The best lineups of the modern EuroLeague era

By Stelios Toromanidis / info@eurohoops.net

Since the 2000-2001 season, when the management of Europe’s top club competition changed and ended up in the hands of the teams themselves, a group of 11 organizations with a type A license was gradually created. For those that don’t know, this is a deal that ensures these clubs’ annual participation in the EuroLeague. Essentially, they are the backbone of the competition in this new league format, in which 16 teams take part. In fact, two years ago (in the summer of 2016) the “permanents” signed a new 10-year deal.

We are talking, of course, about the Spanish teams Barcelona, Real Madrid and Baskonia; the Greek teams Olympiacos and Panathinaikos; the Turkish Fenerbahce and Efes; the Russian CSKA Moscow; the Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv; the Lithuanian Zalgiris Kaunas; and the Italian Armani Milan, who were added to the group a bit later (2005).

All these years, there have been hundreds of athletes that have played in every one of these teams, but only a few have left or continue to leave an indelible mark and, as a result, they are a big part of the history of each of these 11 clubs.

Based on trophies, appearances in the Final Four and their general contribution, Eurohoops picked out and presents here the best lineups in the modern history of the EuroLeague (2000-today) for every one of the competition’s 11 “permanent” teams. At the same time, there are important stats relating to the clubs’ course so far in Europe’s top club competition.

GREECE

Olympiacos

Seasons in the modern era of the EuroLeague: 18

Games: 427

Trophies: 2 (2012, 2013)

Appearances in the Final Four: 6 (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017)

Record (W-L): 261-166 (61.1%)

Best lineup in the modern era of the EuroLeague:

Two Greeks and three Americans make up Olympiacos’s best lineup in the modern era of the EuroLeague. Four of them were the driving force behind their back-to-back title wins, while the fifth helped the Reds return to Europe’s elite.

Acie Law: The American guard who matched Vassilis Spanoulis like no other, the two of them leading Olympiacos to the very top of the competition, twice. A favorite of the Reds’ fans and one of the few players who were acquired midway through the season (2011-2012) and had such an impact on the Piraeus team, with who he played 51 times in the EuroLeague. His tally was 6.7 points, 2 assists and 1.8 rebounds.

Vassilis Spanoulis: The player that changed the modern era of Olympiacos and the team’s leader in their amazing runs in the last eight years with four finals and two EuroLeague titles. He will continue playing in red for the 2018-2019 season, while in 201 games so far in the competition he counts 14.1 points, 5.2 assists and 1.8 rebounds.

Josh Childress: Even though he didn’t win a EuroLeague title with Olympiacos and his signing was characterized by many as too expensive without the corresponding result, Josh Childress helped the Reds get to a Final Four (2009, 2010) after ten years, while his move to Piraeus was heard all the way to the other side of the Atlantic, making the Greek team known in the USA. In 36 games in the competition he had 12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Georgios Printezis: The Reds’ second in command and second most important link in the successes of recent years. He becomes better and more mature as he gets older, contributing a great deal to his team. Besides, his stats speak for themselves, with the Greek power forward counting 228 games with 10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1 assist on average.

Kyle Hines: Just two seasons in Olympiacos, but they pretty good seasons! Back-to-back EuroLeague titles, bonding with teammates and fans, and the explosion of his monetary value in European basketball. And not without reason, as he was one of Olympiacos’s best players, while he is the best center in the team’s modern history based on what he did and what he achieved in the years he played for them. In 53 games he had 9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists on average.

Panathinaikos

Seasons in the modern era of the EuroLeague: 17

Games: 417

Trophies: 4 (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011)

Appearances in the Final Four: 6 (2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012)

Record (W-L): 263-154 (63.1%)

Best lineup in the modern era of the EuroLeague:

There has been a multitude of super stars of European basketball who have played for the most successful team based on titles – 4 – in the modern era of the EuroLeague (2000-today), and it was certainly tough coming up with the best lineup.

