Before starting their annual runs toward what they hope is an NBA championship, players like Serbia's Nikola Jokic, Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Slovenia's Luka Doncic have another trophy to chase this summer.

They'll be seeking the European title.

EuroBasket — a 24-team tournament pitting the best squads in Europe against one another — opens Wednesday. Spain is the defending champion, and more than two dozen players who currently are on NBA rosters are expected to take part in the event.

“I think you guys have gotten a taste of it a little bit with Olympics maybe and it’s kind of similar for us really how much pride there is in that tournament," said Sweden guard Pelle Larsson, who plays for the Miami Heat, when asked to explain how big a deal EuroBasket is on his home continent.

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