Serbia the favorites as EuroBasket 2025 set to get underway

LONDON: Before starting their annual runs toward what they hope is an NBA championship, players like Serbia’s Nikola Jokic, Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic have another trophy to chase this summer.

They’ll be seeking the European title.

EuroBasket — a 24-team tournament pitting the best squads in Europe against one another — opens Wednesday. Spain are the defending champion, and more than two dozen players who currently are on NBA rosters are expected to take part in the event.

“I think you guys have gotten a taste of it a little bit with Olympics maybe and it’s kind of similar for us really how much pride there is in that tournament,” said Sweden guard Pelle Larsson, who plays for the Miami Heat, when asked to explain how big a deal EuroBasket is on his home continent.

“Everyone comes to compete and is really proud to represent their country,” he said. “For a country like Sweden, that is our biggest competition and that’s the most prideful.”

Spain beat France in the final of the 2022 tournament, the most recent last time EuroBasket was held.

Tournament format

Nations were drawn into groups of six. Teams will play the other teams in their group once in the opening stage. The top four teams in each group will advance to the knockout phase in Riga, Latvia, from Sept. 6 through Sept. 14.

Group A preview

Group site: Riga, Latvia

Teams (FIBA world ranking):

Serbia (2), Latvia (9), Czechia (19), Turkiye (27), Estonia (43), Portugal (56)

Outlook: The good news for Latvia is that they will be at home for the entirety of the tournament, with the group stage and the knockout rounds all in Riga. The bad news for Latvia (and Czechia, Turkiye, Estonia and Portugal) is that Serbia will be there