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While some of American soccer’s biggest stars were trying to make sense of the U.S. men’s national team’s ugly loss to Belgium in the Round of 16, one person found some solace in the World Cup defeat. Knicks star Josh Hart found a way to put a positive spin on the otherwise disappointing night with one simple message to USMNT fans, particularly the ones in New York. “US lost but Knicks still Champs. Goodnight!” he posted on X.
Hart had been having some fun on social media during the match with several tongue-in-cheek comments. “Pancakes > Belgian Waffles,” he posted at one point.
Belgian Lions: Ajay Mitchell will miss the July window with the Belgian Lions 🦁 due to injury. Check out his message to the fans 👀 #basketballbelgium #crelansport #omdathetkan #crionsensemble
Justin Martinez: Ajay Mitchell on his path to the NBA and how he has found success with OKC: "For me, individually, it's been more of just being grateful. Looking back to myself as a little kid in Belgium, just dreaming of playing in the NBA. I think with God putting me in those positions, I just truly feel grateful for those opportunities. I feel like I've always had a chip on my shoulder. Every time I'm out on the court, I just want to prove myself, be a winning player and help my team win. That's really what's been on my mind every time I play."
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A prominent figure in Belgian basketball, who briefly played for Hermine de Nantes in 2002/03, Barry Mitchell has died at the age of 60. He was the father of Ajay Mitchell, the Oklahoma City player.
Earlier in the tournament, Luka Doncic became only the fourth player since 1995 to post a triple-double in a EuroBasket game with 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in Slovenia's 86-69 win over Belgium.
After a 0-2 start, things are bound to get better for Slovenia, which has to face Belgium, Israel and Iceland, aiming for a 3-2 record, which can be enough for the third spot of Group D and a ticket to the Round of 16. Doncic’s echoed this sentiment talking after the game to the press: “”The goal is to get out of the group. In both matches so far, we have given our all, we are really giving our all. We are here to represent Slovenia and try to win and we will continue to fight. I think we have proven that we can do it, all the guys fought, really all credit to everyone. We win and lose as a team. I made a lot of mistakes today and I know that I can be much better. The analysis will be important and that we prepare as well as possible”.
EuroBasket: France takes care of business against Belgium 🇫🇷 ✅ #Eurobasket
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Lauri Markkanen dropped 31 points as Finland dismissed Belgium 92-74 to seal their 500th international win emphatically. Markkanen added 5 rebounds and 2 steals to his stat line to secure Finland's second win in preparation for FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
Eurohoops: 😤🇫🇮 Lauri Markkanen put on a show with 48 points in JUST 25 minutes as Finland defeated Belgium 105 – 62 to tip off its #EuroBasket2025 preparation games. 🏀 48 points, 🗑️ 9 rebounds, 🎯 10/11 2PTS, 🎯 7/13 3PTS, ⏱️ 25 minutes, 🔍 61 PIR pic.x.com/LMWyyDLooo
Greece tippoed off its preparation games ahead of the 2025 EuroBasket by beating Belgium 74 – 60 in Athens. The winning side dominated the final quarter 22-11 to get the victory. Dinos Mitoglou stood out from Greece with 18 points in 17:24.
Greece superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was out while his older brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo played his first game after 461 games, scoring six points in 12:34.
