Another MVP race with a European in the thick of it reopens an old argument about the continent's best NBA export. League MVPs share this list with sixth men, shot-blockers and Hall of Famers who arrived late in their careers.
1Dirk NowitzkiGerman forward who won the 2007 MVP award and the 2011 championship and Finals MVP across 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks.1000pts
2Boris DiawFrench forward who won the 2006 Most Improved Player award with Phoenix and the 2014 championship with the San Antonio Spurs.916pts
3Domantas SabonisLithuanian big man and three-time All-Star who led the NBA in rebounding three seasons in a row from 2022-23 to 2024-25.900pts
4Detlef SchrempfGerman forward who was a three-time All-Star and won Sixth Man of the Year in 1991 and 1992 with the Indiana Pacers.900pts
5Marc GasolSpanish center who won Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 with Memphis and the 2019 championship with the Toronto Raptors.866pts
6Andrei KirilenkoRussian forward who was a 2004 All-Star with the Utah Jazz and led the NBA in total blocked shots in the 2005-06 season.840pts
7Hedo TürkoğluTurkish forward who won the 2008 Most Improved Player award with the Orlando Magic and helped them reach the 2009 NBA Finals.750pts
8Žydrūnas IlgauskasLithuanian center and two-time All-Star (2003, 2005) whose No. 11 jersey was retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers.680pts
9Nikola VučevićMontenegrin center who made the All-Star team with the Orlando Magic in 2019 and 2021.680pts
10Dino RađaCroatian big man who averaged 16.7 points over four seasons with the Boston Celtics (1993-97) and entered the Hall of Fame in 2018.680pts
11Lauri MarkkanenFinnish forward who won the 2023 Most Improved Player award and made his first All-Star team that season with the Utah Jazz.600pts
12Dražen PetrovićCroatian shooting guard who made the All-NBA Third Team in 1993 with the New Jersey Nets, days before his death in a car crash on 7 June 1993.600pts
13José CalderónSpanish point guard who made 98.1 percent of his free throws for Toronto in 2008-09, then an NBA single-season record.600pts
14Giannis AntetokounmpoGreek forward who won MVP in 2019 and 2020, Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, and the 2021 championship and Finals MVP with Milwaukee.508pts
15Nikola JokićSerbian center who won the NBA MVP award in 2021, 2022 and 2024 and was Finals MVP when the Denver Nuggets won the 2023 title.508pts
16Toni KukočCroatian forward who won three straight titles with the Chicago Bulls from 1996 to 1998 and the 1996 Sixth Man of the Year award.508pts
17Alperen ŞengünTurkish center who made his first All-Star team with the Houston Rockets in 2025.507pts
18Tony ParkerFrench point guard who won four championships with the San Antonio Spurs and was named Finals MVP in 2007.507pts
19Pau GasolSpanish big man who was the 2002 Rookie of the Year with Memphis and won back-to-back titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010.507pts
20Luka DončićSlovenian guard who was the 2019 Rookie of the Year and led Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals before a February 2025 trade to the Lakers.507pts
21Arvydas SabonisLithuanian center who debuted with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1995 after 14 seasons in Europe and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.400pts
22Vlade DivacSerbian center who played 16 NBA seasons, made the 2001 All-Star team with the Sacramento Kings and entered the Hall of Fame in 2019.400pts
23Gheorghe MureșanRomanian center listed at 7 ft 7 in who won the 1996 Most Improved Player award with the Washington Bullets.400pts
24Peja StojakovićSerbian forward who was a three-time All-Star with Sacramento, won the Three-Point Contest in 2002 and 2003, and won the 2011 title with Dallas.400pts
25Mehmet OkurTurkish center who won the 2004 championship with the Detroit Pistons and made the 2007 All-Star team with the Utah Jazz.400pts
26Victor WembanyamaFrench center who was the unanimous 2024 Rookie of the Year with the San Antonio Spurs and led the league in blocks per game that season.400pts
27Rik SmitsDutch center who spent his entire 12-season career with the Indiana Pacers and made the 1998 All-Star team.400pts
28Rudy GobertFrench center who has won the Defensive Player of the Year award four times, in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024.273pts
29Goran DragićSlovenian guard who won Most Improved Player and made the All-NBA Third Team with Phoenix in 2014, then was a 2018 All-Star with Miami.273pts
30Kristaps PorziņģisLatvian big man who made the 2018 All-Star team with the New York Knicks and won the 2024 championship with the Boston Celtics.0pts
Photo credits
- Dirk Nowitzki — Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Boris Diaw — U.S, CC BY 2.0
- Domantas Sabonis — Augustas Didžgalvis, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Detlef Schrempf — lam_chihang, CC BY 2.0
- Marc Gasol — Patrickpedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Andrei Kirilenko — Svklimkin, CC BY 4.0
- Hedo Türkoğlu — Zafer, CC BY 4.0
- Žydrūnas Ilgauskas — Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Nikola Vučević — Zafer, CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Lauri Markkanen — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- José Calderón — Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Giannis Antetokounmpo — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- Nikola Jokić — All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Toni Kukoč — Jeramey Jannene from Milwaukee, WI, United States of America, CC BY 2.0
- Alperen Şengün — Zafer, CC BY 4.0
- Tony Parker — Zafer, CC BY 4.0
- Pau Gasol — Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Vlade Divac — User:Zafer, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Gheorghe Mureșan — Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Peja Stojaković — Chrishmt0423, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Mehmet Okur — Stephanie Young Merzel, CC BY 2.0
- Victor Wembanyama — Frenchieinportland, CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Rudy Gobert — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- Goran Dragić — All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kristaps Porziņģis — Hameltion, CC BY-SA 4.0
