Israel’s EuroBasket dreams end after a narrow loss to Greece in round of 16, but future looks bright

The Israeli basketball national team was eliminated from the EuroBasket on Sunday evening, falling to favorites Greece in a close 84-79 loss in the round of 16.

This year’s run was the first time that Israel managed to get out of the group stage, following sensational wins against France, Belgium and Iceland, fueled by rising NBA star Deni Avdija.

On Sunday, there was no stopping former NBA MVP and champion Giannis Antetokounmpo, who dominated the game with 37 points and 10 rebounds.

It was the second straight game that the Israeli team ran into the buzzsaw of NBA superstars and couldn’t find a way to stop them.

On Thursday, Slovenia’s superstar Luka Doncic scored 37 points with 11 rebounds and 9 assists to drop Israel to fourth place in its group, despite its three wins.

This set up the hard matchup with the two-time European champs and perennial contenders, Greece.

This man, unstoppable.#EuroBasket | #MakeYourMark https://t.co/SA2yfCp0QR pic.twitter.com/JwWeDBN9Ln

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 7, 2025

On Sunday, Antetokounmpo set the tone early, scoring 11 points (5/6 FG) in the first quarter to give Greece a lead that it wouldn’t relinquish again.

“Giannis was unstoppable tonight. His intensity set the tone,” said Greek coach Vassilis Spanoulis.

In the third quarter, a furious 17-8 run cut Greece’s lead down to two, but Israel couldn’t get over the hump and Greece recovered to an 8-point lead (67-59) by the end of the quarter, holding on for the 84-79 win.

Avdija ended the night with 23 points and 3 rebounds, with support from Tomer Ginat (15 points) and Roman Sorkin (14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks).

“We knew Israel would fight. Their energy and Avdija’s versatility made it tough, but our defense stepped up,” Spanoulis said.

“We are a little bit disappointed right now,” said team captain Tomer Ginat. "But we are very proud of the way we represented this country, it’s the biggest privilege of an athlete.” 

Summing up the tournament, Ginat said: “We were really united, and I can’t wait for the next time. Israeli basketball has a bright future. Our fighting spirit and the way we played together — that’s something we’re proud of. Every moment we stepped onto the court, we did it together. We’re proud of the way we represented the country in this tournament.”

The next stop for the national team will be the qualifiers for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.

Meanwhile, the future of Israeli basketball looks extremely bright.

Avdija showed he has arrived as a superstar on the world level, and in two years, he will have even more experience in the world’s best basketball league. Tomer Ginat, Yam Madar and Roman Sorkin also proved their mettle on the European stage,

Israelis Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf were just drafted by the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA and will surely join the national team next time around after gathering experience at the world’s highest level of basketball.

In addition, sharpshooter Emmanuel Sharp, the son of Maccabi Tel Aviv legend Derrick Sharp, is playing for the University of Houston in the highest American college league and could also join the team in the future.