By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
European basketball veteran Bogdan Tanjević has weighed in on the 2025 EuroBasket in an interview with Meridian Sport, naming Serbia as the top favorite.
The only coach to lead four different national teams at the European Championship and an eight-time participant himself, Tanjević also highlights France and Turkey as teams to watch, offering a seasoned perspective on which squads could rise to the top and which face the toughest challenges.
Speaking on Serbia, he acknowledges the burden the team carries as the majority view them as the No. 1 contender for the gold.
“The toughest role is being the absolute favorite, and it’s better to remove that burden from yourself. Pešić does this well — he knows how to pilot preparations. It’s not psychological, but about setting the right atmosphere for arriving at the competition. Thanks to his ability to put things in order, lead the team, and the way he works, I also consider Serbia first among four or five favorites. But all of that is a burden you can’t carry on yourself once you step on the court,” Tanjević said.
He considers Group C — with hosts Cyprus, Italy, Georgia, Spain, Greece, and Bosnia and Herzegovina — as the toughest group in the tournament.
“I think Bosnia and Italy have the toughest group. Not because of Italy’s position, which has convinced me they’re strong and might achieve even better results than expected. Bosnia will fight for the fourth spot, and with all the sympathy and memories from recent years, advancing to the top 16 will be the hardest for them.”
Tanjević also commented on Montenegro, which he led at the 2017 EuroBasket:
“Although he couldn’t assemble the strongest team, Boško Radović is doing a very good job. They don’t have as tough a group as Italy or Bosnia.”
Slovenia faces challenges under the rim, and Tanjević notes that even a great player like Luka Dončić can’t fully compensate.
“Slovenia is weakened in the interior positions. One great player like Dončić isn’t enough. They can’t be expected to be medal favorites, but knowing them as a basketball nation, it’s quite possible they’ll finish among the top eight.”
He believes Turkey, with Alperen Şengün, Cedi Osman, and Shane Larkin, under coach Ergin Ataman, could compete for a medal.
“Şengün is the best player on that team, followed by Cedi Osman. They’re missing a bit of Korkmaz to have another tall offensive option. Larkin, a small wizard, has weak knees, which has affected him over the past two or three years and limited his full potential. Turkey can play strong basketball, have an excellent coach, and rightfully aim for a top-four finish.”
France, despite missing key players like Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama, Evan Fournier, and Matthias Lessort, and with veterans Nando de Colo and Nicolas Batum retired, still fields a strong squad of NBA and EuroLeague players.
“That is the wealth of French basketball — new faces appear every day. Even when we don’t follow their development closely, suddenly you see them in the NBA. This is the France of a new era, producing many players who reach the highest levels. They compensate easily for the absence of the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth player. Sometimes it even helps the coach, so he doesn’t face big dilemmas in choosing players. Fauthoux is slightly different from Vincent Collet. From what I see, he focuses more on energy and defensive toughness. I trust his leadership — it’s possible they’ll achieve a good result, finishing among the top three or four teams, which would be excellent.”
Latvia will host Group A and the knockout stage, led by Luca Banchi for the last time. With a squad that has played together for a long period and Kristaps Porzingis in the lineup, they could be a tough challenge.
“They lost a spot in the World Cup final by a single shot against a dominant Germany playing at its best. The Latvians have a talented roster, and Banchi knows them well. Being hosts, home support is significant, and they are expected to compete for medals. I watched them against Italy — it was a tough, intense game defensively, typical for major competitions. They didn’t look fully in form yet, and Italy showed better current shape. They’re likely holding back their peak, not peaking 15 days before the tournament, especially with another 13 days of competition still ahead.”
On Germany, Tanjević commented on their appointment of Alex Mumbru as head coach:
“I don’t have full insight into his capacity; he hasn’t been a head coach for many years. But the quality of players, their innate discipline, and honesty on the court place Germany again among the favorites,” Tanjević concluded.