BASKETBALL PLAYERS from Germany

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary German Basketball Players of all time. This list of famous German Basketball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of German Basketball Players.

1. Dirk Nowitzki (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 54.47, Dirk Nowitzki is the most famous German Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 58 different languages on wikipedia.

Dirk Werner Nowitzki (German pronunciation: [ˈdɪʁk noˈvɪtski], ; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), he is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time and is considered by many to be the greatest European player of all time. In 2021, he was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. In 2023, Nowitzki was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. An alumnus of the DJK Würzburg basketball club, Nowitzki was chosen as the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where he played his entire 21-year NBA career. Nowitzki led the Mavericks to 15 NBA playoff appearances (2001–2012; 2014–2016), including the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance in 2006 and its only NBA championship in 2011. Known for his scoring ability, versatility, accurate outside shooting, and trademark one-legged fadeaway jump shot, Nowitzki won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2007 and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 2011. Nowitzki is the only player ever to play for a single NBA franchise for 21 seasons. He is a 14-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA Team member, the first European player to start in an All-Star Game, and the first European player to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Nowitzki is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history. He is the first Maverick voted onto an All-NBA Team and holds several all-time Mavericks franchise records. On December 10, 2012, he became the first non-American player to receive the Naismith Legacy Award. Following his retirement, Nowitzki stood sixth on the NBA all-time scoring list. In international play, Nowitzki led the Germany national team to a bronze medal in the 2002 FIBA World Championship and silver in EuroBasket 2005, and was the leading scorer and MVP in both tournaments. He is also the first German men's player to have his number retired, receiving this honor in September 2022.

2. Detlef Schrempf (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 47.17, Detlef Schrempf is the 2nd most famous German Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963) is a German-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies from 1981 to 1985, and was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft, with the eighth overall pick. He was an All-NBA Third Team member in 1995, a three-time NBA All-Star, the first European player ever to achieve this award, and the NBA Sixth Man of the Year twice. Schrempf played in the NBA for 16 seasons, including stints with the Indiana Pacers, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Portland Trail Blazers. In 1996, he reached the NBA Finals with the SuperSonics. He played for the West German, and later German, national team in the 1984 and 1992 Summer Olympics and the 1983 and 1985 EuroBasket championships. Schrempf was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2021.

3. Dennis Schröder (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 46.89, Dennis Schröder is the 3rd most famous German Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Dennis Schröder (German pronunciation: [ˈdɛnɪs ˈʃʁøːdɐ]; born 15 September 1993) is a German professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for SG Braunschweig and Phantoms Braunschweig in Germany, before joining the Atlanta Hawks for his first five seasons in the NBA. He is the sole owner of his German hometown team, Basketball Loewen Braunschweig of the Basketball Bundesliga, and had been the majority shareholder of the team since 2018. Debuting for the German national team in 2014, Schröder helped the team to its first major medal in 17 years when Germany won bronze at the 2022 EuroBasket. In 2023, he led the national team to their first World Cup title at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup while being named the FIBA World Cup MVP. The following year, Schröder was the flag bearer for Germany along with judoka Anna-Maria Wagner at 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He helped Germany to a fourth place finish and was named to the FIBA Olympics All-Star Five team.

4. Shawn Bradley (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 42.23, Shawn Bradley is the 4th most famous German Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Shawn Paul Bradley (born March 22, 1972) is a German-American former professional basketball player who played center for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest players in NBA history at 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m). Bradley was born in Landstuhl, West Germany, as his family was stationed at the U.S. military base medical facility, and grew up in Castle Dale, Utah. He holds citizenship in both the United States and Germany.

5. Daniel Theis (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 38.52, Daniel Theis is the 5th most famous German Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Daniel Theis (; born 4 April 1992) is a German professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After seven seasons in the Basketball Bundesliga where he was a four-time All Star and three-time champion, Theis signed with the Boston Celtics of the NBA where he played for four seasons before a trade brought him to the Chicago Bulls in March 2021. The Bulls traded Theis to the Houston Rockets in August 2021, who in turn traded Theis back to the Celtics in February 2022, before being traded to the Pacers in July 2022. With the Celtics, he reached the NBA Finals during his second stint with the team.

6. Tibor Pleiß (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 37.56, Tibor Pleiß is the 6th most famous German Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Tibor Pleiß (, alternative spelling Pleiss; born 2 November 1989) is a German professional basketball player who plays for Trapani Shark of the Lega Basket Serie A. Standing 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m), he plays the center position. He is also a member of the German national team.

7. Johannes Voigtmann (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 36.29, Johannes Voigtmann is the 7th most famous German Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Johannes "Jo" Voigtmann (born 30 September 1992) is a German professional basketball player for Bayern Munich of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He is also a member of the senior German national team. He is 2.11 m tall and he plays at both the power forward and center positions.

8. Moritz Wagner (b. 1997)

With an HPI of 36.26, Moritz Wagner is the 8th most famous German Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Victor Moritz "Moe" Wagner (born 26 April 1997) is a German professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for Alba Berlin before moving to the US to play college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines from 2015 through his junior season for the 2017–18 Wolverines team. Wagner entered his name for the 2017 NBA draft without hiring an agent, but withdrew and returned to Michigan. He was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a 2018 All-Big Ten second team selection by both the coaches and the media. Following the season, he was the 2018 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament MVP helping the team earn the Big Ten tournament championship for the second time in a row. He was also named to the West Region All-Tournament Team and Final Four All-Tournament Team during the 2018 NCAA basketball tournament. He has represented the Germany national team. His younger brother Franz Wagner is also an NBA player as well as his teammate, playing small forward for the Orlando Magic.

9. Maodo Lô (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 35.91, Maodo Lô is the 9th most famous German Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Maodo Lô (born 31 December 1992) is a German professional basketball player for Paris Basketball of the LNB Élite and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for Columbia University in New York City, where he was nicknamed The Chairman.

10. Franz Wagner (b. 2001)

With an HPI of 35.86, Franz Wagner is the 10th most famous German Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Franz Jacob Wagner (born 27 August 2001) is a German professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. Wagner, a native of Berlin, started his career with Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) club Alba Berlin. In 2019, he was named BBL Best German Young Player. Wagner has played for the German youth national teams, winning a gold medal at the 2018 Albert Schweitzer Tournament. His older brother Moritz Wagner, a former Michigan standout, also plays for the Orlando Magic.