Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic headline NBA stars to watch at EuroBasket 2022

Kyle Irving

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Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic headline NBA stars to watch at EuroBasket 2022 image

EuroBasket 2022 is almost here, set to tip off on Thursday, Sept. 1.

The international tournament will give NBA fans worldwide the basketball fix they're looking for as we inch closer to the start of the 2022-23 season.

There will be plenty of superstar talent on display with players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic suiting up for their countries, setting the table for some marquee matchups you will not want to miss.

With a talent pool much deeper than the above three MVP candidates, which other NBA stars will be representing their home countries on the EuroBasket stage?

NBA stars playing at EuroBasket 2022

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece

Antetokounmpo wasted no time to capture headlines ahead of EuroBasket 2022, going off for 40 (!) points in Greece's Fiba World World Cup European Qualifier against Jokic and Serbia.

Even though his efforts came in a loss, Antetokounmpo became the first player in the history of European Qualifiers to cross the 40-point threshold, giving us a taste of what to expect when EuroBasket gets underway.

Antetokounmpo and Greece will compete in Group C, joined by Estonia, Ukraine, Great Britain, Italy and Croatia. If you want to watch the 2021 Finals MVP in action, you can find Greece's Group Stage schedule below.

Greece's 2022 EuroBasket schedule
Date Opponent Time (ET) Channel
Fri., Sept. 2 vs. Croatia 8:00 AM ESPN+
Sat., Sept. 3 vs. Italy 12:00 PM ESPN+
Mon., Sept. 5 vs. Great Britain 8:00 AM ESPN+
Tues., Sept. 6 vs. Ukraine 8:00 AM ESPN+
Thurs., Sept. 8 vs. Estonia 8:00 AM ESPN+

Luka Doncic, Slovenia

The last time we saw Doncic on the international stage, he nearly carried Slovenia to its first-ever medal in basketball when he led his country to the Bronze Medal match at the Tokyo Olympics.

Now, we'll get to watch the 23-year-old try and lead Slovenia to a EuroBasket title against some of the best talents in the world.

Doncic has looked like his usual self ahead of EuroBasket, nearly going for a triple-double against Estonia this past week.

His country will compete in a loaded Group B with teams like Germany, Lithuania, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Hungary.

You can find Doncic and Slovenia's Group Stage schedule below.

Slovenia's 2022 EuroBasket schedule
Date Opponent Time (ET) Channel
Thurs., Sept. 1 vs. Lithuania 8:15 AM ESPN+
Sat., Sept. 3 vs. Hungary 11:30 AM ESPN+
Sun., Sept. 4 vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina 8:45 AM ESPN+
Tues., Sept. 6 vs. Germany 11:30 AM ESPN+
Wed., Sept. 7 vs. France 8:15 AM ESPN+

Nikola Jokic, Serbia

Antetokounmpo may have taken the headlines for the 40 points he scored on Serbia, but Jokic was just as incredible, leading his country to the victory.

The reigning NBA MVP went off for 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists, knocking down some clutch shots down the stretch to force overtime. His patented "Sombor Shuffle" over Antetokounmpo late in the fourth quarter was just one of the many big-time makes Jokic had to keep his team fighting.

Jokic and Serbia will be competing in Group D with the Netherlands, Finland, Poland, Czech Republic and Israel. You can find their Group Stage schedule below.

Serbia's 2022 EuroBasket schedule
Date Opponent Time (ET) Channel
Fri., Sept. 2 vs. Netherlands 12:00 PM ESPN+
Sat., Sept. 3 vs. Czech Republic 8:30 AM ESPN+
Mon., Sept. 5 vs. Finland 12:00 PM ESPN+
Tues., Sept. 6 vs. Israel 12:00 PM ESPN+
Thurs., Sept. 8 vs. Poland 12:00 PM ESPN+

Rudy Gobert, France

Gobert and France are looking to build off of their momentum after earning a Silver Medal at the Tokyo Olympics, entering EuroBasket as one of the best teams in the tournament.

The All-Star big man may not put up the gaudy numbers we see from players like Antetokounmpo, Doncic or Jokic, but his presence in the paint is dominating, as he records double-doubles in his sleep just like we see from him on the NBA stage.

Gobert made things look easy against the Czech Republic in a World Cup European Qualifier leading up to EuroBasket, tallying 14 points, seven boards, two blocks and one broken hoop off of a powerful putback dunk in a 35-point win for France.

Gobert and France will compete in Group B against Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

France's 2022 EuroBasket schedule
Date Opponent Time (ET) Channel
Thurs., Sept. 1 vs. Germany 11:30 AM ESPN+
Sat., Sept. 3 vs. Lithuania 8:45 AM ESPN+
Sun., Sept. 4 vs. Hungary 11:30 AM ESPN+
Tues., Sept. 6 vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina 5:30 AM ESPN+
Wed., Sept. 7 vs. Slovenia 8:15 AM ESPN+

Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania

Other countries will have a problem trying to contain Lithuania's terrorizing frontcourt of Sabonis and Valanciunas.

The two NBA stars are both bruising and physical, yet highly skilled. As dominant as they are inside, controlling the glass and scoring with their backs to the basket, they can also both step outside and shoot the 3-ball, too.

The tandem makes Lithuania one of the toughest teams to match up with, as few countries have the size to defend both brute forces.

Sabonis, Valanciunas and Lithuania will be competing in Group B against Germany, France, Slovenia, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina — a group loaded with NBA talent.

Lithuania's 2022 EuroBasket schedule
Date Opponent Time (ET) Channel
Thurs., Sept. 1 vs. Slovenia 8:15 AM ESPN+
Sat., Sept. 3 vs. France 8:45 AM ESPN+
Sun., Sept. 4 vs. Germany 5:30 AM ESPN+
Tues., Sept. 6 vs. Hungary 8:15 AM ESPN+
Wed., Sept. 7 vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina 5:30 AM ESPN+

Other NBA talent at EuroBasket 2022

Beyond those six stars, there are still plenty of other NBA players suiting up for their countries at EuroBasket 2022. You can find the full list below.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Jusuf Nurkic

Czech Republic: Vit Krejci

Croatia: Bojan Bogdanovic, Dario Saric, Ivica Zubac

Finland: Lauri Markkanen

France: Evan Fournier, Theo Maledon

Georgia: Goga Bitadze, Sandro Mamukelashvili

Germany: Franz Wagner, Dennis Schroder, Mo Wagner, Daniel Theis

Greece: Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Kostas Antetokounmpo, Tyler Dorsey

Israel: Deni Avdija

Italy: Danillo Gallinari (out with injury)

Montenegro: Marko Simonovic

Slovenia: Vlatko Cancar, Goran Dragic

Spain: Juancho Hernangomez, Willy Hernangomez, Usman Garuba

Turkey: Cedi Osman, Alperen Sengun, Furkan Korkmaz

Ukraine: Alex Len, Svi Myhailiuk

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.