Mike James with an Achilles injury - Zvezda finally win

Mike James, the all-time leading scorer in EuroLeague history, went down without any contact from an opponent in the third quarter of the game in Belgrade, with Crvena Zvezda leading 53:51, and was carried off the court on a stretcher. Anadolu Efes confirmed an Achilles tendon injury; its severity isn't yet known, and James himself said the injury "doesn't look good". The Zvezda crowd sent him off with loud applause - a gesture that says more than many official statements. The 36-year-old 2024 MVP signed for Efes this summer after five seasons at Monaco. Zvezda, led by Chima Moneke, won 77:72 and celebrated their first EuroLeague win at the third attempt.

Real Madrid lose their first three - a first in club history

Real Madrid have started their EuroLeague season with three straight defeats, something the club has never experienced before. After a 77:78 loss in Dubai and 84:94 to Efes came defeat to Hapoel Tel Aviv, who had 63 points by half-time - the second-highest number of points Real have ever conceded in a first half in the EuroLeague. Théo Maledon played the best game of his career (26 points, 7 assists, a PIR of 40), but in vain, while Vasilije Micić scored 22 for Hapoel. Coach Pedro Martínez started the season by winning the Supercup, and now hosts Partizan in his first home game. How fast does a trophy melt when the table shows zero wins?

AEK owner: the NBA is offering to abolish the EuroLeague

AEK owner Makis Angelopoulos claims the NBA has put a proposal to the EuroLeague that amounts to "merger and absorption" - in other words, its abolition. According to him, the NBA would hand out 12 licences, with three more at the end of year three and year six, bringing the total to 18, while the remaining clubs would move to the FIBA Champions League. Angelopoulos called the EuroLeague "the definition of unfair competition" and said it had asked for domestic leagues to move to Tuesdays and Wednesdays so that European games could earn 35 million euros. The NBA publicly says it will launch its European league in October 2027, and EuroLeague shareholders meet on 5 October at Lake Como. If European basketball is carved up into 12 licences, how many will be left for the Balkans?

MZT: ten games in October, on three fronts

Macedonian champions MZT Skopje Aerodrom go into October with a schedule of 10 games - on average one every three days. Coach Vasko Atanasov's side are playing on three fronts: the FIBA Europe Cup, the ABA 2 League and the domestic Super League. The month from hell opens with the derby against MKK Kumanovo, and on 6 October Greece's Iraklis visit the Jane Sandanski arena. The club hasn't played at this pace in years. Is the roster deep enough for a month with no time even to recover?

Super League tips off: Kumanovo promise character, Štip come in with a wild card

The new MTEL Super League season starts this weekend, and the coaches are unanimous in predicting a more balanced championship. Marin Dokuzovski, head of Kumanovo's coaching staff, sees his team's strength in "team play, discipline, character and fighting spirit" and wants a winning start for the sake of confidence. The fresh face is GKK Štip, who enter with a wild card: Marjan Srbinovski, who runs the club, admits that injuries cost them some of their warm-up games and that they're still waiting for a new foreign signing. In round one, Štip host Tikveš. Every season starts with talk of a more even league, and this time the rosters at least look stronger on paper. Will we see that on the court too?