Team Greece Finalizes EuroBasket Roster
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:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Kostas Antetokounmpo
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo
- Tyler Dorsey
- Panagiotis Kalaitzakis
- Dimitrios Katsivelis
- Giannoulis Larentzakis
- Dinos Mitoglou
- Kostas Papanikolaou
- Alexandros Samodurov
- Kostas Sloukas
- Vasileios Toliopoulos
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.
Heat EuroBasket Notes: Jovic, Spoelstra, Larsson, Fontecchio
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.
Danilo Gallinari Hasn’t Ruled Out NBA Return
Danilo Gallinari hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2024 playoffs, but he hasn’t necessarily given up on the idea of making it back to the league. Gallinari, reflective and self-aware at 37 years old, spoke recently about his desire to stay in the NBA for another year (Twitter link via Iacopo De Santis of Pianeta Basket).
“I always hope so. If I were to return, it would be as a veteran, kind of like insurance for a franchise,” he said. “I wouldn’t play much and would serve as a helpful presence.”
De Santis also writes that Gallinari expressed doubt that his long-held desire to return to Olimpia Milano – the team with which he got his start and played for three years before being selected sixth in the 2008 draft by the Knicks – would come to fruition.
“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I consider it very, very unlikely. The more time passes, the more complicated it seems,” he said. “In order to return to Milan, you have to be wanted. Even during my last years in the NBA, I thought about coming back to Milan. But again, to return, you have to be wanted. It’s not like I wake up one morning, make a call and say, ‘Hey guys, I’m ready to come back, do you want me?’ That’s not how it works.”
He adds that he received calls from European teams throughout his NBA career, as well as more recently, but never from Milan.
Gallinari spent time in 2023/24 with the Wizards, Pistons, and Bucks, averaging 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. He appeared in three playoff contests for the Bucks, averaging 3.7 PPG in 12.3 MPG.
Gallinari played this season in the Puerto Rican league, where he helped lead the Vaqueros de Bayamon to a championship and was named Finals MVP after he scored 24 points with six rebounds and four assists in the title-clinching game. He has recently joined the Italian national team for what he says will be his final international competition.
Turkey Announces EuroBasket Roster Headlined By Sengun
Turkey has become the latest team to finalize its roster for EuroBasket 2025, announcing its 12-man squad on Sunday ahead of the start of the tournament this week.
The roster features two current NBA players, including one – Rockets center Alperen Sengun – who is coming off a season in which he earned his first All-Star nod and averaged a double-double (19.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG). Second-year Sixers forward Adem Bona, the 41st overall pick in last year’s draft, will also suit up for Turkey.
Beyond Sengun and Bona, the Turkish national team includes a handful of former NBAers whose names will be familiar to fans. Here are the 12 players who will represent Turkey at EuroBasket:
- Onuralp Bitim
- Adem Bona
- Sehmus Hazer
- Furkan Korkmaz
- Shane Larkin
- Cedi Osman
- Ercan Osmani
- Sertac Sanli
- Alperen Sengun
- Kenan Sipahi
- Erkan Yilmaz
- Omer Yurtseven
Bitim, Korkmaz, Larkin, Osman, and Yurtseven all have NBA experience, with Osman (476 regular season games) and Korkmaz (328) each having spent seven seasons in the league, though neither played in the NBA in 2024/25.
Turkey will carry some momentum into EuroBasket, having won each of its past three exhibition games ahead of the tournament, beating Czechia, Lithuania, and Montenegro. The Turkish club will be part of Group A, which also features Portugal, Estonia, Latvia, Serbia, and Czechia. Their tournament tips off on Wednesday against the Latvians.
Several Countries Finalize Rosters For EuroBasket 2025
Several countries have made their final roster cuts ahead of EuroBasket 2025, according to FIBA, which has compiled a tracker of each finalized 12-man squad.
The tournament begins on Wednesday and is made up of four groups of six teams apiece, with 16 of the 24 total clubs advancing to the knockout round. All knockout round games — including the final and third-place matchup on September 14 — will take place in Riga, Lativa.
We’ll have another story in the coming days on all the NBA players participating in the tournament, including stars such as Luka Doncic and Lauri Markkanen, who headline the rosters of Slovenia and Finland, respectively.
