The NBA saw another top European player added to its ranks this season with Paolo Banchero, who represents the Italian national team in international competitions. While Paolo was born and brought up in the United States of America, he takes pride in his Italian heritage.
Paolo was selected to represent Italy in the 2022 EuroBasket qualifiers that took place before Banchero had even started playing for Duke in the NCAA. Sadly, Banchero didn’t get a chance to play for his country. Banchero’s participation in the upcoming EuroBasket has not been announced as of yet, and there is a chance that the youngster isn’t called up to not disturb the chemistry of the team that played qualifiers together.
Banchero made an all-time European starting 5 on NBA Europe’s Instagram account and named some NBA legends but also 3 active players on his all-time team. Banchero’s point guard is Tony Parker, his shooting guard is Luka Doncic, his small forward is Giannis Antetokounmpo, his power forward is Dirk Nowitzki, and his center is Nikola Jokic.
This would be an absolutely incredible rotation to watch in action. Parker and Doncic can play both guard roles interchangeably and would be an incredibly dynamic back-court. The defensive deficiencies of Dirk and Jokic can be covered by Giannis on the wing. Similarly, what Giannis lacks in shooting, the other two bring that to the game.
Out of the 3 active players Banchero mentioned, only 1 has won a trophy for his national team, and that is Luka, who did it as a 17-year-old in Slovenia’s remarkable journey to the 2017 EuroBasket title. Goran Dragic predicted Luka’s rise to NBA stardom after that win, a year before Doncic was even drafted into the league.
Giannis and Jokic still have time to add to their international resume, but both are 2-time MVPs and arguably, the best international players the NBA has. There are other legends he could’ve named, but this list is incredibly valid as well.
