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28 Current NBA Players Competing In FIBA EuroBasket 2025

August 27th, 2025 at 7:07am CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of the FIBA World Cup in 2023 and the Paris Olympics in 2024, the 2025 NBA offseason doesn’t feature a major international tournament in which the United States’ top stars are competing.

However, several of the league’s biggest names – including three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and five-time All-NBA first-teamer Luka Doncic – are taking part in FIBA EuroBasket 2025, which tipped off on Wednesday.

The tournament, also known as the European Basketball Championship, takes place every four years and features 24 European countries vying for a gold medal. The 24 teams who qualified for EuroBasket are split up into four groups and will face the other teams in their group across five games from August 27 to September 4.

At the end of group play, the top four teams from each group will advance to the knockout round, which is a single-elimination tournament featuring the remaining 16 countries.

By our count, 28 active NBA players are taking part in EuroBasket 2025, along with 30 former NBA players and several more who were selected in an NBA draft but have yet to play in the league.

Here’s the full list of current and former NBA players set to compete in EuroBasket, sorted by group and country:

Group A

Czechia (Czech Republic)

  • Current NBA players: Vit Krejci (Hawks)
  • Former NBA players: None

Estonia

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: Henri Drell

Latvia

Portugal

  • Current NBA players: Neemias Queta (Celtics)
  • Former NBA players: None

Serbia

Serbia’s roster also includes Nikola Milutinov and Vanja Marinkovic, who are former NBA draft picks but have never played in the league.

Turkey

Group B

Finland

Germany

Great Britain

Lithuania

Lithuania’s roster also includes Rokas Jokubaitis, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league, and Azuolas Tubelis, who was on a two-way contract with the Sixers during the 2023 offseason but was waived before the season began.

Montenegro

Sweden

  • Current NBA players: Pelle Larsson (Heat)
  • Former NBA players: None

Group C

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Current NBA players: Jusuf Nurkic (Jazz)
  • Former NBA players: None

Cyprus

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

Georgia

Greece

Italy

Italy’s roster also includes Matteo Spagnolo, Gabriele Procida, and Saliou Niang, who are former NBA draft picks but have never played in the league.

Spain

Group D

Belgium

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

France

France’s roster also includes Isaia Cordinier, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league.

Iceland

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

Israel

  • Current NBA players: Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers)
  • Former NBA players: None

Israel’s roster also includes Yam Madar, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league.

Poland

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: Jordan Loyd

Slovenia

  • Current NBA players: Luka Doncic (Lakers)
  • Former NBA players: None
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EuroBasket Notes: Cyprus, Players To Watch, Celtics, Heat, Top Matchups

August 26th, 2025 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Cyprus, which will be competing in EuroBasket for the first time ever this year, announced its 12-man roster for the event on Monday, as FIBA relays. Cyprus’ national team doesn’t feature any current or former NBA players, but the group includes former Wichita State big man Darral Willis, up-and-coming point guard Filippos Tigkas, and sharpshooter Konstantinos Simitzis, who was the squad’s leading scorer in the qualifiers.

Competing in Group C, Cyprus will begin its group-play games on Thursday against Bosnia and Herzegovina before taking on Greece, Spain, Georgia, and Italy.

Here’s more on EuroBasket 2025, which will tip off on Wednesday:

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And-Ones: ESPN Panel, Top SGs, Lundberg, Hayes-Davis

August 25th, 2025 at 6:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs and Hawks are considered the co-favorites to make the biggest leap in the NBA during the upcoming season, according to a panel of ESPN Insiders.

The panel made its predictions on a wide variety of topics, including the team most likely to make a big move before the trade deadline (the Warriors received the most votes) and the next superstar to request a trade (Zion Williamson was the top vote-getter).

