Pau Gasol shares his favorite Euro starting lineup and it's pretty surprising
Pau Gasol shared a somewhat surprising list of his favorite Euro players
© Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Heading into the upcoming Euro Basket in September, one of the best European players of all time, Pau Gasol, talked about the tournament and what it means for European national teams. When it comes to Euro Basket, Gasol is still the all-time leading scorer and one of the most accomplished players with his Spanish national team. In an interview with Fiba Basketball, Gasol shared his favorite all-time starting lineup, which might look surprising to most younger fans.
All-Time Favorite Euro Lineup
Gasol mentioned true legends of the game, and most of them retired a long time ago from the game of basketball, except Dirk, who retired in 2019. For Gasol, a unique set of rules was applied when making his decision.
Drazen Petrovic:
"I think one of the all-time point guards you have to go with Drazen Petrovic. Unfortunately, we didn't get to enjoy his game to the fullest because of his early death and the tragic accident. Drazen was special, just like Luka [Doncic] is and when you think all-time, you think about players that have done it for a long time."
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Nikos Galis:
"At the 2, it's very tough. It would probably be Nikos Galis - another all-time great. Or maybe even Juan-Carlos Navarro - my good friend, who has done incredible in FIBA competitions."
Toni Kukoc:
"Another hard choice. I would go with Toni Kukoc. He was one of the main guys that inspired me when I was growing up. His game and ability to play from the outside with his height and skillset, so Toni at the 3."
Arvydas Sabonis, Dirk Nowitzki:
"I'm going to go with Dirk and Sabonis and leave it at that. Those two guys have been just incredible in different times and different generations. To me it's about making a difference during your career and period of time, and those two have done it. They have both inspired kids to do the same."
Other great European players
Some NBA fans would say other European players should also be on this list, starting with Tony Parker, Vlade Divac, Giannis, Peja Stojakovic or even Luka Doncic, based on his accomplishments so far in his career. There is no question Gasol's starting lineup is impressive, with all these players being one of the best in their respective positions. In fact, the reality is that this squad could easily go up against any all-time team you can think of and give it a run for their money. Gasol recognized legendary talent if he decided to go with this group of players.
