Roman Sorkin went off for a game-high 31 points using his combination off speed, toughness and outside shooting to lead Israel to an 83-71 victory in Katowice, Poland, in both teams' EuroBasket 2025 opener

Roman Sorkin went off to lead Israel over Iceland

The pressure was going to be on [Roman Sorkin](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/roman-sorkin/011219/) on Thursday. The Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv big man is coming off his best EuroLeague season to date and is the starting center for the Israeli national team. In their EuroBasket 2025 opener, Sorkin was tasked with a matchup against Iceland's Tryggvi Hlinason, a mountain of a man at 2.15 meters, who has 7-centimeter advantage over Sorkin.

While Hlinason recorded 10 rebounds in the first half alone and posted an impressive line of 13 points and 14 boards for the game, there was no question about who won the matchup of centers. Sorkin went off for a game-high 31 points using his combination off speed, toughness and outside shooting to lead Israel to an 83-71 victory in Katowice, Poland.

Sorkin made 9 of 12 two-pointers and 4 of 7 threes. He added 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block to produce a PIR of 31. He became the first player at the tournament this year to score at least 30 points, too.

<center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DN5vAeWDA1m/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DN5vAeWDA1m/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DN5vAeWDA1m/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by FIBA EuroBasket (@eurobasket)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

"The first game is always important, because it's the first game," Sorkin said after the game. "You don't know what to expect. How to play, the crowd, the environment, everything. I think we completed the first mission of ours, but we're looking forward. We want to come humble to every game and try to win every game we play. We respect, of course, the opponent, but we want to make it each day, get better and win the day."

When asked about his scoring, Sorkin remained humble: "We won, so we are among the teams with 1-0 records. That’s more important. I’m happy, really happy guys. I scored a lot. It’s fun. I won’t lie, it’s fun. But it really doesn’t matter. This is the national team. We have more important goals."

Israel led by 4 points at the break before Sorkin scored the first 5 points of the third quarter, sparking a 9-0 run. He added another 2 triples in the quarter to stretch the lead to a 56-39. When Iceland fought back in the fourth quarter, Sorkin stepped up again with a triple and an alley-oop slam to shut the door on a comeback.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The perfect Avdija &amp; Sorkin connection doesn&#39;t exis...😮‍💨😮‍💨<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/TherealIBBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TherealIBBA</a> <a href="https://t.co/2jSpiOAslU">pic.twitter.com/2jSpiOAslU</a></p>&mdash; FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroBasket/status/1961065673246831051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Iceland head coach Craig Pedersen was asked after the game about how Israel's ability to play pick-and-pop basketball with Sorkin affected the game and limited Hlinason's overall impact.

"It creates some problems and we knew that \[Sorkin\] was a good shooter and he showed it today," Pedersen responded. "They gave us some problems with Sorkin shooting from the outside and he took advantage of it, and he had a very strong game."

In Israel’s second game of the tournament, on Saturday against host Poland, Sorkin will have another challenge going against former EuroLeague champion Aleksander Balcerowski. After watching what he was able to do against Iceland, Poland has been warned not to take the Israeli center lightly.

More EuroBasket 2025 news

The Maccabi big man became the first 30-point scorer at this year’s EuroBasket

If Serbia is like a band of rock stars at EuroBasket 2025, point guard Aleksa Avramovic was every bit their frontman on Wednesday in a 98-64 rout of Estonia

Aleksa Avramovic set the tone for Serbia in EuroBasket opener

If Serbia is like a band of rock stars at EuroBasket 2025, point guard [Aleksa Avramovic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/aleksa-avramovic/003983/) was every bit their frontman on Wednesday in a 98-64 rout of Estonia. The guard, who next month will lead Dubai Basketball in its debut EuroLeague campaign, started and set the tone as Serbia opened the tournament on the right foot with a convincing victory in Riga, Latvia.

