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The 2025 EuroBasket tournament is in the books, with Germany cementing itself as the continent’s premier team this half-decade with an undefeated run to the title. Led by Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner and Sacramento Kings point guard Dennis Schröder, Germany won a thrilling 88-83 final over Alperen Sengun’s Turkey to add a EuroBasket crown to its 2023 FIBA World Cup championship.
Outside of the Germans’ consistency, this tournament was defined by its superstars. Giannis Antetokounmpo was dominant in leading Greece to a third-place finish, its best since 2009. Luka Dončić carried an overmatched Slovenia team to the quarterfinals and nearly defeated Germany before running out of gas late. Şengün was a revelation for Turkey, which had largely been absent from the international scene since finishing as runners-up at home in the 2010 FIBA World Cup. Lauri Markkanen led Finland to its best finish ever, reminding the basketball world why the Utah Jazz have set such a high price for him on the NBA trade market. And while Serbia’s run ended in bitter disappointment, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić was his usual spectacular all-around self.
It was also a tournament full of surprises. Spain became the first defending champion to fall in the group stage since 1995. Serbia, the heavy pre-tournament favorite and a significant threat even after losing talisman Bogdan Bogdanović to injury, suffered a shocking loss to Finland in the Round of 16. France, the defending Olympic silver medalist, lost to Georgia in the same round.
What else did we learn from this tournament, particularly as we prepare for the 2025-26 NBA season? We asked several of our writers to provide their takeaways.
A German legend in his own right
As Dennis Schröder said in an interview with German magazine Stern before this EuroBasket, he will never be as beloved in his home country as Dirk Nowitzki.
Parsing out the reasons why is complicated. Race, as Schröder cited in the interview, is undoubtedly a factor. So, too, is Schröder’s vagabond professional career, which is about to feature its 10th different stop in his 13 NBA seasons. Nowitzki, by contrast, is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and top-75 NBA player of all time. It’s also true that Schröder, like the entire German setup, has benefited from Nowitzki putting the country on the map in international hoops.
But in case it wasn’t already clear, Schröder has now accomplished far more internationally for Germany than Nowitzki ever did. Under Nowitzki, the best Germany could manage was a silver at EuroBasket 2005 and a bronze in the 2002 FIBA World Championships that was aided by Team USA limping to sixth place on the other side of the bracket. Schröder’s Germany has now won the two biggest international events outside of the Olympics, with Schröder earning MVPs in both tournaments.
And with the second of those accomplishments hanging in the balance against Turkey, after a woeful first half that saw him pick up more fouls than points, Schröder delivered. His signature leaning lefty layup high off the glass put Germany up for good, and his pull-up jumper from the free-throw line sealed it.
DENNIS THE MENACE WELCOME TO THE PARTY.#EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/BgySS6iCI1
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 14, 2025
It’s hard to see Schröder ever being as revered as Nowitzki. The vast chasm between their NBA careers guarantees that, along with other factors that, yes, include race. But if nothing else, Schröder has earned a level of international fame that a player of his NBA stature could never achieve. Much as Patty Mills has become synonymous with the rise of Australia’s basketball program, Schröder has become the face of a European powerhouse. — Mike Prada, NBA senior editor
Europameister!!!!
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) September 14, 2025
‘Baby Jokić’ makes his own name
Kristaps Porziņģis likened Alperen Sengun to a “Baby (Nikola) Jokić” for his dominant EuroBasket play.
The 23-year-old big man hasn’t reached the heights of Jokić, a three-time NBA MVP and champion and one of the best players in the world.
That’s fine because Sengun has done plenty in the last year to make his mark.
Sengun was a big reason the Houston Rockets rose to the second-best record in the Western Conference last season, earning his first NBA All-Star appearance. Now, he has elevated Turkey into a budding force in international basketball with his play in EuroBasket. Turkey lost to Germany in the championship game after Sengun missed a late 3 to tie, but not before he established himself as a major player on the global basketball scene.
Sengun became the first player in the last 30 years to have 150 points, 50 rebounds and 50 assists in EuroBasket. He tied Dončić with five games of 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. He had 28 points, three rebounds and three assists in the loss to Germany and ended up with averages of 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the tournament.
Alperen Sengun became the youngest player ever to record a triple-double in EuroBasket history 🤯
🇹🇷 19 PTS 🇹🇷 12 REB 🇹🇷 10 AST@TBF advances to the @EuroBasket semis for the 1st time since ’01!
Watch all the EuroBasket action live on Courtside 1891: https://t.co/fPC0xWqtRn pic.twitter.com/Wcd1QNRkyB
— NBA (@NBA) September 9, 2025
Turkey figures to be a factor internationally as long as Sengun’s trajectory continues upward. His play also gives the Rockets another reason for optimism. Adding Kevin Durant should allow Sengun more opportunities to score, as defenses have to key on Durant. Sengun remains a good passer, too, so he’ll have plenty of opportunities to set up his teammates. — Jason Jones, staff writer
Giannis’ greatest accomplishment?