Here’s more from around the international basketball world:

  • Anthony Edwards tops the list of shooting guards ranked by The Athletic’s Zach Harper. Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell fill out tier one — players who are potential MVP candidates — in “The Bounce’s Top 40 Shooting Guards.” Desmond Bane, Klay Thompson, Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine comprised the second tier as players “who can take over” a game.
  • Gabriel ‘Iffe’ Lundberg won’t return to Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade, according to Sportando. The Danish guard, according to a TeleSport report, has drawn interest from both Zenit St. Petersburg and Olympiacos. Lundberg had a brief stay in the NBA, playing four games with Phoenix during the 2021/22 season.
  • Tel Aviv’s owner Ofer Yannay had a verbal agreement this offseason with Nigel Hayes-Davis in the event that the free agent forward couldn’t find an NBA contract. Hayes-Davis, who played in Turkey last season, wound up signing a one-year deal with the Suns. “We were sure we were bringing Nigel Hayes-Davis. We were sure it was happening. He had an option to go to the NBA, and he basically said, ‘I’ll try to get a contract in the NBA, and if I don’t, I’ll come to you,’” Yannay said, per Eurohoops.net.
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EuroBasket Notes: Wagner, Giannis, Risacher, Doncic

August 25th, 2025 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Germany made a huge statement by going unbeaten on its way to the 2023 FIBA World Cup title, and a win at EuroBasket would cement its status as an international basketball power. Magic forward Franz Wagner talked to reporters, including Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops, about what another major championship would mean for his nation’s basketball program.

“It would be a massive achievement,” Wagner said. “I think winning anything is super difficult. I think winning something for your country, obviously, is super special. We felt that two years ago, and we’re doing everything we can to have that feeling again and bring home a gold medal for your country.”

Germany is a huge favorite to advance out of Group B, which also includes Great Britain, Lithuania, Sweden, Montenegro and host Finland. The pressure ratchets up in the knockout stage, with single-elimination games being played from September 6-14 in Riga, Latvia.

“I think every do-or-die game, and especially national team games, when you play for your country, and especially when the time you have with the team is kind of short or way shorter than during a season with a team, I think those games are always super physical and every player is putting it all out there,” Wagner said.

On the tournament format, he added, “I think that’s what makes those games super fun to play and hopefully fun to watch as well.”

There’s more from EuroBasket:

  • Rival players are raving about the impact that Giannis Antetokounmpo has for Greece, according to a story on the FIBA website. Willy Hernangomez says the Bucks star “tries to destroy everyone in front of him,” and Spanish teammate Santi Aldama claims Antetokounmpo takes his intensity to a different level when he’s part of the Greek national team. “He always talks about how he plays hard every single day,” Aldama said. “And seeing an MVP-level player play as hard as he does every day … and him having the pride to play for his country every summer you can see it’s different when he plays for his country. And he takes a lot of pride in playing for his country.”
  • In an interview with Christos Tsaltas of Athletiko, Zaccharie Risacher talks about the things he learned during his rookie season with the Hawks that have made him a better player. Risacher may need to take on a larger role for France with several important teammates unavailable, and he said he’s willing to do whatever is asked of him. “I want to contribute to my team so that it wins as many games as it can and contribute in any way I can,” Risacher said. “With defense, with scoring, with rebounds. I’m a versatile player and I have to make sure I’ve adapted and I can do the right thing and make the right phase at the right time to help as much as I can.”
  • Lakers star Luka Doncic delivered a fiery locker room speech after Slovenia lost to Serbia by 34 points in an exhibition game, relays BasketNews. “I don’t like to talk about what’s going on in the team. Yes, we had a conversation,” teammate Edo Muric said. “We cleared up a lot of things and said what needed to be said. This defeat actually brought us even closer.”
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Guerschon Yabusele Discusses Signing With Knicks, Hopes For EuroBasket

August 25th, 2025 at 1:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Guerschon Yabusele got a nice raise when he signed a two-year, $11.7MM contract with the Knicks this summer, but he was also motivated by the chance to play in New York City. Yabusele discussed his free agency decision, France’s EuroBasket prospects, and a few other topics in an interview with Giorgos Kyriakidis of BasketNews.

“First of all, you can tell that they have a special bonding between each other,” he said of his new Knicks teammates. “When they go on the court together, it’s like they try to kill the other team. They know each other pretty well. They made it so far this year in the playoffs, but year after year, you can just see their progress. So, for me, it was just natural, because I wanted to be part of this. It’s one of the toughest crowds, people know it. So, to be able to go there and be part of this is just something special.”