Among a group of players who have impressive trophy hauls on both sides of the Atlantic, Avramovic was simply excellent for Coach Pesic. Avramovic started at point guard next to Bogdan Bogdanovic, with Nikola Jovic, his Dubai teammate Filip Petrusev and Nikola Jokic rounding out the starting five. Aside from Avramovic, the other four have all played in the EuroLeague Final Four or the NBA Finals.

But when the opening tip went up, no Serbia player was more active than Avramovic. After 5 minutes of action, as Serbia opened its first double-digit lead of the night (16-6), Avramovic stood tall as Serbia’s joint leading scorer with 5 points and as the team's only players with multiple rebounds. On the other end, he held Estonia's go-to scorer, Kristian Kullamae of Lietkabelis Panevezys,** scoreless with 3 turnovers – including an offensive foul that Avramovic drew.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Serbia 🇷🇸 cruised to a 1-0 start to their FIBA <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a> 2025 campaign ✅</p>&mdash; FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroBasket/status/1960793987406815533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

After Kullamae broke through with his first points – a triple over Avramovic, the point guard answered back by assisting on a Nikola Jovic three, stealing the ball and then feeding Jovic for a layup. In less than 8 minutes, Serbia had built a 25-9 lead with Avramovic as its frontman.

Pesic sent Avramovic back out to start the third quarter and he amassed 8 points – including a pair of three-pointers – and an assist in less than 4 minutes before he was done for the night.

His final line was 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in just 11:28 minutes on the floor. Avramovic shot 3 of 5 from deep in posting a PIR of 19. In his time on the floor, Serbia outscored Estonia 43-12. In the 28 and a half minutes in which Avramovic rested, the score was 55-52!

Up next for Avramovic and Serbia will be a Friday night challenge against Portugal as they try to keep the momentum going in search of another medal at the prestigious tournament.

More EuroBasket coverage

The Dubai Basketball point guard was the difference make with a fabulous start against Estonia

In the opening game of the tournament, Rokas Jokubaitis of FC Bayern Munich took the first opportunity he had to prove he is ready to lead Lithuania at EuroBasket 2025. Lithuania defeated Great Britain 70-94 in Group B in Tampere, Finland, and Jokubaitis played a masterful role, finishing with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.

Rokas Jokubaitis is new-look Lithuania's leader

In the opening game of the tournament, Rokas Jokubaitis of FC Bayern Munich took the first opportunity he had to prove he is ready to lead Lithuania at EuroBasket 2025. Lithuania defeated Great Britain 70-94 in Group B in Tampere, Finland, and Jokubaitis played a masterful role, finishing with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.

Jokubaitis made sure to be noticed soon after the opening tip, helping his team erase a quick 5-0 deficit with a couple of driving layups and finding Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz captain Tadas Sederkeskis under the basket. Jokubaitis had 7 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in the opening stretch, including a dish to Laurynas Birutis of Zalgiris Kaunas for an alley-oop dunk. He helped Lithuania build a 12-23 lead late in the first quarter.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">7 PTS, 3 REB and 3 AST for Rokas after 20 minutes - Lithuania is up 41-33 against Great Britain at the half.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeBallTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeBallTogether</a> | 📸 FIBA <a href="https://t.co/EKEH2kRD71">pic.twitter.com/EKEH2kRD71</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1960666407969972287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Even though Great Britain got within 33-41 at halftime, Jokubaitis kept rolling after the break with another driving layup, a step-back three-pointer and 3 more assists. All of a sudden, Lithuania led 38-58 midway through the third quarter and was well on its way to a comfortable victory.