Throughout his time in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo has made it a priority to represent his home country in international competitions. Last summer, he was the flagbearer for Greece at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Now, he has led Greece to a bronze medal at EuroBasket 2025.
In the third-place game on Sunday, Antetokounmpo put up 30 points, 17 rebounds and six assists in a 92-89 win over Finland, sealing the game with two free throws with four seconds remaining.
“I know I’ve won an NBA championship, but there is no feeling like representing your national team and representing 12 million people that breathe and live this national team,” Antetokounmpo told reporters following Sunday’s game. “This is probably the greatest accomplishment I’ve ever accomplished so far in my life.”
“This is probably the greatest accomplishment in my life.” 🇬🇷 #EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark pic.twitter.com/vaktRBOVw5
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 14, 2025
In seven games for Greece, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Antetokounmpo’s dominant performance helped Greece win its first EuroBasket medal since 2009, when it also took bronze. —Eric Nehm, Bucks senior writer
Skinny Luka proves a point
The magazine cover and the morning show appearances showed off Luka Dončić’s new physique earlier this summer. But it wasn’t until EuroBasket that people got to fully see what it looked like when Dončić slimmed down from a Humvee into a sleek SUV crossover.
In leading a Slovenia team that was short on talent to a mixture of injuries and club commitments around Europe, Dončić showed he could move more quickly around and through coverages intended to stop him while still possessing the strength and incredible speed shifting that have always made him so dominant.
He led the tournament in scoring, averaging 34.7 points in 33.3 minutes. His paint scoring and free-throw shooting were noticeably improved, allowing him to be the toughest cover in the tournament even if his 3-point shot wasn’t quite to his standards. Dončić was also much more active on the defensive end compared to when we last saw him, tying for the tournament lead with 2.7 steals per game.
A triple-double against Belgium in the group stage was just the fifth in EuroBasket history at that time, and he closed out play by scoring 42 and 39 points against Italy and Germany. Slovenia came up just short against the Germans in the quarterfinals but went further than most expected given the roster around Dončić.
All of it points to a return to form for Dončić, who looked as good as he has since he was traded to the Lakers. — Dan Woike, Lakers senior writer
World is NOT ready 😱 Luka Doncic absolutely DOMINATED all competition in #EuroBasket 🔥
37.4 PTS | 8.6 REB | 7.1 AST | 2.7 AST | 3.6 3PPG 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EKooBWQ8kG
— FIBA Basketball (@FIBA) September 11, 2025
Lauri Markkanen reintroduces himself
While it was unable to come out on top against Greece in the third-place game, Finland’s run to the semifinals served as a strong reminder of just how good Lauri Markannen has become. In nine games, Markannen averaged 23.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in 28.9 minutes per game to lead Finland deeper into the tournament than it has ever been. In a group stage game against Great Britain, Markkanen went 7-of-13 from 3 and scored 43 points, the highest single-game scoring output of any player in the tournament.
📺 Markkanen produced his second career 40-point game at EuroBasket as Finland dismissed Great Britain! 😤#EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/3INmJJAh56
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 29, 2025
Markannen, 28, was named an NBA All-Star in 2023, his first season with the Utah Jazz. Since then, the Finnish forward has missed 27 and 35 games, respectively, as Utah has been a lottery team. Markannen has been a popular name in trade rumors over the last two seasons, but Jazz president Danny Ainge has held to a high price for Markannen. This tournament was a strong showcase for Markannen, as he was able to prove that he can lead a team to wins while scoring at a high level. — Nehm
A positive tournament for Magic fans
The final buzzer sounded, and the smiles on the faces of Franz Wagner and Tristan da Silva said it all.
After playing key roles for the tournament champions, Wagner and da Silva will have plenty of momentum when the Orlando Magic open their training camp on Sept. 30.
Wagner finished EuroBasket as Germany’s leading scorer for the tournament, averaging 20.8 points per game, and was named to the all-tournament team. His confidence should be sky-high now after he played such an integral role en route to the championship.
Da Silva performed admirably, too, capping his strong tournament with 13 points in the championship game. About to enter his second NBA season, he could become a key role player for Orlando.
For Wagner and da Silva, the tournament was almost a total positive, and that should leave the Magic with added optimism for the season ahead. With the offseason additions of Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones, Orlando could finish the regular season near the top of the Eastern Conference.
The only negative — and it sounds like nitpicking — is Wagner’s 3-point shooting remains a concern. After he made 30 percent of his 3s last regular season for Orlando, he made just 11 of his 38 attempts from beyond the arc in EuroBasket (29 percent). The persistent hitch in his long-range shooting motion still appears to be an issue. — Josh Robbins, senior NBA writer
Not so much for another Southeast division team
The Washington Wizards hoped EuroBasket would demonstrate that youngsters Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly had made strides during the offseason. That didn’t happen.
Worse, both players suffered injuries while playing for France. Sarr appeared in only two games before a left calf injury forced him to sit out the rest of the tournament. Coulibaly tore a ligament in his right thumb in France’s Round of 16 defeat to Georgia and underwent surgery on Friday. Sarr’s injury was not considered serious enough to prevent him from being ready for the start of the NBA regular season. Coulibaly is expected to need approximately six weeks to return to full on-court basketball work, and that recovery timeline could prevent him from being ready to play in the season opener on Oct. 22.
