025.
This year's European championship is packed with NBA talent, including Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo, just to name a few.
And as the tournament gets rolling, it's worth remembering some of the trail blazers from the continent who helped popularize the sport.
Six Europeans were featured in Bleacher Report's recent "Top 100 NBA Players of All Time, Ranked," but they're hardly the only ones worth highlighting here.
That list will guide our rankings of the top six, but several others have strong cases to be considered among the greatest Europeans in NBA history. And those cases can be found below.
Honorable Mentions
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The recent influx of European talent could make this list look awful different in 5-10 years. By then, Victor Wembanyama (🇫🇷), Franz Wagner (🇩🇪) and Lauri Markkanen (🇫🇮), to name a few, may all have arguments.
But there are several more (in no particular order) who laid the groundwork for the up-and-comers.
Detlef Schrempf 🇩🇪: A deadeye outside shooter who also foreshadowed a common trait among today's European stars: playmaking from a big man's frame.
Nicolas Batum 🇫🇷: One of the league's consummate role players for close to two decades, Nicolas Batum has long been a multipositional defender who can hit threes and create a bit for himself and others.
Toni Kukoč 🇭🇷: A three-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls, Toni Kukoč was another import with the size of a power forward and the vision and passing ability of a guard.
Peja Stojaković 🇭🇷: One of the best and most prolific three-point shooters of all time, Peja Stojaković finished fourth in MVP voting in 2003-04.
Danilo Gallinari 🇮🇹: More of a score-first forward than Schrempf or Kukoč, Danilo Gallinari was yet another forward with an abundance of guard and wing skills.
Hedo Türkoğlu 🇹🇷: The trend continues with Hedo Türkoğlu, whose playmaking and outside shooting went a long way toward getting the Orlando Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals.
Arvydas Sabonis 🇱🇹: Had he shown up in the NBA a little earlier in life, Arvydas Sabonis almost certainly would've made this top 10. With his combination of immense size, playmaking ability and post skills, he was a harbinger of what was to come from Jokić.
Kristaps Porziņģis 🇱🇻: Injuries may be the hallmark of Kristaps Porziņģis' career to this point, but he helped changed the three-and-D definition to include rim protectors and helped the Boston Celtics win the 2024 championship.
10. Vlade Divac 🇷🇸
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B/R 100 Rank: N/R
Top Accolades: 1x All-Star
Key Stats: 11.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 BPG, 1.1 SPG
Total Seasons Played: 16
Largely known for his battles with Shaquille O'Neal and playoff runs with the Sacramento Kings, Serbia's Vlade Divac was among the original playmaking 5s who revolutionized this position.
Most American players who stood as tall as Divac (who was listed at 7'1") used their size to try to dominate as post scorers and shot blockers. And while Divac had his moments as both, more of his impact came by careful calculation.
He used his size to better survey the floor and find teammates to pass to. And he was a positionally sound defender who knew how to take up space.
After 16 years and almost 1,000 starts in the NBA, he earned his spot in this top 10.
9. Marc Gasol 🇪🇸
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B/R 100 Rank: N/R
Top Accolades: 2x All-NBA, 3x All-Star, 1x All-Defense, 2013 Defensive Player of the Year, 2019 NBA champion
Key Stats: 14.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 BPG, 0.9 SPG, 36.0 3P%
Total Seasons Played: 13
Marc Gasol, a 6'11" center from Spain, boasted much of the skill that helped other European bigs stand out from their American counterparts: passing, shooting and a hint of on-ball creation.
But at his peak, Gasol was also among the league's best and most impactful defenders (hence, the Defensive Player of the Year nod).
He wasn't the above-the-rim shot-blocker that many winners of that award were (though he did average 1.7 that season), but Gasol could shut down the paint with awareness and sheer size in a way few others could. And those abilities made him a critical component of the "Grit and Grind" Memphis Grizzlies.
Later in his career, though he didn't put up the same kind of raw production, Gasol's passing, defense and outside shooting went a long way toward helping the 2019 Toronto Raptors win the title.