A year ago, NBA personnel were buzzing about Yabusele’s performance in the Summer Olympics, where he helped the host French team reach the gold medal game. He eventually signed a one-year minimum contract with Philadelphia in the hopes of proving that he could still be an NBA player after five years in Europe.

Yabusele wound up being a steady contributor for a Sixers team that was torn apart by injuries. He averaged 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 70 games and became a target for several teams on the free agent market.

Yabusele believes his attitude toward the game was instrumental in making his NBA comeback successful.

“I would say, first of all, the energy,” he said. “People love the energy that I bring on the court – ‘dying’ for the ball, diving for the ball. Just fight through it for 48 minutes. It doesn’t matter who win or lose, just keep the same motivation and make people enjoy the game.”

Returning to the NBA last season was somewhat of a financial gamble, as Yabusele had one year left on his Real Madrid contract with a $2.5MM buyout. The Sixers were only permitted to contribute $850K of that amount, so Yabusele decided to pay the rest himself instead of waiting another year to become a free agent.

“As a young kid, going to the NBA was a dream,” he explained. “So, I wanted to go back and make sure I had a chance to explore and play.”

EuroBasket, which starts Wednesday, will be Yabusele’s first international competition since last year’s Olympics. France is perennially one of the top powers on the world stage, but the team will be shorthanded with Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Mathias Lessort and Vincent Poirier all unavailable.

Yabusele, who serves as captain, would love to bring home a gold medal after coming close so many times. During his tenure, the French have captured silver in the past two Olympics and were runners-up at EuroBasket 2022.

“A gold medal with France would be special,” he said. “I’ve been playing with the team for years, and every time we get silver. So I think gold would be the next goal for us. But, of course, winning an NBA championship is also something special. I’ve never been part of something like that. Both would feel great.”

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Estonia, Great Britain, Belgium Finalize EuroBasket Rosters

August 25th, 2025 at 12:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

With EuroBasket set to tip off on Wednesday, three more nations have announced their 12-man rosters for the tournament.

Former NBA small forward Henri Drell leads the way for Estonia. Drell appeared in four games with Chicago on a two-way contract during the 2023/24 season, posting 11 points, three rebounds and four assists in 30 total minutes. He spent last season with Portland’s G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, and moved on to Spain’s La Laguna Tenerife in March.

Other members of the Estonian roster are Märt Rosenthal, Sander Raieste, Kaspar Treier, Mikk Jurkatamm, Matthias Tass, Siim-Sander Vene, Kregor Hermet, Janari Jõesaar, Joonas Riismaa, Artur Konontšuk and Kristian Kullamäe.

Estonia is in Group A with Portugal, Turkey, Serbia, the Czech Republic and host Latvia.

Center Gabe Olaseni, a star in Turkey’s Basketball Super League, is the top player for Great Britain, whose roster was announced on the FIBA website. Also on the roster are Amin Adamu, Dan Akin, Jubrile Belo, Myles Hesson, Luke Nelson, Tarik Phillip, Josh Ward-Hibbert, Jelani Watson-Gayle, Pat Whelan, Carl Wheatle and Akwasi Yeboah.

Great Britain has never advanced past group play in six previous EuroBasket appearances. They’re in Group B with Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, Montenegro and host Finland.

Belgium also doesn’t feature any players with NBA experience, as its official roster includes Ismael Bako, Mamadou Guisse, Manu Lecomte, Siebe Ledegen, Joppe Mennes, Jean-Marc Mwema, Loic Schwartz, Godwin Tshimanga, Kevin Tumba, Niels Van Den Eynde, Andy Van Vliet and Hans Vanwijn.

The Belgians will be looking for their first medal in their 19th EuroBasket appearance. Their best finish was fourth in 1947.

Belgium is in Group D with France, Iceland, Slovenia, Israel and host Poland.

As of Monday morning, Cyprus, Georgia and Italy are the only participants in the 24-team tournament who haven’t announced their final rosters.

