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Miikka Muurinen is not having the expected impact at Partizan. After his impressive EuroBasket performance with Finland, the 18-year-old talent has not seen any playing time with the EuroLeague team. In an interview with Mondo, coach Peñarroya spoke about the Finnish player, what he needs to reach the elite level, and what his future might hold. He has the potential to be a top-level player, but that’s not enough. He won’t become a player based on highlights“, Peñarroya said. “There’s a part of basketball that he doesn’t understand right now”, he added.
“He is a young player, he has great individual and physical abilities, he can do a lot. He comes from college, he has not played professional basketball“, explained about the Finnish talent. “It is difficult to play in the Euroleague; you have players with NBA experience who have not adapted. You need to have a different mentality, yes I think that he is only thinking about returning to America“, Peñarroya mentioned.
Following his arrival in Belgrade and setting his sights on the EuroLeague Final yesterday, Cameron Payne formally signed his contract for the remainder of the 2025-26 season to complete his move to Partizan Mozzart Bet. The Belgrade outfit announced the addition of the 31-year-old combo guard on Tuesday morning.
Vladimir Stimac was arrested in Belgrade after protests and has since been released. He allegedly urged participants to attack another gathering and the police. Following clashes between supporters of the government and its opponents in front of the Serbian parliament, the police made the arrests for disturbing public order and causing incidents during an unregistered public gathering, as described by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia. A total of 37 people were arrested on Sunday, including Stimac.
Michael Grange: Some good background here from Darko Rajakovic, who goes way back with Hawks head coach Quinn Snyder. They had a hoops and coffee nerd out in Belgrade a few years ago:
Some good background here from Darko Rajakovic, who goes way back with Hawks head coach Quinn Snyder. They had a hoops and coffee nerd out in Belgrade a few years ago: pic.twitter.com/ivGi9Bjg4I
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) October 22, 2025
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With 336 NBA regular-season appearances behind him, averaging 11 points and 4.3 assists, Devonte Graham is now set to embark on his first European adventure with the Belgrade side. Zvezda were busy during the off-season, retooling their roster after reaching the EuroLeague Play-Ins last year. “We know how to come out and compete. We can’t take any time off, and we just have to continue to get better and gel more as a team. Obviously, we have a lot of new players, some of us new to the EuroLeague, so we are still learning about each other and how the EuroLeague works, but we’re moving in the right direction. Every day we’re just trying to get 1% better,” Graham shared with Eurohoops about the new environment and preparing for the start of the 2025/26 season, his first on this side of the Atlantic.
On Monday, Eurohoops revealed the 27-year-old combo guard was in advanced talks with the Reds. Later developments went from the Belgrade outfit requesting €300,000 buyout fee to the negotiations falling through. However, Ntilikina is indeed switching EuroLeague teams, with his former side getting compensation. Partizan announced the agreement with the Greek side and Olympiacos followed by officially welcoming the French international on a two-year contract.
The talks between Olympiacos and Partizan, despite the initial deal for the transfer of Frank Ntilikina, are dead, according to Eurohoops sources. The French guard remains in Belgrade, and Olympiacos is looking elsewhere.
“I’m really excited for Niko,” Spoelstra said during a television interview while he was in Belgrade last week, with Jovic eligible to sign an extension with the Heat this offseason. “I love it when he spends time with the national team. Every time he comes back to us, he comes back more mature. I think being around a group that knows how to win, that really cares about winning, the team is so connected also. So I think it makes a big impression on him. We’re looking forward to some great things ahead for him with us.”
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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The decision on the 2026 EuroLeague Final Four host has been postponed, BasketNews has learned. According to sources, league shareholders were unable to reach a united agreement between Athens and Belgrade during the latest meeting. The vote is now expected to take place at a later date, possibly in September. The vote to decide the host of the Final Four has been postponed for the second time in recent weeks. Previously, Athens and OAKA Arena hosted the 2007 Final Four. Back then, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens became the champions, claiming their 4th EuroLeague title at that time. Belgrade hosted its first-ever EuroLeague Final Four in 2018 and again in 2022.
According to Goran Grbović, director of Stark Arena, EuroLeague president Dejan Bodiroga pushed for Belgrade to host the 2026 Final Four. The final vote is expected on July 22. Athens’ OAKA Arena remains a contender, but Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos’ behavior may influence clubs to vote against it.
As the days go by and the Phoenix Suns' deadline to decide what to do with Vasilije Micić approaches (June 29), the Serbian guard continues to attract increasing interest from EuroLeague teams. The 31-year-old Serbian megastar is on the radar of at least four EuroLeague teams, and Crvena Zvezda has also made a move to try its luck in landing him. According to SPORT24 sources, the Belgrade-based team has offered Micić a €10 million contract over three years in an effort to convince him to return to his homeland. Micić came up through Crvena Zvezda’s youth system, is a fan of the club, and maintains excellent relationships with people within the organization. The club appears ready to go all-in to sign him, at a price that is relatively modest compared to other offers he's received.
Chicago Bulls two-time NBA All-Star center Nikola Vucevic has long been a fan of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, saying he "watches almost every game." But what about actually playing for the EuroLeague team? Vucevic admits he sometimes thinks about that possibility. "When I come to Belgrade, people are always asking me, 'When are you coming to Zvezda?' ... I get it, and I sometimes think about it," Vucevic shared during a recent appearance on X&O's Chat Podcast.