Valencia Basket guard Jean Montero has been named the 2025-26 EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy winner, becoming the first player in history to collect both EuroLeague and EuroCup Rising Star honors.
The 22-year-old earned the award in his EuroLeague debut season after helping Valencia reach the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and secure home-court advantage for the first time in club history.
The Rising Star Trophy is voted on by EuroLeague head coaches and recognizes the best player under 22 on July 1 of the previous summer. Montero led the voting comfortably, with Virtus Bologna’s Saliou Niang second, Valencia teammate Sergio De Larrea third and Paris Basketball’s Momo Faye fourth.
Montero was the most productive Rising Star-eligible player in the league this season. He led that group in scoring with 13.7 points per game, assists with 4.6 per game and performance index rating with 16.4 PIR.
His numbers also ranked among the best in the league overall. Montero finished 11th in PIR, 13th in assists, seventh in PIR per 40 minutes at 30.0 and 10th in fouls drawn per 40 minutes at 7.1, showing how much pressure he created for defenses.
His best performance came in Round 27, when he posted 29 points and eight assists in Valencia’s 104-99 overtime road win over Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv. That outing earned him a 38 PIR and was one of four games in which he reached at least 30 PIR.
Montero’s season also included decisive performances in wins over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens during Valencia’s late push. Those games helped cement his reputation as a guard who could produce in high-leverage moments.
The honor adds to a rapid rise that began long before this EuroLeague season. Montero won the 2024-25 EuroCup Rising Star award after leading Valencia in scoring, assists and steals, making him the only player to win both versions of the award.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Montero moved to Spain in 2019 and developed through Gran Canaria, Real Betis Baloncesto and MoraBanc Andorra before signing with Valencia in 2024. He has also become a three-time ACB Best Young Player and was named to the All-Spanish League First Team last season.
Montero is now the first player from the American continents to win the EuroLeague Rising Star award.
