Jusuf Nurkic has raised eyebrows with some of his comments during his time at EuroBasket 2025, and he was back at it recently. Nurkic was asked to pick between some of the very best European players to have ever played in the NBA and picked Pau Gasol over everybody, even Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Q: “Pau Gasol vs. Dirk Nowitzki. That’s why I said it’s not meant to be easy.”
Jusuf Nurkic: “Pau Gasol.”
Q: “Pau Gasol or Marc Gasol?”
Nurkic: “See, you’re gonna get me in trouble. Pau Gasol.”
Q: “Pau Gasol or Toni Kukoc?”
Nurkic: “Pau Gasol.”
Q: “Let’s mix it up. Let’s go Pau Gasol or [Victor Wembanyama]?”
Nurkic: “Pau Gasol.”
Q: “Pau Gasol or Vlade Divac?”
Nurkic: “Pau Gasol.”
Q: “Pau Gasol or Domantas Sabonis?”
Nurkic: “Pau Gasol.”
Q: “Pau Gasol or Arvydas Sabonis?”
Nurkic: “Gasol.”
Q: “Let’s go, Pau Gasol or Giannis?”
Nurkic: “Pau Gasol.”
Q: “Pau Gasol or Jokic?”
Nurkic: “Pau Gasol.”
Now, Gasol was a great player who won two titles alongside Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010. The six-time All-Star was one of the best power forwards in the NBA at his peak as well, but you won’t find too many people who’d pick him over Jokic, Antetokounmpo, and Dirk Nowitzki.
So, why did Nurkic go this route? Well, you might initially think the 31-year-old is being petty here, especially when it comes to Jokic and Antetokounmpo.
Nurkic was teammates with Jokic on the Denver Nuggets from 2015 to 2017, and there was a bit of a rivalry there. The Serbian would end up getting the nod at center, and the Bosnian wasn’t too happy about that.
Nurkic asked for a trade and would get his wish as the Nuggets sent him to the Portland Trail Blazers. He might not have parted ways with Jokic on great terms, but the two have spoken glowingly about each other in recent years.
As for Antetokounmpo, well, that’s not someone Nurkic has been speaking glowingly about. He claimed that the Milwaukee Bucks superstar sucks against certain defenses in the lead-up to the game between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece on Tuesday.
Bosnia and Herzegovina came away with an 80-77 win, but Antetokounmpo did not play in the contest, with Greece having already qualified for the knockouts. Nurkic appeared to take another shot of sorts at the Bucks superstar after the game, and it will be interesting to see what happens if these two get to face off in the latter stages.
All this is unlikely to have played any role in Nurkic picking Gasol, though, as it appears these two are just on very good terms. Nurkic made his way to the Pau Gasol Academy back in July 2024, and it’s safe to say he was just being a bit biased here.
This viral clip came to Gasol’s attention as well, and he shared it as a story on Instagram with a message to the Utah Jazz center.
“Love brate, Jusuf Nurkic.”
If we put the bias aside, then Jokic, Antetokounmpo, and Nowitzki would easily get the nod over Gasol. The Spaniard never won an MVP or a Finals MVP, but those three did.
Jokic has won a title, a Finals MVP, and three MVPs in his career. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, has also won a title, a Finals MVP, and two MVPs. As for Nowitzki, the Hall of Famer won a title, a Finals MVP, and an MVP.