In less than 18 minutes on the floor, Jokubaitis recorded a plus-minus of +21. He committed his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter and never returned to the game. Jonas Valanciunas led five Lithuanian scorers in double digits with 18 points, Azoulas Tubelis of Zalgiris added 17 and Arnas Velicka of Neptunas Klaipeda scored 10.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Birutis touched down in Tampere with the exclamation point! 🚀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ltu_basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ltu_basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/jE6JuIHWvg">pic.twitter.com/jE6JuIHWvg</a></p>&mdash; FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroBasket/status/1960656697728393249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Lithuania came to the tournament with a younger team, which allowed Jokubaitis an opportunity to lead the squad with the full confidence of three-time EuroCup-winning coach Rimas Kurtinaitis. Jokubaitis went from a young standout in Zalgiris Kaunas to win the EuroLeague Rising Star award with FC Barcelona in the 2021-22 campaign, to play a critical role for Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv, averaging 12.6 points and 4.6 assists in 28 EuroLeague games last season. Jokubaitis has taken all the right steps in his career, and his good choices are paying off right now.

Bayern fans have many reasons to be excited this season about Jokubaitis leading a backcourt filled with great scorers such as Andi Obst, Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Kamar Baldwin.

The 24-year-old Bayern guard proved it in the EuroBasket 2025 opener

Real Madrid has signed Spanish forward Izan Almansa to a four-year contract

Real Madrid reloads by signing top prospect Izan Almansa 

[Real Madrid](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/real-madrid/mad/) has signed Spanish forward Izan Almansa to a four-year contract, the club announced.

Almansa (2.08 meters, 20 years old) joins from the Perth Wildcats in the Australian NBL, where he posted 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 33 games with last season. He more recently played in the 2025 NBA Summer League with the Philadelphia 76ers.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WelcomeAlmansa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WelcomeAlmansa</a> 🙌 <a href="https://t.co/B5WFUwmzRv">pic.twitter.com/B5WFUwmzRv</a></p>&mdash; Real Madrid Basket (@RMBaloncesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMBaloncesto/status/1960631734929637668?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>


A native of Murcia, Almansa returns to the club where he spent part of his youth career before launching a professional journey that has taken him across the United States and Australia. A product of UCAM Murcia and Real Madrid’s youth system, Almansa moved to the United States in 2021 to join the Overtime Elite Academy, followed by seasons with YNG Dreamerz and G League Ignite.

Almansa has starred for Spain’s youth national teams, earning MVP honors at the U17 World Cup (2022), U18 EuroBasket (2022), and U19 World Cup (2023) while taking home two gold and one silver medal in those events. He made his senior national team debut in November 2024 against Slovakia.

More Real Madrid News

The Spanish prospect returns home after stints in the G League and Australia

Anadolu Efes Istanbul announced on Tuesday that Vincent Poirier is expected to miss 4-6 months as he recovers from knee surgery

Efes: Timetable for Poirier's return set at 4-6 months

[Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/anadolu-efes-istanbul/roster/ist/) announced on Tuesday that [Vincent Poirier](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/vincent-poirier/004887/) is expected to miss 4-6 months as he recovers from knee surgery. The center had the procedure done in France following an injury sustained while representing the French national team during preparations for EuroBasket 2025.

Efes team doctor Ugur Dilicikik shared an update after the operation, explaining that during the surgery the medical staff was able to gain more insight to the injury and establish a timetable for his return. 

Based on the new information, the earliest Efes can hope to have Poirier back is late December, which is just before the midway point of the regular season. The 31-year-old big man is a 2023 EuroLeague champion and former All-EuroLeague selection. He first joined Efes last summer and averaged 9.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for a PIR of 13.4 across 39 EuroLeague appearances.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/gty0UCfZQ5">pic.twitter.com/gty0UCfZQ5</a></p>&mdash; Vincent Poirier (@viinze_17P) <a href="https://twitter.com/viinze_17P/status/1960376537594651115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

More Anadolu Efes news

The center underwent knee surgery in France on Tuesday


For the next two and half weeks, the basketball world will turn its eyes on the most exciting competition of the summer, EuroBasket 2025. The EuroLeague will be at the heart of the action as two-thirds of the teams at this summer's European Championship feature EuroLeague players and eight teams boast rosters that are at least half EuroLeague players!


