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433: Meet the 𝑻𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑺𝑻 pro football player ever 🦒😳 Former NBA player Pavel Podkolzin (2.26m / 7’4’’) has made his official debut for Amkal Moscow in the Russian Cup 🤯🗼 🎥 IG/TeamRussia
Ex-Grizzlies player Vince Hunter signed with Russian team Lokomotiv Kuban until the 2026-27 season.
Andre Roberson officially leaves Asvel. Zenit is in his future. The former NBA forward is coming off a season in which he averaged 8.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in the EuroLeague.
Andre Roberson to play in Russia
Artem Komarov: Andre Roberson is moving from ASVEL to Zenit Saint Petersburg, a club is set to announce soon.
Davis Bertans refuses to play in tournament sponsored by Russian company
With the VTB United League SuperCup 2025 heading to Belgrade and Dubai among the four contenders, Davis Bertans will skip the preseason tournament. The 32-year-old combo forward of Dubai announced his decision following the first practice with the senior national team of Latvia, heading to the EuroBasket 2025.
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“Considering who is organizing the VTB Super Cup, I cannot participate in a tournament with that name, even in a game against Crvena Zvezda,” he said during a media session on Monday, “The team supports my decision, although the coach had not previously looked at the situation from that perspective.” In addition to the EuroLeague newcomers and Crvena Zvezda, Russian VTB teams, CSKA and Zenit, are slated to play in the Super Cup, between September 24 and 25 in Belgrade Arena, sponsored by a Russian company.
Egor Demin is on the verge of becoming the first Russian-born player drafted by an NBA team since … Sergey Karasev in 2013. “Well, that means a lot,” Demin told The Athletic. “Obviously, everybody knows about Andrei Kirilenko, the legend of Russian basketball. A lot more Russian legends that got to the NBA, and even though maybe they didn’t spend as much time in the NBA as they wanted to, they had great careers back in Russia in EuroLeague and became legends. And I was growing up looking up to Alexey Shved, playing in Khimki, and he was in the NBA, too. “So for me, all these players are a huge example and learning resource.”
Former Mavericks player Antonius Cleveland signed with Russian team CSKA Moscow until the 2026-27 season.
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Andrei Kirilenko, now ten years into his presidency, said Russia has not played top-level basketball in five years due to Covid and sanctions. “We want to come back. It’s unfair that Russian basketball is absent,” he stated, thanking FIBA for ongoing updates. A key point was the role of CSKA Moscow in EuroLeague politics. “The club votes but cannot play – it’s absurd,” said Kirilenko. He argued that CSKA’s return would facilitate the Federation’s reinstatement by the IOC, which acts more easily when clear cases are presented.
And while it’s only a couple of months, there’s a lot on the line—and the pressure is high. This process is no joke. But this first phase happens entirely behind closed doors. It’s not the time for glitz and glam. It’s more like Rocky IV, when Rocky heads to Russia to prepare for the fight against Drago—no frills, just relentless work and discipline. Wake up, train, train again, eat, sleep, and do it again the next day. Rinse and repeat. There’s no way to sugarcoat it—it’s a grind.
SBUnfurled: Ilya Ermakov has committed to St. Bonaventure. The 6-3 Russian PG most recently played for Russia Superleague's CSKA Moscow II, where he averaged 13/5/4 on 48% FG (37-122 3PT) in 26 MPG. He'll enroll as a freshman and turn 18 in August.
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