who created the euro step

The euro step does not have a single clear “inventor,” but two names usually come up: Šarūnas Marčiulionis as the early pioneer in the NBA, and Manu Ginóbili as the player who truly popularized it worldwide.

What the euro step is

• The euro step is a two-step move where a ball handler drives to the basket, takes one step in one direction, then quickly steps the other way to evade a defender before finishing at the rim.

• It exploits the rule that allows two steps after picking up the dribble, turning those steps into a side-to-side dodge rather than a straight-line drive.

Who “created” it?

• Versions of the move were used in European and Yugoslav basketball as far back as the 1960s, so it evolved over time rather than being invented in a single moment.

• Lithuanian guard Šarūnas Marčiulionis is widely credited with introducing this two-step, side-stepping maneuver to the NBA in 1989 while playing for the Golden State Warriors.

Why it is called the “Euro step”

• The move was strongly associated with European guards and wings who were known for crafty footwork and unconventional angles when attacking the basket.

• Because many of the early NBA users were European imports, fans and media started calling it the “Euro step,” and the name stuck.

Who popularized it in the modern NBA

• Manu Ginóbili is the player most often credited with popularizing the euro step in the 2000s, using it constantly with the San Antonio Spurs to beat set defenses.

• After Ginóbili’s success, stars like Dwyane Wade, James Harden, and Giannis Antetokounmpo turned it into a standard move, so now it is taught at almost every competitive level.

TL;DR: The euro step grew out of European basketball; Marčiulionis brought it to the NBA, but Ginóbili made it famous. No single person definitively “created” it, but those two names are the key figures.