Dimitris Diamantidis: His nickname is 3D and he was truly three-dimensional on the court, doing almost everything for his team. Zeljko Obradovic’s No.1 asset in Panathinaikos’s Golden Age in the competition has been named a EuroLeague Legend. He counted 278 games with the Greens and averaged 9 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds.

Dejan Bodiroga: He won two European titles with the Greens, one of those in the modern era of the EuroLeague. A maestro on the court, high basketball IQ and a multiple-carat game were only a few of his assets. He was one of the best players of his generation, while with Panathinaikos he played in 22 games in the competition and scored 16.1 points, with 2 assists and 4.5 rebounds on average.

Drew Nicholas: For three years (2008-2011) he was the “Green killer” from the backcourt and also one of the best in Panathinaikos’s two EuroLeague-winning runs (2009, 2011). A favorite of the fans, he counted 58 games in which he averaged 9.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

Antonis Fotsis: Kostas Tsartsaris could easily have been in his place, but in the end Antonis Fotsis was the one who was selected by Panathinaikos’s fans as the member of the best lineup in the club’s modern history. Overall, he played in four different periods with the Greens, with 164 games in the modern era of the EuroLeague. In those games he averaged 7.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists.

Mike Batiste: No one else could have been occupied this place. He came to Panathinaikos as a forward, he was turned into a center by Zeljko Obradovic and made history with the Greens. One of the most successful Americans in the history of the EuroLeague. He counted 204 games with the Greens, averaging 10.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists.

TURKEY

Fenerbahce

Seasons in the modern era of the EuroLeague: 17

Games: 373

Trophies: 1 (2017)

Appearances in the Final Four: 4 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)

Record (W-L): 203-170 (54.4%)

Best lineup in the modern era of the EuroLeague:

All of Fenerbahce’s achievements are essentially encapsulated in the last four years under the instructions of Zeljko Obradovic. Before that, most seasons did not have a positive sign in front of their Win-Loss record and didn’t yield any important titles. This is why all of our picks are from the 2014-2018 period.

Bobby Dixon: AKA, Ali Muhammed, as he changed his name after getting the Turkish citizenship. The small guard has contributed a lot to Fenerbahce and he was an integral part in their big runs to the Final Four and their title.

Bogdan Bogdanovic: The career of the current player for the Sacramento Kings took off in Fenerbahce and he reached the top of Europe in 2017 as the Turks’ leader. His talent is boundless and the EuroLeague could not hold on to him.

Nemanja Bjelica: Another current NBAer (Sacramento Kings) whose last stop in Europe was the Turkish team. He didn’t win a EuroLeague trophy, but he was Fenerbahce’s leader on the road to the first Final Four in their history.

Jan Vesely: A monster in the paint, a deterrent for rival offenses and a strong finisher of plays close to the basket, Jan Vesely deservedly earned a place among Fenerbahce’s best players.

Ekpe Udoh: He came to the EuroLeague for two seasons, won the title in 2017 as the best center in the competition and MVP of the Final Four, and then he went back to the NBA. In fact, he was also the best blocker in the competition in both seasons he played for the Turkish team.

Efes

Seasons in the modern era of the EuroLeague: 17

Games: 373

Trophies: –

Appearances in the Final Four: –

Record (W-L): 183-190 (49.1%)

Best lineup in the modern era of the EuroLeague:

One of the two teams on this list without an appearance in a Final Four in the modern era of the EuroLeague, even though on some occasions they got very close to qualifying. The last two of those (2013, 2017) they lost the precious ticket to Olympiacos in 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Despite that, many great players have passed through the ranks of the team, players who left their imprint on the Turkish team.

Thomas Heurtel: He’s currently a player of Barcelona, but in the three years between 2014-2017 he played in Efes, had great seasons in terms of execution and creation, while he almost led Efes to the Final Four of 2017.

Marcus Brown: One of the best “bombers” in the modern era of the EuroLeague and sixth best scorer with 2.739 points. He played in Efes for two seasons (2001-2003) and almost gave them qualifications for the competition’s big appointments.

Antonio Granger: He spent four of the six seasons he played in the EuroLeague with the Turkish team. A very good three-point shooter, though he and his teammates were not able to lead Efes to a big appointment.

