Rumors

Ergin Ataman: And honestly, in terms of entertainment, I think NBA basketball has lost some of its appeal. It’s becoming more and more about show, while the EuroLeague has risen. That’s why the NBA is now trying to set up “NBA Europe.” Would they care about European basketball otherwise? No. But they see the shift: NBA interest is decreasing in Europe, while EuroLeague is growing. What happens with NBA Europe, I don’t know. But I hope the EuroLeague’s level of competition translates there. Because Europeans don’t care about showtime—they care about winning and championships. That culture comes from football, where the focus is on results, not spectacle. That’s why I’m confident in saying this: EuroLeague teams are more organized, more competitive, and if you take out the NBA’s very top stars, EuroLeague teams can absolutely compete with them.

EuroHoops.net

“Would I see myself in EuroLeague in the future? No," he categorically responded. "Apart from the case of Milano, which I’ve spoken about before, it’s very difficult. I’m not young anymore and I’ve been living in the U.S. for many years. For my family, moving back and forth in Europe wouldn’t be easy. It would have been a beautiful ending, but I don’t think it will happen.”

BasketNews

While the NBA remains his present, Bitadze acknowledged he has not closed the door on a European return someday. “I love European basketball. I think the NBA is a little bit different on a higher level, and we never know...If I come to Europe, you know, I will be really happy, but I’m happy in the NBA as well, I won’t lie," he revealed. "So, whatever God wants, wherever he's going to take me, I’m going to go there and do what I can.”

BasketNews

Stopping Antetokounmpo has long been the unsolvable puzzle of European basketball, and Gallinari was honest about the challenge Italy faced: “It’s always difficult to stop him. I think we did a good job, but he’s so hard to guard. We were close a few times to tying the game or going ahead, but against him you need 40 minutes of intensity and energy," Gallinari told BasketNews in a postgame chat.

BasketNews

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spent much of last week in Europe, and for good reason. Not only does the Heat have three current players preparing to take part in this year’s EuroBasket tournament, but two of those players are recent Heat draft picks who are part of the organization’s youth movement. Heat forward Simone Fontecchio will represent his home country of Italy, Heat forward Nikola Jovic is on Serbia’s roster and Heat guard Pelle Larsson is playing for Sweden, with Jovic and Larsson among the seven players on Miami’s roster who are 25 or younger. That had Spoelstra traveling through Europe last week, spending time in Stockholm to watch Larsson represent Sweden in a EuroBasket prep game against Estonia before heading to Belgrade to watch Jovic play for the Serbian national team in an exhibition against Slovenia.

Miami Herald

Asked about the mentality required to handle the task of checking both NBA and European stars, he gave a succinct answer. "Just fight. They are great players, you're going to make tough shots, but you have to stay locked in."

BasketNews

European fans, he admits, are still a breed apart — but Madison Square Garden is as close as the NBA gets. "I would say European fans are a little bit different. We are in one of the gyms (OAKA) where the fans go crazy. So, Europe is a little bit different, but New York definitely have a tough crowd," he pointed out.

BasketNews

Danilo Gallinari: “I thank all the teams that reached out, showing interest—even while I was under contract in the U.S.—to ask what my situation was or what my future plans were. But I have never received a phone call from Milan. To come back, you have to be wanted. At 37, it’s now very difficult to return to Europe for both basketball and non-basketball reasons.”

Pianeta Basket

Even as he embraces the Knicks, Yabusele hasn’t turned his back on Europe. He keeps tabs on Real Madrid, praises the EuroLeague’s growth, and beams about former teammate Theo Maledon joining Los Blancos. “I've given him a piece of advice,” Yabu said with a grin. Would he ever come back to the Old Continent? “I just returned to the NBA," he replied. "I've just played one year and I'll be there for two more years. So, I'm just trying to see what's the option over there. I want to stay in the league as long as possible… You never know.”

BasketNews

The Magic are staring down over 53,000 miles in a plane - that’s 2x around the world! Part of that is driven by a round trip to Europe, where they will play a pair of games against the Grizzlies in Berlin and London. In this case both teams will have just gotten off the trans-Atlantic flight, and the NBA was nice enough to give each team three days to settle in and try some German beer.

Charting Hoops

After 11 years between the NBA and the G League, the 2025-26 season will be the first one in Europe for Tony Snell, who will join the newly promoted French side Boulazac Basket Dordogne. In the league since 2013, Tony Snell has collected 648 games over nine seasons, wearing the jerseys of the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, and New Orleans Pelicans.

EuroHoops.net

And this summer, Sengun worked with Sijan on his shooting: “We mostly worked on shooting… I went through Partizan’s school with centers, and I can say that Sengun is the best player with his back to the basket in Europe. In the NBA, they focused on where he is dominant, and he developed to perfection. But creativity was forbidden to him. I was asked in an interview, ‘What did you do with him?’ Nothing, I let him get off the shots from all possible positions. Some coaches don’t like it. But this year we worked mostly on the three-point shot. That shot was forbidden to him”.

EuroHoops.net

But as he spoke afterward, Porzingis wasn’t simply analyzing the loss. Between acknowledging Giannis’ dominance and looking ahead to EuroBasket, the Atlanta Hawks big man dropped the kind of line that makes fans in Europe sit up straighter: a return across the Atlantic might one day be on his horizon. “Sure, sure, why not?” he said when asked by BasketNews if he could see himself playing in Europe again. “I mean, I haven’t really given it too much thought, but just seeing some of the clubs here in Greece, you know, the atmosphere here for the games and stuff would be a really, really unbelievable atmosphere to play in.”

BasketNews

How did you handle the rumors? Nikola Vucevic: There are always rumors. Most of them are false. It’s a bit of nonsense. For example, the buyout story was misunderstood in Europe: the journalist wrote that if there was no trade during the season, there might be a buyout option before the deadline. I know how the business works: in the last year of a contract, there’s always speculation. Since I can’t control it, I try not to stress over it.

Basket USA