79 EuroLeague players set to take the stage at EuroBasket 2025

For the next two and half weeks, the basketball world will turn its eyes on the most exciting competition of the summer, EuroBasket 2025. The EuroLeague will be at the heart of the action as two-thirds of the teams at this summer's European Championship feature EuroLeague players and eight teams boast rosters that are at least half EuroLeague players!

In total, 79 players on EuroLeague rosters for the 2025-26 season made the final cuts to represent their countries at the tournament. The countries with the most players are Greece, Italy and Spain, each with nine, followed by France, Germany and Turkiye with eight apiece. The EuroLeague clubs with the most players are FC Bayern Munich and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, each with seven players. Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Dubai Basketball, Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv and Valencia Basket follow with six each.

There are an additional 20 EuroCup players on rosters, which means that more than a third of all players at EuroBasket 2025 are from Euroleague Basketball competitions. The country with the most EuroCup representatives is Montenegro with four followed by Israel and Great Britain, with three each. The clubs with the most players are Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem and Turk Telekom Ankara, each with three.

Vassilis Toliopoulos is one of five Panathinaikos players on the Greece roster

### EuroLeague players at EuroBasket 2025

 

**Belgium**

- Ismael Bako (Paris Basketball)

**Bosnia and Herzegovina**

- Kenan Kamenjas (Dubai Basketball)

 

**Finland**

- Mikael Jantunen (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul)

 

**France**

- Isaia Cordinier (Anadolu Efes Istanbul)
- Sylvain Francisco (Zalgiris Kaunas)
- Jaylen Hoard (Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv)
- Mam Jaiteh (Dubai Basketball)
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz)
- Theo Maledon (Real Madrid)
- Elie Okobo (AS Monaco)
- Nadir Hifi (Paris Basketball)

 

**Georgia**

- Kamar Baldwin (FC Bayern Munich)
- Toko Shengelia (FC Barcelona)

 

**Germany**

- Isaac Bonga (Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade)
- Oscar da Silva (FC Bayern Munich)
- Justus Hollatz (FC Bayern Munich)
- Leon Kratzer (FC Bayern Munich)
- Maodo Lo (Zalgiris Kaunas)
- Andreas Obst (FC Bayern Munich)
- Daniel Theis (AS Monaco)
- Johannes Voigtmann (FC Bayern Munich)

 

**Greece**  

- Kostas Antetokounmpo (Olympiacos Piraeus)
- Tyler Dorsey (Olympiacos Piraeus)
- Panagiotis Kalaitzakis (Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens)
- Giannoulis Larentzakis (Olympiacos Piraeus)
- Konstantinos Mitoglou (Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens)
- Kostas Papanikolaou (Olympiacos Piraeus)
- Alexandros Samodurov (Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens)
- Kostas Sloukas (Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens)
- Vassilis Toliopoulos (Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens)

 

**Israel**

- Tomer Ginat (Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv)
- Yam Madar (Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv)
- Guy Palatin (Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv)
- Itay Segev (Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv)
- Roman Sorkin (Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv)
- Bar Timor (Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv)

Giampaolo Ricci can be counted on to give his all for Italy

**Italy**

- Nicolo Melli (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul)
- Giampaolo Ricci (EA7 Emporio Armani Milan)
- Matteo Spagnolo (Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz)
- Gabriele Procida (Real Madrid)
- Saliou Niang (Virtus Bologna)
- Momo Diouf (Virtus Bologna)
- Nicola Akele (Virtus Bologna)
- Alessandro Pajola (Virtus Bologna)
- Darius Thompson (Valencia Basket)

 

**Latvia**

- Davis Bertans (Dubai Basketball)
- Rolands Smits (Anadolu Efes Istanbul)
- Arturs Zagars (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul)

 

**Lithuania**

- Laurynas Birutis (Zalgiris Kaunas)
- Rokas Jokubaitis (FC Bayern Munich)
- Tadas Sedekerskis (Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz)
- Deividas Sirvydis (Zalgiris Kaunas)
- Azuolas Tubelis (Zalgiris Kaunas)

