BASKETBALL PLAYERS from Estonia

Top 6

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Estonian Basketball Players of all time. This list of famous Estonian Basketball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Joann Lõssov (1921 - 2000)

With an HPI of 44.71, Joann Lõssov is the most famous Estonian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.

Joann Lõssov (10 September 1921 – 3 August 2000), also known as Ioann Fyodorovich Lysov (Russian: Иоанн Фёдорович Лысов), was a Soviet and Estonian basketball player. Lõssov trained at VSS Kalev, in Tallinn. He was named MVP of the 1947 EuroBasket. Member of the Soviet Union basketball team in 1947–52, from 1949, the captain and points guard. After his career as a player, worked as the head coach of the Soviet Union women’s team in 1953–58 (gold medals from the European Championships of 1954 and 1956) and helped to organise special trainings of the Soviet Union team. Elected to the Hall of fame of Estonian basketball in 2010.

2. Heino Kruus (1926 - 2012)

With an HPI of 43.97, Heino Kruus is the 2nd most famous Estonian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Heino Kruus (30 September 1926 in Tallinn – 24 June 2012) was an Estonian basketball player (186 cm) who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1952 Summer Olympics. He trained at VSS Kalev in Tallinn He was a member of the Soviet team, which won the silver medal. He played in all eight matches. Elected to the Hall of fame of Estonian basketball in 2010.

3. Jaak Lipso (1940 - 2023)

With an HPI of 43.57, Jaak Lipso is the 3rd most famous Estonian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Jaak Lipso (18 April 1940 – 3 March 2023) was an Estonian professional basketball player who competed for the Soviet Union. He is the only Estonian basketball player who has won two medals at the Olympic Games. Lipso also won two medals at the FIBA World Championship and was a three-time Eurobasket champion with the Soviet Union national basketball team. He was a member of the Soviet Union national team from 1961 to 1970. After his active career Lipso became a basketball coach, and was elected to the Estonian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. Lipso died on 3 March 2023, at age 82.

4. Tiit Sokk (1964 - )

With an HPI of 40.89, Tiit Sokk is the 4th most famous Estonian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Tiit Sokk (born 15 November 1964) is a retired Estonian professional basketball player and current coach. Often cited as one of the very best European point guards of his generation, he is widely recognized as the greatest Estonian basketball player in history. Elected to the Hall of fame of Estonian basketball in 2010.

5. Martin Müürsepp (1974 - )

With an HPI of 32.99, Martin Müürsepp is the 5th most famous Estonian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Martin Müürsepp (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈmɑrˈtin ˈmyːrˈsepˑ]; born 26 September 1974) is an Estonian professional basketball coach and former player, who is the assistant coach of Pärnu Sadam of the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and the Korvpalli Meistriliiga (KML). Widely regarded as one of Estonia's greatest basketball players of all time, he is the first Estonian to have played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Müürsepp won the FIBA Saporta Cup in 2000, and the FIBA Europe League in 2004, earning the Europe League Finals MVP award in the process. He represented the senior Estonian national team internationally.

6. Kristjan Kangur (1982 - )

With an HPI of 27.79, Kristjan Kangur is the 6th most famous Estonian Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Kristjan Kangur (born 23 October 1982) is an Estonian professional basketball player for Tallinna Kalev in the Latvian–Estonian Basketball League. He is 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) tall, and he can play at both the small forward and power forward positions.