U.S. media outlet HopsHype lists the 40 greatest European players of all time
1. Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
Honors: 1 NBA championship, 1 Finals MVP, 1 MVP, 12 best team selections, 14 All-Stars, 1 World Cup bronze medal, 1 European Championship silver medal
As one of the finest offensive forwards in basketball history, Dirk Nowitzki is also widely regarded as the best player in Europe of all time. Nowitzki led the Mavericks into the playoffs multiple times and eventually won the championship, and he did just that without a star buddy.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
Honors: 1 NBA championship, 1 Finals MVP, 2 MVPs, 3 Best Players, 5 All-Stars, 1 Defensive Player of the Year, 3 Defensive First Team
Alphabet brother used his height, tenacity and low scoring to make up for his only flaw — his shooting. Once he's in the paint, he's unstoppable. Surprisingly, he hasn't had much success at FIBA so far, but that could also change in the future.
3. Paul Gasol (Spain)
Honors: 2 NBA championships, 4 Best Teams, 6 All-Stars, 3 Olympic medals, 1 World Cup gold medal, 7 European basketball medals, 1 World Cup MVP, 2 European Basketball MVPs
Paul Gasol has had a great NBA career, and as a two-time NBA champion, some analyses actually named Gasol the most important Lakers player on both championship teams.
4. Tony Parker (France)
Honors: 4 NBA championships, 1 Finals MVP, 3 NBA Second Team, 6 All-Stars, 4 European basketball medals, 1 European basket MVP
Tony Parker is a super-fast point guard with excellent directional skills. As a shooter, he doesn't have a long range and isn't a good defender, but he's one of the greatest defenders in history anyway.
5. Nikola Jokic (Serbia)
Honors: 1 MVP Award, 2 NBA First Team, 3 All-Stars, 1 Olympic Silver Medal
Thanks to Nikola Jokic's super ability to pass and score, a team can build an elite NBA offense around him. As the first center of the century to win an MVP, he is one of the best passers in the game today, not just in the center, but in anyone else.
6. Marc Gasol (Spain)
Honors: 1 NBA championship, 1 All-Team, 3 All-Stars, 1 Defensive Player of the Year, 1 Defensive Second Team, 2 Olympic Silver Medals, 2 World Cup Gold Medals, 5 European Basketball Medals
As the leader of the Grizzlies, Marc Gasol eventually won a championship with the Raptors, making many contributions as the core of the organization and as a defensive player. Gasol was also a key component of Spain's success in FIBA matches.
7. Luka Doncic (Slovenia)
Honours: Twice selected for the Best Team First Team, twice an All-Star, a Euro-Basketball Gold Medal, a Europa League Championship, a Europa League MVP, and a Europa League Semi-Final Four MVP
Doncic has won almost all titles on the international stage. Although he has yet to win the playoff series, he has the best points per game in NBA playoff history.
8. Rudy Gobert (France)
Honours: Twice named to the All-Team, twice all-Star, three times Defensive Player of the Year, five times to The Best Defensive Team, one Olympic silver medal, two World Cup bronze medals, and one European Cup bronze medal
NBA Ranking: 50th in blocks, 126th in rebounds
Rudy Gobert's combination of height, mobility and basketball IQ made him one of the most destructive defensive players in NBA history. Despite his outstanding career in the NBA, he has a lot of skeptics, mainly because people think he has flaws in the playoffs. Gobert has had considerable success with the French national team, but so far he has not won the gold medal.
9. Derazan Petrović (Croatia)
Honors: 1 time selected for the third team of the best team, 2 Olympic medals, 1 World Cup gold medal, 1 European basketball gold medal, 1 World Cup MVP, 1 European basketball MVP, 2 Europa League championships
He is likely to be the best European player of the 20th century due to his amazing shooting ability, and Petrovic was the first European player to be named to the NBA's All-Team. His tragic car accident left us with a premature loss of a great player and if he could have had a long career, he could have ranked higher here.
10. Peja Stojakovic (Serbia)
Honors: 1 NBA championship, 1 NBA All-Team 2nd Team, 3 All-Stars, 1 World Cup gold medal, 1 European Championship gold medal, 1 European Championship MVP
Stojakovic was one of the NBA's best shooters in his time. For the small forward, he has an amazing figure. Stojakovic led the run-off league with free throws twice in his career, shooting more than 40 percent from three-point range.