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Stein’s Latest: Monk, Hawks, Niang, Carlisle

August 25th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Kings have explored multiple trade scenarios involving guard Malik Monk this offseason, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) that Sacramento isn’t actively engaged in any discussions about a Monk deal for the time being.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Monk is a lock to be a King for the entire 2025/26 season – or even by opening night – but he has made a positive impression in Sacramento beyond his on-court production due to the way he has embraced his role and the franchise, Stein writes.

While the Kings have maintained interest in Russell Westbrook and have considered the idea of moving Monk to open up a spot in the backcourt for the former MVP, Stein hears that the front office has also looked into ways to create that opening for Westbrook by means other than a Monk trade.

Here are a few more items of interest from Stein:

  • Following up on a report from his Stein Line colleague Jake Fischer about the Hawks‘ apparent plan not to extend Trae Young before the start of the season, Stein says Atlanta wants to see more of Young playing alongside forward Jalen Johnson, whose 2024/25 campaign ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury. The Hawks are hopeful that getting a more extensive look at that duo in the wake of offseason roster changes will help clarify their “big-picture” plans.
  • Stein hears from league sources that veteran NBA forward Georges Niang has obtained a Senegalese passport and nearly suited up for Senegal during the 2025 AfroBasket tournament. However, an eventful offseason in which Niang was traded twice – from Atlanta to Boston to the Jazz – ultimately derailed his plans to play international ball this summer.
  • Noting that one-fifth of the NBA’s 30 head coaches have signed contract extensions this offseason (Chauncey Billups, Will Hardy, Ime Udoka, Billy Donovan, Joe Mazzulla, and Rick Carlisle), Stein provides some additional context on Carlisle’s new deal with the Pacers. As Stein explains, besides being a reward for leading Indiana to five playoff series wins over the past two years, Carlisle’s extension is intended to “promote stability” after the team saw star guard Tyrese Haliburton go down with an Achilles tear and lost longtime center Myles Turner in free agency.
  • In case you missed it, Stein also reported that Mavericks forward P.J. Washington is a prime candidate to sign an extension before the season begins.
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Angola Wins 2025 AfroBasket Championship

August 25th, 2025 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

Angola has won its record-setting 12th AfroBasket championship, defeating Mali on Sunday by a score of 70-43 in the tournament’s championship game.

Angola, the host of AfroBasket 2025, was led by Childe Dundao, who scored a game-high 16 points vs. Mali to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and three steals. The 27-year-old point guard was named the Most Valuable Player of the event in addition to earning a spot on the AfroBasket All-Tournament team.

Former NBA big man Bruno Fernando didn’t make a massive impact in the final, registering five points, five rebounds, and a pair of blocks in less than 17 minutes of action, but he was also named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 7.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 1.7 BPG across six outings.

Angola was a dominant force in African basketball between 1989 and 2013, when the African Championships were being held every two years — during that time, the Angolan national team won 11 of 13 titles, taking third place in 1997 and finishing as the runner-up in 2011. However, Angola lost the championship game in 2015 and didn’t advance to the final four in either the 2017 or 2021 events, which were both won by Tunisia. This year’s title was Angola’s first since 2013.

Despite a disappointing offensive showing on Sunday, it was a historic performance for Mali, which had never before competed in an AfroBasket championship game. Point guard Siriman Kanoute, who plays professionally in France, was the team’s leading scorer on Sunday with 14 points, while center Aliou Diarra and forward Mahamane Coulibaly earned spots on the All-Tournament team.

Prior to Sunday’s title game, Senegal defeated Cameroon in the third-place matchup, with reigning Basketball Africa League MVP Jean Jacques Boissy racking up 40 points and seven assists in a dominant performance. Guard Brancou Badio chipped in 18 points to secure the fifth and final spot on the All-Tournament team.

It was Senegal’s third consecutive third-place AfroBasket finish and the fifth time in a row the country has competed in the third-place game.

