EuroBasket Group A Roster Breakdown

Who couldn't use a European vacation?

Eurobasket 2025, or the men’s European Championship, tips off on Wednesday, August 27th. The most top-to-bottom competitive international basketball tournament in the world will feature four different host nations– Finland, Poland, Latvia, and Cyprus. While Finland, Latvia, and Poland are all Baltic-adjacent nations, although Poland is hosting their events in Katowice, deep in the heart of East-Central Europe, Cyprus is an island nation in the Eastern Mediterranean. Honestly, with planes, trains, and automobiles, who really cares about geographic consistency? But still, it feels like Cyprus was thrown in there to grant them their first-ever qualification into the tournament. Each nation will host one of the four alphabetically identified groups, with the knockout rounds taking place in Riga, Latvia, right on the Baltic Sea.

Before the festivities get too far underway, I thought I’d go through each team and their notable players as a fun little primer for a tournament, due to time zones, that you may watch zero minutes of. While current, former, and future NBA players should have the most name recognition, most of these rosters are populated by excellent hoopers who choose to stay in Europe, make millions, and never really consider heading to the US. It might seem odd, but think of all the players who toil away in the G-League for years when they could go to Europe or Asia, be a star, and make way more money than a pathetic G-League salary. The point being, just because you haven’t heard a guy linked with the NBA, doesn’t mean they’re not NBA quality in some capacity.

To kickstart this four-article set, we’ll dive into Group A, hosted in Latvia. The group arguably has the most high-end NBA talent and has a claim to the group of death moniker. Granted, since four of the six teams will qualify for the knockout round, the stakes in each group aren’t as high as they are in major international soccer tournaments.

Portugal

Roster: Francisco Amarante, Diogo Brito, Diogo Gameiro, Miguel Queiroz, Neemias Queta, Daniel Relvao, Candido Sa, Nuno Sa, Rafael Lisboa, Diogo Ventura, Vladyslav Voytso, Travante Williams

This is only Portugal’s fourth appearance in EuroBasket, and their first since 2011. They finished in ninth place in 2007, their best-ever finish, and due to the presence of three heavyweights, they’ll be hard-pressed to rewrite their record book. Regardless, Portuguese basketball is clearly improving. They qualified for EuroBasket in 1951 and then had to wait 56 years before a return. Now they’ve qualified for three tournaments in the past 18 years. That’s progress.

The most notable Portuguese player is Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta. The 26-year-old played a career high of 62 games this past season and looks poised for an expanded role due to the departures of Luke Kornet and, Group A mate, Kristaps Porzingis. At seven feet tall, Queta’s ability to guard the rim and the impressive lineup of All-Star centers will be huge.

The only other player on Portugal’s roster who is in Basketball Reference’s international player database is Travante Williams. Williams, born in Anchorage, Alaska, is a 6’4 forward/guard who has played for Baxi Manresa since 2023. In the 2023-24 Spanish league season, he averaged 6.8 points per game on 36.9% shooting. Williams is signed to play for CSM Oradea in the Romanian league.

Using the binary analysis of “Are your players on Basketball Reference?” Portugal secures a two out of twelve rating. By far the lowest in Group A. While that’s probably not the fairest of analyses, I think it’ll end up being pretty accurate.

Estonia

Roster: Henri Drell, Kregor Hermet, Janari Joesaar, Mikk Jurkatamm, Artur Konontsuk, Kristian Kullamae, Sander Raieste, Joonas Riismaa, Mart Rosenthal, Matthias Tass, Kaspar Treier, Siim-Sander Vene

Estonia is by no means a basketball power, as this is only their seventh Eurobasket appearance, and their best performances came in 1937 and 1939 when they finished fifth. That being said, this is their second consecutive qualification, and they have a relatively young roster, with nine of their twelve players being under the age of 27.

Without any current NBA talent, Estonia is sure to fly under the radar, but their roster is populated by solid role players who are dotted all around major European leagues. What’s fascinating is that while ten out of twelve of Estonia’s roster appear in Basketball Reference’s database, none is a standout.

Kristian Kullamae’s career is probably the most notable. He currently plays for Lietkabelis Panevėžys in Lithuania, where he averaged 10.1 points per game in the Euro Cup in 2022-23. In between his spells with Lietkabelis, he played for Bilbao in Spain and averaged 10.4 points per game in the 2022-23 season.

Matthias Tass has not had a distinguished professional career, but he was a solid four-year player for St. Mary’s. In his junior and senior seasons, he averaged a combined 11.9 points per game over 58 starts.

Estonia lacks the top-end talent to make a deep run, but their depth should allow them to remain competitive with the bottom tier of Group A.

