TRENTINO (Italy) - FIBA U18 EuroBasket will be held in Italy for the first time in nearly 50 years, as 16 of Europe's top nations battle for the U18 title and one of five qualification berths to next year's FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.
Spain will look to defend its title as reigning U18 champion, but they'll face tough competition from, among others, a tremendously talented France squad that fell just one point short in last year's Final, as well as a Slovenia team fresh off its U20 EuroBasket triumph in Ljubljana, led by one of the world's top prospects in Stefan Joksimovic.
Among the many talented players set to take the floor in Trentino, we selected 10 who appear primed for a breakout tournament.
Hugo Yimga - France
Small Forward
Birth Date: July 3, 2008 (18 years old) Height: 2.04m (6ft 8in) Team: Nanterre 92 (FRA)
Yimga was one of the main contributors to last year's silver-medal-winning France squad, averaging 10.4 points and a team-best 5.4 rebounds per game. Last season, the 2.04m forward joined Nanterre 92, where he was named the LNB Elite Rising Star after earning a starting spot for one of the top three teams in the French top flight.
Standing at 2.04m, Yimga is a truly gifted athlete who utilizes his size and strength to make an impact as a rebounder and interior finisher, while also possessing the mobility to defend on the perimeter. This season, he also showed tremendous offensive growth, developing into a consistent threat to create for himself in the post and knock down catch-and-shoot threes.
It's been a decade since France's last U18 title, and the team fell just short last year, losing the Final to Spain by a single point. With another massively talented roster and an MVP-caliber player in Yimga, France is in a great position to win it all in Trentino.
Stefan Joksimovic - Slovenia
Point Guard
Birth Date: November 16, 2008 (17 years old) Height: 2.04m (6ft 8in) Team: Saski Baskonia (ESP)
Joksimovic enters this year's FIBA U18 EuroBasket as one of the tournament's highest-profile players, as he's considered a potential top-10 pick in next year's NBA Draft. The 17-year-old was not only a standout at last year's U18 EuroBasket, but he's already an important piece of the Slovenian senior national team, appearing in all six games during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers.
Joksimovic's high profile stems from the fact that he's one of the most versatile prospects in his age group, capable of creating drives, shooting threes, making passes on the move, and generating defensive events, all at an elite level.
After spending more than a decade without breaking into the top eight, Slovenia reached the podium in 2019, repeated the feat in 2024, and has generally been one of the tournament's strongest teams over the past seven years. With Joksimovic projected to be one of the top players in Trentino, this could be the year Slovenia finally breaks through and captures its first-ever U18 title.
Cheickh Niang - Italy
Forward
Birth Date: September 16, 2008 (17 years old) Height: 1.96m (6ft 5in) Team: Aquila Basket Trento (ITA)
Niang will play in his first FIBA competition for Italy after a strong season with Trento in the Italian Serie A, where, at just 17 years old, he carved out a role and earned rotational minutes. The younger brother of senior national team standout Saliou Niang is one of the most athletic players in the competition, with his combination of speed, quickness, and vertical explosiveness making him a serious threat as a transition finisher, half-court slasher, and perimeter defender.
Italy has steadily moved closer to a U18 title in recent years, reaching the podium in last year's tournament. Niang's high-flying athleticism could be the factor that finally gets the team over the hump and delivers Italy its first U18 championship since 1990.
Andrej Bjelic - Serbia
Guard
Birth Date: March 17, 2008 (18 years old) Height: 1.94m (6ft 4in) Team: Real Madrid (ESP)
Bjelic returns to the Serbian national team after his appearance at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024, where he finished as the tournament's second-leading scorer - averaging 18.4 points per game - and earned a place in the All-Star Five. The Real Madrid prospect has been one of the best shooters in his age group, looking nearly automatic as a spot-up shooter while also showing the versatility to convert shots off the dribble at a high volume.
Over the past few years, he has continued to develop as a creative ball handler and improve as a playmaker for others.
Serbia has been a powerhouse at the U18 level, finishing in the top five in six of the last seven editions, including three titles during that span. With Bjelic on the roster, they'll once again have an offensive centerpiece capable of leading them to another championship.
