Reigning world basketball champions Germany have beaten Turkey in the final to win the European championship.
NBA star Dennis Schröder (center) was the key man for GermanyImage: Yiannis Kourtoglou/REUTERS
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Germany came from behind in a tightly contested game to beat Turkey 88-83 and win the EuroBasket 2025 final on Sunday in Riga. This comes two years after Germany – with mostly the same players – won their first FIBA World Cup.
After German captain Dennis Schröder was presented with the EuroBasket trophy, he held it high under a shower of gold confetti – before handing it to ailing national team coach Alex Mumbru in a gesture of gratitude.
The Spaniard had been hospitalized with an inflamed pancreas at the start of the tournament and had been replaced as head coach by assistant Alan Ibrahimagic. Mumbru, visibly weakened, had returned to the sidelines for the knockout phase – but Ibrahimagic remained in charge through to the end.
Ill health forced head coach Alex Mumbru to hand over control to assistant Alan IbrahimagicImage: BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Wunderl/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/picture alliance
Schröder takes charge in the fourth quarter
Turkey had held a narrow lead throughout most of the final, but Germany bounced back late in the fourth quarter.
The game had 15 lead changes and 11 ties, with the final lead change coming when Schröder scored on a drive to put Germany up by one with 1:15 left. He added a jumper with 18.7 seconds remaining and after Turkey's Alperen Sengun missed a 3-pointer that would have tied it. Schröder sealed gold with a pair of free throws.
Schröder, who finished the game with a total of 16 points and 12 assists was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament – just as he had been when Germany won the FIBA World Cup in 2023.
"We never shy away from the big moments. ... Everybody is so confident," Schröder, who currently plays for the NBA's Sacremento Kings, said.
"Just big-time plays from big-time character people."
Eurobasket MVP Dennis Schröder took charge of the game when it mattered mostImage: Ivica Veselinov/MN Press Photo/IMAGO
Former NBA player Isaac Bonga, who is now with Belgrade club Partizan, was the top scorer for Germany with 20 points.
"You realize how hard you work for this. As a child, you dream of hitting these baskets in such a match," Bonga told German broadcaster RTL.
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Key injuries
Franz Wagner, who scored 18 points on the night, brought his brother Moritz to tears by donning his brother's jersey for the award ceremony. Moritz, kept out of EuroBasket by injury, was watching in from California and providing analysis of the match for German broadcaster Magenta. Both Franz and Moritz were members of the 2023 World Cup-winning team.
Also ruled out by injury had been Isaiah Hartenstein, who won the NBA championship with Oklahoma City Thunder in June – while David Krämer and Johannes Voigtmann were forced out just before and during the tournament.
"It was unbelievable," said German Basketball Association (DBB) President Ingo Weiss. "The boys really wanted it and fought until the end. Everyone fights for each other. The team is the star."
Alperen Sengun's 28 points weren't enough to hold on to defeat Franz Wagner's GermanyImage: BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Wunderl/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/picture alliance
Alperen Sengun had 28 points for Turkey, who got another 23 from Cedi Osman and a 13-point, nine-assist, six-rebound game from Shane Larkin in a losing cause.
Germany now two-time European basketball champion
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated the team for the "sensational performance" in a post on X.
"We are proud of you, you are an inspiration for young female and male athletes," Merz said.
While the team basked in the extensive victory celebration in Riga, congratulations came in from two of Germany's greatest sporting figure.
"European champions!!!!" wrote basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki on X.
Former tennis superstar Boris Becker chimed in with: “Yessssss!!!! We won and are European champions!”
Germany's men last won the European Championship in basketball in 1993 – and reached the final in 2005. They finished fourth at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games.
German basketball enjoying golden era
After Dirk Nowitzki's 2005 EuroBasket silver, few would have predicted an even greater era for German basketball. Now Germany have won their second EuroBasket title.
Image: Yiannis Kourtoglou/REUTERS
Schröder's era
After Dirk Nowitzki's run with Germany saw them win bronze at the 2002 Worlds and then narrowly lose the 2005 EuroBasket final, no one expected an even greater generation to follow. Led by Dennis Schröder (above) and Satou Sabally, German basketball is enjoying its most successful spell ever. In both the men's and women's game, German basketball is soaring.
Image: Oscar J Barroso/DPPI/picture alliance
Germany win 2025 EuroBasket title
Germany staged a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Turkey 88-83 for their second EuroBasket title after 1993. Led by tournament MVP Dennis Schröder, Germany prevailed despite the absence of key players like Moritz Wagner and Isaiah Hartenstein. They were led by assistant coach Alan Ibrahimagic after head coach Alex Mumbru had been hospitalized just before the start of the tournament.
Image: Ints Kalnins/REUTERS
Germany reach 2025 EuroBasket final
The German men had already proved their 2023 World Championship victory was no fluke by powering their way to the EuroBasket final. After winning every game in their group, they eased past Portugal, outfought Luka Doncic's Slovenia, and then overcame a surprise Finland in the semifinal. Inspired by Schröder and Franz Wagner (above), this generation's eyes were firmly set on another gold medal.
Image: Tilo Wiedensohler/camera4+/IMAGO
Germany enjoy best Olympic finish in Paris
Germany were on a high in Paris in 2024 after their World Championship win the year before. They swept through their group and into the semifinals where they faced France. Playing at home and keen to get their revenge after losing to Germany in the group stage, France squeezed past Germany. In the bronze-medal game, Germany couldn't keep pace with Serbia, and so narrowly missed out on a medal.
Image: Christina Pahnke/sampics/picture alliance
Germany's women on the rise
After never qualifying for an Olympic Games before, Germany's women booked their ticket and were in Paris in 2024. Inspired by the Sabally sisters, Nyara (left) and Satou, Germany finished second in their group, losing only to the USA. Despite a strong effort in the quarterfinals, they coudn't get past eventual runners-up France.
Image: Tilo Wiedensohler/camera4+/IMAGO IMAGES
Germany's 3x3 win gold
In one of the most sensational stories of the Paris Olympics, Germany's women beat Spain to win gold in the 3x3 basketball (played with one backboard and in a half-court setup). For a team that didn't qualify four years earlier, this was a huge achievement and a sign of further development in the women's game. Results have been inconsistent since, but this moment of history inspired a generation.
Image: Tilo Wiedensohler/camera4+/IMAGO
Germany win 2023 World Championship
Coming off the bronze in the 2022 EuroBasket, Germany were feeling confident. Few expected them to make history though. After sweeping through both group stages, Germany squeezed past Latvia. A two-point upset over the USA in the semifinals put Germany in dreamland, but in the final they went one better and beat Serbia to win it all. Dennis Schröder was MVP as Germany won their first worlds.
Image: Jayne Russell/Imago Images
Germany take step on road to success
As one of the hosts of the 2022 EuroBasket, Germany were keen to impress. They finished second in their group and then marched into the semifinals. Here, they lost to eventual winners Spain but they claimed bronze after beating Poland in the third-place game. The performance delivered a real sense of promise about this team as they won their first EuroBasket medal since 2005.
