Red Star on final warning: one more incident and it's an empty arena

Crvena Zvezda have officially announced they received a final warning from the EuroLeague over their fans' behaviour at the first-round game against Zalgiris. The report lists lasers, abusive chants aimed at players and referees, flares and objects thrown onto the court. The club is already playing at 80 percent capacity because of last season's sanctions, and admits it has paid "hundreds of thousands of euros" in fines over the years and played games in front of empty stands. So it has asked fans to support the team "fairly and in a sporting manner," because the next incident means closed doors or drastically reduced capacity, plus a big fine. On the court things aren't going any better: Zvezda are 0-2 after a dramatic home defeat to Hapoel Tel Aviv in Belgrade, while Partizan came back to win in Paris and are 2-0. If the club itself counts the damage in hundreds of thousands, how much more will it take for anything to change in the stands?

Doncic starts the post-LeBron era, and the Lakers know the clock is ticking

Luka Doncic opened the Lakers' training camp surrounded by an almost entirely new team. After LeBron James left, the club brought in Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Ziaire Williams, Kevon Looney, Matisse Thybulle and Jaden Hardy, and handed Austin Reaves a four-year max deal worth 180 million dollars. Asked how quickly chemistry would come, the Slovenian answered honestly: "I don't know. Some things will click faster, some later." Behind the scenes the maths is simple - Doncic has two years left on his deal plus an option for 2028/29, and in Los Angeles they know they need to be "in a good place" with him by the end of the season to get an extension done. The whole rebuild is, really, a pitch for one signature.

Valencia buys its way into the EuroLeague: 40 to 50 million euros for a franchise

Valencia are "certain" to be one of the EuroLeague's 11 new franchises, according to the Spanish press. The price of a permanent place, according to the same report, is between 40 and 50 million euros. The EuroLeague was reportedly impressed by the Roig family's investment over the last 40 years and by the new Roig Arena, which is among the favourites to host the 2028 Final Four - provided the local authorities put money in during an election year. This is what modern European basketball looks like: a place at the top is increasingly paid for in an office and less and less won on the court. How many Balkan clubs will have the cash for that ticket?

Dimitrijevic starts with a win in the EuroCup

Macedonian international Nenad Dimitrijevic opened the season in the shirt of Greece's Aris with a win over Le Mans in the first round of the EuroCup group stage. The point guard recorded 8 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists and, on his debut for the Thessaloniki club, showed he'll have a real role, not just a seat on the bench. Aris started badly and trailed 28:15 in the first quarter, but a 12:0 run brought them back into it, they won the third quarter 24:15 and after that there was no doubt. A Macedonian point guard with a real role at a European club - that's news worth noting.

Kozhuv with seven locals from Gevgelija and one goal: the Super League top four

Kozhuv go into the new domestic Super League season with a younger squad and a clear ambition - a step up from fifth place, where they finished in each of the last two years. Seven of the 12 players are from Gevgelija, three are foreigners, and last season's league MVP, Terry Armstrong, stays on. President Zafir Chuchanov promised "one of the most unpredictable championships ever," and coach Misho Todorovikj recalled that Kozhuv have played in both the league final and the Cup final. For the first time, the club will have four age groups in the youth leagues - good news for a club that wants to build on its own.