Here are the 16 countries that have finalized their rosters (all links courtesy of FIBA):
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Czechia (Our story here)
- Finland
- France (Our story here)
- Germany (Our story here)
- Iceland
- Israel
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Montenegro
- Poland
- Portugal
- Serbia (Our story here)
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
Here are the eight countries that have not yet finalized their rosters (links go to preliminary rosters):
Franz Wagner, Dennis Schröder Lead Germany’s EuroBasket Roster
Germany has finalized its 12-man roster for EuroBasket, highlighted by Magic star Franz Wagner and new Kings guard Dennis Schröder, writes Pijus Sapetka of BasketNews.
The Germans also feature Wagner’s Orlando teammate, Tristan Da Silva, and a couple of former NBA big men in Daniel Theis and Isaac Bonga. Making up the rest of the roster are Oscar Da Silva, Justus Hollatz, Leon Kratzer, Maodo Lo, Andreas Obst, Johannes Thiemann and Johannes Voigtmann.
Germany has several significant absences due to injuries. Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein will miss the tournament because of an Achilles tendon issue, while Magic big man Moritz Wagner continues to recover from a torn ACL in his left knee that he suffered in December.
In addition, Real Madrid refused to sign a release for guard David Kramer to participate after he suffered a muscle injury, according to Eurohoops. Kramer averaged 15.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game during the EuroBasket Qualifiers.
“This is a bitter blow for us,” German coach Alex Mumbru said. “David was planned to be an important part of our team. We now have to compensate for his absence as best we can. Of course, I’m also very sorry for him personally; David would have deserved to be there.”
The Germans have become one of international basketball’s top teams in recent years, winning a gold medal in the 2023 World Cup. Four years ago, they finished third in EuroBasket, which they hosted, and they came in fourth at the 2024 Olympics.
Schröder has been a member of the senior national team since 2014 and was named to the All-Star Five Team at last year’s Olympics. Wagner was a second-team all-tournament choice at both the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics.
Germany has been placed in Group B for EuroBasket, along with Lithuania, Great Britain, Sweden, Montenegro and Finland. Group play will start Wednesday, and all games will be held in Tampere, Finland.
Damion Lee Signing With Israeli Team
Free agent Damion Lee is signing with Israel’s Ironi Ness Ziona, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. The team announced the deal in a social media post (Instagram link).
Lee has been in the NBA since 2017. He made 25 appearances with the Suns last season after seeing action in 74 games for Phoenix two seasons earlier. Lee also had a four-season stint with Golden State from 2018-22.
Lee missed all of the 2023/24 campaign due to a knee injury. He re-signed with the Suns on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract last July, but had a very limited role in his return, playing double-digit minutes in just three games last season.
Overall, he has appeared in 315 regular season NBA contests, averaging 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.6 minutes per contest.
Nikola Jokic Headlines Serbia’s Roster For EuroBasket
The Serbian national team has officially announced its roster for the upcoming EuroBasket tournament, according to FIBA. The 12-man group is headlined by Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP who won Finals MVP en route to Denver’s first title in 2023.
While Jokic is the most noteworthy name on Serbia’s roster, the team has three other active NBA players in captain Bogdan Bogdanovic (Clippers), Nikola Jovic (Heat) and Tristan Vukcevic (Wizards). The roster also features a handful of European stars, some of whom have NBA experience.
Here’s the full 12-man roster:
- Aleksa Avramovic
- Bogdan Bogdanovic
- Ognjen Dobric
- Marko Guduric
- Nikola Jokic
- Nikola Jovic
- Stefan Jovic
- Vanja Marinkovic
- Vasilije Micic
- Nikola Milutinov
- Filip Petrusev
- Tristan Vukcevic
Thunder guard Nikola Topic and former Warriors big man Alen Smailagic were on Serbia’s preliminary roster but did not make the final cut.
Serbia is considered the favorite for the tournament, which begins on August 27 and ends on September 14. The team went 7-0 in exhibition games leading up to EuroBasket, per FIBA, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany and Slovenia.
The Serbian national team won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and a silver at the 2023 World Cup (Jokic didn’t play after the Nuggets’ playoff run), but was surprisingly eliminated by Italy in the round of 16 during the last European championships in 2022. Spain won that edition of the tournament.
International Notes: Snell, Galloway, Andrews, 2028 Olympics
Veteran NBA wing Tony Snell is heading to Europe for the first time in his lengthy professional career, having signed a contract with Boulazac Basket Dordogne, the French team announced in a press release.
