MIES (Switzerland) - So many leading players in the global game started their international journey at the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup and have since went on to become senior standouts.
In the second of our two-part of our series looking at some of the biggest stars to have played in the competition, we check out the ballers who have landed in the Top 10.
10. Cecilia Zandalasini - Italy (2012)
The star of Italian basketball at youth level and on the senior stage, Zandalasini is a scoring machine and a major European star of the women' game. She made a modest impact in Amsterdam in 2012 with 8 points per game, but this was just a pre-cursor to the dominance in a national team jersey that would follow.
A spectacular FIBA Women's EuroBasket debut in 2017 was memorable but not as much as at the 2025 edition when she inspired Italy's first medal in the competition in more than 30 years. She will now make a FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup debut in Berlin later this year.
9. Jewell Loyd - USA (2012)
Appearing at the first ever edition in 2010, it was to prove the only FIBA youth tournament that the guard would feature in during her young career. In that competition she was a solid member of the gold medal winning team and she would progress to win many more of those at the senior level - including a FIBA 3x3 World title in 2014.
Loyd brok
e through at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife, prior to making it two golds at the Worlds with success in 2022 in Sydney. Wedged in between, she posted an Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 and won another gold at Paris 2024.
8. Iliana Rupert - France (2018)
The center was outstanding in Minsk in 2018 and attained a near tournament double-double after harvesting more than 10 points and 8 boards per game. That propelled Rupert to a silver medal and All-Star Five status.
She is now a senior star and anchor for France, with two Olympic medals on her resume already after winning bronze on debut at Tokyo 2020, then famously making the Final at Paris 2024 playing in front of the home fans. She also has four FIBA Women's EuroBasket editions to her her name and a FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.
7. Julie Allemand - Belgium (2012)
Hitting the floor in Amsterdam back in 2012, Allemand gave a glimpse into her first-class passing skills, although it was a tough time for Belgium a1s a team. But since then, she has become one of the world's premiere playmakers and a central pillar of the Cats history making team.
Allemand was a pivotal figure in winning a first ever FIBA Women's EuroBasket medal in 2017, a first FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup appearance in 2018 (when she equaled the all-time game assists record), a first Olympic outing at Tokyo 2020 then a maiden FIBA Women's EuroBasket title which she defended in 2025.
6. Ji Su Park - Korea (2012 and 2014)
An phenomenon in Korea, Park is in a small club of ballers to have played twice at the U17 Worlds, stepping out in Amsterdam in 2012 and then in 2014 when she posted ana amazing 18 points and 13 boards per game. The towering center famously captained Lorea at just 16-years-old at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2014.
Park also led her nation at Tokyo 2020 and is now eyeing up a third edition of the Worlds later this year in Berlin, when her defensive presence in particular will be so precious.
5. Meng Li - China (2012)
The do-it-all winger was part of the team that took bronze at the inaugural edition in 2010. Since that first global outing, she morphed into a superstar in China and the marquee player for the senior team. Her leadership, personality, physicality and skills proved to be a potent combination.
A double Olympian and playing at three editions of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, including a silver medal at the Sydney 2022 edition, Li is a revered and highly respected figure in Chinese basketball and beyond.
4. Xu Han - China (2016)
Featuring in 2016, the striking physical presence and clockwork shooting skills of Han immediately caught the eye as her tremendous performances helped China make the Semi-Finals as she secured All-Star Five status. She was soon back on Spanish soil for the senior team at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2018 in Tenerife.
Now a two-time Olympian, the center was a force in China making the title game at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2022. A year later she was back in Sydney being crowned MVP of FIBA Women's Asia Cup. A big fan favorite in the women's game, her huge popularity matches her impact.
3. Ezi Magbegor - Australia (2016)
The centerpiece of the Sapphires historic and amazing 2016 title success in Zaragoza, Magbegor gathered more than 12 points and 8 rebounds per game – as well as some huge blocks and defensive plays that resulted in MVP honors. Two years later she was in the Final of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 with the Opals.
Australia’s best player at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and highly influential at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 in Sydney when the Opals won bronze on home soil, Magbegor then lit it up at Paris 2024. Her stellar 45 performance efficiency valuation handed her country the bronze medal.
2. Emma Meesseman - Belgium (2010)
The Belgian legend averaged 14.4 points and 9.6 boards for Belgium in 2010, as the team just missed out on the podium. Meesseman has become a tour de force for a Cats side that have delivered so many historical firsts for their country and also one of the most loved teams in Belgian sports. She inspired a first FIBA Women's EuroBasket medal in 2017, a first FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup outing in 2018 and a maiden Olympics appearance at Tokyo 2020. The forward then carried the Cats to historic FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2023 title glory as MVP and repeated the feat two years later. That comes on top of so many honors at club level including having more EuroLeague Women titles than any other modern era player.
1. Breanna Stewart - USA (2010)
Her first steps on the global stage came in 2010 when taking USA to inaugural gold. She was second for USA in both scoring and rebounding and it came before landing two gold medals at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup.
At senior level, Stewart is already a three-time Olympic champion and three-time FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup winner - taking MVP honors in 2018. 'Stewie' has done it all on both sides of the Atlantic, winning a stack of club titles and is in the conversation when it comes to discussing who is the women's basketball GOAT. And, she is not even finished collecting silverware yet.
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