Real Madrid are the first champions of the EuroLeague Super Cup

A trophy that did not exist until now, so nobody could defend it: Real Madrid won the first EuroLeague Super Cup after beating Olympiacos 93:89 in a final that replayed last year's EuroLeague decider. Real led by nine after the first quarter, the Greeks answered with 28 points in the second, and the game was settled in the final minute: a three from Evan Fournier for minus two with 1:15 left, then a basket by Andrés Feliz six seconds before the buzzer, and missed threes from Vezenkov and Fournier. Sasha Vezenkov was the best player on the floor with 22 points, but the tournament MVP went to Walter Tavares on a modest six points and seven rebounds in the final. Campazzo added nine assists, Lyles-Cabarrot 12 points. Whether the Super Cup is a real trophy or marketing warm-up before the season will be answered by the display cabinets in a few years. Real have it either way.

Kawhi Leonard said goodbye to the Clippers in one post, and Toronto paid dearly

Kawhi Leonard closed six seasons in Los Angeles with a single Instagram post: "I truly appreciate your unwavering support through the good and the bad. Thank you, Clipper Nation." Behind the farewell sits one of the biggest controversies in NBA history, the salary-cap circumvention scheme around Leonard, because of which a deal agreed back at the end of June had to wait while the league finished its investigation. For the 35-year-old two-time Finals MVP, the Toronto Raptors gave up Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks for 2031 and 2033, a pick swap for 2027 and two second-round picks. Before that the Raptors had asked about Trey Murphy, but the Pelicans wanted more first-rounders and Toronto walked away. Leonard arrives after the best individual season of his career, 27.9 points a game, and with the 2019 title he already once brought the Canadians. Two unprotected picks for a 35-year-old: courage or desperation? In Toronto they evidently believe history can repeat itself.

Doncic in Ljubljana until 20 September: a 203-day break and the Lakers in Slovenia

Luka Doncic spent the summer at home in Ljubljana and only returns to Los Angeles after 20 September. Between the end of last season and the start of the new one there will be 203 days, the longest break of his professional career, because a grade-two hamstring injury took him out of the entire playoffs. He did not play for Slovenia this summer, worked with his personal trainer Anze Macek and is already at around 105 kilograms, practically the weight the Lakers listed him at last season. Instead of flying to America, he brought his teammates to him: an informal Lakers mini-camp in Slovenia. The club's media day is on 28 September, training camp starts the day after. A player who makes one of the biggest clubs in the world come to his home is a different story from the ones we usually read about our players across the ocean.

Rabotnicki split the series with Vojvodina, Efremovski with 24 points

An eighth pre-season game for Rabotnicki and a second against Vojvodina in two days: after the previous day's defeat, the team from Gradski Park won 77:72 against the Serbian club on Sunday. Viktor Efremovski was the most efficient with 24 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals, Atanasij Trajanov added 11 points and 7 rebounds, and Damjan Robev 10 points. Friendlies are friendlies, but preparation against a Serbian club is closer to the real picture than home training sessions. Whether Rabotnicki have the depth for more than two or three key men will become clear once the real schedule begins.

Neno in form: Dimitrijevic leads Aris with Spanoulis on the bench

Nenad Dimitrijevic showed once again why Vassilis Spanoulis sees him as one of Aris's key players. In a friendly against Mykonos, Aris won 80:64, and the Macedonian scored 9 points in 20 minutes with two rebounds and two assists. These are not numbers that make headlines, but the form is the one he showed in the national team shirt this summer: reliable, efficient, nothing wasted. The Greek league is brutal for playmakers, and if Neno stays at this level, Thessaloniki will see him as a leader rather than a guest.