“A renowned shooter and defender in the NBA for nine seasons, Tony Snell arrives with the firm intention of passing on to his teammates his love for the game and his thirst for victory,” head coach Alexandre Menard said (hat tip to Eurohoops).
As Boulazac’s coach noted, Snell spent nine years in the NBA, averaging 6.1 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 39.4% from three-point range in 601 regular season contests, including 310 starts (21.8 minutes per game). The 33-year-old guard/forward last suited up for New Orleans during the 2021/22 campaign.
Snell has spent the past three seasons in the NBA G League playing for the Maine Celtics and the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s affiliate. He also represented Team USA for a pair of FIBA AmeriCup qualifying games last fall.
Boulazac, also known as BBD, was promoted to France’s top domestic league (LNB Élite) for 2025/26 after finishing in first place during the LNB Pro B’s regular season in ’24/25.
Here are a few more international notes:
- After winning a gold medal with Australia during the FIBA Asia Cup, former Bucks two-way guard/forward Jaylin Galloway is hoping his strong play during the tournament — he was named MVP — will help him get back to the league, writes Olgun Uluc of ESPN.com. The 22-year-old wing, who plays for the NBL’s Sydney Kings, missed extended time last season due to a shoulder injury, but he averaged 15.7 PPG while shooting a remarkable 18-of-28 (64.3%) from long distance in six Asia Cup games. “I’m hoping the next step is getting back to the NBA,” Galloway told ESPN. “It was a tough little rough patch for me, but it’s been good to come back and get my mind right. [Sydney head coach Brian Goorjian] has been helping me a lot, we’ve been working really hard in the offseason. So, the next step is getting back to the NBA.”
- Former G League guard Andrew Andrews, who has spent the past several seasons playing in Europe, replaced Elijah Pemberton on Team USA’s roster for the AmeriCup tournament, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Pemberton withdrew from the roster after signing an international contract, Reynolds notes. The 12-team tournament began yesterday in Managua, Nicaragua.
- Basketball at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles is scheduled to tip off on July 12, 2028, two days before the opening ceremony, FIBA recently announced. The Associated Press has the story.
Tony Parker Working Toward NBA Coaching Job
Tony Parker is hoping to find his way back to the NBA, this time as a coach, writes David Loriot for L’Equipe. This involves enrolling in a coaching course, according to Kevin Martorano of Sportando.
Parker, the 18-year NBA veteran, four-time champion, and 2007 NBA Finals MVP, has been president of the French team ASVEL since 2014. In that time, the team has rostered NBA players such as Guerschon Yabusele and eventual NBA No. 1 overall picks Victor Wembanyama and Zaccharie Risacher.
Now, though, Parker says he wants to step away from his front office position and familiarize himself with the rigors of coaching life.
“My dream is to coach in the NBA,” Parker said in an interview with L’Equipe.
To do so, Parker is working to obtain his DESJEPS degree, or Higher State Diploma of Youth, Popular Education and Sport, along with a secondary degree, the DEPB or Professional Basketball Coach Diploma, which he will likely receive in May 2026.
After Parker was a surprise guest for the ASVEL under-15 team on Thursday, running the team through training, he spoke about what that experience meant to him.
“It confirms what I’ve been feeling since last year: I missed the court,” he said. “The adrenaline, the daily grind, I missed all of that. I think it’s the right timing for me. I’ve been retired from sport for six years and I feel it inside me.”
In the lead-up to this decision, Parker said he spoke with his former coach Gregg Popovich, as well as French sports legends Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, all of whom imparted advice.
“Last October, after my first discussion with Pop, I felt this strong desire. I asked him for advice, the Spurs opened the doors to me in January, February, March, where I was able to observe everything over seven or 10 days,” he said, before adding that Zidane and Henry helped convince him to obtain his coaching degree.
“I don’t need it to coach in the NBA,” Parker said with a smile. “But I said to myself, why not go back to school?”
Parker added that he has been approached by several clubs (presumably NBA teams), but that he preferred to get his diploma, and then to pursue a path that could eventually end with him being the head coach of an NBA team. He also wouldn’t rule out the idea of one day coaching the French national team.
“Everyone knows that I’m friends with [French national team coach Freddy Fauthoux], I love him, he’s my guy! But in the very long term, why not,” Parker mused. “It’s clear that if you embark on this career, one day, you’ll want to coach the French team, that’s for sure. But before that, I have so many things to do.”