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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.
Jeremy Sochan said he wanted to recruit the young Warriors star for Poland and insisted on the idea. “Do I see him playing for Poland? Yes, I mean, we haven’t really talked about it recently, but I think he would be a great addition. He’s a very talented young guy, and that would add more firepower to our team and make it stronger overall. It would be a super exciting and cool thing to do,” the Knicks’ newest addition emphasized after his departure from the Spurs. “The times we spoke, he (Podziemski) was always interested, enthusiastic about it. You never know, we’ll see,” Sochan added.
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According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Hayes has now completed that process, and the connection to Doncic could have meaningful implications for his future in Los Angeles. “Jaxson Hayes completed the paperwork to become a Slovenian,” Windhorst said. “He can join the Slovenian national team for Luka, which I’d like to say is one of the smartest things Jaxson Hayes has ever done because I think he’s just secretly signed a contract extension.”
Maxime Aubin: Victor Wembanyama told @SoFrenchProd he plans to join Team France this summer for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers (July 3-6, then Aug. 24-Sept. 1): “Of course, that’s absolutely my goal,” Wemby said. “But I hope I won’t be able to make the first window — that would mean we went all the way to the NBA Finals. I hope the timing will be too tight (smiles). But for the August window, absolutely. That’s my goal to be there. Knock on wood, if I’m healthy.”
Real Madrid appears to be following the path of NBA Europe. The Spanish team, who have yet to renew its EuroLeague contract, could be pioneers in the new project that is on the horizon. As confirmed by Jorge Garbajosa, president of FIBA Europe, on COPE’s Tiempo de Juego program, the Spanish team’s interest is genuine. “We know that Real Madrid has shown interest, and the NBA is in direct, high-level talks with the club,” Garbajosa told COPE. “We know it’s an interesting option for them, as it is for other clubs, as Adam Silver said the other day,” he continued.
Following the NBA commissioner’s press conference in Berlin and the subsequent meeting in London, the NBA Europe project appears to be laying its groundwork. “The feeling we have is that this has gotten underway, that this is going to happen,” confirmed Garbajosa himself.
Bane is officially listed as American by the NBA but has Nigerian heritage and is yet to represent any nation on the international stage. Having qualified for their first Olympics at London 2012, Nigeria's basketball team went on to also compete at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, but missed out on the 2024 Games in Paris. "I would for sure," said the shooting guard when asked about the possibility of answering the call if it came. "We just need to get all the Nigerians together for the Olympics coming up in the next couple years and make something happen."
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"The funding would potentially come from, at least initially, the member clubs of the league," Silver said. "I think similar to any startup venture, the participants would be the investors, and over time would hope to seek a return. ... I think if we were to successfully launch this new league, it will take a while, I think, before it is a viable commercial enterprise. I think all the participants recognize that this is not for those who have a short-term perspective." Also part of the plan: New arenas would be needed in certain markets, which will obviously take time and more money. "What we are telling interested parties is that you need to have a very long-term perspective," Silver said.
Malachi Flynn is expected to be the new naturalized player for the Turkish national team, according to Umit Avci. The news was announced during the “Fast Break” show of Sports TV in Turkey on the first day of 2026.
The former NBA player currently competes for Bahçeşehir Koleji, being a standout both in the Turkish BSL league and in the BKT EuroCup. Flynn is expected to join the team for the upcoming FIBA Qualifying “Windows” in February and March, and then in the two upcoming summers “Windows”, in July and August, the Turkish national team may have the chance to pair him up with Alperen Sengun.