Taronja EuroBasket Gets Underway in Cyprus

Although EuroBasket 2025 began today with Great Britain vs. Lithuania opening the action, our very own “taronja” EuroBasket will kick off tomorrow, Thursday, with all eyes on the Limassol venue. Cyprus is hosting the first round of Group C, which features the two national teams that include Valencia Basket players on their rosters: five with Spain (Josep Puerto, Jaime Pradilla, Xabi López-Arostegui, Sergio De Larrea, and Yankuba Sima) and one with Italy (Darius Thompson). Six players from our Club make Valencia Basket the most represented team from Liga Endesa in this tournament, and one of the clubs contributing the most players overall.

Historic “taronja” representation with Spain

For the first time ever, five Valencia Basket players have made Spain’s final roster for a major tournament. This unprecedented situation sets the stage to rewrite history with the national team (never before have more than three “taronja” players taken part in an official game for Spain), and depending on the lineups, it could even happen that a full five-man lineup from our Club takes the court.

Xabi López-Arostegui is one of the veterans in this squad. He has been a consistent pick for the final list since the Tokyo Olympics, except for the 2023 World Cup (gold medalist at EuroBasket 2022), and he already has 58 international appearances. Jaime Pradilla made his debut with the national team at EuroBasket 2022 with the gold medal, missed the World Cup, but played in the Paris Olympics and now returns to compete in his second European Championship, with 44 games already under his belt. The other three “taronja” players will be making their major tournament debuts: captain Josep Puerto, point guard Sergio De Larrea, and center Yankuba Sima.

The national team will open Group C action with its game against Georgia (Thursday, August 28, 2:00 p.m.), then face Bosnia (Saturday, August 30, 8:30 p.m.), hosts Cyprus (Sunday, August 31, 5:15 p.m.), Darius Thompson’s Italy (Tuesday, September 2, 8:30 p.m.), and close out the group stage against Greece (Thursday, September 4, 8:30 p.m.).

Darius Thompson with Italy

Italy was one of the last teams to confirm its squad for EuroBasket 2025, and new “taronja” guard Darius Thompson has been included in the final list, meaning he will make his debut in a major continental competition starting tomorrow. The “azzurri” will open the tournament against Greece on Thursday, August 28, at 8:30 p.m., then play Georgia (Saturday, August 30, 2:00 p.m.) and Bosnia (Sunday, August 31, 8:30 p.m.), before the highly anticipated clash of six Valencia Basket players in Limassol on Tuesday, September 2, at 8:30 p.m., and finally close the group against hosts Cyprus on Thursday, September 4, at 5:15 p.m.

Knockout rounds in Latvia

The top four from each group will qualify for the Round of 16, which—like all matches through to the final—will be played in Riga (Latvia). The Round of 16 will take place between Saturday, September 6, and Sunday, September 7; the quarterfinals on Tuesday, September 9, and Wednesday, September 10; with the semifinals on Friday, September 12; and the medal games decided on Sunday, September 14.