MIES (Switzerland) - The FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 will be the eighth edition of the cadet global championship. Great players have been wowing fans since 2010 with some incredible performances.
We went back into the archives to review all of the previous tournaments and selected 10 players we think deserve your vote for the Greatest of All Time of the U17 World Cup, aka the GOAT.
Now it is your turn to make your voice heard. Vote below for whom you think had the best performance.
Izan Almansa - ESP - 2022
Almansa nearly carried Spain to the title as he was named Most Valuable Player in the 2022 edition - the first time a member of the losing finalists took home the top honor. The big man collected 12.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks with three double-doubles.
Almansa had some very impressive games including 15 points and 16 rebounds against Japan. He totaled 13 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks in a Quarter-Finals win over Australia before picking up 9 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the Final - a 79-67 loss to United States.
Oumar Ballo - MLI - 2018
Despite being just 15 years old, Ballo dominated like a man among boys. He finished second in the competition in scoring at 20.6 points (behind teammate Siriman Kanoute's 24.6 ppg) and led the event in rebounds with 16.9 - the highest average in U17 World Cup history. He also picked up 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocks while shooting 55.2 percent from the field.
Ballo collected 26 points and 19 rebounds against China and 28 points and 19 boards versus Philippines before tallying 32 points and 32 rebounds in a triple-overtime win over Dominican Republic - shattering the previous single game rebound record by 10 boards. Ballo's performance earned him a spot on the All-Star Five.
Bradley Beal - USA - 2010
Choosing any USA player as a U17 World Cup GOAT is difficult, considering how balanced and deep the American teams always have been. But Beal's showing in the inaugural event was impressive. He led the team in scoring with 18.3 points to go with 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 steals. Beal was named Most Valuable Player for his performance.
Beal buried 47.7 percent of his three-pointers, making 3.9 threes per game on 8.1 attempts. His top showing was 7 three-pointers as he scored 25 points against Australia in the Quarter-Finals. Beal had 17 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals in the Semi-Finals and then poured in 19 points with 5 three-pointers to go with 5 rebounds in the Final.
Cameron Boozer - USA - 2024
The USA team from 2024 was historic in so many ways - breaking record after record. But Boozer shined above every player as he took home the Most Valuable Player award. The big man averaged 20.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.7 steals for an efficiency of 30.7 - in just 20 minutes per game. Boozer ranked second in scoring and fourth in rebounds while grabbing five double-doubles in seven games.
Boozer not only led the competition in efficiency for his 30.7 rating snapped the previous record which was 28.4 held by Mali's Oumar Ball in 2018. Boozer's biggest game came in the Final with 24 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for an efficiency of 37. He also totalled 29 points and 12 rebounds in the opening game against France.
Dante Exum - AUS - 2012
Exum was the carrying force of the Crocs team that reached the Final in Kaunas. He picked up 17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals while his scoring average would be 19.7 points if his scoreless performance in four minutes versus France was not included. Those numbers and getting Australia to the Final earned Exum a spot on the All-Star Five.
Exum's impact is shown even more considering Australia's second-best scorer was Mirko Djeric with 9.8 points. And Exum stepped up when it mattered most. He poured in 18 points in Australia's 83-71 win over Croatia
to reach the Final for the first time. Against USA in the Final, Exum collected 21 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists while no other Australian scored more than 10 points in a 95-62 loss.
Rui Hachimura - JPN - 2014
Hachimura led the 2014 FIBA U17 World Cup in scoring with 22.6 points while also averaging 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks. But his contributions had even more weight considering the lack of help around him. Despite being a year younger, Hachimura accounted for 37.2 percent of his team's points, including games in which he produced 52.9 percent, 58.9 percent and 65.8 percent of Japan's points. In a 122-38 Round of 16 loss to United States, Hachimura was the only Japan player with more than two points.
Ahmed Khalaf - EGY - 2014/2016
Khalaf in 2016 became the first player in history to play in two U17 World Cups. At just 15 years old in 2014, the Egyptian big man was fourth on the team in scoring (8.6 ppg), led Egypt in rebounding (9.3 rpg) and was tops in the competition in blocks with 4.9 - which remains the highest average in U17 World Cup history. In 2016, Khalaf collected 17.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 4.4 blocks - topping all players in rebounds and blocks.
Dzanan Musa - BIH - 2016
Musa set the U17 World Cup record holder for most points scored in a single game with 50 points versus Chinese Taipei (It was tied in 2024 by Guinea's Abdouramane Toure against China) and highest scoring average (34.0 ppg). He tallied 30 or more points in six of his seven games while also collecting 8.1 rebounds (with 3 double-doubles), 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals.
The stat that stands out most about how dominant Musa was is 15.1 - as in the number of free throws he attempted per game, connecting on 69.8 percent. Musa's magical 50-point outburst came a day after he wept following Bosnia and Herzegovina's Round of 16 loss to Australia. Musa and the team did not lose another game and finished ninth with Musa earning a spot on the All-Star Five.
Koat Peat - USA - 2022/2024
Peat in 2024 became the second player to play at the U17 World Cup (after Egypt's Ahmed Khalaf), but Peat made history by winning two cadet global titles in 2022 and 2024. As a 15-year-old, Peat averaged 9.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 blocks in 2022 - topped by 17 points in the Quarter-Finals against Serbia.
Two years later Peat had an argument for tournament Most Valuable Player with 17.9 points on 62.5 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals. All that production came in just 21 minutes per game, and Peat was named to the All-Second Team. His best game came in the Final with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal against Italy.
Alperen Sengun - TUR - 2018
Sengun definitely did not show he was a year younger than the rest of the competition as the big man scored 15.9 points on 64 percent two-point shooting, grabbed 12.3 rebounds and dished out 2.0 assists. Sengun ended the tournament ranked third in rebounds and third efficiency with 21.7.
Sengun finished with four double-doubles, topped by his 26 points - on 10-of-13 shooting - and 17 rebounds in an 86-70 loss to France in the Quarter-Finals.
Disclaimer: This Fan Vote is not an official statement from FIBA. It is created solely to enhance the experience of the fans.
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