By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
EuroBasket is only a couple days away! While we’re getting ready to experience great battles between the best teams of the Old Continent, let’s reminiscent the men who lead their nations in terms of caps in international competitions.
As we unfold the history of all 24 nations participating in this year’s EuroBasket, we will focus on each leading figure’s contribution and achievements.
For this list, we consulted FIBA Archives, as well as each Federation’s archives and statistics of official games. Our calculations include participations not only in Senior teams, but also in Youth ones.
Additionally, the list includes players of former countries (e.g. Yugoslavia) and each one is listed based on his stated nationality.
France – Hervé Dubuisson – 254 participations
Born in 1957, Dubuisson’s name has been carved on stone for French basketball. Not only is he the player with the most cups, but he is also the first scorer ever for his nation, with 3,821 points.
A soldier of ‘Les Bleus’ for 15 years (1974-89), yet his trophy collection does not depict the impact he’s had on the sport, winning just a silver medal in 1975 at the Mediterranean games.
Germany – Patrick Femerling – 221 participations
Former captain of the German NT and a leader of the country’s success in the early 00s, Femerling remains an emblematic figure in the sport.
In 13 years of presence with the national team, he has won a silver medal at the 2005 EuroBasket and a bronze one at the 2002 World Cup.
Spain – Juan Carlos Navarro – 240 participations
The long-term captain of ‘Furias Rojas’ keeps breaking one record after the other! Recently, he surpassed Juan Antonio San Epifanio and took charge of the most caps record.
At 37, Navarro has won almost everything – 3 gold medals (2006 World Cup, 2009 & 2011 Eurobasket), 4 silver ones (2008 & 2012 Olympics), and 2 bronze ones (2001 EuroBasket, 2016 Olympics).
Italy – Pierluigi Marzorati – 278 participations
A member of FIBA Hall of Fame and one of the 50 best players of all time (as voted by FIBA again), Marzorati is still valued among the best European point guards ever. He was a member of the Azzuris for 15 years (1971-86) and has scored 2,209 points with the National Team.
64-year-old Marzorati has a gold (1983 EuroBasket), a silver (1980 Olympics) and 3 bronze medals (1971, 1975 & 1985 EuroBasket) in his collection.