MUNICH (Germany) - Every year sees a number of top young players shine at the FIBA Youth EuroBaskets.
Looking back at the All-Star Fives at each of the events, some of the continent's best players and biggest names have left their mark on some of basketball's biggest stages.
Every summer, one player rises above the rest – the Most Valuable Player, a standout talent who defines the tournament. For some, it's just the beginning of stardom; for others, it's the highlight of a career in the works. Either way, it's a moment that puts them on the map.
So, what happened to the most recent winners?
Here's a look at the last five winners , how they performed at FIBA U20 EuroBasket, Division B and where the game has taken them since.
2024: Dragos Lungu (ROU)
Then: Lungu helped Romania win the U20 EuroBasket Division B for the second time following 2017 as he collected 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists. That allowed the country to play in the U20 Division A for just the third time in the country's history.
Now: Lungu just completed his second season in the United States in college basketball with San Diego. After having played with U-BT Cluj Napoca, the guard spent two seasons in Australia at the Centre of Excellence. He has yet to debut with the Romania senior national team.
2023: Ondrej Svec (CZE)
Then: Czechia had been relegated to Division B in 2022 and Svec collected 12.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists as the country won the 2023 Division B and moved back to Division A.
Now: After two U20 EuroBaskets, the forward graduated to the Czech senior national team and played in two games in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers. He grew up in the USK Prague club and continued to play for them this past season.
2022: Mihailo Boskovic (SRB)
Then: The improbable happened in 2019 and Serbia were relegated to Division B. Boskovic made sure the Balkan power only stayed there for one summer as he tallied 12.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists as Serbia won Division B in 2022 after two summers off due to the Covid pandemic.
Now: That was the only time Boskovic has played for Serbia. He began his professional career with Dynamic Belgrade and played for Igokea in Bosnia and Herzegovina before spending this past season with Brigham Young University in the United States.
2019: Rafael Lisboa (POR)
Then: Lisboa made history with Portugal in the summer of 2019 in winning the Division B and guaranteeing Portugal's first appearance in the Division A at the U20 level. The guard, who was playing his second U20 EuroBasket, Division B, averaged 17.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
Now: Lisboa has been playing with the Portugal senior national team since 2021 - playing in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Pre-Qualifiers and Qualifiers as well as the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifiers and Qualifiers. After leaving Portugal in 2021, Lisboa played two seasons in Belgium and then the past two years in the Spanish second division.
2018: Lukasz Kolenda (POL)
Then: Poland were spending their third summer in Division B at the U20 level but Kolenda made sure it wouldn't be four straight summers. He helped the country take the crown with 17.1 poins, 4.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Now: Kolenda advanced to the Polish senior national team in 2019 and played in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers and also was part of Poland's run to the Semi-Finals at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022. The point guard, who remains a part of the national team in qualifiers, spent his early career at Trefl Sopot and then moved to Slask Wroclaw before playing this past season with Arka Gdynia.
FIBA