KATOWICE (Poland) - Luka Doncic keeps on hitting milestones at a pace that could see him climbing the Mount Olympus of EuroBasket.
Following his 37-point scoring display against Israel on Thursday, Doncic has broken into the Top-4 of the all-time leading scorers in FIBA EuroBasket in points per game, with 22.5.
Doncic overcame in one stroke on Thursday both Polish legend Mieczysław Mlynarski, who averaged 21.9 points over a total of 22 EuroBasket appearances, and Germany captain Dennis Schroder.
Schroder is the only other active player to have entered the Top 5, but the Slovenian captain is scoring at an insanely higher rate (before the start of EuroBasket 2025, he was averaging 19.4 points per game) and is five and a half years younger than Schroder.
The Los Angeles Lakers star is now chasing the true elite trio of European scorers, namely legends Nikos Galis, Radivoj Korac, and Drazen Petrovic.
Leading EuroBasket scorers in points per game (20 games minimum)
PLAYER | TEAM | POINTS PER GAME | GAMES PLAYED |
|---|---|---|---|
Nikos Galis | Greece | 31.2 | 33 |
Radivoj Korac | Yugoslavia | 24.8 | 34 |
Drazen Petrovic | Yugoslavia | 23.2 | 26 |
Luka Doncic | Slovenia | 22.5 | 21 |
Dennis Schroder | Germany | 22.1 | 25 |
*Note: Only players who have played at least 20 games in the competition are taken into consideration on this list, in order to have a representative sample.
Slovenia head coach Aleksander Sekulic refered to Luka Doncic as ‘the best player in the world’ moments after his 37-point masterpiece on Thursday.
"[Climbing on fourth place] shows the greatness of Luka, what he brings to the EuroBasket, a competition full of great players, amazing coaches, and wonderful stories to be seen on the court," Sekulic said.
“Having Luka next to legends like Galis, Korac, and Drazen Petrovic shows how big of a basketball player he is, only at 26.”
Nikos Galis
Simply the reason why basketball turned into one of the most beloved sports in Greece. This could have been reason enough to celebrate the legacy of a legend like Nikos Galis, but his unreachable (?) scoring average is certainly another valid reason.
A FIBA EuroBasket champion in 1987 at home and runner-up in the following edition, the Greek icon averaged 31.2 points per game over 33 games in five tournaments. Will Doncic be the only one to ever get close?
Radivoj Korac
Before Galis, there was Radivoj Korac. The icon of Yugoslavia left such an indelible mark on European hoops that the FIBA Korac Cup was named after him, as he drove thousands of kids to fall in love with basketball.
Korac was never able to win the EuroBasket title, but finished as runner-up in 1961 and 1965. He also won the bronze medal at EuroBasket 1963. He averaged 24.8 points over 34 games in the competition.
Drazen Petrovic
The Mozart of basketball will always be remembered as a FIBA EuroBasket legend, standing third in the competition's all-time leading scorers in points per game, with 23.2 points over 36 appearances.
With Yugoslavia, he dominated as EuroBasket 1989 MVP and champion, while also conquering bronze in 1987. He never represented Croatia at EuroBasket, but led the country to the silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games.
Dennis Schroder
Alongside Luka Doncic, the German national team's captain is the only active player on this elite list. At EuroBasket 2025, he has thus far scored 21.0 points per game over five encounters.
With an astonishing offensive leader in Dennis Schroder as the team's headman, Germany are hoping to make a statement in Riga three years after stepping on the podium at FIBA EuroBasket 2022.
Israel's Doron Jamchy (21.3 points in 31 games), Poland's Edward Jurkiewicz (20.6 points in 21 games), and EuroBasket all-time leading scorer in total points Pau Gasol (20.4 points in 58 games) are the other players that Doncic has overtaken since the start of FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
FIBA