MIES (Switzerland) - The FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup has witnessed many of best players in the world over the last 40-plus years since it began in 1979. But who are the biggest names to play in the first 16 editions?
We went through the archives and put together a list of the top 50 players and are breaking it down into five articles. Here is the second installment with places 40-31.
40. Deron Williams, USA, 2003
Williams debuted on the global stage in 2003 when he averaged 8.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists in the U19 World Cup for a fifth-placed USA team. The point guard would go on to help USA to two Olympic gold medals - in 2008 and 2012. Williams played 12 seasons in the NBA, reaching the NBA Finals with Cleveland in 2017 and twice making the All-NBA Second Team and three NBA All-Star appearances.
39. Antonello Riva, Italy, 1979
Riva was just 17 years old when he averaged 13.4 points in the first U19 World Cup in 1979. The wing would go to play for the Italy senior national team for nearly a decade, winning the FIBA EuroBasket 1983 with 18.3 points per game. Riva played at two FIBA Basketball World Cups in 1986 and 1990, finishing as the second-best scorer in the latter with 30.2 points per game. A long-time star with Cantu in Italy, Riva is the Italian league's all-time leading scorer - ahead of Oscar Schmidt - and he was named among FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991.
38. Larry Johnson, USA, 1987
Johnson averaged 9.0 points per game at the 1987 U19 World Cup, finishing second to a Yugoslavia team that featured Toni Kukoc, Vlade Divac and Dino Radja. Johnson was co-captain of the Dream Team II which won the title at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 1994. He won the NCAA crown with UNLV in 1990 and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1992. Johnson went on to play 10 years in the NBA.
37. Aaron Gordon, USA, 2013
Gordon helped USA to the title in 2013 at the U19 World Cup, averaging team highs of 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and earning the Most Valuable Player award. After six full seasons in the NBA with Orlando, the super athlete moved to Denver during the 2020-21 season and he helped the Nuggets win the NBA crown in 2023.
36. Stephon Marbury, USA, 1995
Marbury was the USA team's leading scorer with 17.5 points per game at the 1995 U19 World Cup, where USA finished seventh. The guard also played for USA at the 2004 Olympics and took home the bronze medal. Marbury is considered one of the NBA's most thrilling players. He starred in the league for 13 years before heading to China and became a legend there with three CBA league crowns. Marbury has also become a major figure off the court since retiring in 2018.
35. Detlef Schrempf, Germany, 1983
Schrempf was Germany's leading scorer in 1983, pouring in 19.9 points per game in helping the country to a fifth place finish. The future FIBA Hall of Famer played at two Olympics (1984, 1992) and two FIBA EuroBaskets (1983 and 1985). Schrempf played 16 seasons in the NBA for Dallas, Indiana, Seattle and Portland and became the first European to be named an NBA All-Star (three-time selection in total) and was twice the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. He also played in the 1996 NBA Finals with Seattle - losing to Chicago.
34. James Worthy, USA, 1979
Worthy was one of the leaders of the USA team that won the first U19 World Cup in 1979 with 10.1 points per game, including 27 points over Yugoslavia. Even though it was the only time Worthy played for USA basketball, Worthy also played a part in the University of North Carolina winning the 1982 NCAA title and then was a major part of the Los Angeles Lakers' success, claiming three NBA championships over 12 seasons. He was also named among the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996 and the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
33. JJ Barea, Puerto Rico, 2003
Barea was the second-leading scorer in the 2003 edition of the competition with 27.0 points per game, including 35 and 32 points in two games against USA. He played from 2006 to November 2021 for the Puerto Rico senior national team, playing at two FIBA Basketball World Cups and was the leading scorer in 2014 at 22.0 points per game. Barea played 14 years in the NBA and won the NBA title in 2011.
32. RJ Barrett, Canada, 2017
Barrett was the leading scorer and Most Valuable Player of the 2017 U19 World Cup as he guided Canada to their first-ever world title. Barrett led the tournament in scoring with 21.6 points per game and also had 8.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He will forever be remembered for scoring 38 points to beat USA in the Semi-Finals - all that despite being two years younger than the rest of the competition.
Barrett has already become a leader with the Canadian senior national team and took third place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. After four seasons with New York, in 2023-24 he moved to Toronto.
31. Vince Carter, USA, 1995
Carter played a small role on the USA team that finished 7th in the 1995, averaging 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Carter would later help USA to a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics as the team's leading scorer, and he also took first place with Team USA at the FIBA AmeriCup 2003. "Half-man, half-amazing" was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1999 and is the only player in NBA history to play as many as 22 seasons and in four decades from 1999 to 2020.
He is known as one of the most exciting players in world basketball because of his thrilling dunks, one memorable on at the 2000 Olympics over French big man Frederic Weis.
Disclaimer: This content is not an official ranking from FIBA. It is created solely to enhance the experience of the fans following the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025.
This content is updated from the series published in 2023.
FIBA