By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After a breakout season averaging 11.0 points and a team-high 4.7 assists, the 21-year-old Tobias Jensen was voted by the competition’s head coaches as the Rising Star of the 2025-26 edition of the BKT EuroCup.
Euroleague Basketball announced the newest Rising Star on Monday.
Per the press release: “Euroleague Basketball is thrilled to announce that Tobias Jensen of ratiopharm ulm has been voted as the BKT EuroCup Rising Star for the 2025-26 season. Jensen was chosen by BKT EuroCup head coaches as this season’s recipient of the Rising Star award. As in every season, the EuroCup Rising Star Trophy recognizes the most outstanding player in the competition who was under 22 years of age on July 1 of the summer before the season started.
Jensen, who turns 22 on May 8, was selected ahead of Cheickh Niang of Dolomiti Energia Trento, Agustin Ubal of BAXI Manresa, Zacharie Perrin of Veolia Towers Hamburg and Cameron Houindo of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.
A young veteran in his fourth season in the competition, Jensen had an outstanding start to the season, averaging 14.5 points on 11-of-19 three-pointers, 3.8 assists and a PIR of 17.0 in Ulm’s four opening games, leading his team to a 3-1 record. In Round 8, Jensen had his first EuroCup career double-double, getting 15 points and 11 assists – good for a PIR of 27 – against Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. Jensen had another great stretch between Rounds 11 and 14, averaging 14.0 points, 5.5 assists and a PIR of 17.5.
Over the season as a whole, Jensen ended up averaging 11.0 points on 39.3% three-pointers, 3.4 rebounds, a team-best 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals and a PIR of 11.6. He ranked eighth overall in steals, was 10th in assists and 16th in three-point shots made per game (1.9 per contest). Jensen showed great improvement from the previous season, having averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 assists across 16 EuroCup games in the 2024-25 campaign in limited playing time (9 minutes per game). He is the first Ulm player to win the award.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Jensen started to play basketball in the Bakken Bears’ youth teams. He joined Ulm in 2020 and started to play for its affiliated team OrangeAcademy in the German second division. Jensen made his EuroCup debut on November 23, 2022, scoring three points in seven minutes against Joventut Badalona. In 54 EuroCup career games with Ulm, Jensen has averaged 5.4 points and 2.2 assists. Last season, his first as a full-time player with Ulm, he helped his team reach the German League Finals. Jensen is also a member of the Danish national team.
Jensen is the first player from Denmark to become the BKT EuroCup Rising Star, and the first Ulm player to claim the award. Ben Saraf and Noa Essengue were third and fourth in the Rising Star voting last season.
The list of Rising Star trophy winners includes two players who won it twice: Aleksander Balcerowski (with Gran Canaria in 2021 and 2023) and Bojan Dubljevic (with Valencia in 2013 and 2014). The other winners are Milan Macvan of Hemofarm Vrsac in 2009, Victor Claver of Power Electronics Valencia in 2010, Donatas Motiejunas of Benetton Treviso in 2011, Jonas Valanciunas of Lietuvos Rytas in 2012, Kristaps Porzingis of Baloncesto Sevilla in 2015, Mateusz Ponitka of Stelmet Zielona Gora in 2016, Rolands Smits of Montakit Fuenlabrada in 2017, Dzanan Musa of Cedevita Zagreb in 2018, Martynas Echodas of Rytas Vilnius in 2019, Khalifa Diop of Gran Canaria in 2022, Zaccharie Risacher of JL Bourg en Bresse in 2024, and Jean Montero of Valencia Basket last season.”
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