Latvia

Roster: Davis Bertans, Dairis Bertans, Klavs Cavars, Andrejs Grazulis, Arturs Kurucs, Rihards Lomazs, Mareks Mejeris, Kristaps Porzingis, Rolands Smits, Marcis Steinbergs, Arturs Zagars, Kristers Zoriks

Latvia should benefit immensely from hosting the tournament and could make a real run at their best finish since winning the inaugural 1935 EuroBasket. Despite being a part of the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1991, Latvia has qualified for EuroBasket in 11 out of the 14 tournaments since 1991, finishing eighth in 2015 and fifth in 2017. Unsurprisingly for a Baltic nation, Latvia’s roster is huge, with an average team height of 2.02 meters, or 6.6 feet, or 6’7 because Americans need to have the most convoluted units of measurement.

Obviously, Kristaps Porzingis is the star here. He’s one of the best stretch fives in the NBA and gives Latvia a real star to build their attack around. While the average fan overlooked his time with the Wizards, it’s where he rounded out his offensive game and proved to be a quality offensive hub, a role he should easily slide back into for EuroBasket.

Davis Bertans, another former Wizard, is one of the best 3-point shooters in the tournament. A career 39.6% 3-point shooter in the NBA, Bertans, if paired with Porzingis, gives Latvia one of the best spacing frontcourts in the world, bar none.

Roland Smits was a key role player for Barcelona between 2018-19 and 2021-22, helping the Spanish side win three Copa del Reys and the Spanish league in 2021. He currently plays for Zalgiris in Lithuania, and is yet another giant (6’10) floor spacer (36.1% 3-point shooting in EuroLeague play).

Latvia’s star power is in their frontcourt, but they have a trio of intriguing guards in Rihards Lomazs, Artūrs Žagars, and Kristers Zoriks. Lomazs has bounced all around Europe, but has featured in the EuroLeague three different times. His best spell came in 2021-22 for Yukatel Merkezefendi Basket in the Turkish League when he averaged 14.9 points per game. Žagars spent the early part of his career in Spain with Joventut before being sent out on loan for three consecutive seasons. He’s now in Turkey with Fenerbahçe as a rotation player. Finally, Kristers Zoriks has earned starter-level minutes in Turkey and then France this past season. Over his past two league campaigns, he has averaged 10.6 points and 3.5 assists per game.

While Latvia is definitely not the favorite in Group A, their combination of talent and home cooking gives them the inside track to finish second. If they end group play anywhere outside of the top three, that’d count as a massive disappointment.

Turkey

Roster: Onuralp Bitim, Adem Bona, Sehmus Hazer, Furkan Korkmaz, Shane Larkin, Cedi Osman, Ercan Osmani, Sertac Sanli, Alperen Sengun, Kenan Sipahi, Erkan Yilmaz, Omer Yurtseven

Turkey has never won EuroBasket, but this roster gives them their best shot since they finished second in 2001. After a dry spell in the 1980s, Turkey has qualified for every EuroBasket since 1993 and has established itself as one of the best basketballing nations in the world due to the quality of their domestic league and the steady flow of NBA-quality talent it produces.

As far as European countries go, Turkey’s roster containing seven players with NBA experience is near the top. Shane Larkin, Cedi Osman, Furkan Korkmaz, Alperen Sengun, Adem Bona, Ömer Yurtseven, and Onuralp Bitim have all played in the NBA, with some having hugely successful spells.

The star here is Alperen Sengun. The 23-year-old already has an All-Star team to his name and is one of the best one-on-one creators at the center position in the world. After Nikola Jokic and a healthy Joel Embiid, he’s the only other center I’d want to give the ball, get out of the way, and let him cook. Slightly undersized, Turkey may opt to play another center next to him, but he’s such a creative interior passer that he can make it work.

Cedi Osman and Furkan Korkmaz are similar in that they’re two wings who faded out of the NBA as their marginal athleticism declined. However, for EuroBasket, they give Turkey one of the best wing rotations you could ask for. Osman, in particular, had an excellent season for Panathinaikos in 2024-25, averaging 12.8 points per game in the league and 7.9 points in the EuroLeague.

At point guard, Turkey is sure to lean heavily on Shane Larkin, son of MLB Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, and a four-season NBA vet. Larkin had an unremarkable NBA career as a backup point guard, but was an absolute menace in Europe. Over 228 career EuroLeague games, Larkin has averaged 14.7 points per game on 41.2% 3-point shooting.

Turkey has star power, depth in the front court and wings, and a proven point guard. This is one of the most talented rosters, and they have a real chance to win the whole tournament.

