Jokić: I'll sign next year - for a record 360 million dollars

Nikola Jokić revealed at Denver's media day that he plans a new deal with the Nuggets next summer, when he'll be eligible for a five-year contract worth 360 million dollars - the biggest in NBA history. That would take his total basketball earnings to 724 million dollars. He could already sign a four-year extension worth around 280 million, but chose to wait. Last season he averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists, shooting 56.9 percent from the field, and his trophy cabinet holds three MVP awards and the 2023 championship. The kid from Sombor, picked 41st in the draft, is now on the verge of the most expensive signature in the league. Patience, it seems, is the best-paid skill in the NBA.

LeBron in Philadelphia, Dončić alone at the head of the Lakers

At 41 and ahead of his 24th season, LeBron James pulled on a Philadelphia jersey for the first time and delivered the line of the day: "I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round." The main reason for his choice, he says, was Tyrese Maxey, while the biggest unknown remains Joel Embiid's health. In Los Angeles, Luka Dončić is now the Lakers' only star: "I feel great. This is a new challenge, but I've been in this position many times." The numbers aren't on his side - the Lakers went out in the first round in 2025, and this summer, without the injured Dončić, Oklahoma swept them 4-0 in the second round. Now the Slovenian has no one to hide behind, and no one to share the blame with.

Ohrid-born Cedi Osman knocks out Panathinaikos, Olympiacos take the Super Cup

The Greek Super Cup had a Balkan signature. Cedi Osman, born in Ohrid, knocked his former club Panathinaikos out in the semi-final with a buzzer-beating three - PAOK won 84-82, after Sylvain Francisco had put the Greens ahead just seconds earlier. "Shots like that are the easiest. You have to take them with confidence," Osman said. In the final, though, Olympiacos ended the story: 101-96 against PAOK, with Sasha Vezenkov on 25 points and 10 rebounds, and a fifth straight Super Cup for the Piraeus side. Osman added 15 points in defeat. A trophy at the start of the season doesn't mean much - but the Ohrid-born three against Panathinaikos will be remembered longer than the final itself.

MZT survive the Kumanovo inferno for a ninth Super Cup

The Macedonian season began with a trophy for reigning champions MZT Skopje Aerodrom. The Skopje side beat MKK Kumanovo 70-68 in front of 3,250 fans in a packed Kumanovo arena to win their sixth straight and ninth overall "Dragan Vasilov - Cevka" Super Cup. MZT led 68-58 with three minutes left, but the hosts went on a 10-2 run and lost the ball on the final possession without getting a shot off. New signing Noah Farrakhan scored 20 points and Vojdan Stojanovski 16. That takes MZT to 36 domestic trophies. Coach Vasko Atanasov kept it short: "MZT plays best away from home and wins trophies away from home." The rematch isn't far off - the two teams meet again on October 2 in Skopje, in the first round of the Super League.

Jakimovski scores 16 on his Napoli debut

Andrej Jakimovski stepped into Italy's Lega A as if he'd been playing there for years. On his debut for Napoli, in a convincing away win over Roma, the Macedonian international scored 16 points in 24 minutes, going 3 of 4 from three - and both opened and closed the game with a three. While he was on the floor, Napoli were 26 points better, the best mark on the team. The team is coached by Jasmin Repeša, an old acquaintance of Balkan basketball, and the EuroCup follows immediately, with a game against France's Bourg. A debut is just one round, but plus 26 while you're on the court is no accident.