Jean Montero continues taking giant strides in European basketball. The Valencia Basket point guard has been awarded the EuroLeague Rising Star prize for 2025-26, making him the first player in history to win both this award and the EuroCup Rising Star throughout his career.
At just 22 years old, Montero has delivered an impactful campaign in his debut season in Europe's top competition. His leadership proved decisive in Valencia Basket's return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and helped the club secure home-court advantage in a title series for the first time in franchise history.
The award, decided by a vote of EuroLeague head coaches, honors each season the best player under 22 years old as of July 1 of the previous summer. Montero dominated the voting clearly. He was followed by Saliou Niang (Virtus Bologna), Sergio De Larrea (Valencia Basket), and Momo Faye (Paris Basketball).
Statistical Dominance in the Competition
Beyond the recognition, the numbers back up his season. Montero was the most productive player eligible for this award in the tournament, leading that group in points (13.7 per game), assists (4.6), and efficiency rating (16.4 PIR). He also led Valencia Basket in all three categories.
Among all players in the competition, he finished 11th in efficiency rating and 13th in assists. His per-minute figures reflect his influence even better: seventh in PIR per 40 minutes (30.0) and 10th in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.1).
Games That Defined His Candidacy
One of the great moments of his season came on Matchday 27, when he delivered an MVP-caliber performance in Valencia Basket's overtime victory at Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv, 99-104. That night he recorded 29 points, 8 assists, and a 38 efficiency rating.
He was one of four players to reach at least 30 PIR in a game, part of a strong finish to the season in which he also shined in key wins against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.
Unstoppable Progression
Montero arrived in the EuroLeague after being named EuroCup Rising Star for 2024-25. In that competition, he already led Valencia Basket in scoring (13.2), assists (5.3), and steals (1.7).
Born in the Dominican Republic, he began his development at Club Mauricio Báez before moving to Spain in 2019 to join Gran Canaria. He later continued his growth at Real Betis Baloncesto and MoraBanc Andorra, winning the ACB Best Young Player award in both seasons.
A Reference for the Future... and the Present
In addition to being the first player from the Americas to win this award in the EuroLeague, Montero has accumulated three consecutive ACB Best Young Player awards (2023, 2024, and 2025) and was named to the All-ACB Team last season.
At just 22 years old, Jean Montero is no longer just a promise. He is an established reality and one of the great young figures in European basketball.