Riga’s EuroBasket 2025 didn’t just crown champions, it told a story of evolution, grit, and the fine line between glory and heartbreak. In a tournament packed with rising stars and established icons, every game carried weight, from the bronze medal clash where Greece ended a 16-year medal drought, to Germany’s hard-fought coronation over Turkey in a Final defined by depth, defense, and clutch moments. Across courts and countries, the narrative was clear: European basketball is no longer dominated by a few traditional powers, and the margins that separate silver from gold, or fourth from bronze, are razor-thin.

Greece’s 92–89 win over Finland was more than a consolation, it was a statement. Giannis Antetokounmpo finally lifted international hardware, Spanoulis added coaching glory to a storied playing career, and Finland showed the world that their “wolfpack” is on the verge of breaking through. Meanwhile, in the gold medal game, Germany proved that their World Cup triumph was no fluke, edging Turkey 88–83 thanks to tactical flexibility, bench contributions, and an unlikely Finals MVP performance from Isaac Bonga. Across both games, the tournament showcased a blend of individual brilliance and systemic mastery, where every adjustment, rotation, and three-pointer mattered.

Beyond the medals, EuroBasket 2025 crowned stars, recognized rising talents, and celebrated teams that exceeded expectations. Franz Wagner and Dennis Schröder shared Co-MVP honors, Giannis and Lauri Markkanen made the All-EuroBasket first team alongside the tournament’s best big men and guards, and Finland earned recognition as the biggest surprise. The awards reflected the competition’s depth, but the stories on the floor—of perseverance, strategy, and national pride, are what truly defined this summer of European hoops. By the final buzzer, Riga had delivered more than champions; it had delivered a snapshot of the continent’s basketball present and future.

Bronze Medal game: Greece 92, Finland 89

The bronze medal game is often described as the hardest one to play. You’re 40 minutes removed from chasing gold and instead forced to summon energy for the “lowest step” on the podium. But in Riga, with Finland chasing their first-ever EuroBasket medal and Greece looking to end a 16-year drought, Sunday’s 92–89 Greek win was far more than a consolation prize. It was a night where pride, history, and legacy all converged, one where Giannis Antetokounmpo finally added international silverware to his résumé, and one where Finland left knowing they’re closer than ever to breaking through.

From the jump, Greece made it clear they wanted to dictate the terms physically. They used Giannis in transition to outmuscle Finland before the Susijengi defense could get set, and Spanoulis went unconventional on the other end: Kostas Papanikolaou opened on Lauri Markkanen in what looked like a soft box defense, while Miro Little was picked up almost face-to-face in another “box” look. It was a recognition that Finland’s offense works like a wolfpack, you can’t just cut off the head, you have to jam the movement around it.

And yet, the early burst of Greek threes kept Finland from settling in. Tyler Dorsey drilled back-to-back triples against a packed paint, then a third before the quarter was over. When Sasu Salin finally hit one of his own, it felt more like a breakdown by Greece, one pin-down, wide open, than a system advantage. By the late first, Finland had begun to involve Jantunen more as a pop threat to drag Giannis away from the rim, opening just a sliver of space for Lauri to operate. But Greece had already established the tone: Giannis wasn’t just the battering ram; he was playmaking from the short roll, punishing rotations.

When Giannis sat, though, the cracks showed. Greece’s offense devolved into late-clock three-point heaves or tightly scripted sets with no secondary playmaker to lean on. Finland seized the moment through Murinen, whose five quick points, including a soaring dunk and a forced unsportsmanlike foul, sliced the deficit to one. His energy, paired with Olivier Nkamhoua’s athleticism, gave the Finns a much-needed injection of tempo.

