FIBA singled out Dimitrijevic among Europe's eight, and Macedonia heads for Austria in Vienna

FIBA put Dimitrijevic among the eight worth watching in Europe

In its official preview of the second round of pre-qualifiers for EuroBasket 2029, FIBA singled out eight players in Europe expected to make the strongest impression - and Nenad Dimitrijevic is among them. Basketball's world governing body recalled his performances from the previous cycle, above all the game against Lithuania with 43 points and seven three-pointers, and his average of 26.2 points per game. Macedonia enters Group F with six wins from six in the first round. That is recognition, but also a weight: when a national team depends on one playmaker, every bad day of his is a national bad day.

Vienna, 16:05: the virus is behind them, Austria awaits, and Gjuroski says he knows where the weak spot is

The Macedonian players completed their first training session at the Sport Arena in Vienna ahead of Sunday's game against Austria. The experienced Gjuroski says the team has already watched the footage of Austria's defeat by Cyprus: "Honestly, that was a surprising loss, because we expected Cyprus to be one of the outsiders in the group." He believes two days in Vienna are enough to prepare and that the style established under coach Jose Maria Berrocal stays the same despite changes in the squad. Naturalised centre Moses Wright joins them too. Tip-off at 16:05. If Cyprus managed it there, there are no excuses.

Kuminga turned down the Lakers for less money: two years, 13 million, and the option in his own hands

The biggest question mark of this NBA free agency finally has an answer - Jonathan Kuminga is signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves for two years and 13 million dollars, with a player option on the second. And here is the interesting part: the Lakers offered him a bigger sum, more in one season than he will earn over two in Minnesota, and he turned it down. Instead of three guaranteed seasons, he chose two plus control over the timing of his next contract. Minnesota used the taxpayer mid-level exception of around 6.1 million and gets a wing who can defend several positions, alongside Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert. A player betting on himself - a rarity in a league where everybody bets on guaranteed money.

Wembanyama 22 points against a Slovenia without Doncic, France top of the group

In France's first official game since 2024, Victor Wembanyama recorded 22 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes in a 92:67 win over Slovenia in qualifying for the 2027 World Cup. He shot 5/5 from two and 9/10 from the free-throw line. Slovenia played without Luka Doncic, and their best were Krampelj and Glas with 10 points each. France top Group L at 6-1. What is most memorable from this game is not the score but the answer to the question of how much a national team depends on one name - Slovenia without Doncic conceded 92 points and rarely looked like itself.

Hezonja 28 points, Croatia crushed Latvia by 35

Mario Hezonja scored 28 points and added seven assists in Croatia's 115:80 win over Latvia in World Cup qualifying. He shot 8/13 from the field - all eight from two, none of five from three - and 12/15 from the line, with the best index rating of the game. Karlo Matkovic added 17 points on 8/8 shooting, and Luka Bozic had the same. Dario Saric scored just two points but had nine rebounds and five assists. At 31, Hezonja is returning to the NBA on a one-year deal with Cleveland worth 2.8 million dollars, after six seasons in Europe and an MVP season in the Spanish league last year. In one round of qualifying Croatia produces a 35-point margin; the same evening, Macedonia was working on how not to lose to Austria.