 

**Poland**

- Jordan Loyd (AS Monaco)

 

**Serbia**

- Aleksa Avramovic (Dubai Basketball)
- Ognjen Dobric (Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade)
- Marko Guduric (EA7 Emporio Armani Milan)
- Vanja Marinkovic (Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade)
- Vasilije Micic (Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv)
- Nikola Milutinov (Olympiacos Piraeus)
- Filip Petrusev (Dubai Basketball)

 

**Slovenia**

- Klemen Prepelic (Dubai Basketball)

 

**Spain**

- Dario Brizuela (FC Barcelona)
- Juancho Hernangomez (Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens)
- Willy Hernangomez (FC Barcelona)
- Sergio De Larrea (Valencia Basket)
- Xabi Lopez-Arostegui (Valencia Basket)
- Joel Parra (FC Barcelona)
- Jaime Pradilla (Valencia Basket)
- Josep Puerto (Valencia Basket)
- Yankuba Sima (Valencia Basket)

 

**Turkiye**  

- Onuralp Bitim (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul)
- Sehmus Hazer (Anadolu Efes Istanbul)
- Shane Larkin (Anadolu Efes Istanbul)
- Cedi Osman (Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens)
- Ercan Osmani (Anadolu Efes Istanbul)
- Sertac Sanli (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul)
- Erkan Yilmaz (Anadolu Efes Istanbul)
- Omer Yurtseven (Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens)

Tomer Ginat will represent Israel before making his EuroLeague debut with Hapoel Tel Aviv 

### EuroCup players at EuroBasket 2025

 

**Bosnia and Herzegovina**

- Adjin Penava (Slask Wroclaw)

 

**Estonia**

- Kristian Kullamae (Lietkabelis Panevezys)

 

**Great Britain**

- Amin Adamu (London Lions)
- Tarik Phillip (London Lions)
- Carl Wheatle (Umana Reyer Venice)

 

**Israel**

- Khadeen Carrington (Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem)
- Nimrod Levi (Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem)
- Yovel Zoosman (Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem)

 

**Latvia**

- Andrejs Grazulis (Turk Telekom Ankara)
- Marcis Steinbergs (BAXI Manresa)

 

**Lithuania**

- Arnas Velicka (Neptunas Klaipeda)

 

**Montenegro**

- Kyle Allman (Turk Telekom Ankara)
- Djordjije Jovanovic (Buducnost VOLI Podgorica)
- Andrija Slavkovic (Buducnost VOLI Podgorica)
- Marko Simonovic (Turk Telekom Ankara)

**Poland**

- Mateusz Ponitka (Bahcesehir College Istanbul)

 

**Slovenia**

- Aleksej Nikolic (Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana)
- Rok Radovic (Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana)

 

**Turkiye**

- Kenan Sipahi (Bahcesehir College Istanbul)

The EuroLeague is the most-widely represented league at the competition 

The wait is over and it is time for some competitive basketball, this time at the national team stage. EuroBasket 2025 tips off on Wednesday, August 27, with 24 teams set to battle for gold. 

EuroBasket 2025 preview: Serbia vs. everyone else

The wait is over and it is time for some competitive basketball, this time at the national team stage. EuroBasket 2025 tips off on Wednesday, August 27, with 24 teams set to battle for gold.

The teams are divided into four round-robin groups. The best four teams will advance to the Round of 16 and from that point, it becomes a single-game elimination format until a champion is crowned in Riga, Latvia.

Serbia is seen as the favorite to win the tournament, but with so many do-or-die games, every mistake will be penalized and anything can happen until a team stands on top of the podium on September 14. As always, there are plenty of EuroLeague and BKT EuroCup stars in the tournament, so here is the Euroleague Basketball fan's guide to EuroBasket 2025.

