By Nikola Miloradovic / irammas@eurohoops.net
FIBA has officially unveiled the First Round Awards for the European Qualifiers for the 2027 Basketball World Cup, with Croatia’s Mario Hezonja taking home the MVP award after leading his national team to a 5-1 record and a place in the Second Round.
Hezonja averaged 19.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals across all six games, while also recording the first triple-double of the European Qualifiers with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists against Cyprus.
The Real Madrid forward also headlines the First Round All-Star Five, joined by Italy’s Nico Mannion, Türkiye’s Tarik Biberovic, Poland’s Mateusz Ponitka and Georgia’s Tornike Shengelia.
Meanwhile, Slovenia’s 17-year-old Stefan Joksimovic was named the Rising Star of the First Round after averaging 10.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in six appearances, including a 22-point performance against Sweden in the final qualifying window.
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