Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Jorge Sierra: One of the greatest legends in FIBA basketball. Played for the Puerto Rican National Team a record 20 years. No NBA player has played as long for their National Team as Ortiz did with Puerto Rico. May he rest in peace.
Addressing his status for the upcoming international play, with the schedule for the senior national team of Greece featuring two FIBA windows this summer, Giannis Antetokounmpo revealed that he will be unable to suit up in the upcoming FIBA World Cup 2027 games in July and August. “I cannot play in the World Cup qualifying windows. I really wanted to play with the national team, because I did not play much with the Bucks this season due to injury. Now that I’m healthy, I wanted to play, but we will wait until 2027,” he explained in a walk-and-talk with Greek broadcaster ANT1, pointing toward the World Cup’s final stage in Qatar during the next offseason as his next major milestone with the national team. “My legs are fine,” he added.
And the stakes couldn’t be higher than those in Tuesday’s meeting in Geneva between FIBA, the NBA, and the EuroLeague. After many twists and turns it would be naive to believe that this meeting can make or break the future of European basketball. However, it can be the start for the better, and hopefully not for the worse. This will be the first official meeting between the new EuroLeague CEO, Chus Bueno, and the NBA and FIBA. NBA Director for Europe and the Middle East, George Aivazoglou, is expected to be there, plus FIBA top management, which is hosting the meeting.
France has been officially announced as the host nation for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2031, marking a major milestone for international basketball and reinforcing the country’s growing reputation as a global hub for major sporting events. The tournament will be staged across three iconic cities—Paris, Lille, and Lyon—bringing world-class basketball action to some of France’s most vibrant urban centers. The decision highlights France’s proven ability to organize large-scale international competitions, following the success of recent high-profile events such as the Rugby World Cup and the Olympic Games. With state-of-the-art arenas, efficient transport networks, and a passionate sports culture, the country is well-positioned to deliver a memorable tournament for players, fans, and stakeholders alike.
FIBA officially inducted its Class of 2026 into the FIBA Hall of Fame on Tuesday, April 21, with Dirk Nowitzki, Hidayet Turkoglu and Wang Zhizhi among the seven players honored during a ceremony in Berlin. The event took place at the Kraftwerk Berlin alongside the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Draw, marking a global celebration of basketball’s international impact and history. The Class of 2026 also included Sue Bird, Celine Dumerc, Clarisse Machanguana, Ludwik Mietta-Mikolajewicz and Ismenia Pauchard, along with the inducted coach, reflecting a wide representation of eras and nations.
Advertisement
On Monday, after the Lakers team practice ahead of their Game 2 matchup with the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, Hayes said he had received his Slovenian passport, thereby making him eligible to suit up alongside his teammate, Luka Doncic, for the Slovenia men’s national basketball team. “We got my Slovenian passport,” Hayes said, grinning. “It really came through. Luka’s been calling me ‘my Slovenian brother.’ He says it all the time.”
Team USA’s roster is constructed by invite only, and Hayes isn’t likely to receive one soon. There’s just one problem. Hayes doesn’t know the language and everything he’s learned from Doncic has been curse words. “I don’t know a single word,” Hayes admitted, laughing. “Actually I know a few… but I can’t say them out loud.”
Now, Raynaud is eager to carry that momentum into the national team, confirming his availability for France ahead of the upcoming FIBA windows. “I’ve seen Boris (Diaw) several times during the season. The roster hasn’t been announced yet, so I don’t know anything for sure, but it seems like they are considering me for the FIBA windows. I would be very happy to take part. Representing the French national team is a unique opportunity,” Raynaud said per L’Equipe’s Maxime Aubin.
Chus Bueno: Regarding the ecosystem, you have probably seen during last weeks, that the National Basketball Association (NBA), is raising the capital to come to Europe, supported by FIBA, and how we all said we are all open to explore a partnership together. Too soon to see if it’s possible and how to do that, we all know it is not easy, and we (basketball stakeholders) have not been able to do it so far. But I believe we can all agree that fragmentation dilutes value, and creates friction (not only among institutions, also within the media landscape, the market penetration, sponsorship, or even the friction within our fanbase supporting one league or concept vs another etc) and this is why I said that if the National Basketball Association (NBA) raises the capital and decides to come and invest time and resources in Europe, we (Euroleague and its clubs) should be open to discuss how we can grow the game and business together so we all benefit.
Chus Bueno: NBA commisioner Adam Silver, said that he thinks would be better to find an agreement with the Euroleague, during the last press conference a couple of weeks ago. I have been at the NBA almost 13 years, and I know Adam Silver, Mark Tatum and George Aivazoglou well. High personal and professional appreciation for my former colleagues, and they know it. I know what the NBA brings to the table regarding the game, the product, marketing, comercial, operations, brand, etc. We (the Euroleague side) have the top European basketball teams, the biggest basketball cities, and the highest European clubs fan base with decades of tradition. If they finally come, we should explore how we maximize this opportunity. We will all defend the best interest for our clubs, owners, capital etc… but there is trust among us to have honest conversations, sometimes critical and we will disagree on things!!But we need to figure out together the best solution for all. European Basketball is too important and deserves a great future.
Advertisement
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla credited an offseason FIBA stint for Queta’s native Portugal for helping him turn the corner in his third season with the Celtics. “(When) he was playing in FIBA this summer, I thought he had a different approach to it. And then, just his growth,” Mazzulla said. “I think the evolution of his game, but also the evolution of his mindset, taking on the ownership and responsibility of what it means to be the starting center for the Celtics. He takes a lot of pride in that.” For his part, Queta credits simple repetition for his emergence, especially on defense. “Just being aware overall,” he said. “Just being able to capitalize on every opportunity … go through film, repetition on the court, workouts. We do a pretty good job of emphasizing stuff that we want to (know), and we really just go down that line.”
Grant Afseth: TNT Sports has reached a multiyear deal with FIBA for exclusive U.S. English-language rights to major international tournaments. Coverage begins March 11 with the 2026 Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament, where Paige Bueckers is expected to make her senior Team USA debut.
Last year the power forward missed EuroBasket due to injury, but the Polish-American has his sights set on playing in the World Cup qualifying windows this summer. “Do I plan to play with the national team in the summer? Definitely. I think if I have the opportunity and it makes sense for me, I always want to represent Poland. We just had qualifiers, so congratulations to the team for two great wins against Latvia , which was a really strong team,” Sochan told MD on Tuesday in Toronto before the Knicks’ 111-95 victory over the Raptors. “In general, I have always, always wanted to represent Poland,” added the 22-year-old forward , who won the European Under-16 Division B Championship with his national team in 2019 and participated in the qualifying phase for the 2024 Olympic Games.