Former NBA player and current president of the Russian Basketball Federation (RBF), **Andrei Kirilenko**, expressed his thoughts on the five greatest basketball players in the history of Russian basketball. He also reminisced about legendary Soviet players.

“I frequently get asked whom I would include in my top five Russian players of all time. I must say upfront that this is quite subjective, and I certainly don’t want to offend anyone. We’ve had a vast number of outstanding players, and narrowing it down to just five is a challenging task.

When discussing legends of all time, I would definitely include Sergey Belov and **Alexander Belov** in the top five—great players who served as role models for generations. Of course, **Arvydas Sabonis** represented Lithuania but played for the Soviet Union and was a standout figure in basketball history.

It’s impossible not to mention Sharunas Marciulionis and Rimantas Kurtinaitis, both of whom played as shooting and small forwards and were crucial for the national team. I must also highlight Alexander Volkov—a versatile forward who was among the first Soviet players in the NBA. Alongside him, we remember Sergey Tarakanov and Anatoli Myshkin, powerful forwards and leaders of the 1980s team.

Now comes the toughest part: selecting the top point guard. There are so many remarkable players! Valdis Valters, **Stanislav Eryomin**, Ivan Yedeshko—it’s impossible to single one out. If we’re focusing specifically on Russian players, my top five looks like this:

– Point guard: Alexey Shved. Although Vasya Karasev, **Sergey Bazarevich**, and Zhenya Pashutin did an excellent job in this role as well.
– Forwards: **Sergey Monya** and **Viktor Khryapa**. They can also include Sergey Panov and Andrei Fetisov—their contributions to our basketball are immense.
– Center: As much as I admire Timofey Mozgov, I would pick Mikhail Mikhailov for my lineup. I grew up watching him play for “Svetlana” and “Spartak” in St. Petersburg, and my choice also has a nostalgic element to it.
– Shooting guard: **Vitaliy Fridzon**. Although the competition here is fierce with players like **Zakhar Pashutin** and Igor Kudelin.

Of course, this is a very unfair ranking. When you view someone from a distance, they seem more impressive. Once you play alongside them, you gain insight into their strengths and weaknesses, along with their ‘non-basketball’ traits, and your perception shifts. Nonetheless, I’m sure I’ve forgotten someone. Who do you think I might have overlooked among those who played exceptionally well?” Kirilenko wrote on his social media.

Recently, Kirilenko also shared his views on the most important quality for an athlete.

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