11. Arvidas Sabonis (Lithuania)
Honors: 1 Olympic gold medal, 1 World Cup gold medal, 4 European Championship medals, 1 European Championship MVP, 1 European League title, 1 European League MVP, 1 European League Final Four MVP
Sabonis is an all-powerful giant. Unfortunately, his period of super-domination in Europe was often obscured and did not last long. Despite physical limitations, he performed well in FIBA's basketball career and eventually spent seven steady seasons as a center for the Blazers.
12. Dreifer Schramf (Germany)
Honors: 1 time selected for the Best Team 3rd Team, 3 times all-Star, 2 times The Sixth Man of the Year
At 6 feet 10 inches tall, Schramph was named to the All-Star Team three times in his heyday due to his outside shot feel and excellent outside shot feel.
13. Vlad Divac (Serbia)
Honors: 1 All-Star, 1 Olympic gold medal, 2 World Cup gold medals, 3 European Championship gold medals
Divac is best known for his time with the Kings, probably the best passing center he had during the league, and while he didn't do much to exercise his body, he still had an extraordinary career in FIBA games in the league and Yugoslavia.
14. Tony Kukoč (Croatia)
Honors: 3 NBA championships, 1 Sixth Man of the Year, 2 Olympic Silver Medals, 1 World Championship Gold Medal, 2 European Championship Gold Medals, 1 World Championship MVP, 1 European Championship MVP, 3 Europa League Championships, 3 Europa League Final Four MVPs
Tony Kukoc is an amazing all-rounder. Kukoc played an important role in the Bulls, but things didn't go well when he led the team himself.
15. Nikola Vucevic (Montenegro)
Honors: Twice All-Star
As a skilled center forward, Nikola Vucevic has a hard time defending because he can do a lot of things. Vucevic can shoot, pass and single with his back, and you don't want to foul him because of his shooting feel.
16. Joguin Noah (France)
Honors: 1 time in the Best Team 1st Team, 2 times in the All-Star, 1 time in the Defensive Player of the Year, 2 times in the Best Defensive Team, 1 time in the European Championship Silver Medal
As one of the most dynamic players of all time, Noah is considered one of the best centers in the league at his peak. At his peak, he was a good defender, largely thanks to effort and intuition.
17. Andrei Kirilenko (Russia)
Honors: 1 All-Star, 3 All-Defensive Team, 1 Olympic Bronze Medal, 1 European Basketball Gold Medal, 1 European Basketball MVP, 1 Europa League MVP
The Russian striker is tall and athletic. Andrei Kirilenko is capable of multiple roles and shines especially on the defensive end due to his excellent instincts, agile steps and excellent height.
18. Rick Smitz (Netherlands)
Honors: An All-Star
Smitz was a skilled but slender, big man at 7 feet 4 inches tall, and his soft hand under the basket helped him turn around and jump shot calmly. However, due to his slender stature, he did struggle a bit as a rebounder.
19. Goran Dragic (Slovenia)
Honors: 1 time selected for the NBA Third Team, 1 Time All-Star, 1 Time Most Improved Player Award, 1 Time UEFA Basketball Championship Gold Medal, 1 UEBA Championship MVP
Dragic is a point guard with great resilience and dynamism on the offensive end, he is also a skilled half-time scorer who can use cover to get inside, he is one of the best finishers on the inside.
20. Zazonas Ilgoskas (Lithuania)
Zajunas Ilgoskas is a unique big man, thanks to his slim stature, but his role as a space center who can cover some shots on the defensive end is productive and efficient.
21. Domintas Sabonis (Lithuania)
Sabonis has organizational, rebounding and scoring abilities, and he's grown into a very all-round All-Star big man who's been more impressive than his father's career.
22. Ricci Rubio (Spain)
Honours: two Olympic medals, one World Cup gold medal, two European Championship gold medals, one World Cup MVP, one Europa League title
Rubio has an excellent NBA and international career thanks to his magic as a passer and solid ball handling ability.
23. Dino Raja (Croatia)
Honours: Two Olympic silver medals, one Bronze Medal at the World Championships, two European Basketball Gold Medals, two Europa League Titles, one Europa League Semi-Final Four MVP
One of the few highlights of the Celtics in the '90s, Raja averaged nearly 20 points per night in his third NBA season, returning to Europe a few seasons later to end his career.
24. Danilo Gallinari (Italy)
Honours: One Europa League Rising Star Award, one Italian League MVP
Danilo Gallinari is a tall forward shooter who can do more than shoot from outside the three-point line, he's also an underrated back-to-back singlesman, though his defense still has some shortcomings.
