Dirk Nowitzki is arguably the best player from Europe who took over the NBA. In his basketball career, he achieved multiple awards. His trophy case includes one MVP, NBA championship, and a Finals MVP. Furthermore, to go alongside his NBA achievements, he also won a bronze medal during the 2002 FIBA World Championship while representing Germany.
While Nowitzki’s feats are great, with the NBA going more global, there’s no question that more international stars are taking center stage in the basketball scene. Because of this, there are a couple of players who might overtake him as the best player out of Europe. For this piece, let’s take a look at five players from Europe who can overtake Dirk.
5. Domantas Sabonis
Career stats: 13.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.4 blocks
Awards: 2x All-Star
Domantas Sabonis had a breakout season recently. He improved his production in points and assists while maintaining his rebounding prowess by averaging 20.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game. Aside from his improved production, Sabonis also had nine triple-doubles, which was good for fifth in the NBA. He also became the franchise leader in that category.
No. 7⃣
most TRIPLE-DOUBLES in franchise history 🤩 pic.twitter.com/nEBHNtvVZ0
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 18, 2021
At just 25 years old, Sabonis can still grow his game. In his young career, he has already appeared in two All-Star games. Furthermore, he has led the Pacers to three postseason appearances.
Sabonis is certainly one of the best big men out of Europe and arguably the best from Lithuania. Although chasing Dirk will be a long shot for now, with his all-around skills, he is slowly emerging into one of the premier big men in the NBA.
4. Rudy Gobert
Career stats: 12.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.2 blocks
Awards: 3x Defensive Player of the Year, 2x All-Star, 5x All-Defensive First Team, 1x blocks leader
Rudy Gobert isn’t your modern-day center because of how limited he is offensively. However, his elite rim protection makes him a premier big who has won three Defensive Player of the Year trophies. Because of this, Gobert is part of this conversation.
As the main defensive anchor for the Jazz, he has been a huge part of the franchise’s success in recent years. Gobert has taken the Jazz to five postseason appearances, including taking the top seed of the Western Conference just last season. Because of his defensive presence, the French center was even part of the MVP race, in which he finished in the top 10 on NBA.com.
Although Gobert doesn’t have a sweet jumper like Dirk, he does make a case. There are not many players from Europe who have won the prestigious Defensive Player of the Year Award. The only other European-born players to win it are Marc Gasol and Giannis Antetokounmpo. There isn’t a player from Europe who has made an impact defensively the way Gobert has.
3. Luka Doncic
Career stats: 25.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks
Awards: 2x All-Star, 2x All-NBA First Team, 1x Rookie of the Year, 1x All-Rookie First Team
Despite being just 22 years old, Luka is already penciled to become the future face of the NBA. After playing professionally in Europe, he wasted no time making a mark in the league. He took home Rookie of the Year honors and has appeared in two All-Star games already.
Among the players on this list, Luka had the closest look at Dirk. Doncic and Dirk were teammates in the latter’s final season. It was also the former’s rookie year. And like the passing of the torch, Luka seamlessly inherited the face of the Mavericks franchise.
Chasing Nowitzki is still far ahead of Luka’s career as of now, given that the former was responsible for giving Dallas its first championship. However, we’re all witnessing the potential of Luka, and his future is certainly brighter than ever.
With Doncic breaking records left and right in the NBA, he is on the right path to become not only the best European player, but also one of the greatest to ever play the game. On top of his achievements in the NBA, Luka is even making noise in the international arena. The Mavericks sensation led Slovenia all the way to a matchup against Australia for the bronze medal (they sadly lost). Doncic scored the second-highest tally in a single Olympic contest with 48.
Luka Doncic’s 48 points is tied for the second-most points ever scored in a men's basketball game at the Olympics. Oscar Schmidt scored 55 points for Brazil in a win over Spain in 1988.
Slovenia blew out Argentina, 118-100, in the #Tokyo2020 Olympics group stage. pic.twitter.com/gRxacqQ4ix
— GMA Sports (@gmasportsph) July 26, 2021
Should Luka eventually give Dallas its second championship, there’s no doubt he makes a strong case to overtake Dirk as the best player from Europe.
2. Nikola Jokic
Career stats: 18.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks
Awards: 1x MVP, 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA First Team, 1x All-NBA Second Team, 1x All-Rookie First Team
Another player who makes a case is Nikola Jokic. The reigning MVP has dazzled everyone with his polished all-around skills. He is simply the gold standard when it comes to the prototype of a modern center.
Like Dirk in his playing days, Jokic is the face of his franchise that elevated his team into a championship contender. The Serbian star has helped the Nuggets appear in the postseason for the past three years. In fact, he was a focal point in the Nuggets’ historic playoff run in 2020, when the team clawed back from a 3-1 deficit in two consecutive series.
Furthermore, Jokic has evolved our idea of the center position. As we’ve seen in his career so far, Jokic dominates the game by facilitating the offense like an elite point guard. He utilizes his skills both inside and outside the paint. Back in the days, Dirk also evolved his playing position. Because of Dirk, the idea of a stretch 4 started to become popular and is a staple in almost every team’s rotation today.
With Jokic being arguably the best center in the NBA today, The Joker makes a legitimate case to become the best player out of Europe. If Jokic can bring the Nuggets to a championship, this will surely put him on the same level with Dirk. For now, Jokic must find a way to win in the postseason.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Career stats: 20.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.3 blocks
Awards: 1x NBA champion, 1x Finals MVP, 2x MVP, 5x All-Star, 3x All-NBA First Team, 2x All-NBA Second Team, 1x Defensive Player of the Year, 3x All-Defensive First Team, 1x All-Defensive Second Team, 1x Most Improved Player, All-Rookie Second Team
If there is a player who might have already overtaken Dirk, it would be newly crowned champion Giannis Antetokounmpo. Despite just being 26 years of age, Giannis has already achieved the majority of the NBA awards. He has taken over the league by storm, which was capped by an outstanding championship run in 2021.
Like Dirk, Giannis won a championship by sticking it out with his original franchie. And to further highlight his championship run, Giannis’ production in the NBA Finals is dubbed as the best in history according to Game Score. He averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game in the Finals, including a 50-point outing in the championship clincher, which is now tied for the most points in a closeout game.
With 50 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo has now tied the most points by any player in a closeout game – assuming the Bucks hold on – in NBA Finals history, per @ESPNStatsInfo. Hall of Famer Bob Pettit also scored 50 points in Game 6 of the 1958 Finals vs. Boston.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) July 21, 2021
Clearly, Giannis makes a rock-solid case as the best player from Europe. If there's anything left that he has yet to achieve, it would be to translate his NBA success to the international stage. Giannis has yet to medal with Greece in any international competition. However with a MVP-caliber player like him, there’s no doubt Giannis can still achieve that feat down the road.
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