Basketball Wiretap

Forward A.J. Dybantsa led Team USA to the title in the FIBA U19 World Cup over the weekend. Dybantsa was named MVP of the tournament, which the United States capped off with a 109-76 victory over Germany in the final.

Dybantsa is headed to BYU this fall. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 20 minutes per game for Team USA.

Louisville-bound guard Mikel Brown also had a strong tournament for the United States. Brown was the team's leader in scoring at 14.9 points and passing at 6.1 assists per game.

Dybantsa and Brown are part of a strong group at the top of the 2026 NBA Draft class. Those two are joined by Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Cameron Boozer (Duke) and Nate Ament (Tennessee) at the top of the earlier pre-draft rankings.

Minnesota Timberwolves and France national team center Rudy Gobert is planning to sit out this summer's EuroBasket competition. It will be the first national team competition Gobert has missed for France since EuroBasket 2017.

Earlier this year, Gobert said that playing in the summers takes a toll on him heading into the next season.

"After the Euro, it's always harder, that's when you feel the backlash. And you don't recover the same at 33 years old than at 23," Gobert, who turns 33 years old on June 26, said in February.

France is also uncertain if Victor Wembanyama will suit up for EuroBasket or not. The San Antonio Spurs star is still recovering from deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

EuroBasket 2025 runs from August 27 through September 14.