By Antonis Stroggylakis / info@eurohoops.net
The question of who is the greatest player in EuroLeague history has been a recurring debate over the years.
Eurohoops spoke with Dejan Bodiroga, a EuroLeague legend, three-time champion (2000, 2002, 2003) and two-time Final Four MVP (2002, 2003), about who he considers to be the EuroLeague GOAT.
The current Euroleague president was relatively quick to think and pick a fellow Panathinaikos Athens great for his Greatest Of All Time selection when it comes to the modern era (post-2000) of the competition.
“It’s a difficult question”, Bodiroga answered. “Because every decade has its star players, but for me [Dimitris] Diamantidis was one of the biggest Euroleague stars”, he said to Eurohoops.
“Because of the importance and influence on his team… I’d say Diamantidis”, he concluded, tipping his hat off to one of the top point guards ever in European basketball history.
Apart from the fact that they have have both worn the Greens’ jersey with the shamrock, Diamantidis and Bodiroga share a couple of similarities also when it comes to their major EuroLeague accolade. The now-retired Greek icon collected three EuroLeague titles as well, in 2007, 2009 and 2011 while earning MVP in the Final Four during the first and the latter years.
Both Bodiroga and Diamantidis are members of the EuroLeague 2000–2010 All-Decade Team and the EuroLeague 25th Anniversary Team. Though different type of players overall, they were both distinguished for their sharp ability of “reading” the game so they could dismantle the opposing defense. Either to primarily score (Bodiroga) or mainly initiate offense for the rest of the team (Diamantidis).
In 2011, Diamantidis claimed his first EuroLeague season MVP, making an unprecedented and still unmatched sweep of winning that silverware, Best Defender and Final Four MVP, apart from being named to the All-EuroLeague First Team. He still holds the record for the most “Best Defender” awards with 6, having won the trophy from 2005 to 2009 and 2011.