### GROUP A

Aleksa Avramovic will represent Serbia before making his EuroLeague return next month with Dubai

Serbia and Turkiye are the teams to beat in this group. Serbia is considered the top candidate to win the gold medal after claiming silver at the 2023 Basketball World Cup and bronze at the 2024 Olympic Games. 

Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and EuroLeague champion Bogdan Bogdanovic led a team full of well-known faces for EuroLeague fans such as Aleksa Avramovic and Filip Petrusev of Dubai Basketball, Nikola Milutinov of Olympiacos Piraeus, two-time EuroLeague champion and Final Four MVP Vasilije Micic of Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv, and last season's EuroLeague winner Marko Guduric, now with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, among others, coached by EuroLeague-winning coach Stevislav Pesic.

Turkiye features two-time EuroLeague champion Shane Larkin and three-time EuroLeague-winning coach Ergin Ataman. Seeing Larkin and Micic head-to-head for the first time since winning back-to-back Euroleague championships with Anadolu Efes Istanbul should be a highlight. Cedi Osman and Omer Yurtseven of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Alperen Sengun and Adem Bora are expected to play a big role for Coach Ataman.

Rolands Smits will play a main role for Latvia

Latvia is hoping to follow up on a successful fifth-place finish at the 2023 World Cup, led by former BKT EuroCup Rising Star Kristaps Porzingis, Davis Bertans of Dubai, Rolands Smits of Efes and Arturs Zagars, who won the EuroLeague with Fenerbahce last season. Without injured star Tomas Satoransky of FC Barcelona, Vit Krejci is expected to play a leading role in Czechia. Estonia and Portugal should fight with Czechia for a Round of 16 spot. All games will be played at Xiaomi Arena in Riga, Latvia, which is also the home for the knockout rounds and the medal games.

### GROUP B

Germany and Lithuania are expected to fight atop Group B. Germany won the gold medal at the 2023 World Cup and reached the 2024 Olympic semifinals. Gordon Herbert stepped down as head coach to lead FC Bayern Munich, and was replaced by Alex Mumbru. Franz Wagner, AS Monaco center Daniel Theis and Dennis Schroder are its pillars, but Germany has a deep roster of EuroLeague stars such as Maodo Lo of Zalgiris, Andi Obst, Oscar da Silva and Johannes Voigtmann of Bayern, and Isaac Bonga of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade.

AS Monaco center Daniel Theis is one of Germany's pillars

Lithuania has a younger ambitious team ready to make some noise, in which Jonas Valanciunas, Rokas Jokubaitis of Bayern and Tadas Sedekerskis of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz are expected to be its go-to guys. Laurynas Birutis and Deividas Sirvydis of Zalgiris have a big opportunity to shine, too.

Finland is the host in this group, as all games will be played at Nokia Arena in Tampere. All eyes will be on superstar forward Lauri Markkanen but Finland has other dangerous weapons such as Mikael Jantunen of Fenerbahce and three-point threat Sasu Salin, who played for U-BT Cluj-Napoca last season. 

Montenegro has an interesting roster led by NBA veteran and former EuroLeague star Nikola Vucevic. Kyle Allman and Marko Simonovic should be its other main players. Great Britain is back to the EuroBasket with solid players such as Carl Wheatle of Umana Reyer Venice and Tarik Phillip of London Lions. Sweden will rely on center Simon Birgander and point guards Ludde Hakanson and Melvin Pantzar to fight for a spot in the next round.

 

### GROUP C

This is a very Mediterranean group, with Spain, Italy and Greece expecting to qualify from the Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Center in Limassol, Cyprus. Spain is the defending champion and hoping for a good result to honor Coach Sergio Scariolo, who will leave the team to coach Real Madrid after the tournament. Among many other highlights, Scariolo is a four-time EuroBasket champion with Spain.

