ISTANBUL (Türkiye) - The FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 is taking a break from games for a second time with the Quarter-Finals tipping off on Friday. Eight teams are still in the running to win the title and hoist the trophy when it's all said and done.
That also means only some players can still take home the MVP award as well on July 5. We reviewed our pre-tournament MVP Ladder and updated it to reflect the first four days of games in Istanbul.
So, here you go, the updated MVP Ladder.
#10 Isaiah Clarke - Canada - New entry
Clarke is new to the Ladder as he has been a force in the middle for Canada, who are looking for their first medal since third place in 2010. The big man has totalled 13.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals.
He ranks second in the competition in rebounds while being tops in offensive rebounds with 5.0. Clarke tied the FIBA U17 World Cup record with 13 offensive rebounds against China.
# 9 DJ Gaines - Puerto Rico - New entry
Puerto Rico have been all about Gaines - who is new to the Ladder - and he has the country in the Quarter-Finals for the fourth time in four appearances.
The guard leads all scorers in the tournament with 29.3 points per game including 36 points in the Round of 16 win over Côte d'Ivoire. Gaines also leads the competition with 5.0 steals while he ranks 7th with 5.5 assists and also chips in 3.5 rebounds.
#8 Jokubas Kukta - Lithuania - New entry
A third new addition is Kukta, whose biggest game came in the team's toughest matchup with him collecting 29 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists in the win over Canada.
All told, the Lithuanian captain is averaging 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals. Kukta ranks 5th in the tournament in assists while he is also shooting 70.0% on two-pointers.
#7 Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje - USA -6
Boumtje Boumtje dropping six spots from No. 1? For doing nothing wrong and only perfectly filling his role on the team and still dominating? Welcome to the life of a player on a USA team at the FIBA U17 World Cup.
Boumtje Boumtje has been tremendous with 15.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.3 blocks while shooting 42.9% on three-pointers. But he is one of eight USA players scoring double figures points.
#6 Darius Karutasu - Türkiye - New entry
Karutasu jumps into the Ladder at No. 6 as he has been a clear A2 to Omer Kutluay's A1 as Türkiye's dynamic duo.
Karutasu is averaging 26.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.3 steals. He ranks 4th in scoring, 1st in rebounds, 2nd with 4.3 offensive rebounds and 3rd in steals.
#5 Luke Paul - Australia +3
Paul moves up three spots as he has Australia on the brink of a first medal since back-to-back second places in 2012 and 2014. Paul even has had Josh Giddey impressed as the NBA star has been sitting courtside watching the Crocs leader and the team.
Paul is tallying 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks. He ranks 3rd in assists.
#4 Nathan Soliman - France -1
Soliman falls one spot to fourth despite him being as good as advertised. He is collecting 17.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
But that production has come in only 24 minutes per game, which means only his scoring is top 10 at 10th. Still, the French forward is a budding superstar.
#3 Nikola Kusturica - Serbia -1
Kusturica also dropped one spot as the Serbians are exactly where they want to be - playing solid basketball and with good chances of fighting for a medal. And a major key has been Kusturica.
The wing is pouring in 20.0 points to go along with 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.0 blocks. All that has come in under 23 minutes per game. He ranks 6th in scoring and tied for 6th in blocks.
#2 Omer Kutluay - Türkiye +4
Kutluay jumped four spots to No. 2 with just a masterful performance thus far for Türkiye. Kutluay has three times just missed a triple-double as he is averaging 28.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists while also picking up 1.0 steals.
He ranks 3rd in scoring and 1st in assists while also leading all players in free throws made and taken (40 of 44) and is 2nd in free throw percentage at 90.9%.
#1 Beckham Black - USA +6
Black and Boumtje Boumtje actually swapped spots, the USA point guard rising six spots from No. 7 - the big man's new spot. And the main reason for that is Black is clearly the man driving the USA ship as it rolls through the competition. Black is averaging 14.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 3.0 steals per game.
He ranks 4th on the USA team in scoring while ranking 2nd among all players in assists, 4th in steals while also committing only 1.3 turnovers per game.
*The MVP Ladder rankings are entirely subjective and are in no way a true and accurate FIBA ranking system. All comments are purely those of the author and the purpose is to entertain the fans.
FIBA