Βy Kostas Giataganas/ info@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops picks out the Top 12 EuroLeague legends who hung up their boots during this decade, using two very basic criteria: their longevity in the competition and their individual and team titles.
From legends Dimitris Diamantidis, Theodoros Papaloukas, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Juan Carlos Navarro, to Mike Batiste, JR Holden, Nikola Vujcic and Kostas Tsartsaris, we present the best of the best who retired in the course of this decade.
Dimitris Diamantidis
Team/s: Panathinaikos
Seasons in the EuroLeague: 12
Appearances: 278
Titles: 3
Retired: 2016
The fact that his nickname was “3D” is no coincidence. A nickname that has two meanings: either Dimitris Diamantidis Defense, because of his incredible effectiveness in defense that unanimously earned him the EuroLeague Best Defender award for many years (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011), or Dimitris Diamantidis Devotion, for the very simple reason that he’s inextricably linked with moments of greatness in the competition. Diamantidis is inextricably bound with the great moments Panathinaikos have had in the EuroLeague, wearing the Greens’ jersey for 12 years, the culmination being the three trophies in 2007, 2009 and 2011. He was also the MVP of the Final Four in 2007 and 2011, when he achieved something unique by winning both the MVP of the season as well as the Best Defender award, in what turned out to be his best season! “3D,” who appeared in another two Final Fours, was a member of the All-EuroLeague First Team in 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2013, while he’s also a EuroLeague Legend.
Theodoros Papaloukas
Team/s: Olympiacos, CSKA Moscow
Seasons in the EuroLeague: 12
Appearances: 252
Titles: 2
Retired: 2013
Theodoros Papaloukas built his own legend over the 12 years he played in the EuroLeague and made history. Of course, what stands out from his record of achievements are the two championships with CSKA in 2006 and 2008, in which he won the title of the… best sixth man, who came in from the bench and changed everything on the court. In 2006 in Prague, he was also the MVP of the Final Four, while in 2007 he was the MVP of the season, when, in the final in OAKA, he almost beat Panathinaikos… singlehandedly. He reached another four Final Fours with CSKA, he was present again in 2009 and 2010 with Olympiacos too, while he made the Final Four in 2013 with CSKA his swansong, having played for Maccabi in the previous season. In 2006 and 2007 he was a member of the All-EuroLeague First Team, in 2008 and 2009 a member of the All-EuroLeague Second Team, while he was the first player to be declared a EuroLeague Legend a few months after his retirement.
Mike Batiste
Team/s: Charleroi, Panathinaikos, Fenerbahce
Seasons in the EuroLeague: 12
Appearances: 237
Titles: 3
Retired: 2014
“Big Mike” was one of the toughest big men in the EuroLeague for many years and one of the main reasons for Panathinaikos’s dominance (under Zeljko Obradovic then), especially in the three seasons the Greens won the trophy while he was there in 2007, 2009 and 2011. After Batiste got his baptism of fire in the EuroLeague with Charleroi, he played in Panathinaikos for 9+1 seasons, as he also played in the colors of Fenerbahce before his last season (2013/2014). In 2011, apart from winning the trophy, he made the All-EuroLeague First Team, while in 2012 he was included in the All-EuroLeague Second Team.
Sarunas Jasikevicius
Team/s: Barcelona, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Panathinaikos, Lietuvos Rytas, Zalgiris Kaunas
Seasons in the EuroLeague: 12
Appearances: 226
Titles: 4
Retired: 2014
What can one say about the great Sarunas Jasikevicius? One of the greatest that have ever played in the EuroLeague, and the one who has the unique record of four EuroLeague trophies with three different teams! First with Barcelona’s great team in 2003, another two with Maccabi’s great team (2004, 2005) and in 2009 with another super team, Panathinaikos. Over the course of these four trophies, in 2005 he was also the MVP of the Final Four, while in 2004 and 2005 he was included in the All-EuroLeague First Team, and after his retirement, he was declared a EuroLeague Legend. He also played with Rytas and Zalgiris in the competition, the latter being the team where he retired in 2014 and, since then, he has followed the coaching path with admirable results.
