The Best European Players in the NBA Right Now

Figure 1 The new NBA season is now well underway - Source: Unsplash

It has been a very long time since the NBA could be considered a wholly American league. SGA became the latest non-American to claim the NBA MVP award last season - and there has not been a US-born winner since James Harden back in 2018. Global athletes have truly become a major part of the league, and Europeans in particular have been playing their part in that transformation.

There is a record 135 international players in the NBA this season, and a good chunk of them were brought up on European courts. Most of the best NBA betting websites will offer opportunities to back European players, and, as the NBA continues to invest in global development, there will only be further representation in the years to come.

The 2025-26 NBA season has just begun, and everyone is watching to see whether SGA and his Oklahoma City Thunder can continue their fast start and go on to win back-to-back titles. Europeans across the league may well have something to say about that, and here are five who are looking really good right now.

Nikola Jokic

Since the Nuggets won their first-ever championship in 2023, they have fallen just short of making it to the finals again, even if Nikola Jokic remains one of the most talented players in the NBA. OKC might end up being the ultimate test for Denver again this season, but the Joker is certainly doing his part in making sure his team does as well as possible.

Denver is just about keeping up with OKC's incredible pace in the early weeks of the season, and Jokic is excelling in every part of his own game. He scored 55 points against the Clippers, and his percentages from the field, from three, and from the free-throw line are all incredible. The Nuggets are so much more than just the three-time NBA MVP, but his continued excellence will be vital to any chance of another championship

Victor Wembanyama

His arrival in the NBA was one of the most eagerly anticipated in recent history, and so far, Victor Wembanyama has not disappointed. Before he even suited up for the Spurs, there was talk of him being able to do things that other big men just couldn't. At 7ft 4, his blocking is even better than expected, but it is his shooting and all-around game that have fans and pundits excited.

After missing half of last season, Wembanyama came back firing in his 2025-26 debut, dropping 40 points on the Dallas Mavericks. He was able to help the Spurs record their best start to a season in franchise history and became the first player in NBA history to score at least 35 points, put up 10 rebounds, five blocks, five assists, and make five three-pointers in the win over the Bulls. He hasn't been able to sample postseason hoops in the NBA as yet, but surely that will change this year.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

There was a lot of talk in the offseason about whether Giannis would leave Milwaukee for a better contract and a higher profile in a big-market team on one of the coasts. The Knicks were supposedly interested, and there were even rumors of a trade to the Lakers. He had seemingly become a little disillusioned with the Bucks after the team exited the playoffs in the first round yet again last season.

Milwaukee has had some very good players in the last few years, but there is no way it would have won a championship without the Greek star, and Bucks fans must have been relieved when it emerged that Giannis was going nowhere. He fired into the new season, scoring high numbers and giving Milwaukee a solid start. The news that he will now miss games through injury will be a worry for a team that had to do without him too many times last season.

Luka Doncic

His trade from the Mavericks to the Lakers was the big story of last season, and the aftereffects are still being felt in Dallas and Los Angeles. The Slovenian star made it very clear that the move was not his decision, and now that the man responsible for the deal, Nico Harrison, has been fired from his role as general manager at Dallas, it feels like Doncic is having the last laugh.

The Lakers have begun the season in much better form than the Mavs, and even though there is still a very long way to go, the preseason pundits extolling the chances of another Dallas championship, thanks to the arrival of Cooper Flagg, seemed to have been a little off the mark. Doncic will continue to be an important player for the Lakers, but he was at fault in the loss to OKC. It is those kinds of games that will determine whether his team can really challenge or not, so Doncic needs to get back on track quickly.

Figure 2 European players continue to shine in the NBA - Source: Unsplash

Lauri Markkanen

The Utah Jazz have not made it to the playoffs for the last three years, and one of the potential moves the franchise might have made in the offseason was to trade Lauri Markkanen to free up space and money for some new, younger players. It ultimately decided against that, and now the Finnish power forward is showing why that was the right decision.

No one is expecting the Jazz to go deep into the playoffs this season, but Markkanen averaged over 30 points in his first eight games of the year, and his strength work over the summer is definitely paying off. He has the ability to play with just about anyone, and the fact that Ace Bailey has started his rookie year so well has only helped Markkanen's own resurgence. If the Jazz do end up doing something special this year, Markkanen will undoubtedly be at the center of the revival.