By Giorgos Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
The EuroLeague is Europe’s top basketball competition, and fans have enjoyed dozens of great teams and even more legendary players on its courts.
Names that won team titles and individual distinctions but who, above all, left their mark and will always be remembered by the fans.
Eurohoops presents the first 10 candidates for the Hall of Fame, taking into account everything we have enjoyed in the 21st century.
Let us remind you that in order to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, a player has to have retired from action. This is the reason that top athlete such as Vassilis Spanoulis, Juan Carlos Navarro, Victor Khryapa, Milos Teodosic and others are not included in the list that follows. Their appointment with history is temporary… postponed.
J.R. Holden
Teams: AEK, CSKA Moscow
Appearances: 209 games
Stats: 11.4 points, 2.9 assists, 2.4 rebounds
Trophies: 2006, 2008
J.R. Holden was one of the most characteristic figures of the previous decade in the EuroLeague! The American combo guard made his debut with AEK in the 2001-2002 season but spent the greatest part of his career at CSKA Moscow (2002-2011).
In that period, he played in 8 Final Fours and reached the top of Europe two times, in 2006 and 2008, against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Holden has played in 16 Final Four games and, as a result, he’s in 3rd place of the relevant list, but he can boast that his 560 minutes of playing time are the most compared to any other teammate or opponent.
An excellent player and an even better character, remembered by everyone in the best possible way.
Matjaz Smodis
Teams: Virtus Bologna, Fortitudo Bologna, CSKA Moscow
Appearances: 170 games
Stats: 10.7 points, 4 rebounds
Trophies: 2001, 2006, 2008
When it comes to Matjaz Smodis, there’s no need for any special introduction. He’s rightly considered one of the best power forwards in the history of the EuroLeague, something that is confirmed by his three European titles (2001, 2006, 2008) but also his performance on the court (10.7 points, 4 rebounds).
The Slovenian combined moves close to the basket with a very good shooting ability from any range and, as a result, he was consistently on the rosters of the best teams. In the beginning, it was Virtus Bologna (2000-2003), then Fortitudo Bologna (2003-2005) and finally CSKA Moscow (2005-2011), where he played the best basketball of his career.
Smodis took part in 7 Final Fours and 14 games, these numbers being indicative of the rare quality and longevity he had as a player.