MIES (Switzerland) - Many of the top players in the world shined for the first time on the global stage at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup. They have been wowing fans with their promise and talent since the inaugural event in 2010.
Here is a review of the Top 20 biggest names, how they performed in the event and what they have done as professionals.
Here is the second installment with places 15-11
15 - Rui Hachimura – Japan - 2014
2024 ranking: 9 (-6)
Hachimura stood out at the FIBA U16 AsiaCup 2013 with 22.8 points and 12. 6 rebounds as Japan finished third to qualify for the U17 World Cup for the first time in 2014. Hachimura starred as one of Japan's few high level players with a tournament high 22.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. He collected 22 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks in the opening game and picked up 27 points and 8 rebounds against France.
In the Round of 16 against United States, Hachimura scored 25 points in Japan's 122-38 loss to go with 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He poured in 35 points against Italy in 9-16 Classification and finished the tournament with 22 points against Egypt as Japan finished 14th.
Hachimura played again for Japan three summers later at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 and averaged 20.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 blocks. He debuted with the senior national team in the June/July 2018 window the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers, collecting 24 points as Japan shocked Australia 79-78. Japan went 4-0 in the four Qualifiers games in which Hachimura played and the star forward averaged 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.8 steals.
Hachimura collected 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and then starred for the home country at the 2020 Olympics with 22.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He did not play for Japan again until the 2024 Olympics and starred there with 22.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
After playing three seasons for Gonzaga in college basketball, Hachimura was selected ninth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020 and after three seasons in Washington, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-23 season. Hachimura has played there since then, averaging at least 11.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in the last three years.
14 - Alexandre Sarr – France - 2022
2024 ranking: Honorable mention
Sarr dominated in his first time playing with France at the FIBA U16 European Challengers 2021. At the U17 World Cup the next summer, Sarr played well throughout, starting with 10 points in the opener against Serbia. He had 11 points and 8 rebounds against Canada and 13 and 5 versus New Zealand to close group play.
The big man was too much for Japan in the Round of 16 with 19 points and 6 rebounds and then collected 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks in a Quarter-Finals win over Lithuania. Sarr struggled against Spain in the Semi-Finals with 7 points and 3 rebounds before bouncing back with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks in a Third Place Game win over Lithuania. For the event, Sarr averaged 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 blocks.
Sarr played the next summer at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023 and won second place with another strong showing. Sarr made his first appearance for France's senior national team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025. But he could only play the first two games as he suffered a calf injury that forced him out the rest of the event. He picked up 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Sarr, the younger brother of Olivier Sarr, played club basketball in the youth ranks with Spanish powers Real Madrid for two years. He left for the United States to play two seasons in the Overtime Elite league before heading to Australia in 2023 to play with the Perth Wildcats in the NBL. Sarr was then selected No. 2 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft (behind compatriot Zaccharie Risacher) by the Washington Wizards. He averaged at least 13 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 blocks in each of his first two NBA seasons, earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2025.
13 - Collin Sexton - USA - 2016
2024 ranking: 7 (-6)
Sexton was making his FIBA debut at the U17 World Cup in 2016 and he shined for the title-winning USA team. He led the team in scoring (17.0 ppg), assists (4.2 apg) and steals (3.2 spg) to go with 4.0 rebounds. That production earned him the MVP award for the tournament. The Marietta, Georgia native scored 13 points against Chinese Taipei to start the tournament and he poured in 20 points with 4 assists and 3 steals in his only other group stage game against Türkiye.
Sexton collected 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a win over Argentina in the Round of 16 and tallied 24 points with 5 rebounds and 6 assists in the Quarter-Finals versus Korea. Sexton did not slow down in the Semi-Finals with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists against Lithuania before tallying 16 points, 8 assists and 2 steals in the Final against Türkiye. That was the only time Sexton played for USA Basketball.
Sexton played one season of college basketball at the University of Alabama. He was chosen with the eighth overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sexton was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2019 and had his biggest season in the NBA in 2020-21 with a career high 24.3 points as well as 4.4 assists to go along with 3.1 rebounds. His 2021-22 season ended in early November with a knee injury which required surgery.
He was traded to the Utah Jazz in 2022 and averaged at least 18.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. He spent the past season playing for the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls.
12 - Bradley Beal - USA- 2010
2024 ranking: 4 (-8)
Beal was named MVP of the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2009 where he averaged 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the title-winning USA team. The St. Louis native did not miss a beat the next summer at the inaugural U17 World Cup in 2010. Beal was named the MVP as he ranked first on the USA team in scoring with 18.2 points per game - third-most in the tournament - while leading the competition in three-pointers made (31) and attempted (65) and ranked fourth in three-point shooting percentage (47.7 percent). He also averaged 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks.
Beal knocked down at least four triples in five games, including seven in the Quarter-Finals against Australia, four in the Semi-Finals versus Canada and five in the Final against Poland, the latter in which he scored 19 points.
Beal never played again for USA Basketball though he committed to the 2020 Olympics and played in three exhibition games ahead of the Games in 2021 but was ruled out after testing positive for Covid-19.
Beal played one season in college at the University of Florida and then was selected No. 3 overall by the Washington Wizards in 2012. He was named to the All-NBA Rookie Team in 2013 and was a three-time NBA All-Star, including making the All-NBA Third Team in 2021. Beal has averaged 21.4 points per game over his career and twice averaged more than 30 points - topping out at 31.3 points per game in 2020-21.
After playing 82 regular season games in 2017-18 and 2018-19, Beal played 40 games in 2021-22 as he underwent season-ending surgery on his left wrist in February 2022. After 11 seasons with Washington, Beal was traded to the Phoenix Suns in June 2023 and he averaged 18.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 2023-24. His production dipped slightly the next season and then Beal only played 6 games during the 2025-26 campaign with the Los Angeles Clippers due to a hip fracture.
11 - Andrew Nembhard - Canada - 2016
2024 ranking: 12 (+1)
Nembhard was a leader for Canada at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2015 with 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists. The Toronto native played a major role as point guard in the U17 World Cup in 2016, averaging 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He started the campaign with 14 points and 4 steals against Australia. That was the most points Nembhard would score in the tournament as he served more as a playmaker. He went scoreless with 6 assists against Finland and had 5 points and 5 assists in a win over China.
Nembhard tallied 8 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in helping Canada beat Dominican Republic in the Round of 16. He had his worst game in the Quarter-Finals loss to Turkey with 2 points on 1-of-7 shots, 3 assists and 2 turnovers before fouling out. The team rebounded and finished fifth with a win over France in which Nembhard had 7 points, 7 assists and 3 steals.
Nembhard the next summer would play at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2018 and average 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Later in the summer he played two games with the Canadian senior national team in the First Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers, picking up 3.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
He made the Canada team for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 at age 19 and contributed 2.8 points and 2.4 assists. The next time he lined up for his country was at the 2024 Olympics, where he averaged 6.3 points and 1.3 assists.
Nembhard played two seasons of college basketball with Florida and two more with Gonzaga before being selected with the 31st pick of the 2022 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. He had a strong rookie season and in 2023-24 averaged 9.2 points on 49.8/35.7/80.4 percent shooting and 4.1 assists. Nembhard's numbers the next two seasons and he tallied 16.9 points and 7.7 assists in 57 games in 2025-26.
Stay tuned for the rest of the Top 20 players to ever play at the U17 World Cup.
FIBA