The difference between Turkey’s semifinal game plan and Finland’s showed starkly. The Finns never succeeded in rattling Greece’s guards; Dorsey and Sloukas weren’t made uncomfortable in the backcourt. The result was target practice: at one point Greece was 6-for-9 from deep just minutes into the second quarter, every look wide open. When Lauri began asserting himself late in the half, bullying the young Samodurov, Greece counterpunched with sheer size, sending Giannis and Kostas Antetokounmpo as helpers. Suddenly Markkanen was fighting through two bodies just to see the rim.

Finland’s mistakes compounded things. A few careless turnovers became runouts the other way, and nobody in blue could stop Greece’s open-floor attack. By halftime, Greece had outscored Finland 17–3 in fast-break points and 15–5 in points off turnovers, the Susijengi walking into every coach’s nightmare scenario: fueling Giannis-led transition. A double-digit lead (14 at the break) felt secure, but not insurmountable.

The third quarter saw Finland’s best tactical adjustment: empty-side pick-and-rolls for Lauri. With the floor cleared, he could finally dive into space without extra bodies swarming him. Jantunen chipped in with a series of pick-and-pop jumpers, and Jacob Grandison gave the Finns five straight points off the bench to keep the margin in single digits. Still, Greece’s bread-and-butter was relentless. Giannis posted on the left block, creating from the hub. The size advantage on the boards never went away, offensive rebounds piled up, with Greece grabbing two on the first minute of the fourth.

By the middle of the fourth, Dorsey had seemingly delivered the knockout. His deep three with 4:31 left pushed the lead to 17, punctuating a sequence of elite Greek defensive rotations and Giannis hockey assists out of the post. But Finland, true to their identity, refused to fold.

The full-court press and traps came out, and suddenly Greece looked vulnerable. Turnovers piled up, missed free throws followed, and the once-safe cushion began shrinking. With under three minutes to go, the lead was down to 11. Then to 7. Then, after a flurry of hustle plays, to 4 with under a minute left. Jantunen grabbed an offensive board and kicked to Nkamhoua for a corner three. The Latvian crowd, overwhelmingly pro-Finland, roared, it felt like overtime was lurking.

But every rally has its wall. Giannis, as he so often does, broke the script. A clutch and-one with 50 seconds remaining pushed the lead back to seven. Lauri answered with a three, Finland forced a turnover, and Miro Little coolly sank two free throws to cut it to two. Sloukas, usually automatic at the line, split his chance. Then came the moment: Valtonen fouled on a three-pointer, a chance to tie. He made the first two, but the third rimmed out. Jantunen, everywhere in the final minutes, snagged the offensive rebound but missed the putback under heavy pressure. Giannis calmly drained two free throws on the other end, and with a desperate heave off target, Greece exhaled.

Greece survived despite their own late-game wobble, thanks to overwhelming edges elsewhere. They won the glass 41–34, shot a blistering 47% from three, but nearly let it slip by hitting only 65% from the foul line. Giannis finished with a monster 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 assists, his fourth 20-10-5 game of the tournament, a mark no one else has touched in three decades of EuroBasket play. Dorsey, the perfect Robin, added 20 on 7-of-12 shooting, including the dagger that almost wasn’t.

Finland, as always, leaned on balance. Four players hit double figures: Markkanen (19 and 10), Nkamhoua (15), Jantunen (13) and Valtonen (18, including those tense final free throws). But they shot only 39% from the field and were crushed in the areas that define knockout games: transition defense, turnovers, and rebounding.

For Greece, the result was cathartic. Their first EuroBasket medal since 2009. Their sixth podium overall. Spanoulis, who won bronze as a player that year, now earns another as a coach. And for Giannis, this medal carries a different weight. He’s called it perhaps his greatest achievement: not an NBA MVP, not even the Bucks’ title, but the act of lifting a nation of 12 million onto the podium. “When you win in the NBA, your family is happy, your city is happy,” he said afterward. “But when you win with the national team, you inspire a whole country.”

For Finland, heartbreak in the box score, but history in the big picture. Fourth place is their best-ever EuroBasket finish, and another step in a steady rise: 16th in 2015, 11th in 2017, seventh in 2022, now fourth in 2025. The wolfpack still hasn’t tasted the medal, but they left Riga knowing their time is coming.

