1 Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
Top Honors: 1-time NBA Championship, 1-time Finals MVP, 1-time MVP, 12-time NBA All-NBA All-Star selection, 14-time All-Star, 1 World Cup bronze medal, 1 Eurobasket silver medal
NBA rankings: 6th in points, 26th in rebounds, 53rd in blocks, 92nd in steals, 152nd in assists
One of the best offensive power forwards in basketball history, Dirk Nowitzki is also widely regarded as the best European player of all time. Nowitzki not only led the Mavericks to the playoffs many times, but also won the championship single-handedly. Nowitzki was also excellent in Germany, leading the team to several medals with few top players. Nowitzki's shooting ability from all angles and ranges is unparalleled, especially among players over 2.10 meters.
2 Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
Top honors: One NBA championship, one Finals MVP, two MVPs, four NBA First Team, six All-Stars, one Defensive Player of the Year award, four Best Defense
NBA rankings: 136th in blocks, 167th in points, 170th in rebounds, 218th in assists and 319th in steals
There is a good chance that Giannis Antetokounmpo will end up being considered Europe's top talent. In the new season, Antetokounmpo made up for his only shortcoming - his shooting. Once he entered the paint zone, he was unstoppable. Surprisingly, so far, the FIBA Tour has not had much success in terms of teams, but that could change in the future.
3 Paulo Gasol (Spain)
Top Honors: 2 NBA Championships, 4 NBA All-Stars, 6 All-Stars, 3 Olympic Medals, 1 World Cup Gold Medal, 7 Eurobasket Medals, 1 World Cup MVP Award, 2 European Basketball MVP Awards
NBA rankings: 21st in blocks, 28th in rebounds, 40th in points, 125th in assists, 449th in steals
Pau Gasol has had an outstanding NBA career and probably the best national team career ever, winning 11 medals and multiple MVPs in the FIBA Championship. As a two-time NBA champion, some analysis actually ranks Gasol as the most important Laker of the two championship teams.
4 Nikolai Jokic (Serbia)
Top honors: 2-time MVP award, three-time NBA All-NBA team, 4-time All-Star, 1 Olympic silver medal
NBA rankings: 186th in assists, 227th in rebounds, 365th in points, 374th in blocks, 432nd in steals
A team can build an elite-level NBA offense around Nikola Jokic, thanks to his super passing and scoring skills. As the third international player of the century to win multiple MVP awards and the first center to win an MVP award, Jokic should perform well, given that his game does not rely on athleticism or explosiveness at all. He really is one of the best passers in the game today, not only in the center, but in anyone.
5 Tony Parker (France)
Top Honors: Four-time NBA Championship, one-time Finals MVP, three-time NBA Second Team selection, six-time All-Star, four Eurobasket medals, one European Basketball MVP
NBA rankings: 19th in assists, 56th in points and 150th in steals
Tony Parker is a super fast point guard with elite directional skills. As a scorer, he doesn't have much range and he's not an elite defender, but he's one of the greatest European defenders in history anyway, which speaks to how solid he is at the main defender position, and it's not an easy task for players outside Europe to reach his heights.