Dončić Wants One European League, the Greek Embassy Complains About an MZT Banner: The Basketball Played Off the Court

Dončić: "There should be one league"

While the EuroLeague and the NBA negotiate a joint game, Luka Dončić said what many think and few say out loud. "There's the EuroLeague, the EuroCup, then NBA Europe. That's three leagues. It's hard for that to work. There should be one league," the Lakers star told Sports Illustrated. He's no neutral commentator: he's a co-owner of Roma, the club of former Dallas manager Donnie Nelson that plays in the EuroCup, and he has already talked with commissioner Adam Silver about the team joining the planned NBA Europe. "He's very excited. I can't tell you everything," Luka says. When players become owners too, the only question is whose that one league will be.

The MZT banner reached the Foreign Ministry

MZT Skopje opened the FIBA Europe Cup with a 59:64 defeat to Iraklis at the "Jane Sandanski" arena, after a hard-fought game in which the winner was uncertain until 57:58. Noah Ali Farrakhan scored 18 points for the hosts, the same as Jalen Lecque for the Thessaloniki side. But after the game nobody is talking about basketball. Fans displayed a banner with a verse linked to the anthem and a map of the so-called "United Macedonia", Iraklis reported it to the commissioner before tip-off and announced a complaint to FIBA, and the Greek embassy confirmed it had raised the matter with the Foreign Ministry, citing the Prespa Agreement. FIBA doesn't allow political messages at international games, so if a fine comes, the club will pay it. The question is a different one: why did a banner at a basketball game end up as a diplomatic note?

Panathinaikos with their best start in 19 years

Panathinaikos comfortably beat Fenerbahçe and reached four wins from four rounds in the EuroLeague - the club's best start in 19 seasons, since 2007/08, when they opened with seven straight wins. The Athenians led 46:41 at half-time, and in the final quarter the lead reached 20 points. The French duo carried the team: Mathias Lessort with 19 points, 8 rebounds and a PIR of 30, and Sylvain Francisco with 17 points and 7 assists, while Nigel Hayes-Davis added another 19 points. October doesn't bring trophies, but Athens for now has the confidence it will need in May.

EuroLeague fines Crvena zvezda and Žalgiris

After the second round, the fines arrived. Crvena zvezda pays 7,000 euros for offensive chants by its fans at the game against Hapoel Tel Aviv. Žalgiris gets off worse: 30,000 euros and one game at 80% capacity with closed sections, for banners at the game against Olympiacos. The arena restriction is suspended - it will only be enforced if Kaunas offends again. The EuroLeague has a clear price list for the stands, and judging by the bills, a banner is a considerably more expensive gesture than a chant.

Skopje derby to TFT, Parker's 31 points not enough

In the Skopje derby, TFT beat last season's runners-up Skopje 102:98 for their first win of the season. The hosts led 30:18 after the first quarter, 52:41 at half-time and 64:47 in the third, when the game looked settled. It wasn't: Skopje used runs to get to 92:90, but TFT played the final minutes more confidently. Gjorgji Cvetkovski led with 24 points, White finished with a double-double, and Nikolov added 10. For the visitors, Parker scored 31 points and 12 rebounds - enough for a headline, not for a win. For Skopje this is a second defeat, after the one against Kožuf, and for last year's play-off finalist that's an alarm that mustn't be ignored.