Willy Hernangomez of FC Barcelona is always at his best when playing for Spain

Willy Hernangomez of FC Barcelona and his brother Juancho Hernangomez of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens are the team's leaders. Willy was the EuroBasket 2022 MVP and Juancho was named as the finals' MVP after scoring 27 points against France. Santi Aldama, Dario Brizuela and Joel Parra of Barca, and four Valencia Basket players - Sergio De Larrea, Yankuba Sima, Josep Puerto and Xabi Lopez-Arostegui - should give Spain plenty of depth.

Former NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is Greece's superstar. Coached by Monaco boss and EuroLeague legend Vassilis Spanoulis, Greece heavily relies on Panathinaikos and Olympiacos players such as Tyler Dorsey, Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Giannoulis Larentzakis, Kostas Antetokounmpo, Dinos Mitoglou, Kostas Papanikolaou, Alexandros Samodurov, Kostas Sloukas and Vassilis Toliopoulos.

Italy is determined to get a good result and dedicate it to Achille Polonara, who is battling leukemia at the moment. Darius Thompson of Valencia, Nicolo Melli of Fenerbahce, former EuroLeague Rising Stars Danilo Gallinari and Gabriele Procida of Real, and Simone Fontecchio should be its main players.

Toko Shengelia of FC Barcelona is Georgia's go-to guy

Georgia features Toko Shengelia of Barca as its undeniable leader, but also has Sandro Mamukelashvili, former EuroLeague Rising Star Goga Bitadze and Kamar Baldwin of Bayern. Bosnia and Herzehovina is without Dzanan Musa of Dubai, so Jusuf Nurkic and John Roberson should be its leaders. Cyprus is arguably the weakest team of all 24 squads and any win would be a big surprise.

 

### GROUP D

France and Slovenia are the teams to beat in Group C. All games will be played at the Spodek in Katowice, Poland. France is without Victor Wembanyama but has a powerful squad led by Evan Fournier of Olympiacos, Isaia Cordinier of Efes, Sylvain Francisco of Zalgiris, Jaylen Hoard of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Theo Maledon of Real, Elie Okobo of Monaco, former EuroCup Rising Star Zaccharie Risacher and former EuroLeague champion Guerschon Yabusele.

Former EuroLeague MVP Luka Doncic is one of the main attractions at EuroBasket 2025

One of the main attractions at EuroBasket 2025 will be seeing Luka Doncic, a former EuroLeague MVP, Final Four MVP and champion with Real. He will be surrounded by experienced players such as Edo Muric, Aleksej Nikolic of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, EuroCup recordman Alen Omic and Klemen Prepelic of Dubai.

Poland hopes to make the most out of its home-court advantage, led by EuroLeague and EuroCup champion Olek Balcerowski, Monaco guard Jordan Loyd and Bahcesehir College Istanbul's do-it-all swingman Mateusz Ponitka.

Israel has put together a very competitive squad led by Deni Avdija, but also featuring Khadeen Carrington and Yovel Zoosman of Jerusalem, Tomer Ginat and Yam Madar of Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv, as well as Roman Sorkin of Maccabi, among others.

Belgium and Iceland will fight to go past the group stage. Paris Basketball center Ismael Bako of Belgium and EuroLeague veteran Martin Hermansson of Iceland have a golden chance to shine and help their national team against all odds.

The tournament tips off on Wednesday with games in Finland and Latvia

FC Bayern Munich has signed forward Isiaha Mike, who returns to the country where he made his professional debut

Isiaha Mike returns to Germany with Bayern deal

[FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/teams/fc-bayern-munich/roster/mun/) has signed forward [Isiaha Mike](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/euroleague/players/isiaha-mike/011836/), who returns to the country where he made his professional debut. The deal is for the next two seasons.

Mike (2.00 meters, 28 years old) averaged 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 23 EuroLeague appearances last season with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. He shot 63.2% on two-pointers while playing 15 minutes per game. Last season was Mike's first in the EuroLeague after he earned All-EuroCup First Team honors the season before.

