Luka Doncic was named the NBA’s second-most influential European star — and fans won’t believe who beat him
Luka Doncic has been ranked as the NBA's second-most influential European player, following Giannis Antetokounmpo. A study evaluated players based on their team's performance, global popularity, and social media sentiment from 2020 to 2025. Doncic's high positive fan sentiment suggests he remains a beloved figure despite some criticism regarding his MVP voting results.
- ▪Giannis Antetokounmpo topped the rankings with a score of 96.66 out of 100.
- ▪Luka Doncic achieved a 57.2% win rate and generated over 368,000 monthly Google searches.
- ▪Doncic had the highest positive fan sentiment rating at 62% among all players in the study.
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NBA Luka Doncic was named the NBA’s second-most influential European star — and fans won’t believe who beat him By Michael Duarte Published May 19, 2026, 9:00 a.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google There’s no doubt that Luka Doncic is one of the most influential international players the NBA has ever seen. Every time he whips a no-look pass through traffic, or shoots a fadeaway three-pointer while falling out of bounds the crowd erupts. But the reaction is just part of the story. And according to a new study, Doncic isn’t even the most influential international player in the NBA today. That honor would go to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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