Macedonia open the new cycle in Vienna tomorrow - without Jakimovski and without the NCAA players

The men's senior national team travel to Austria tomorrow at 16:05 for the first match of the second round of pre-qualifiers for EuroBasket 2029. Head coach Josep Maria Berrocal once again does not have a full squad: no Andrej Jakimovski, and none of the players who left for the NCAA in the United States. On the roster are Nenad Dimitrijević, Viktor Tašovski, Viktor Efremovski, Vojdan Stojanovski, Luka Stojanovski, Adem Mekić, Stojan Ǵuroski, Lejson Zeḱiri, Valmir Kakruki, Rezart Memed, Toma Stojanoski and Moses Wright. The supporters' group in Vienna has announced a mass turnout - which means our players will have a crowd on the road, but still will not have a complete squad. How many times have we read that sentence in the last decade?

Jokić did not need to score ten points for Serbia to win 102:73

Against Iceland at the Belgrade Arena, Nikola Jokić finished with 6 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in 23 minutes - and it was more than enough. The three-time NBA MVP took seven shots in total, because others carried the scoring: Nikola Tanasković with 23 points, Nikola Jović with 21, Marko Gudurić with 17. Serbia are now 5-2 in Group J of the European qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar, where only the top three go through. "We did not start with enough energy, but the second quarter and the entire second half were at the level they need to be at," Jokić said. On 31 August Serbia face Italy - the team that has already beaten them several times in decisive moments.

Wembanyama returned in a France shirt and dismantled a Slovenia without Dončić

It was Victor Wembanyama's first official match for France since the 2024 Olympics, and it ended 92:67 against Slovenia. The 22-year-old France captain put up 22 points and 9 rebounds in 21 minutes, going 5/5 from two-point range and 9/10 from the free-throw line. Slovenia were missing their one genuine star - Luka Dončić skipped the August window to spend the summer with his family, specifically with his daughters. The result shows precisely how much a national team depends on one man: without him, Martin Krampelj and Gregor Glas with 10 points each were Slovenia's top scorers. France lead Group L at 6-1.

Kuminga turned down the Lakers and Portland for less money in Minnesota

Jonathan Kuminga signed a two-year deal worth 12 million dollars with the Minnesota Timberwolves, with a player option for the 2027/28 season. He turned down bigger offers from the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland and Chicago. His agent Aaron Turner says the decisive factor was Anthony Edwards: "Ant was super active in the recruiting. One thing he did was to steer the message toward the fact that here we are really going to defend. Everybody was looking at the offence. JK and I were looking more at the defence." A player choosing a defensive role over a bigger cheque is not everyday news in a league where the stat sheet fills the contracts. "Nobody is going to care about statistics or shots," Turner added.

Serbia withdrew from the Mediterranean Games rather than play against Kosovo

The Serbia 3x3 basketball squad withdrew from the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, a day before their scheduled fixture against the team of the Kosovo basketball federation. The draw had placed Serbia in Group C together with Kosovo. The decision is not sporting but political - and it is not the first of its kind in the Balkans. A region that constantly asks to be part of the European sporting mainstream has once again shown that it walks onto the court with preconditions. Sport in the Balkans has a long tradition of being politics continued with different equipment, and Taranto is simply the latest address where that was on display.