8. Rudy Gobert 🇫🇷
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B/R 100 Rank: N/R
Top Accolades: 4x Defensive Player of the Year, 4x All-NBA, 3x All-Star, 8x All-Defense, 2022 rebounding champion, 2017 block champion
Key Stats: 12.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 2.1 BPG, 65.6 FG%
Total Seasons Played: 12
Rudy Gobert has been perhaps the best and most dominant defender of his era, winning four Defensive Player of the Year awards and anchoring several of the best team defenses of the last decade and change.
With his immense 7'9" wingspan and better-than-expected lateral quickness, Gobert has long been able to better cover the paint and protect the rim than just about anyone in league history.
And though the bulk of his impact has always come from the defensive end, Gobert's finishing, rim-running and offensive rebounding have made him a career plus on that end, too.
7. Andrei Kirilenko 🇷🇺
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B/R 100 Rank: N/R
Top Accolades: 1x All-Star, 3x All-Defense, 2005 block champion
Key Stats: 11.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.4 SPG
Total Seasons Played: 13
Andrei Kirilenko may not have the accolades of some of the players behind him here, but he's among the most obvious answers of the classic conversation starter: "Which former NBA player would've benefitted most by playing in today's era?"
With the exception of consistent outside shooting, Kirilenko checked just about every box. He was a dynamic, multipositional defender, who averaged a league-leading 3.3 blocks in 2004-05. He could create a little off the bounce, both for himself and others. And his wide-ranging skill set made him one of the most positively impactful players of the early 2000s.
Over the first five years of his career, AK-47 averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.6 assists in just 32.0 minutes. During those seasons, the Utah Jazz were plus-3.1 points per 100 possessions with Kirilenko on the floor and minus-7.0 when he was off.
And over the course of that half-decade, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan and LeBron James were the only NBA players with higher box plus/minuses.
6. Tony Parker 🇫🇷
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B/R 100 Rank: 86
Top Accolades: 4x Champion, 4x All-NBA, 6x All-Star, 1x Finals MVP
Key Stats: 15.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.6 APG, 49.1 FG%, 32.4 3PT%
Total Seasons Played: 18
We've officially made it to the top 100, where Tony Parker came in at No. 86, thanks to his relentless ability to get to the paint and contributions to the San Antonio Spurs' nearly two-decade-long dynasty.
Parker did plenty in the regular season, finishing top 10 in MVP voting four times, but he really made his mark in the playoffs. From 2004 through 2013, he averaged 20.1 points, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steals in the postseason. He won a Finals MVP in 2007, on a team that included Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
Without the ability to finish above the rim, Parker was still one of the most consistent and explosive drivers in league history.
5. Pau Gasol 🇪🇸
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B/R 100 Rank: 62
Top Accolades: 2x Champion, 2002 Rookie of the Year, 6x All-Star, 4x All-NBA
Key Stats: 17.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.6 BPG, 50.7 FG%, 36.8 3P%
Total Seasons Played: 18
As Kobe Bryant said at the 2018 Oscars, "The city of L.A. doesn't have those two championships without Pau Gasol."
Among the 22 players with 100-plus minutes in the 2009 and 2010 Finals, Pau trailed only Kobe in box plus/minus. And he averaged 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 blocks in those two series.
Before Dirk Nowitzki officially retired the "Europeans are soft" narrative in 2011, Pau laid the groundwork by dominating inside against teams that included Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett.
Gasol boasted a lot of the skill mentioned for the likes of his brother, Divac and Schrempf, but he also played with a mean streak and physicality worthy of Kobe's No. 2.
4. Luka Dončić 🇸🇮
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B/R 100 Rank: 57
Top Accolades: 5x All-NBA, 5x All-Star, Rookie of the Year, 1 Scoring Title
Key Stats: 28.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 8.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 46.8 FG%, 35.0 3PT%
Total Seasons Played: 7
It'll be tough for him to catch the top player on this list, but by the end of his career, Luka Dončić could very well be considered the greatest European in NBA history.