And so the bronze medal game, often dismissed as an afterthought, became something else entirely: Giannis’ coronation on the international stage, Greece’s long-awaited return to relevance, and another brick laid in Finland’s upward climb. It wasn’t gold, but it mattered. For both sides, it mattered a lot.

 

Gold Medal game: Germany 88, Turkey 83

Germany’s rise to the top of international basketball isn’t a fairy tale anymore; it’s a dynasty forming in real time. Already World Cup champions in 2023, they added a EuroBasket crown on Sunday with an 88–83 win over Turkey in Riga, their second continental title and their first since 1993. And they did it in the hardest way possible: by weathering Alperen Sengun’s dominance, Shane Larkin’s relentless pressure and a Turkish team that dictated the paint and the tempo for most of the night.

Turkey came out firing, opening a 13–2 run where everything clicked, 5-for-5 from the field, including three triples before Germany had even broken a sweat. Their defense set the tone just as much as the shot-making: Hazer hounded Dennis Schroder baseline-to-baseline, hedges were sharp, and the weakside rotated on a string. For Germany, the adjustment was subtle but telling: Isaac Bonga opened the game guarding Larkin, a nod to his length and ability to slow guards at the point of attack. On the other end, Bonga, whom Turkey stashed Sengun on as a helper, punished that decision, cutting for an early dunk and later burying a corner three.

It was Larkin who defined the first quarter. Every trip down the floor, he attacked the paint, scoring or forcing rotations. By the end of the frame, he and Cedi Osman had combined for 14 of Turkey’s 22 points. Sengun’s early foul trouble, picking up two personals before the horn, capped what might have been a larger Turkish lead. Germany’s bench, however, steadied the ship. By the end of the first, they had racked up seven bench points. Oscar da Silva logged minutes at the five, Franz Wagner bullied his way to the line and Tristan da Silva added 10 points in the half. Germany’s 24–22 edge after one felt more like a narrow escape than a definitive lead.

The second quarter turned into a Sengun showcase. Turkey inverted pick-and-rolls to give him an advantage against Daniel Theis, forcing Germany to hedge and recover. He scored 12 in the frame, operating from the elbows and low block, punishing even short stunts. Germany experimented, Franz Wagner took a turn at him late, but Sengun kept producing until foul number three, whistled just before halftime, sent him to the bench with 15.

Germany counterpunched with tempo and spacing. Wagner applied constant rim pressure, drawing fouls and collapsing Turkey’s defensive shell. Coach Alan Ibrahimagic briefly experimented with a 2–2–1 press into a 2–3 matchup zone to disrupt the rhythm, but the real difference came from Bonga and the role players. At halftime, Turkey had five fewer turnovers than Germany (8–3), yet Germany was still holding its own despite Schröder’s quiet start (2 points, 5 assists, 3 turnovers).

At the break: Turkey 46, Germany 40. They’d won the paint, they’d kept Schroder quiet, and they had Sengun humming. But Germany was still there, lurking.

With Sengun shelved to start the third (Bona in his place), Germany pounced. Bonga fueled a 10–3 burst in the first 2:35, hitting another three and slipping into gaps. When Sengun checked back in at 7:25, Germany had flipped the scoreboard. The adjustment was immediate: doubles from Hazer’s man to crowd Sengun on the catch.

Still, Turkey kept coming. Cedi Osman stretched Germany’s defense with pick-and-pops, Larkin kept darting into seams Germany simply couldn’t close, and every Sengun touch tilted the floor. By the time Sengun picked up his fourth foul with 3:48 left in the third, the game was tied yet again. Germany’s shooting was the equalizer, 5-of-8 from deep in the quarter, with Wagner drilling one and Bonga punishing Turkey’s gamble to sag off him. End of three: Turkey 67, Germany 66.