Fabian Kayser - Germany
Shooting Guard
Birth Date: March 25, 2009 (17 years old) Height: 2.02m (6ft 8in) Team: Real Madrid (ESP)
Kayser has been making waves as one of the top players in the 2009 generation, making an impact for Real Madrid's youth teams over the past few years. The 17-year-old has developed into a versatile shooter who can knock down jumpers off movement and coming off screens, while his advanced passing vision and ability to create shots for teammates have also stood out in recent years, making him a potential wing initiator who could be tremendously valuable for Germany, especially alongside a prolific perimeter shot creator like Lucai Anderson.
Powered by one of Europe's best-ever generations, Germany reached its first-ever podium in 2023 before capturing a historic U18 title in 2024. With Kayser projected to be one of the top players in another talented generation, Germany will once again be a team to watch in this year's tournament.
Chrysostomos Chatzilamprou - Greece
Forward
Birth Date: July 12, 2008 (18 years old) Height: 2.00m (6ft 7in) Team: Aris (GRE)
Chatzilamprou was one of Greece's top players at FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024, where he averaged 17.9 points and 6.0 rebounds, leading his team to the Semi-Finals and earning a place in the tournament's All-Star Five. The Aris forward makes an impact on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he's an effective slasher who utilizes his combination of size, length, and fluidity to get to the rim and convert difficult finishes around the basket. Defensively, he uses those same tools to contain drives and contest shots at every level of the floor.
Despite coming off back-to-back Round of 16 exits, having Chatzilamprou on the roster should give Greece reason to be optimistic about its chances of securing one of the available berths for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2027.
Ignas Stombergas - Lithuania
Center
Birth Date: February 21, 2008 (18 years old) Height: 2.08m (6ft 10in) Team: Zalgiris (LTU)
Stombergas was the top rim protector at FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024, averaging 10.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game. Since then, he has established himself as one of the best young big men in Europe with Zalgiris' junior teams. The 18-year-old center possesses truly elite footwork and touch around the basket, while also being a consistent presence on the glass at both ends of the floor. Despite lacking elite size or explosiveness, he contributes defensively by contesting shots effectively from a standstill.
Once one of the most successful nations at the U18 level, with one title and six podium finishes between 2006 and 2017, Lithuania has yet to advance past the Quarter-Finals this decade. Stombergas projects as one of the top big men in the tournament, and his impact around the basket could be the key to helping Lithuania return to the heights of previous generations.
Omer Ege Ziyaettin - Türkiye
Point Guard
Birth Date: May 20, 2008 (18 years old) Height: 1.87m (6ft 2in) Team: IMG Academy (USA)
Ziyaettin was one of Türkiye's top players at FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024, finishing in the tournament's top 10 in both points and assists per game. The former Fenerbahce guard is a versatile offensive player who can operate as a floor general, creating opportunities for teammates, while also calling his own number by attacking the rim with his fluid, shifty ball handling and making an impact as a three-point shooter. Ziyaettin should be one of the key players for a Türkiye team that hasn't won the U18 crown since capturing back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014, despite coming close on multiple occasions, including three runner-up finishes since then.
Chiek Diallo - Spain
Center
Birth Date: August 5, 2008 (17 years old) Height: 2.07m (6ft 9in) Team: Saski Baskonia (ESP)
The reigning champions will welcome back Diallo, who made an impact for last year's squad as the backup center to tournament MVP Ian Platteeuw. Currently playing for Baskonia's junior team, Diallo makes his presence felt in the paint as an agile rim protector, rebounder, and interior finisher, while also displaying a polished post-scoring arsenal, creating and converting opportunities beyond the restricted area with his combination of touch and footwork.
Spain has been the dominant nation at the U18 level, winning six titles, including three since 2019 alone. This year, with the dynamic duo of Diego Niebla and Diallo, they'll once again have enough firepower to add another championship to an already loaded trophy case.
Aviv Aronov - Israel
Shooting Guard
Birth Date: April 04, 2008 (18 years old) Height: 1.95m (6ft 5in) Team: Huntington Prep (USA)
Aronov saw limited action at last year's U18 EuroBasket, but he led his team in points and steals per game at FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024 and has been Israel's most productive player during the preparation games ahead of this year's tournament. The 18-year-old is a dynamic scorer who can create shots for himself with his smooth ball handling and scoring touch from multiple levels of the floor.
Over the past season at Huntington Prep in the United States, he has also developed as a playmaker for others, showing the quickness to read the floor and make decisions, along with the versatility and creativity to deliver accurate passes to teammates. Since returning to Division A in 2022, Israel has established itself as one of the tournament's most consistent teams. With Aronov leading the way, this might finally be the year they break through and reach their first-ever podium.
FIBA