BEIRUT (Lebanon) - It was, indeed, a summer to remember in Saudi Arabia as the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 lived up to the hype and became one of the most memorable chapters of the continent's biggest basketball showcase.
From standout individual performances to teams helping their respective programs either achieve or regain glory, the 31st edition of the quadrennial tournament definitely had no shortage whatsoever of compelling stories.
And so, before the year comes to a close, let's take a look back at some of its best moments - and, perhaps, take a peek as well on what the future may look like within Asian hoops after what transpired in Jeddah.
'Dream' visits Jeddah
The 2025 Asia Cup saw the birth of new stars but the tourney couldn't be any more honored to have been graced by one of game's greatest players when Hakeem Olajuwon came over and watched the games.
The FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2016 inductee was in town to visit two of his sons, Abdullah and Abdur Rahman, representing Jordan, making sure that he's there to witness live their first-ever FIBA competition.
"My wonderful two boys, my sons, they're playing for the Jordan team. I was in Switzerland Under-19, one of my sons played there," the 62-year-old beamed while also mentioning Aziz, who played for Canada.
Hosts nail first Asia Cup win after long wait
It was, of course, imperative for Saudi Arabia to win with the contest being held in their own home floor for the first time since 1997, and they did just that by pulling off a pulsating 77-73 upset against the Falcons.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman starred with 25 points on top of 8 rebounds and 7 assists plus 2 steals and his all-around efforts helped the hosts notch their first win in the Asia Cup after over a decade of waiting.
The Saudis, if ever you're wondering, last won a game in the event in 2013 in Manila. Twelve years later, they'd break that long of a dry spell and eventually doubled their Ws - good enough to reach the Final Phase.
Brownlee wields magic before electric crowd
It was also the first time since 2005 that Saudi Arabia got past the Group Phase but the Philippines stood in their way of going deeper into the competition, as the two crossed paths in the Qualification to Quarter-Finals.
That eventually became one of the most watched games of the 2025 tilt as 5,000-plus fans trooped to the King Abdullah Sports City to watch live, and got themselves a treat as the protagonists duked it out.
However, the night belonged to Justin Brownlee, who knocked down a clutch trifecta to force overtime and will themselves to a 95-88 victory, helping Gilas return to the Quarter-Finals after eight years of waiting.
Brownlee finished with 29 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists as his heroics helped the Philippines turn things around in their campaign, where they advanced to the final eight even after a 0-2 start into the meet.
BCL Asia equips Yu Kisang versus Lebanon
The Group Phase itself bore witness to stupendous showings and one of which was Yu Kisang, who caught fire from downtown to help lead Korea to a 97-86 win over Lebanon to formalize their Final Phase entry.
Yu set the tone early with his impeccable marksmanship, eventually finishing with eight threes with a 66.7-percent accuracy for 28 big points in easily one of the best shooting displays of the Jeddah festivities.
And the credit, he said, goes to his BCL Asia 2025 stint in Dubai back in June. There, Yu was able to compete against some of the Cedars, when his Changwon LG Sakers faced Al Riyadi during the Group Phase.
The 2024-25 Korean Basketball League champions did lose to the eventual runners-up but there was no denying how impactful FIBA club competitions could be in national team play, with Yu himself a living proof.
Insane comebacks
No lead is safe, as the old saying in sport goes, and two teams embodied as much after Iran and New Zealand pulled off comebacks of epic proportions on their way to completing half of the Semi-Finals picture.
Team Melli did it first, rallying from 21 down to upend Chinese Taipei, 78-75, which Sina Vahedi helped make possible even after he got called for three personal fouls merely seven minutes into the match.
"I was patient on the bench, thinking about defense, offense, everything. And in the second half, we won the game. I'm so happy about that," expressed the eventual All-Star Five member, who finished with 21 points.
The Tall Blacks would author their own story the next night, fighting back from a deficit as big as 22 points to eliminate Lebanon by way of an 80-76 decision thanks to the efforts of Mojave King and Carlin Davison.
Bronze 'greater than gold' for Team Melli
That victory over Chinese Taipei would actually serve as a prelude to bigger things for Iran. After waiting for nearly a decade, they finally took home a medal by beating New Zealand, 78-73, in the Third-Place Game.
The Iranians snared bronze but Arsalan Kazemi and his brothers felt like they struck gold, as it proved to be a statement to all those - including their very own people, yes - who didn't believe they could succeed.
"Nobody was expecting us to accomplish anything, especially in Iran, We have a whole controversy around our basketball team, around this young group of guys, that they're not ready yet," said the 35-year-old forward.
Kazemi himself was instrumental in the win, finishing with 16 points and 16 rebounds to earn himself his second Asia Cup medal after copping silver in 2017 - also the last time that the Iranians stood at the podium.
China revive powerhouse status
China were literally a shot away from ascending back to the mountaintop but fate had other plans, ultimately enabling Australia to escape with the 90-89 victory in the Final to complete the 'three-peat.'
It was, without a doubt, an Asia Cup Final for the ages but what many would remember most from it was Team Dragon's return to the Big Dance after 10 years, for it signals a bright future ahead for the proud program.
Yes, they waited that long to compete for a gold medal as the period in between proved to be a shaky one for the 16-time champions, until they brought in Guo Shiqiang back in the fold to be their head coach.
The result? China regained a semblance of their old glory days, with seasoned guards Zhao Rui and Hu Mingxuan leading the way for the younger ones like Wang Junjie and Yu Jiahao in a dynamic that proved effective.
New challengers for the Boomers?
The Chinese would go on to snare their first medal since winning it all in 2015 and that achievement highlighted the comeback of not only them, but their fellow traditional contenders as well in the Asia Cup stage.
While much of the attention was on China, not to be forgotten was the resurgence of teams like Chinese Taipei, who finally returned to the Quarter-Finals after 12 years with a vengeful win against the Jordanians.
Then there's also Korea, who proved that they can do just fine despite the retirement of Ra Guna in the national team by booking another trip to the Quarter-Finals thanks mainly to the leadership of Lee Hyunjung.
And as discussed above, Iran are back winning medals just like in the 2000s. So, with these teams finding their way back into contention, will the Aussies' reign of dominance be challenged come the next Asia Cup?
The next four years will be exciting, that's for sure.
FIBA