Slovenia defeated tournament hosts Italy 88–71 in Sunday’s final in Trento, producing a dominant performance to secure the country’s maiden U18 European crown. After building an early lead, the Slovenians comfortably controlled the game despite a brief Italian comeback attempt in the third quarter.
The star of the tournament was Stefan Joksimović, who delivered another outstanding display with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the final. The 17-year-old shooting guard was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) after averaging 23.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game throughout the competition.
Widely regarded as one of Slovenia’s brightest young prospects, Joksimović currently plays for Spanish EuroLeague club Baskonia and is the son of former Slovenian international Nebojša Joksimović. His performances have already sparked discussions that he could become one of the next leading figures of Slovenian basketball.
Slovenia also received important contributions from Lukas Bojović, who scored 21 points in the final, while Igor Stjepanović added 15 points and Jusuf Karišik recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The newly crowned champions finished the tournament with six victories and just one defeat. After opening with a win over Lithuania and suffering their only loss against Germany in the group stage, Slovenia responded impressively by defeating Bulgaria, Latvia, Israel, Spain and finally Italy to lift the trophy.
The triumph comes just two weeks after Slovenia won the FIBA U20 EuroBasket title, completing a remarkable double. Only Serbia, Spain and Turkey had previously managed to win both the U18 and U20 European championships in the same year, placing Slovenia among an elite group of European basketball nations.
The success also highlights the country’s continued ability to develop world-class basketball talent. Despite its population of just over two million, Slovenia has consistently produced elite players, including Luka Dončić, while the emergence of this new generation offers fresh optimism for the future of the senior national team.
