Team USA reclaimed its place atop the basketball world with a commanding 109–76 win over Germany in the Final of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Americans used a dominant 22–2 third-quarter run to break the game open in front of 7,234 fans at the Lausanne Arena. Six players scored in double figures, with Morez Johnson Jr. leading the way with 15 points.
After a fourth-place finish in 2023, this year’s squad embraced the “Redeem Team” label and delivered the program’s ninth U19 world title.
Germany reached their first-ever Final in the event’s history and secured a silver medal. Hannes Steinbach led the German side with 19 points in the loss.
USA’s AJ Dybantsa was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals across seven games.
In the championship win, Dybantsa added 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in 25 minutes of action.
The 2026 NBA Draft prospect was previously named to the All-Star Five at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup.
Dybantsa was joined on the All-Star Five by teammate Mikel Brown Jr., Germany’s Christian Anderson Jr. and Steinbach, and Slovenia’s Zak Smrekar.
Brown, USA’s lead guard, posted 12 points and 4 assists in the Final and averaged 14.9 points and 6.1 assists for the tournament.
Anderson had 18 points, 9 assists and 4 steals in Germany’s runner-up finish and posted tournament averages of 17.3 points and 6.6 assists. Steinbach dominated the glass throughout the event, finishing with 17.4 points and 13.0 rebounds per game.
Smrekar helped Slovenia claim third place with a 91–87 victory over New Zealand, dropping 20 points and making the All-Star Five with averages of 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
Other award winners included USA’s Jordan Smith Jr. as Best Defensive Player and Slovenia’s Danijel Radosavljevic as Best Coach.
The United States finishes first in the 2025 standings, followed by Germany, Slovenia, and New Zealand.
