And just like that, Germany are your EuroBasket 2025 champions.
In a tournament headlined by three of the top five players in the world, it was not Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, nor Giannis Antetokounmpo that won the day, but the all-around play of Germany.
The common narrative about European-style basketball is its emphasis on ball movement and unselfish play relative to the American game. However, as far as EuroBasket 2025 went, it looked to be the opposite. Of course, the usual suspects made it out of the group stage, but favorite Serbia failed to even make the quarterfinals when its three-headed monster of the Nikola's (Jokić and Jovic) and Bogdan Bogdanović failed keep up with Lauri Markkanen and Finland. Finland, as well as Dončić and Slovenia, would eventually fall to Germany on its way to the finals, while Antetokounmpo and Greece would get ran out of the gym against Alperen Sengun's Turkish buzzsaw.
But that's where individual star power ended
While Turkey kept it close, Germany would pull out with the victory in the end. It is worth noting that Germany featured the only two players in the tournament who both finished top 12 in per game scoring and efficiency, with Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner both clearing 20 points per game. But in a testament to their team, neither was the highlight of the final. While Schröder had the hot hand to end the game, it was Isaac Bonga who led the German scoring effort with 20 points. Bonga also took home the first ever Best Defensive Player award in EuroBasket history.
All of this to say that in a year dominated by the biggest stars (seriously, we didn't even talk about the history made by Alperen Şengün and Lauri Markkanen), their historic performances weren't enough to outshine what European, and in a way, modern basketball is all about. Take Germany's well-rounded approach to the game, which seems reminiscent of the gold medal Spanish team in 2022 (Willy Hernangomez led the team in scoring for the finals off the bench).
Team basketball is here to stay -- and frankly, NBA teams could learn a lot from this historic German squad: your reigning World Cup and EuroBasket champions.