# The 30 Greatest European NBA Players of All Time

> 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.

*By YPB Team · Published November 4, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-30-greatest-european-nba-players-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Dirk Nowitzki** — score 1000/1000
   German forward who won the 2007 MVP award and the 2011 championship and Finals MVP across 21 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks.
2. **Boris Diaw** — score 916/1000
   French forward who won the 2006 Most Improved Player award with Phoenix and the 2014 championship with the San Antonio Spurs.
3. **Domantas Sabonis** — score 900/1000
   Lithuanian big man and three-time All-Star who led the NBA in rebounding three seasons in a row from 2022-23 to 2024-25.
4. **Detlef Schrempf** — score 900/1000
   German forward who was a three-time All-Star and won Sixth Man of the Year in 1991 and 1992 with the Indiana Pacers.
5. **Marc Gasol** — score 866/1000
   Spanish center who won Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 with Memphis and the 2019 championship with the Toronto Raptors.
6. **Andrei Kirilenko** — score 840/1000
   Russian forward who was a 2004 All-Star with the Utah Jazz and led the NBA in total blocked shots in the 2005-06 season.
7. **Hedo Türkoğlu** — score 750/1000
   Turkish forward who won the 2008 Most Improved Player award with the Orlando Magic and helped them reach the 2009 NBA Finals.
8. **Žydrūnas Ilgauskas** — score 680/1000
   Lithuanian center and two-time All-Star (2003, 2005) whose No. 11 jersey was retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
9. **Nikola Vučević** — score 680/1000
   Montenegrin center who made the All-Star team with the Orlando Magic in 2019 and 2021.
10. **Dino Rađa** — score 680/1000
   Croatian big man who averaged 16.7 points over four seasons with the Boston Celtics (1993-97) and entered the Hall of Fame in 2018.
11. **Lauri Markkanen** — score 600/1000
   Finnish forward who won the 2023 Most Improved Player award and made his first All-Star team that season with the Utah Jazz.
12. **Dražen Petrović** — score 600/1000
   Croatian 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.
13. **José Calderón** — score 600/1000
   Spanish point guard who made 98.1 percent of his free throws for Toronto in 2008-09, then an NBA single-season record.
14. **Giannis Antetokounmpo** — score 508/1000
   Greek forward who won MVP in 2019 and 2020, Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, and the 2021 championship and Finals MVP with Milwaukee.
15. **Nikola Jokić** — score 508/1000
   Serbian center who won the NBA MVP award in 2021, 2022 and 2024 and was Finals MVP when the Denver Nuggets won the 2023 title.
16. **Toni Kukoč** — score 508/1000
   Croatian forward who won three straight titles with the Chicago Bulls from 1996 to 1998 and the 1996 Sixth Man of the Year award.
17. **Alperen Şengün** — score 507/1000
   Turkish center who made his first All-Star team with the Houston Rockets in 2025.
18. **Tony Parker** — score 507/1000
   French point guard who won four championships with the San Antonio Spurs and was named Finals MVP in 2007.
19. **Pau Gasol** — score 507/1000
   Spanish 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.
20. **Luka Dončić** — score 507/1000
   Slovenian 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.
21. **Arvydas Sabonis** — score 400/1000
   Lithuanian 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.
22. **Vlade Divac** — score 400/1000
   Serbian center who played 16 NBA seasons, made the 2001 All-Star team with the Sacramento Kings and entered the Hall of Fame in 2019.
23. **Gheorghe Mureșan** — score 400/1000
   Romanian center listed at 7 ft 7 in who won the 1996 Most Improved Player award with the Washington Bullets.
24. **Peja Stojaković** — score 400/1000
   Serbian 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.
25. **Mehmet Okur** — score 400/1000
   Turkish center who won the 2004 championship with the Detroit Pistons and made the 2007 All-Star team with the Utah Jazz.
26. **Victor Wembanyama** — score 400/1000
   French 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.
27. **Rik Smits** — score 400/1000
   Dutch center who spent his entire 12-season career with the Indiana Pacers and made the 1998 All-Star team.
28. **Rudy Gobert** — score 273/1000
   French center who has won the Defensive Player of the Year award four times, in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024.
29. **Goran Dragić** — score 273/1000
   Slovenian 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.
30. **Kristaps Porziņģis** — score 0/1000
   Latvian big man who made the 2018 All-Star team with the New York Knicks and won the 2024 championship with the Boston Celtics.

Tags: europe, sports, basketball, players, nba