It is without a doubt the best basketball league in the world: the North American NBA! While players from Europe were still considered “exotics” before the turn of the millennium, their influence on the National Basketball Association has now become extremely large. Actors like Luka Doncic (Dallas), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee), Nikola Jokic (Denver), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio), Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento), Lauri Markkanen (Utah) and Franz Wagner (Orlando) are undoubtedly among the absolute Superstars not just on their respective teams, but across the league. It’s not for nothing that five of the last six MVP awards went to Jokic (three) and Antetokounmpo (two).
Another good indicator that the performance gap between US and European basketball has been shrinking is the past World Championships and Olympic Games. While the DBB selection was able to secure the World Cup title in 2023, Team USA struggled to win the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
An absolute expert who can perfectly assess and evaluate the greatly changed influence of European players on the NBA is Erik Spoelstra. The 54-year-old has been working for the Miami Heat since 1995. Through his positions as video coordinator and assistant coach, the American, who once also hunted for baskets in Germany for the second division team TuS Herten, was promoted to head coach at the Heat in 2008. In this role, Spoelstra and his team won two championships.
In an interview with our sports editor Dirk Sing, Spoelstra also talks about the great influence of Germany’s superstar Dirk Nowitzki on the “next generation of players” outside the USA and explains why the Würzburger makes many children dream.