Kerem Gonlum: A benchmark for the Turkish team and one of their best players for nine years (2005-2014). He was always a danger for rival teams with his dynamic game and his imposing figure under the basket.

Nikola Prkacin: The veteran center was one of the most notable big men of his time, with stints in big clubs like Panathinaikos, Cibona and Efes. He stayed with the Turks for four seasons and managed to make his mark with his dominating style under both baskets.

SPAIN

Barcelona

Seasons in the modern era of the EuroLeague: 18

Games: 428

Trophies: 2 (2003, 2010)

Appearances in the Final Four: 7 (2003, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014)

Record (W-L): 285-143 (66.6%)

Best lineup in the modern era of the EuroLeague:

Two EuroLeague titles stand out among Barcelona’s achievements in the team’s modern history. Together with Olympiacos, they are the teams with the most appearances in the competition, particularly in the quarterfinal stages. A point of reference in the competition, they’re trying to regain their footing and get back on the path of trophies.

Ricky Rubio: The boy wonder of Spanish basketball who started out very young with Badalona managed to stand out in Barcelona thanks to his matchless talent, especially in creation. Together with the Blaugrana he reached the very top of Europe (2010) before moving to the NBA, where he excels to this day.

Juan Carlos Navarro: No matter what anyone says about “La Bomba,” it’s not enough. Essentially, he’s a byword for Barcelona, where he stayed throughout his career, not counting his one-year stint in the NBA. Two trophies, Final Four runs and personal distinctions make up the remarkable puzzle of his achievements.

Dejan Bodiroga: The only one out of the 54 players on our list who has been included in the best lineups of two teams. After his stint in Panathinaikos, Dejan Bodiroga won the EuroLeague trophy with the Catalans as well, emerging as the MVP of the Final Four for the second consecutive season.

Pete Mickeal: One of the best forwards of his time, with a big impact on the teams he played for. He excelled in Catalonia under the instructions of Xavi Pascual, for whom he was one of the most important pieces of his puzzle of successes.

Gregor Fucka: Together with Juan Carlos Navarro and Dejan Bodiroga, they were the driving forces behind the first EuroLeague title in the history of the Catalan team. A versatile forward with a big wingspan that could cover the rim.

Real Madrid

Seasons in the modern era of the EuroLeague: 16

Games: 380

Trophies: 2 (2015, 2018)

Appearances in the Final Four: 6 (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018)

Record (W-L): 245-135 (64.5%)

Best lineup in the modern era of the EuroLeague:

After a long period of inconsistency on big appointments, Real Madrid returned to the elite in 2011 and since then have been protagonists with amazing runs. They have two trophies, while they are the current European champions. Pablo Laso has managed to give the Madrilenos the identity of a winner.

Sergio Llull: A soldier for Real Madrid and their leader in the last few years. A tireless guard, amazing in execution and creation, good in defense and a player for crucial moments. He turned down the NBA on multiple occasions in order to stay with the Whites.

Sergio Rodriguez: Sergio Llull’s alter ego and Real Madrid’s brain until 2016, when he decided to go to the NBA before returning to Europe for CSKA Moscow. His offensive skills helped the Madrilenos reach successes.

Luka Doncic: The kind of player who only comes around once every 50 years in Europe. Now, he spread his wings to the NBA, but before doing that he managed to win everything with the Whites. The best player of the 2017-2018 season in the EuroLeague, the MVP of the Final Four and a leading figure for Real Madrid.

Rudy Fernandez: The Madrilenos’ graceful forward with the poisonous shot is a benchmark in the Whites’ successes. Even though he has lost his quickness following his back injury, his mature game still helps Pablo Laso’s team.

Felipe Reyes: Real Madrid’s captain and resident of the Spanish capital since 2004 could not be missing from the company of the best. The top rebounder in the modern era of the EuroLeague and mostly a master of offensive rebounds, for years he has been a safeguard underneath the basket for the Madrilenos and a pain in the neck for rivals.