Pelicans center Yves Missi, one of two current NBA players competing in the event, recorded nine points and seven rebounds on Sunday for Cameroon, but his team was outscored by 26 points during his 24 minutes on the floor.

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Team Greece Finalizes EuroBasket Roster

August 24th, 2025 at 9:59pm CST by Eli Cohen

Greece officially announced its finalized national team roster on Sunday. The EuroBasket tournament is tipping off this week, with the Hellas tipping off Group Play in a bracket with Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, Georgia, and Cyprus as part of Group C. Their first game will be against Italy on August 28.

Giannis Antetokounmpo will headline the team as the lone NBA player on the roster. The two-time MVP is coming off an All-NBA First Team season in which he averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.

While Antetokounmpo is the only player on the roster who is still in the league, the Greek team boasts a handful of former NBAers who now play in Europe, including two of Antetokounmpo’s brothers. Here is the complete list of players who will represent Greece in EuroBasket:

Outside of the trio of brothers, Dorsey and Papanikolaou are likely the two names most familiar to NBA fans. Dorsey played 107 games over three seasons, starting 16 of them, and averaged 6.6 points on 35.1% three-point shooting. Papanikolaou played two seasons, one with the Rockets and one with the Nuggets, averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per night.

The 20-year-old Samodurov is another interesting name to watch after being named to the All-Star Five in FIBA’s Under-20 tournament this season. A 6’10” center, Samadurov averaged 17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 blocks in the seven games Greece played.

Antetokounmpo recently began official work with the team, following a delay related to the size of his contract relative to FIBA’s insurance policy for players.

He played in the team’s exhibition game against France, which Greece lost 92-77 as Antetokounmpo scored 18 points on seven shots in just under 22 minutes. Team Greece ended the exhibition games with a record of 4-3.

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Heat EuroBasket Notes: Jovic, Spoelstra, Larsson, Fontecchio

August 24th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Heat should have several prominent roles available for the taking this fall. While Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo all seem to have their starting spots locked up and Davion Mitchell and Kel’el Ware made strong cases for themselves last season, there are still plenty of regular minutes in the rotation to be won.

Nikola Jovic could get a head start on staking his claim during this summer’s EuroBasket competition, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Winderman writes that head coach Erik Spoelstra wants to see Jovic step into a leadership role as one of the Serbian team’s leading men.

Last season, Jovic saw his responsibilities dip as Ware came on strong. The Serbian forward started just 10 games after making 38 starts the season before, though he was still productive, averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 37.1% from three. A strong EuroBasket could help Jovic hit the ground running next season and carve out a key role with the Heat.

In a recent exhibition win against Slovenia, Jovic scored 18 points on 7-8 shooting with Spoelstra in attendance.

We have more from the Heat’s EuroBasket players:

  • Speaking of Spoelstra, the Heat head coach has been on a European tour, checking in on his international players, Winderman writes in a separate article. Prior to watching Jovic help lead Serbia to a 34-point victory over Luka Doncic‘s Slovenian squad, Spoelstra dropped in on Pelle Larsson as Larsson and the Swedish squad battled Estonia.
  • EuroBasket offers Larsson a chance to spread his wings and show his complete skill set to the Heat, who already like the approach he takes to the game. “What he does are the things that we value,” Spoelstra said of Larsson, per Winderman. “He’s so tough. He makes winning plays. He’s a great role player. He fits around guys, the best players. And he will continue to get better, because he has a great work ethic.” Spoelstra has been interested in watching how the second-year guard fares as a ball-handler, but declined to put Larsson in a box as far as his role, citing the variety of ways in which the 6’5″ wing can impact the game. Winderman adds that Spoelstra’s comments seemed to indicate that Larsson had already won himself a role in the rotation for this coming season.
  • EuroBasket is also a chance for new addition Simone Fontecchio to bounce back and show what he can bring to the Heat after he followed up a strong 2023/24 performance with a disappointing ’24/25 in Detroit. With the long-tenured Duncan Robinson heading to the Pistons this offseason, Winderman notes that there’s hope Fontecchio can get back to the 40% three-point shooter he was two years ago in an effort to replace some of what Miami lost.
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