Best of Isiaha Mike: 2024-25

"Moving to Munich is a logical step, because after talking with Coach Gordie it was clear that I bring exactly the skill set that is needed there," Mike told the Bayern web site. "After an injury, I was sidelined at the start of last season, and things never went as planned afterward. I could never really be myself: an all-rounder who can shoot and make decisions on his own, who can play both the '4' and the '3', defend multiple positions on defense, and - above all - bring a lot of energy to the court."

A college basketball standout at SMU, Mike began his professional career in Germany with NINERS Chemnitz, where he spent two seasons before moving on to JL Bourg-en-Bresse in France. Mike helped Bourg reach the 2024 EuroCup Finals. Known for his defensive versatility and physicality, Mike now becomes another weapon in Bayern’s frontcourt rotation.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐀𝐇𝐀 👋<br><br>We&#39;ve signed Canadian national team player <a href="https://twitter.com/Kkingzayy15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kkingzayy15</a>, who last played for <a href="https://twitter.com/PartizanBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PartizanBC</a>! Read all about it ⤵️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeBallTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeBallTogether</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mike2027?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mike2027</a></p>&mdash; FC Bayern Basketball (@FCBBasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1959929079165337612?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

More from Bayern Munich

The forward comes off his debut EuroLeague campaign with Partizan

Angola claimed the AfroBasket crown for the first time since 2013. 


Fernando, Bango help Angola win AfroBasket 2025 

Angola claimed the gold medal at AfroBasket 2025 by thrashing Mali 70-43 in front of a sellout crowd of 12,700 at Kilamba Arena in Luanda. Angola won its 12th AfroBasket crown and its first since 2013. Childe Dundao led the winners with 16 points and Bruno Fernando of Real Madrid contributed 5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks in less than 17 minutes. 

Jilson Bango did not play in the final due to injury but added the AfroBasket title to the EuroLeague trophy he won with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in May. Angola won all four quarters, taking a 32-20 lead at halftime and extending it to 51-31 after 30 minutes to have plenty of time to celebrate.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">✨ History written! 🇦🇴 Angola is the new king of Africa! 🌍<br>12 years later, Angola is lifting its 12th <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AfroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AfroBasket</a> Trophy! 🏆<br>Parabéns! 👏🏾 👏🏾 👏🏾 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/thetimeisnow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#thetimeisnow</a> <a href="https://t.co/dx2P0TnmKD">pic.twitter.com/dx2P0TnmKD</a></p>&mdash; FIBA #AfroBasket (@AfroBasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/AfroBasket/status/1959712228082622896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Senegal won the bronze medal by beating Cameroon 72-98 also in the Angolan capital. Jean-Jacques Boissy paced the winners with 40 points and 7 assists and Brancou Badio of Valencia Basket added 18 points for Senegal, which led 26-47 at halftime and never looked back. 

Senegal has claimed a bronze medal in each of the last three AfroBasket editions, and lost a chance to reach its first final since 2005 due to an 88-80 semifinals loss against Mali. Angola edged Cameroon 74-73 in the other semifinal by rallying from a 7-point deficit in the final 10 minutes.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Repasamos un gran <a href="https://twitter.com/AfroBasket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AfroBasket</a> para <a href="https://twitter.com/brancoupapi99?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@brancoupapi99</a> que encima acaba con este fotón de la derecha 🧡<br><br>Cas 👉 Brancou Badio, medalla de bronce con Senegal en el AfroBasket 2025<a href="https://t.co/sryJcjwFIH">https://t.co/sryJcjwFIH</a><br><br>Val 👉 Brancou Badio, medalla de bronze amb el Senegal en el AfroBasket 2025… <a href="https://t.co/tfnzibMvpl">pic.twitter.com/tfnzibMvpl</a></p>&mdash; Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/valenciabasket/status/1959874132574625999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Bruno Fernando of Real and Jilson Bango of Fenerbahce helped Angola win AfroBasket 2025
