Frankie Sachs previews the top 10 candidates to take home the EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy at the end of the season
Top 10: 2026 Rising Star Trophy candidates
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The EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy has been handed to a who's who of basketball great over the years, including the likes of Rudy Fernandez, Ricky Rubio, Nikola Mirotic, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Luka Doncic. Six former Rising Stars will play in the EuroLeague this season: Kostas Papanikolaou (2013), Usman Garuba (2021), Rokas Jokubaitis (2022), Yam Madar (2023), Gabriele Procida (2024) and Nadir Hifi (2025).
Who will be next? To be eligible for the 2025-26 season award, candidates had to younger than 22 on July 1, which means born after July 1, 2003. Among the dozens of eligible players likely to play in the EuroLeague this season, here are my top 10 candidates.
1 - Saliou Niang, Virtus Bologna (DOB: 14 May 2004)
Saliou Niang flashed some special skills in the BKT EuroCup last season as an all-around force, despite his tender game. Over Niang's last five games in the competition, he averaged 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists for a PIR of 12.4. And then he went off for Italy at EuroBasket 2025 with 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds, including a double-double in a memorable victory over Spain. It appears that Niang's time has arrived in Bologna.
2 - Jean Montero, Valencia Basket (DOB: 3 Jul 2003)
The 2024-25 EuroCup Rising Star, Jean Montero was a stud for Valencia last season, when he also claimed 2024-25 All-EuroCup First Team honors. His huge EuroCup campaign might have led to Montero's being the favorite here to claim EuroLeague Rising Star honors, however, an injury to a finger on his right hand that required surgery will cause Montero to miss the start of the season. Still, if he returns to full form quickly, Montero should be in the thick of the race for the trophy.
3 - Juan Nuñez, FC Barcelona (DOB: 4 Jun 2004)
Juan Nuñez seems to be fully recovered after missing six months with a torn meniscus. He already debuted in Barcelona's preseason opener and impressed with game-winning free throws. The playmaker was worth 5.0 points and 3.4 assists in 15 minutes last season as a EuroLeague rookie before the injury. Long seen as one of the top guards of his generation, Nuñez will look to make up for lost time and emerge as a key player for Barca. If he does, he becomes an instant Rising Star Trophy candidate.
4 - Momo Faye, Paris Basketball (DOB: 5 Feb 2005)
Momo Faye is one of the premier big man prospects in Europe after dominating the paint in the Italian League last season for the second year in a row. His monster averages of 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks – in addition to 10.3 points on 64.4% shooting – for Reggio Emilia were enough to make many stand up and take notice. After seeing him rank fourth in the league in rebounds and third in blocks while playing most of the season as a teenager, Paris pounced to sign Faye and he should get plenty of run this season.
5 - Melvin Ajinca, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (DOB: 26 Jun 2004)
With a full season of EuroLeague experience under his belt, there is no limit to the jump we can expect from Melvin Ajinca in Year 2. Last season, Ajinca scored at least 14 points in three of his final eight EuroLeague games and shot 42.7% from downtown for the season. He averaged 7.3 points over 23 games in the French League, too. Ajinca should have an even bigger role this season and that could lead to something special.
6 - Sergio de Larrea, Valencia Basket (DOB: 4 Dec 2005)
Sergio de Larrea has developed so rapidly over the past year that by the summer, he ranked second on the Spanish national team in minutes played at EuroBasket 2025 – ahead of a bounty of EuroLeague stars. He also led the team with 4.4 assists per game while scoring 5.4 points. Coach Pedro Martinez has shown trust in de Larrea before and he could be on the cusp of a breakout year.
7 - Izan Almansa, Real Madrid (DOB: 7 Jun 2005)
The Spanish big man returns to Madrid with a long list of honors as he looks to take another step forward. After already playing in the G League and in Australia, Izan Almansa has starred on Spain's junior national teams, winning MVP honors at both the U17 and U19 World Cups. He spent two seasons with Los Blancos' youth academy between 2019 and 2021 and now returns with a long-term deal aiming to become a pillar for the club.
8 - Rafa Villar, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (DOB: 9 Aug 2004)
As a 20-year-old in the Spanish League, Rafa Villar was a part-time starter for Forca Lleida and averaged 5.7 points and 2.9 assists in 19 minutes per game. Two years ago, Villar helped Spain to the gold medal at the U19 World Cup and he has since debuted for the Spanish national team. He should have a spot in the Baskonia backcourt rotation this season with a shot to stand out.
9 - Hamza Mestoglu, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (DOB: 22 Apr 2004)
Hamza Mestoglu's career trajectory suffered a hit when he tore his ACL the week after he made his EuroLeague debut in January 2024. He returned to action last season, mostly with Fenerbahce's B team, and also appeared in six Turkish League games with the main team, including twice in the Turkish finals. Mestoglu will look to establish himself as a first-team player in the coming campaign.
10 - Mitar Bosnjakovic, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (DOB: 24 Aug 2006)
The youngest player on this list, Mitar Bosnjakovic made his EuroLeague debut last season and earned enough trust from Coach Zeljko Obradovic that he started in three of the four games he appeared in. Bosnjakovic had an even larger role in the ABA League, where he was worth 5.7 points in 10 games. All signs point to him taking a step forward this season.