LeBron chose Philadelphia for eight million, while the Clippers were offering over twenty

Before signing for Philadelphia, LeBron James had a one-year Clippers deal worth over 20 million dollars on the table - and he would have stayed at his home in Brentwood, near his family and his businesses. Instead he signed a two-year contract with the Seventy-Sixers worth around 8 million dollars in total, with a player option for the second season. Do the maths yourself: he gave up a salary five times higher. According to ESPN, people close to him believed the Lakers were never serious about extending the relationship, whatever the front office claimed publicly. In Philadelphia he will find Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. At 41, the man is choosing a ring over a cheque - a rarity in a league where it is usually the other way around.

The secret meeting in Akron: Cleveland tried one last time

Before the Philadelphia decision, Cleveland's entire leadership - Koby Altman, Brandon Weems and members of the Gilbert family - met James in Akron in early July. Insider Shams Charania had known about it for weeks but did not publish, because the information was given off the record and he could not confirm it with a second source. Rich Paul, James's agent, was visibly surprised when Charania mentioned it on a podcast: „Nobody knew about that.” So the most heavily covered sports market in the world can still keep a secret - and a reporter can still sit on a story for ethical reasons. A rare sight at a time when every piece of information is published before it is checked.

Doncic is taking the whole Lakers squad to Slovenia

In August Luka Doncic will host the entire Lakers roster in Slovenia for a four-day camp with training sessions, golf and sightseeing in Ljubljana. After James's departure, Los Angeles is being built around Doncic and Austin Reaves, and the team has a whole run of new faces - Walker Kessler, Jaden Hardy, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ziaire Williams and Mathis Thiboulle. A Balkan player takes over the most famous franchise in the NBA and brings it home before pre-season begins. There is something in that no marketing plan can buy.

Macedonia starts in Vienna: the first test for Berrocal on 30 August

After a bye in the first round, the men's senior national team enters the second round of pre-qualifying for EuroBasket 2029 away to Austria on 30 August, tipping off at 16:05 at the Sport Arena Vienna. Group F also includes Cyprus, and only the top side goes through to the main qualifiers. The squad picked by Josep Maria Berrocal arrives with a perfect record - six wins from six games in the first phase. The last meetings between the two go back to qualifying for the 2005 EuroBasket, when Macedonia won convincingly twice - 101:75 away and 99:62 at home. Austria, meanwhile, finished the previous cycle 1-5 against Latvia, the Netherlands and Poland. On paper Vienna is winnable. Paper has told us plenty of things before.

Robev stays at Gradski Park, and Rabotnicki is building quietly

Macedonian international Damjan Robev has signed a new contract and stays at Rabotnicki. Last season the experienced guard averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in the domestic championship, and before Gradski Park he played for Vardar, Gostivar, Kumanovo and MZT Skopje Aerodrom. In the same period the club also signed the American Darrin Govens from TFT Skopje. Neither of these moves will make headlines outside the country, but in a league where players rotate like seasonal labour, keeping a key man is news in itself.