The 2025-26 season is an important one for Sarr, 20, and Coulibaly, 21. Even the most optimistic of observers have to acknowledge that, at a minimum, the injuries are nuisances that the players themselves and the Wizards would have preferred not to encounter.
There is a silver lining of sorts in Coulibaly’s case. Coulibaly had felt discomfort in his right thumb for several games before he aggravated the injury on Sept. 7 during France’s elimination loss. Perhaps that thumb injury explains why Coulibaly made only 21 percent of his 3-point attempts during EuroBasket. — Robbins
This is Germany’s time. How much longer can it last?
Germany can now call itself the champion of Europe. In defeating Turkey to complete a 9-0 run, Germany has become just the fourth country to simultaneously hold the FIBA EuroBasket and World Cup, which it won in 2023. Its rise in recent years has been evident in strong tournament finishes, which include fourth place at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Germany does not have a star to the level of Victor Wembanyama (France), Antetokounmpo (Greece), Dončić (Slovenia), Jokić (Serbia) or even Sengun (Turkey). Schröder, who signed with the Kings this season, was one of three NBA talents on Germany’s roster, along with Wagner and da Silva.
But Germany has shown itself to be worth more than the sum of its parts. The Germans combine exceptional transition offense, undeniable winning DNA and a trusty floor general in Schröder.
It helped that Germany’s roster was closer to whole than other competing nations. Four of the starters for France in the Olympic gold medal game against the United States were not on the EuroBasket roster, including Wembanyama, while pre-tournament favorites Serbia lost Bogdanović to a hamstring injury in the group stage. Germany was without Orlando Magic forward Moe Wagner, who tore his ACL in December 2024, and Bayern Munich center Johannes Voigtmann, but had more key players available.
How much of a threat can Germany be in the future? Schröder (31), big man Daniel Theis (33) and sharpshooter Andreas Obst (29) will be toward the tail ends of their careers by the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. On the other hand, a younger core of Franz Wagner (24), da Silva (24), and Isaac Bonga (25) is emerging.
France is still creating the most NBA talent out of Europe, with five players taken in the 2025 NBA draft. But as its disappointing Round of 16 defeat showed, Les Blues are still raw and developing.
While France with Wembanyama, 21, is a good bet for the future, Germany was here to win now. — Eduardo Tansley, Explainer journalist.
Miikka Muurinen is an exciting draft prospect … with a long way to go
The Finnish team was one of the most fun groups to watch at EuroBasket this year. While Markkanen was the biggest reason for that, Miikka Murrinen undeniably provided some excitement. The teenage five-star recruit threw down some massive dunks and had big moments as one of the youngest players at the event.
Going by the nickname “Slim Jesus,” Muurinen, who attends Compass Prep in Arizona, burst onto the scene in 2024 while playing for Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas and Bradley Beal Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit. He had a massive Peach Jam final last year, scoring 21 points to help carry his team to the title in the most prestigious grassroots event.
At EuroBasket, Muurinen was exposed to an even wider audience for the first time, showcasing his unique blend of powerful, explosive athleticism and shooting ability. He kept it simple for Finland, mostly just finishing plays, getting aggressive in transition with high-flying dunks and adding occasional 3-pointer. He averaged 6.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 11 minutes per game, earning the tournament’s Rising Star honor.
Next Big Thing: Why Miikka Muurinen is Europe’s next top NBA prospect?
Everything you need to know about Slim Jesus ⤵️🇫🇮
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 8, 2025
Unsurprisingly, his performance on the big stage led to questions about his draft status. Muurinen turns 19 in March, so he would fit the age requirement for the 2026 NBA Draft if he wanted to leave high school early. However, he’s chosen to take the longer route and instead finish high school at Compass Prep before attending college in the 2026-27 season.
It’s the mature and correct decision. While Muurinen is a sharp play finisher who can fly high, he still has a long way to go to iron out his overall skill set. We haven’t seen much of him handling the ball yet, even at the high school level, and his jumper has been inconsistent. In 12 games at Compass Prep last year that were tracked by Synergy, Muurinen made just 26 percent of his 3s. He also hasn’t attacked the glass as effectively as you’d expect considering his athleticism, and his overall decision-making is a work in progress. He had just six assists versus 25 turnovers in those 12 tracked games last year, and he rarely seems to process any advanced passing read.
There will always be intrigue with someone this athletic and big who’s this young. He’s going to be a high-end, high-major recruit, with schools like Arkansas, NC State, North Carolina and Duke already chasing him. But he’s still more of a highlight player as opposed to a consistently productive, winning one.
The next step for Muurinen is to turn those flashes into regularly positive stretches. The 2027 NBA Draft is not seen as a particularly strong one, but it would still be a real disservice to his overall game at this stage to pronounce him as a locked-in lottery pick in that class. He has the upside to reach that level, but he has a long way to go. — Sam Vecenie, senior NBA Draft analyst
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