Serbia

Roster: Aleksa Avramovic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Ognjen Dobric, Marko Guduric, Nikola Jokic, Nikola Jovic, Stefan Jovic, Vanja Marinkovic, Vasilije Micic, Nikola Milutinov, Filip Petrusev, Tristan Vukcevic

Serbia has a convoluted EuroBasket legacy due to the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 90s. From 1992 to 2003, Serbia competed in international competition as FR Yugoslavia, from 2003 to 2006 as Serbia and Montenegro, and since 2006, as Serbia after Montenegro declared independence. Since going it alone, Serbia has finished as runners-up twice (2009, 2017), but they won three EuroBaskets as FR Yugoslavia (1995, 1997, 2001). So technically, Serbia is a three-time winner, but also, technically, they’ve never won.

Perhaps no country, outside of the United States, has produced such a steady stream of high-level basketball talent. With 16 members of the FIBA Hall of Fame, Serbia is one of the preeminent basketball powers. A big reason Serbia has been able to produce high-level basketball talent is that it’s one of the tallest nations on Earth, and their roster’s average height is 2.03 meters is massive.

Serbia’s roster has four current NBAers, tied with France for the most in the tournament, and is headlined by the world’s best player– Nikola Jokic. Jokic doesn’t need any introduction. Over the past five seasons, he has won three MVPs, finishing second in the other years, won a title, and cemented himself as one of the ten greatest players in history. He’s still only 30, and the last thing for him to accomplish is to win Gold with Serbia.

After Jokic, Serbia’s next best player is Bogdan Bogdanovic. Following a disappointing half-season with the Hawks, the combo-guard found himself contributing for the Clippers in the playoffs. With a career points per game average of 14.3 in the NBA, the 33-year-old can fill it up from anywhere on the court, and his performance in this tournament gives Serbia their ceiling.

Nikola Jovic and Tristan Vukcevic are young players trying to find their way in the NBA. Jovic has made steady progress with the Heat, and Vukcevic has shown potential as a stretch big. With a strong showing, Jovic could secure his status as a mainstay on the wing.

The rest of Serbia’s roster has tons of EuroLeague experience, with a few securing cups of coffee in the NBA. Vasilije Micić had a disappointing NBA career, but has long been one of the best players in Europe. He’s an excellent shooter and passer and will have a huge role on offense.

Filip Petrušev, Vanja Marinković, Ognjen Dobrić, and Marko Gudurić all have over 100 EuroLeague appearances, and outside of Petrušev, a 6’11 forward/center, are excellent 3-point shooters. Serbia is overflowing with big physical shooters who should complement their three stars–Jokic, Bogdanovic, and Micić–perfectly. Without a doubt, Serbia is the favorite in Group A and should view anything less than the Gold as a disappointment.

Czechia

Roster: Richard Balint, Jaromir Bohacik, Vojtech Hruban, Adam Kejval, Vit Krejci, Martin Kriz, Petr Krivanek, Tomas Kyzlink, Martin Peterka, Ondrej Sehnal, Martin Svoboda, Jak Zidek

Czechia, formerly part of Czechoslovakia, has qualified for the last four EuroBaskets, with their best showing a seventh-place finish in 2015. Unfortunately, their team captain and former NBA guard, Tomáš Satoranský, had to withdraw due to a back injury.

Even though Czechia is down an NBA-quality player, Vit Krejci will be there to lead the way. The 25-year-old took some time to find his footing in the NBA, but last offseason he signed a four-year deal with the Hawks and turned in a solid campaign as a shooting specialist off the bench. He set his career high by averaging 7.2 points per game on 43.7% shooting from three. His effective field goal percentage of 65.1% would have been in the top five if he had played enough to qualify. Listed at 6’8, he’s the type of big guard that can help a less talented team play up by playing through him.

The rest of the roster is light on impact talent. Martin Peterka is coming off two strong seasons in the Turkish league, but has yet to play in the EuroLeague. Despite his inexperience at the highest level, he has shot over 40% from three the past two seasons. Tomas Kyzlink was a solid player in Italy before exploding in the Chinese League this season. He averaged 20.7 points and 4.5 assists per game, but the league isn’t exactly known for its quality or its defense.

Vojtech Hruban and Martin Kriz played in the EuroLeague a decade ago as teammates on ČEZ Nymburk, but both are well into their 30s and haven’t made much of an impact in recent seasons. Jaromir Bohacik was excellent in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, averaging 15.3 points per game, but saw his production crater in the 2020 Olympics to 2.7 points per game. Recapturing that level of form could be huge for their chances.

Czechia is in a similar tier of quality as Portugal and Estonia. They have the advantage of having the best player, Vit Krejci, which gives them a solid chance to secure the fourth and final spot in Group A.

For any inquiries about work, discussion, and the like, you can email me at nevin.l.brown@gmail.com.