Juan Carlos Navarro
Team/s: Barcelona
Seasons in the EuroLeague: 17
Appearances: 341
Titles: 2
Retired: 2018
Upon hearing the word ‘EuroLeague,’ Juan Carlos Navarro is quite possibly the first name that comes to mind. He has been for many years and still is, the top scorer in the history of the competition and he has also led in appearances and the PIR. He played in the competition for 17 seasons only with Barcelona, with whom he won the two trophies that adorn the Catalans’ trophy cabinet, in 2003 and 2010. “La Bomba,” who only had a single-digit point average in his last three seasons, was the MVP of the Final Four in 2010, the MVP of the season in 2009, while he has been included in the All-EuroLeague First Team five times (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011) and the All-EuroLeague Second Team twice (2012, 2013). And of course, to top it all off, he’s also a EuroLeague Legend.
David Andersen
Team/s: Virtus Bologna, Siena, CSKA Moscow, Barcelona, Fenerbahce
Seasons in the EuroLeague: 11
Appearances: 224
Titles: 3
Retired: 2013
For years, David Andersen was considered, if not the best, then one of the most complete forwards playing in the EuroLeague. This is why it’s no coincidence that he primarily played for teams that aimed at the top. The Australian ace was a member of the Virtus Bologna team that celebrated the title in 2001 in the first EuroLeague of the modern era. He got to the Final Four again with Siena, but he climbed to the top another two times with CSKA (2006, 2008) to complete a collection of three stars, before continuing with Barcelona and another Final Four, then again to Siena, and finally to Fenerbahce. In 2005, he was included in the All-EuroLeague First Team.
JR Holden
Team/s: AEK, CSKA Moscow
Seasons in the EuroLeague: 10
Appearances: 209
Titles: 2
Retired: 2011
One of the most astute signings in CSKA’s history was that of JR Holden, who, after his very first season in the EuroLeague with AEK, became incredibly consistent at a very high level in Moscow’s team for nine seasons. Before leaving the Army team in 2011, he reached eight Final Fours and four finals with them and won two trophies (2006, 2008) as a key player. He had a European mindset even though an American, one who acquired Russian citizenship along the way and played for the country’s national team and won them a EuroBasket.
Ramunas Siskauskas
Team/s: Benetton Treviso, Panathinaikos, CSKA Moscow
Seasons in the EuroLeague: 8
Appearances: 143
Titles: 2
Retired: 2012
Ramunas Siskauskas was the definition of the influential player in the teams he played for. We first got to know him with Benetton, from where he moved to Panathinaikos in 2006. Under the instructions of Zeljko Obradovic, he became more than decisive for his team and, in 2007, he was one of the main reasons they were able to win the trophy in the Final Four in Athens. In the summer, CSKA acquired him in one morning and the following season the big investment paid off, with Siskauskas becoming the MVP of the season and one of the key players in the triumph of the Final Four in Madrid, pulling off a personal back-to-back title. He was included in the All-EuroLeague First Team in 2008, and the All-EuroLeague Second Team in 2007, 2009 and 2010, before hanging up his boots in 2012 and being declared a EuroLeague Legend.
Nikola Vujcic
Team/s: Villeurbanne, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olympiacos, Efes
Seasons in the EuroLeague: 10
Appearances: 192
Titles: 2
Retired: 2011
Nikola Vujcic was the most complete and smartest big man who has ever played in the EuroLeague. He made his introduction in the competition with Villeurbanne, before moving to Maccabi, with whom he made history, while he also played in Olympiacos and Efes. The Croatian giant was an essential and irreplaceable part of the Israeli team that was feared for several years and won the title in 2004 and 2005, while, before Nick Calathes… copied him last season, he was the only player to get a triple-double (twice) in the EuroLeague, as the ultimate testament of his incredible ability to score, pass and generally do everything on the court. He was included in the All-EuroLeague First Team three times (2005, 2006, 2007) and another two in the All-EuroLeague Second Team (2003, 2004).
Matjaz Smodis
Team/s: Virtus Bologna, Fortitudo Bologna, CSKA Moscow
Seasons in the EuroLeague: 11
Appearances: 170
Titles: 3
Retired: 2011
For 11 years Matjaz Smodis was one of the most effective and charismatic forwards on the courts of the EuroLeague, making history with Virtus (Kinder back then) Bologna and CSKA. In 2001, he was a member of the Virtus team that celebrated the first title in modern history, while in 2006 and 2008 he made his trophies three as a key player of CSKA. He appeared in another three finals (2004 with Fortitudo, 2007 and 2009 with CSKA), before retiring in 2011 with honor and glory. In 2007, he was included in the All-EuroLeague Second Team.