Israel defeated France 82-69 in the group stage of the EuroBasket 2025 men’s basketball championship in Katowice, Poland, on Sunday night, in a historic win for the blue-and-white team.
At one point in the first half, Israel trailed the previously unbeaten France by 10 points. But the Israeli side held their opponents to 13 fourth-quarter points and scored 11 straight points with three minutes to go.
The thrilling victory, which was led by Portland Trail Blazers power forward Deni Avdija’s decisive play and was Israel’s first win over France since 1997, puts both teams at 2-1 in the Group D standings.
The 24-year-old Israeli-Serbian finished with a team high 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals.
“Everybody contributed today with the defensive game plan, with the aggressiveness, and the willingness to fight,” Avdija said.
Israeli fans arriving at Spodek Arena were barred from bringing in a flag featuring the emblem of hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Polish fans booed during the playing of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem.
“No one will boo the Israeli anthem,” Hapoel Tel Aviv forward Tomer Ginat said after the victory.
All 12 players in the French lineup play in the NBA or EuroLeague, including the top two picks from last year’s NBA draft, small forward Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks) and center Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards).
France, the Olympic silver medalist, is considered to be one of the leading contenders to win the tournament, although Israel’s surprise win demonstrated it could be a dark horse as well.
The Israeli team will face Belgium on Tuesday and Slovenia on Thursday, with qualification for the knockout stages for the first time since 2015 virtually assured.
The quadrennial international men’s championship, which is organized by FIBA Europe and runs from Aug. 27-Sept. 14, is being co-hosted by Cyprus, Finland, Latvia and Poland.
