LeBron in Philadelphia: all for Embiid's ring

LeBron James explained his reasons for moving to the Philadelphia 76ers - a trade that stunned the entire NBA world and assembled one of the strongest rosters in the league. On the Mind the Game podcast he listed three reasons: his friendship with Tyrese Maxey, the unexpected trade of Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia and - most importantly - Joel Embiid. "The only thing he hasn't done is win a title. I want to help him win his first one," LeBron says of a man who has an MVP award, Olympic gold and his own sneakers. Few stars near the end of their careers admit they're moving for someone else's ring.

Curry: 116 million for two years, a 20 million discount

Stephen Curry signed a two-year, 116-million-dollar extension with Golden State. He could have asked for a max deal; instead he gave up 20 million so the club would have room in the 2027 market, when a lot of free agents will be available. Even with the discount, the 38-year-old point guard becomes the highest earner in salary in NBA history - 652 million dollars, ahead of Kevin Durant (598 million) and LeBron James (592 million). Four titles, two regular-season MVP awards, 12 All-Star selections. In a league where everyone counts down to the last dollar, this is rare math.

EuroLeague: Partizan crush Milan, Zvezda set a record nobody wants

Partizan opened the EuroLeague season with a 92:76 win over Olimpia Milano - Partizan's first opening-night EuroLeague win since 2007. Carlik Jones finished with 20 points and 10 assists, a 33 PIR, and was named MVP of the round. In the official preseason power rankings Partizan was 13th, and Jones says he took that as motivation. At Crvena Zvezda, new signing Jonathan Motley's debut ended with a -13 PIR in 14 minutes: 2 points, 6 turnovers and 5 fouls - the second-worst performance in the EuroLeague since the 2002/03 season. Belgrade's eternal rivals started the season at opposite ends of the stat sheet.

Kumanovo: MZT lift their ninth Super Cup

MZT Skopje Aerodrom won the "Dragan Vasilov - Cevka" Super Cup 70:68 against MKK Kumanovo, in the hosts' arena. It's the ninth Super Cup in the club's history. Kumanovo led 6:0 and 16:8, MZT went into the break up 39:37, and three minutes from the end led 68:58. Then came the drama: Kumanovo came back to 68:70, and the hosts' last possession ended without a shot at the basket. The champions' top scorer was Noah Farrakhan with 20 points, and Vojdan Stojanovski added 16 points and seven rebounds. A trophy at the start, but a ten-point lead melting in three minutes is a note for coach Vasko Atanasov. The two teams meet again on October 2, in the first round of the Macedonian Superleague.

The ABA League can't start - there's no one to referee

The first round of the ABA League and ABA 2, scheduled for September 25, has been postponed, with no new date for now. League members voted 11 in favor with one abstention. The official statement gives no reason, but the ABA had earlier said that out of 50 referees who applied, it had drawn up a list of 20, and some of them withdrew after receiving messages from an address that, according to the league, used its name without authorization. Other reports speak of a dispute between management and the referees over payments. The opener Budućnost - Cibona in Podgorica didn't take place. MZT, which plays in ABA 2 this season, is affected too - a champion with a trophy in hand and no schedule. A regional league that can't find referees for its first round: who's the amateur here?