Real Madrid won the first EuroLeague Super Cup, Vezenkov got no award for 22 points

New competition, new trophy, same winner. Real Madrid beat Olympiacos 93-89 in the final of the first EuroLeague Super Cup and became the first team to hold that trophy. Real led by nine after the first quarter, the Greeks hit back with 28 points in the second and briefly led in the third, but the Spaniards held control when it mattered most. Walter Tavares was named tournament MVP with six points and seven rebounds in the final - an award that says more about his defence than about the statistics. The winners' top scorer was Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot with 12 points, while Facundo Campazzo, with seven points, five rebounds and nine assists, had the highest efficiency rating in the side. For the losers, Sasha Vezenkov put up 22 points and five rebounds and was the best player on court - but his three-pointer to level it in the final seconds did not drop. The two teams played this just three months after Olympiacos took the title at the Final Four.

Kawhi Leonard close to a deal in Toronto: 50.3 million this season, up to 126 million beyond

Seven years after the title he brought Toronto before leaving immediately, Kawhi Leonard is coming back - this time intending to stay. According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, the player and the club are expected to agree an extension before camp opens, because Leonard wants things settled before he even puts the shirt on. His current deal pays him 50.3 million dollars for the 2026/27 season, and he is eligible for a maximum extension of two years and up to 126.1 million dollars. Last season for the Clippers he averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 65 games - a career high in scoring at 35. The transfer unspooled over months while the NBA's investigation into the Clippers ran. In a league where everything is discussed in advance, this was one of the rare stories everybody knew and nobody was allowed to confirm.

Monaco cannot even play in the third division, the club talks of liquidation

One of the best-known European projects of the past decade is left without a league. Monaco announced that on 18 September it received a negative opinion from the conciliator of the French Olympic Committee, who recommended upholding the French Basketball Federation's decision of 12 September - which denied the club entry to Nationale 1, France's third division, for the 2026/27 season. The club says it receives the decision with deep disappointment and is examining all legal options with its lawyers. According to BeBasket, lawyer Xavier Le Serf-Galé asked the federation to clarify whether it will stand by the decision or review it on the basis of new documentation. A team that was playing the Final Four not long ago is now fighting not to be liquidated. European basketball is full of clubs built on money that one day stops arriving - the Balkans know that scene by heart.

Dimitrijevikj top scorer for Aris in Belgrade, Macedonia has a player in form before duty

Macedonian international Nenad Dimitrijevikj was the best individual performer among the losers in Aris's friendly against Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade. The Greek side lost narrowly 91-87 after leading 44-41 at the break, with the hosts making the difference in the third quarter, which they won 26-19. Dimitrijevikj recorded 16 points, two rebounds and three assists, while Zvezda's top scorer was Nwora with 25 points. A few days earlier Zvezda beat the same opponent 98-74, so Aris's resistance tonight means something. From a Macedonian angle it means one thing: the international is finding form before national team duty, and doing it in a side that faces serious opposition every game.

Jakimovski signed for Napoli and explained why: the coach Repeša decided it

Another Macedonian basketball player is heading to Italy's Serie A. Andrej Jakimovski was officially presented at Napoli and said he did not hesitate at all, even though he had other attractive offers. The decisive factor, he says, was coach Jasmin Repeša. "I know Napoli, I played in this arena as a visitor last year and I know how full of passion this club is, with one of the best fan bases in all of Italy," Jakimovski said, adding that the roster is strong and the goal is a good result in both the domestic championship and the EuroCup. Choosing a coach rather than a bigger offer is rarer than we like to believe. Whether that judgement was right will be seen once the season starts.