Jokic’s coronation, Giannis’ last chance and Doncic’s Dirk-like path

The three biggest EuroBasket stars are on a total different trajectory in the upcoming tournament.

By Aris Barkas / [email protected]

EuroBasket 2025 is upon us, and despite a number of absences, including Olympic silver medalist Victor Wembanyama, the presence of the modern holy trinity of European basketball is enough for anyone to turn in.

Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic will be there.

However, the context surrounding them is more than important – even if there’s a general consensus in their ranking order, including the Eurohoops Top 10 list – to understand their goals in the tournament and what their nation expects from them.

The return of the king

Nikola Jokic is widely considered currently the top player in the world.

In theory, that should be enough to make any team with him on board a contender, but in Serbia’s case, things are even better!

Riding on the wave of last year’s Olympics and an unforgettable semifinal against Team USA, plus a bronze medal, Serbia is bringing an arguably improved roster back on a quest to win EuroBasket gold, something not done since 2001, with the last EuroBasket medal of the country dating back to a 2009 silver.

Serbia was admirable in all preparation games, destroying competition, and it is by far the biggest favourite to win the trophy, which will also be the first major title of Jokic with the national team.

On paper, only Germany can challenge them, and a final between the two of them seems more than possible.

The last chance of a generation

Giannis Antetokounmpo can challenge Jokic for the title of the best in the world, but it’s doubtful if this can be said also for the current version of the Greek national team against Serbia.

For many years, the talent of Giannis couldn’t be properly capitalized due to FIBA rules, which make packing the paint much easier than in the NBA.

Not mentioning FIBA calls, which usually tend to reward defenders with charges, while the NBA seems more inclined to award blocking fouls, plus a cast of teammates that are not great shooters.

All this remains true. Still, Giannis in the previous Eurobasket almost broke the curse of the quarterfinals, even if in the end the host and eventual World Champions Germany stopped him, ironically by making their threes. Still, Giannis remains a force.

This is a special EuroBasket for him, and the team veterans Kostas Papanikolaou and Kostas Sloukas. The captains of Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, respectively, are 35 years old, and this can be their last tournament with the national team. So, the motivation for them to go out with a medal is huge, considering that their generation never made it, despite being European champions at the junior level.

This energy can also help Giannis deliver, because the younger generation coming behind the veteran duo doesn’t have the same accolades and pedigree as them. While nobody puts Giannis and Greece among the top contenders, this might well be their last decent chance to win a medal, something they did last time with a bronze in 2009.

After 2025, there’s a good chance that Greece and Giannis will need to navigate the future with a serious disadvantage in talent, something that it’s already the case for the next big name.

Doncic is doing it like Dirk

What can be a future drought for Giannis it’s already the present for Luka Doncic. Simply put, the previous generation, which led Slovenia with Luka in the 2017 EuroBasket gold, is gone.

Even having a generational talent like Doncic is not enough, not even for stopping the drama surrounding the national team, as it was evident after the cut of Zoran Dragic.

Yes, Giannis doesn’t have around him the talent that will make Greece a contender, but Slovenia is much worse. Doncic should score 50 per night just to give his team a decent chance of winning.

Having said that, Doncic might be enough for Slovenia to make it to the quarterfinals, but nobody can imagine them achieving anything more.

And that was pretty much the fate of Dirk Nowitzki with the German national team.

With the exception of a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Cup and a silver medal in Eurobasket 2005, despite having prime Dirk, Germany was just a respectable team with no real chances as a contender.

This changed when the current generation of players took over, led by Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner. Dirk was always there for the German national team, but on the court, he had minimal support, and that’s exactly what Doncic is experiencing for the first time with the Slovenian national team.