25. Sarunas Matthew Leonis (Lithuania)
Honours: Three Olympic medals, three European Championship medals, one European Championship MVP
Sarunas Matthew Leonis gained playing time early in his NBA career. As a defender, he is very strong, which allows him to score regularly under the basket.
26. Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia)
Kristaps Porzingis is a 7-foot,3" sturdy big man who appears to be on his way to a perennial All-Star career before injuries affect him. Porzingis is still young and has a chance to return to that state in the future, but at worst he is still an effective, above-average starter.
27. Shidu Tekoglu (Turkey)
Honours: One Most Improved Player Award, One World Cup Silver Medal, One European Basketball Silver Medal
As a tall forward swingman who could do anything including scoring, rebounding and passing, he was an underrated small striker in his day.
28. Nicolas Batum (France)
Honours: One Olympic silver medal, two World Cup bronze medals, one European basketball gold medal
Batum has been a fantastic role player throughout his career, and he was one of the first 3D players to be able to defend multiple positions on the defensive end. He is also an underrated organizer.
29. Mohammed Okur (Turkey)
Honors: 1 NBA championship, 1 All-Star, 1 European Championship silver medal
As one of the NBA's original Big Europeans, he would have made more three-pointers if in today's NBA and had a more impressive average. Regardless, Oku has a solid 10-year NBA career.
30. Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania)
Honours: Best Rookie Second Team, two Silver Medals at the European Championships
He went from being an early role player to a stable, above-average starter. The big man is a two-double machine, and he can even shoot three-pointers now.
31. Dejan Bodiroga (Serbia)
Honours: 1 Olympic Silver Medal, 2 World Championship Gold Medals, 3 European Basketball Gold Medals, 3 Europa League Titles, 1 Europa League MVP, 2 Europa League Semifinals MVP
Bodi Roga is perhaps the most accomplished international basketball player ever tried in the NBA, and he was the ruler of The Offensive End of Europe in his heyday. Given his limited athleticism and slow movements, it's always questionable how well his game fits into the NBA.
32. Clint Capela (Switzerland)
Honors: A rebounding king
Capela went from a thin, stout man with little endurance to an above-average starter in the league early in his career, where he made a high-level impact as a blocker and rebounder. Capela has won the rebounding championship once in his career.
33. José Calderon (Spain)
Honours: Two Olympic silver medals, one World Championship gold medal, one European basketball gold medal
He can always be counted on to maintain a steady level on the offensive end. Calderon usually thinks more about creating for teammates than trying to score, but Espanyol = can shoot, and Calderon's career three-point shooting rate is close to 41%.
34. Boris Dior (France)
Honors: 1 NBA championship, 1 player award for the most improved player, 1 Bronze World Cup, 1 Gold medal in European basketball
Boris Dior is an all-powerful striker who can score points or defend. However, his most impressive skill is as an organizer, and he has an elite vision as a creator, especially for people of his stature. If he keeps up the better form, he has the potential to play a bigger role in the game.
35. Juan Navarro (Spain)
Honours: Best Rookie Second Team, three Olympic medals, one World Cup gold medal, two European basketball gold medals, one European basketball MVP, two Europa League championships, one Europa League MVP, one Europa League Final Four MVP
Navarro is a pure scorer who has had a great career with Barcelona and the Spanish national team, but has not played as well as the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.
36. Bojan Bogdanovic (Croatia)
Honors: Best Rookie Second Team
Bogdanovic is a tall, shooting-savvy forward swingman who has had a very stable career in the NBA, providing instant scoring, and his shots quickly get hot and take over.
37. Evan Fournier (France)
Honours: One Olympic silver medal, two World Cup bronze medals, one European basketball bronze medal
Fournier may not excel in either area on the offensive end, but he's a reliable three-point shooter and at the same time a solid organizational core. His defense may not be that good, but he can dribble through a soft shot feel.
38. Marsin Gotat (Poland)
Honours: 1 German league title, 3 German Cups
Gortat was the deadly scorer in the block, especially late in his career, once he stepped out of Dwight Howard's shadow. Gortat feels great in the hand and uses his power well when setting up cover.
39. Dennis Schroeder (Germany)
Honours: A German League Award for Best Young Player
Dennis Schroeder is already one of the best international point guards of all time, thanks to his confident scoring ability at the back. Overall, he is a player with a positive impact on the pitch.
40. Nikos Gallis (Greece)
Honours: One European Championship gold medal, one European Championship MVP
Gallis was one of the best scorers in FIBA basketball history, and as a stable organizational core and ferocious offensive player, he often faced opponents taller than he was at the time.