First and foremost, he's started his career with a level of production that no NBA player can match, regardless of nationality.
Luka has played 450 career games. He has more points through that number of appearances than LeBron James had, more assists than Ricky Rubio, Andre Miller and Russell Westbrook had and more rebounds than Bam Adebayo and Marcus Camby had.
Oscar Robertson is the only player in league history who reached all three of Luka's totals in those categories through their first 450 NBA games.
Beyond the numbers, Luka appears to have the killer instinct that will help him move up lists like these and make a few more deep playoff runs.
Perhaps more than anyone else in league history, he combines the bravado of American superstars like Kobe with the size and skill of many of the European stars detailed here. And that's given us one of the most prolific players in league history.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo 🇬🇷
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B/R 100 Rank: 24
Top Accolades: 1x Champion, 2x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 1x DPOY, 8x All-NBA, 9x All-Star, 5x All-Defense, Most Improved Player
Key Stats: 23.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 55.1 FG%, 28.4 3PT%
Total Seasons Played: 12
Giannis Antetokounmpo plays with a ferocity and competitiveness that never quits. It's helped him put up prime Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-like numbers for nearly a decade. It helped him win two MVPs, and it helped the Milwaukee Bucks win the 2021 NBA Finals.
Giannis can completely dominate opponents as one of the most unique and explosive downhill drivers we've ever seen. He's a force-of-nature distributor. And on the other end, he can both protect the rim and guard multiple positions outside the three-point line.
In short, with his production level, consistency and unmatched physical traits, Giannis truly may be this era's version of Shaquille O'Neal.
2. Dirk Nowitzki 🇩🇪
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B/R 100 Rank: 18
Top Accolades: 1x Champion, 1x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 14x All-Star, 12x All-NBA
Key Stats: 20.7 PPG, 7.5 RPB, 2.4 APG, 47.1 FG%, 38.0 3P%
Total Seasons Played: 21
As previously mentioned, Dirk shoveled the last pile of dirt on the "Europeans are soft" talking point when he outplayed (and out-toughed) the newly formed Miami "Heatles" with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh (who ranked second, 23rd and 71st in the B/R top 100) in 2011.
During that series, the German big man put up 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists. During the conference finals, he averaged 32.2 points and shot 55.7 percent from the field.
That run was the pinnacle of a career that was truly transformational, in which Dirk completely altered our perceptions of what it meant to be an NBA big man.
He showed that seven-footers could dominate as jump shooters. And he showed that having a big man who forced opposing centers to play outside the paint could make the game a lot easier for his teammates.
But Dirk was so much more than just a floor-spacing big. He was a three-level scorer, who consistently rebounded well and even had four seasons with three-plus assists per game.
He doesn't just have an argument to be considered the greatest European in NBA history. Dirk has a real case to be known as the league's greatest power forward.
1. Nikola Jokić 🇷🇸
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B/R 100 Rank: 17
Top Accolades: 1x Champion, 3x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 7x All-Star, 6x All-NBA
Key Stats: 21.8 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 56.0 FG%, 36.0 3P%
Total Seasons Played: 10
What Nowitzki did for our perception of big men and their ability to shoot from the outside, Nikola Jokić may do for our perception of their ability to run an offense.
Jokić isn't just the greatest passing big of all time—he's one of the best passers we've ever seen, regardless of position. And his ability to essentially play the point from the center position has helped him put up quite possibly the best per-game numbers we've ever seen.
After averaging a triple-double(!) in 2024-25, Jokić capped off a half-decade run in which he won three MVPs (and finished second twice), put up 26.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 9.0 assists and had an unfathomable 62.2 effective field-goal percentage to top it all off.
This stretch has helped Jokić surge to first all time in career box plus/minus (ahead of Michael Jordan and LeBron James), first in career win shares per 48 minutes (ahead of MJ and David Robinson) and first in career player efficiency rating (ahead of Jordan and LeBron).
Add a championship and Finals MVP to that, and it's not hard to see why Jokić has climbed all the way to the top of this illustrious list.
