LeBron facing a decision: five NBA giants await his signature

LeBron James is once again keeping the whole NBA in suspense. After eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers, he has already told them he'll spend next season somewhere else, and now, according to insider Shams Charania, he is „getting closer to a decision by the day". Five clubs are in the race for his signature: Cleveland, Miami, Golden State, Philadelphia and Minnesota. And that's where the real circus begins - clubs send recorded voice messages through his agent Rich Paul, and even players from around the league are personally chasing him to talk him into joining. At 40, the man is still so wanted that general managers, presidents and club owners line up as if for an audition. Not bad for someone who should have retired a long time ago, right?

Golden State grabs Frank Vogel - a champion on Curry's bench

Golden State quietly made one of the stronger moves of the summer. Frank Vogel, the coach who led the Lakers to the 2020 title, agreed to become an assistant coach under Steve Kerr. Vogel has 12 seasons of experience as a head coach - Indiana, Orlando, Los Angeles and Phoenix - and a record of 480 wins and 422 losses. Defence is familiar territory for him: his Indiana was twice first in the league in defensive rating. The Warriors, known for an attack that fires from every position, now get a man who also knows how to lock down the opponent's basket. The combination sounds dangerous for the rest of the West.

The EuroLeague's best defender heads to the NBA

Alpha Diallo, the EuroLeague's best defensive player last season, has swapped Europe for the NBA - he signed a one-year deal with Denver worth 1.4 million dollars. Diallo was a pillar of Monaco for five seasons, averaging 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals, and was rated „excellent" in almost every defensive situation. There's an interesting detail: he already had a contract with Dubai, but with a clause that allowed him to leave for the NBA until July 15. Denver, who already have Jokić, now also get one of the best defensive wings on the old continent. The European league, meanwhile, loses yet another of its trump cards across the ocean - a story that is becoming ever more familiar.

MZT Skopje returns to Europe - from the sixth pot

After a long break, Macedonian champions MZT Skopje Aerodrom are once again part of the European cups. FIBA has officially released the pots ahead of the draw for the FIBA Europe Cup in the 2026-27 season, and MZT landed in the sixth, lowest-ranked pot. The new format is bigger than ever - 48 clubs split into eight groups of six teams. The group draw is scheduled for Thursday in Munich. The sixth pot means tough rivals and little margin, but for a club that spent years watching European basketball only on TV, the return itself is a win. The rest will be defended on the court.

Macedonian diamond signs for a Spanish giant

Another piece of good news for home basketball: a young Macedonian player, Sotir, earned the attention of one of the Spanish giants and signed for Unicaja. He arrives after two successful seasons at CB Elche, where in Spain's First Division he averaged 17.7 points and 6.5 rebounds and was named the club's best player. In the new season he will play for the under-18 junior team, but will have the chance to train with the first squad too. The road from Elche to Unicaja is no small leap - it's a step towards the very top of Spanish basketball. If the talent confirms itself, this could be the start of a story worth paying attention to.