The Phoenix Suns' proclivity for alliterative basketball players continues to pay off.
Bogdan Bogdanovic was named the Euroleague Rising Star award winner for the 2014-15 season on Thursday, the second consecutive year he's won the honor.
The Risisng Star award is given annually to the top Euroleague player who was 22 or younger on July 1 preceding the season. It's similar to the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year award in spirit but is handed out by Euroleague rather than FIBA, and based on a season rather than a calendar year.
Philadelphia 76ers prospect Dario Saric has won the FIBA Europe honor in each of the last two years, but Bogdanovic has topped him for consecutive Rising Star awards.
In doing so, Bogdanovic joins some elite company that bodes well for his NBA potential.
| Year | Euroleague Rising Star | FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Erazem Lorbek | Nikoloas Zisis |
| 2006 | Andrea Bargnani | Rudy Fernandez |
| 2007 | Rudy Fernandez | Ricky Rubio |
| 2008 | Danilo Gallinari | Ricky Rubio |
| 2009 | Novica Velickovic | Ricky Rubio |
| 2010 | Ricky Rubio | Jan Vesely |
| 2011 | Nikola Mirotic | Jonas Valanciunas |
| 2012 | Nikola Mirotic | Jonas Valanciunas |
| 2013 | Kostas Papanikolaou | Dario Saric |
| 2014 | Bogdan Bogdanovic | Dario Saric |
| 2015 | Bogdan Bogdanovic | TBD |
The Suns made Bogdanovic the No. 27 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, betting the 22-year-old would develop quickly while overseas. In 55 games with Fenerbahce Ulker of the Turkish Basketball League, Bogdanovic did just that.
While his numbers weren't as strong as in the weaker Serbian League he played in for the 2013-14 season, he contributed in a major role to one of Europe's top squads. Bogdanovic averaged 10.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 steals in 25.7 minutes, shooting 38 percent from long-range.
Bogdanovic signed a four-year contract last summer but it contains an NBA out clause for 2016, so the 6-foot-6 shooting guard could be stateside sometime soon.
