The Asia Cup is over, so what’s next? The most thrilling basketball tournament in the world is finally here!

Many basketball fans might ask: “The Asia Cup just finished, and the NBA hasn’t started yet, so what basketball event should we follow next?”

Guys, get ready for the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket!

In my view, it’s the top-tier basketball tournament under the FIBA system, known as the “Champions League” of basketball.

Honestly, from a competitive standpoint, EuroBasket attracts me more than the current NBA, the Olympic men’s basketball, or the FIBA World Cup.

Because the level is comparable; because the games flow smoothly, it’s a purer form of basketball.

In a warm-up game early this morning, Serbia crushed Slovenia 106-72. Jokic played 19 minutes, scoring 10 points with 8 rebounds and 4 assists, while Doncic played 27 minutes, putting up 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Previously, EuroBasket was held every two years; now it’s every four years.

The last tournament was in 2022 in Berlin (delayed due to masks), where Spain defeated France in the final, and Hernangomez was named MVP.

Over the past six editions, the Spanish “Matadors” have won three times, truly deserving the title of European kings.

However, with the retirement of the golden generation represented by the Gasol brothers, Navarro, and Rudy, Spain has declined, while France and Germany have risen strongly.

The EuroBasket that impressed me most was in 2017, when Slovenia upset Serbia, with Dragic exploding for 35 points...

At that time, Doncic was just 18, with a delicate face, and made the All-Star team.

Eight years later, Luka has become Slovenia’s undisputed leader, leading the team once again.

Let’s talk about this year’s EuroBasket.

Group stage: August 27 to September 5, jointly hosted by Cyprus, Finland, Latvia, and Poland.

Knockout stage: September 6 to September 14, concentrated in Riga, the capital of Latvia.

24 teams are divided into 4 groups:

Group A: Serbia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Estonia, Portugal;

Group B: Germany, Lithuania, Montenegro, Finland, Great Britain, Sweden;

Group C: Spain, Greece, Italy, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus;

Group D: France, Slovenia, Poland, Israel, Belgium, Iceland.

Each group plays a single round-robin; the top four teams from each group advance to the round of 16, with matchups like A1 vs B4, A2 vs B3, and so forth.

The latest power rankings place Serbia, Germany, and France in the top three, followed by Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Finland, Slovenia...

Serbia, as the favorite to win, has sent a star-studded squad including Jokic, Bogdanovic, Topic from the Thunder, Jovic from the Heat, and center Vucevic from the Wizards — five current NBA players, arguably the most luxurious roster in Europe.

The reigning World Cup champions Germany are led by Schroder and Wagner Jr., Turkey by Sengun, Finland by Markkanen, Greece by Antetokounmpo, and Slovenia by Doncic... A rough count shows 24 NBA players competing in this summer’s EuroBasket.

Unfortunately, Shaolin Temple’s top monk, Wenban, and France’s towering Gobert will not participate.

However, if you judge European teams solely by the number of NBA players, it only shows one thing: you don’t understand European basketball or the differences between FIBA competitions and the NBA.

Every time I watch them play, I’m amazed by their team chemistry and the speed of their game intelligence — it’s truly breathtaking.

Lots of off-ball movement, precise timing in passing, defensive anticipation... with 5-7 tactical options following each play, players must instantly read the defense and react. Their level of play is incredibly advanced.

European big men generally have high-post playmaking, mid-to-long-range shooting, and low-post scoring skills, even if you might not recognize their names...

If you watch the EuroBasket and then most Asia Cup games, you might find it hard to continue watching... because although both are basketball, the Asia Cup feels like it’s in slow motion.

What makes European basketball impressive is that they all come from a production line of high-end talent.

It’s not just super teams like Serbia or Germany; even teams like Cyprus and Iceland play very team-oriented basketball.

That’s right, Iceland, a nation famous for football with only 400,000 people, qualified for the men’s EuroBasket.

Frankly, China’s men’s team struggles against Iceland, who beat Turkey and Italy in the European qualifiers... Does that challenge your assumptions?

Their core player is the big center Helinason (from Bilbao).

Meanwhile, the Dutch national team, which had some back-and-forth warm-up games with China, didn’t qualify...

By the way, in recent warm-up games, Finland’s star Markkanen has been outrageous, averaging 40.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game... shooting 68.6% from the field and 53.8% from three-point range.

There will be many “upsets” in EuroBasket, which actually means NBA stars’ teams have been “shocked.”

But if you understand European basketball, these surprises aren’t surprising at all.

For example, Slovenia might lose to Poland (they lost three years ago) or Israel; Greece getting beaten by Georgia isn’t really news.

I’ve said before: if the 12 Olympic teams were selected without continental quotas and grouped freely, Europe would have at least 8 teams, with no Asian or African teams qualifying.

If the 32 World Cup teams were also selected freely, Europe would have more than 24 teams.

Traditional strong team Croatia, with players like Zubac, Saric, and Hezonja, has missed the EuroBasket finals for the first time ever.

Zubac even once tried to recruit Mann as a naturalized player... unbelievable, right?

This shows how fiercely competitive European basketball is — it’s extremely intense...

One last point: the last time an Asian team won a game at the Olympics was in 2008 Beijing Olympics, when China beat Germany 59-55.

Yes, it’s that shocking.