Brunson Lifted the Trophy Dončić Doesn't Have, LeBron Waits for an Offer, and Macedonia Fills Up With Americans

Brunson Lifted the Trophy Dončić Still Doesn't Have, and From the Shadow of That Very Player

When Dallas drafted Luka Dončić and Jalen Brunson in the same draft in 2018, all the light fell on the Slovenian - the future star, the heir to Nowitzki. Brunson was a reserve, second round, „too small" for the NBA. Eight years later, it is he who lifted the trophy. The New York Knicks are the new NBA champions, and Brunson is the Finals MVP - only the second Knicks player ever with that award after the legendary Willis Reed. In the decisive fifth game he scored 45 points (14/27 from the field), and across the series he averaged 32.6 points. Dončić averaged 35 points per game with a 33-point average this season, but still has no trophy. Sometimes the one in the shadow sees best where he needs to step.

LeBron at 41 Waits for an Offer That Isn't Coming, and the Lakers Are Silent

Where LeBron James will play next season is the biggest mystery of the summer. According to insiders, the Los Angeles Lakers have still not made a single offer, nor have any serious communication with his camp since the transfer window opened. Into that silence stepped Golden State - the Warriors believe they are the main favourites to take him if he leaves, even though that would mean LeBron dropping from 50 to around 15 million dollars per season. At 41, with a career holding every trophy, the question is no longer how much he will earn, but with whom he wants to finish. Loyalty in the NBA lasts exactly until the next better contract - and that holds for the clubs too, not only the players.

Bogdanović Reveals Why the EuroLeague Is Closer to His Heart Than the NBA

While many dream of the NBA, Bogdan Bogdanović says something rarely heard out loud - he prefers the EuroLeague. „In Europe we spend a lot of time on tactics and analysis, we have more time to prepare," explains the Serbian international, who spends his summer at home in Serbia. „The pace in the NBA is far more intense and individual. European basketball is more tactically disciplined." Bogdanović will not play in the July window of the World Cup qualifiers, but announces an appearance in August. For a kid from the Balkans who grew up watching Kobe Bryant, the national team remains the highest emotion - it is a language everyone in this region understands without translation.

Macedonia the American Way: Wright With a Passport and Barça, Stewart With 26 Points Against Bulgaria

The Macedonian national team is filling up with naturalised Americans, and it is no accident. The centre Moses Wright, until now at Cedevita, has received a Macedonian passport - a move that at the same time opened up a transfer to Barcelona, since with a European passport he no longer takes up a slot for a non-European player at the Catalans. The second is D'Vauntes Stewart Junior, who debuted for our team against Bulgaria with an impressive 26 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists each. The strategy is clear: a quick boost to leap to a level the home-grown players struggle to reach on their own. The question no one asks out loud is - when does naturalisation stop being help and start being a substitute for a domestic basketball that ought to grow on its own.

EuroBasket 2029 Knocks on the Door - Ireland and Luxembourg First Up

Macedonia is wrapping up its preparations for the pre-qualifiers for EuroBasket 2029. On 2 July it plays against Ireland in Skopje, and three days later travels to Luxembourg. So far things are going well - our team leads group A with four wins from four, ahead of Luxembourg with two from two. Stewart will be the foreign asset in these matches, while Wright is expected to debut only at the start of the main qualifiers in August. Wins against opponents like this are expected, not glorious - the real test comes later. But basketball is the sport in which Macedonia traditionally breathes most easily, and that is exactly why expectations are always higher than the court sometimes fulfils.