The fourth quarter belonged to Isaac Bonga, a player more often lauded for defensive Swiss Army knife versatility than for taking over offensively. He hit two huge threes when Turkey shaded away from him. He skied for a one-handed dunk in transition. And with under a minute left, he came flying in for an offensive rebound that led to Schroder’s midrange jumper, the shot that put Germany up three and tilted the Final for good.

Turkey, meanwhile, blinked at the wrong time. Sengun, brilliant all night with 28 points, forced a contested three with 10 seconds left instead of working through the mismatches that had carried him all game. It missed. Schroder, who had finally found his rhythm in crunch time, iced the game at the line.

On paper, Turkey had edges: 40 points in the paint to Germany’s 30, 24 points off turnovers to Germany’s 10. They played the possession game well enough to win. Osman didn’t sit all night, giving them 23 points on 6-of-9 from three. Sengun was unstoppable until foul trouble bent his rhythm. Larkin had 13 and 9 assists, controlling stretches where Sengun rested.

But Germany countered in ways that win championships. They shot 54% from three (53.9 officially), spreading Turkey thin. They limited second chances to just seven offensive rebounds and flipped that category into a 14–7 edge in second-chance points themselves. They shared it, tallying 24 assists, and leaned on multiple heroes: Wagner (18 and 8), Tristan da Silva (13 off the bench), and the steady double-double from Schroder (16 and 12 assists despite six turnovers).

And then there was Bonga: 20 points, 5 rebounds, countless momentum plays. The guy Turkey wanted to leave open ended up being the Finals MVP.

For Germany, this wasn’t just a trophy, it was validation of a run that now spans multiple summers. Third at EuroBasket 2022. World Cup champions in 2023. Now EuroBasket champions in 2025. Nine players overlapping from Manila to Riga. They’re now one of only a handful of nations to hold World and European titles simultaneously.

For Turkey, heartbreak again. Their third silver (after 2001 EuroBasket and 2010 World Cup) and their first outside of Istanbul. Sengun emerged as the centerpiece they hoped for, Osman delivered a captain’s effort, and Larkin gave them the poise of a battle-tested guard. But in the moments that separate silver from gold, they came up one play short.

Germany didn’t. That’s the difference. In a Final with 15 lead changes and 11 ties, in a game where neither team could separate, Germany trusted their system, trusted their depth, and leaned on an unlikely star. Isaac Bonga didn’t just fill gaps, he filled the trophy case.

 

European hoops Eurobasket 2025 awards:

Eurobasket Co-MVPs: Franz Wagner(2 votes) and Dennis Schröder (2 votes)

 

All-Eurobasket 1st team: Dennis Schröder (4 votes), Franz Wagner (4 votes), Giannis Antetokounmpo (4 votes), Alperen Şengün (4 votes), Lauri Markkanen (2 votes)

All-Eurobasket 2nd team: Luka Dončić (4 votes), Jordan Loyd (3 votes), Cedi Osman (4 votes), Mateusz Ponitka (4 votes), Kristaps Porzingis (2 votes)

Honorable mentions: Daniel Theis (2 votes), Nikola Jokić (1 vote)

 

Eurobasket Young Player Revelation: Saliou Niang (2 votes)

Honorable mentions: Miro Little (1 vote), Miikka Muurinen (1 vote)

 

Eurobasket Best Defensive Player: Isaac Bonga (3 votes)

Honorable mentions: Şehmus Hazer (1 vote)

 

Eurobasket Best Role Player: Tristan da Silva (1 vote), Maodo Lo (1 vote), Isaac Bonga (1 vote), Ercan Osmani (1 vote)

 

Eurobasket Biggest Surprise: Finland (3 votes)

Honorable mention: Cedi Osman (1 vote)

 

This article was written by the European Hoops team: Tiago Cordeiro, João Caeiro, Diogo Valente and André Lemos. Make sure you give us a follow on Twitter at @EthosEuroleague!