MUNICH (Germany) - Every summer sees a new batch of FIBA Youth EuroBaskets to give the continent's top young talent an opportunity to show what they can do.
And each of these events have produced a fair share of players who have stood out - both at the youth and senior level.
At the end of each tournament, one player is highlighted above the rest - the MVP, a standout talent who defines the tournament. Some have taken off as stars while others have seen that tournament as one of their top career highlights. Regardless of which, it's a moment that puts those players on the map.
So, what happened to the most recent winners?
Here's a look at the last five Most Valuable Players , how they performed at FIBA U18 EuroBasket, and where the game has taken them since.
2024: Ben Saraf (ISR)
Then: Israel last finished in the top four of a U18 EuroBasket in 1972. Saraf carried Israel to the Semi-Finals with one outstanding performance after the next, averaging 28.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists. The country ended up losing their final two games for fourth place but qualified for the first time to the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
Now: Saraf moved into the Israeli senior national team this past season while he was playing for German club ratiopharm Ulm. He appeared in two windows for the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers. Saraf is expected to be selected in the 2025 NBA Draft - thanks also to his U18 EuroBasket performance.
2023: Nikola Topic (SRB)
Then: Topic dominated play from the point guard position for Serbia in leading the country to their third U18 EuroBasket crown in the last five editions, averaging 15.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
Now: Topic started the 2023-24 season with Mega Belgrade but then moved to Crvena Zvezda Belgrade and ended up making his EuroLeague debut at age 18. Topic's season ended with a torn ACL in May 2024 and he hasn't played since - though he was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 12th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.
2022: Izan Almansa (ESP)
Then: Almansa continued to build his resume as he carried Spain to the title in Türkiye, averaging 15.7 points and 10.7 rebounds.
Now: The 2022 U18 EuroBasket was the middle tournament of a magical trio of youth events for Almansa, who took home MVP honors of all three competitions - the others being the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2022, where Spain finished second; and the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023, where Spain took the title for the first time since 1999.
He played the next summer in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2024 and debuted in the Spanish senior national team last season, playing in two windows of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers despite playing professionally in Australia with Perth.
2019: Santi Aldama (ESP)
Then: Spain finally reigned over the continent at the junior level again, winning the U18 EuroBasket for the first time since 2011. And that was thanks in large part to Aldama, who collected 18.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
Now: Aldama would then move to the United States and attended college two seasons at Loyola (Maryland) before being drafted into the NBA in 2021. He just finished his fourth season in the NBA with Memphis. The big man debuted with the Spanish senior national team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 and then was the MVP of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024, Spain with 17.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. Aldama was then one of the leaders for Spain at the 2024 Olympics.
2018: Marko Pecarski (SRB)
Then: Pecarski celebrated back-to-back U18 EuroBasket championships in 2018, winning the MVP of the latter as he dominated with 24.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
Now: The big man went on to be the leading scorer of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 and dominated at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2019 as well. Pecarski has yet to debut for Serbia's senior national team and since 2018 he has played in Serbia, Montenegro, Türkiye and Lithuania.
FIBA