International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mamadi Diakite Joins Baskonia On Two-Year Deal

September 15th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 15: Diakite’s agent at Dedicated Performance Sports, Derrick Powell, has confirmed the deal to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

AUGUST 18: Former NBA big man Mamadi Diakite has signed a two-year contract with Baskonia, according to Eurohoops.

Diakite, 28, was in training camp with the Suns last fall, but was waived before the start of the season. He played for Phoenix’s G League affiliate, the Valley Suns, averaging 12.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 27 regular season games.

Diakite began his NBA career with Milwaukee, signing a two-way deal in 2020 after going undrafted out of Virginia. He also had brief stays with Oklahoma City, Cleveland, San Antonio and New York.

He got into 55 total games with five teams and holds career averages of 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per night.

Located in Spain, Baskonia competes in both Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. The team’s other players with NBA ties include Markus Howard, Trent Forrest, Hamidou Diallo, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Rodions Kurucs and Luka Samanic.

Stein’s Latest: Banton, Love, Warriors, NBA Europe, Bonga

September 15th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Dalano Banton has received interest from teams overseas but continues to seek an NBA opportunity after spending the past season-and-a-half in Portland, Marc Stein writes for The Stein Line (Substack link).

According to Stein, Banton has recently auditioned for multiple NBA teams, including the Warriors and Pacers, though Indiana decided to pass on him.

Banton, who was traded from the Celtics to the Trail Blazers at the 2024 deadline, has since appeared in 97 games for Portland, averaging 10.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 20.6 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .399/.319/.751. He has been an unrestricted free agent since his contract expired on June 30.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Jazz and Kevin Love have yet to engage in serious discussions about a buyout, per Stein. While it’s “widely known” that Love would like to play for a team closer to contention, it doesn’t sound as if he has a post-buyout spot lined up yet, Stein explains, so there has been no urgency to get out of his contract with Utah.
Stein reiterates that the expectation around the NBA is that veteran free agents Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II will sign with the Warriors once Jonathan Kuminga‘s situation is resolved. According to Stein, the latest round of negotiations between the Warriors and Kuminga has “sparked some fresh optimism” that both he and those other vets will be signed prior to the team’s media day on September 29.
After FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa predicted that the NBA’s new European league could tip off in 2027, Stein says his own reporting suggests Garbajosa’s timetable may not be exact but also isn’t far off.
Although Isaac Bonga‘s NBA exit clause for 2025 expired, he drew interest from a few teams earlier in the summer, according to Stein, who says Bonga committed to spending the coming season with Partizan Belgrade after not getting a concrete offer from any of those clubs. Stein anticipates Bonga will receive more serious NBA interest next offseason.

EuroBasket Notes: Schröder, Nowitzki, Wagner, Spanoulis, Awards

September 15th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Dennis Schröder credited Dirk Nowitzki with inspiring the current crop of players who have turned Germany into an international basketball power, writes Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews. After capturing MVP honors while leading his team to the gold medal at EuroBasket, Schröder paid tribute to the Mavericks legend, who was a German basketball icon in addition to his 21-year NBA career.

“Dirk, what he’s been doing for the German national team and what he’s done in the NBA and in the national team made us come to the national team and represent our country,” Schröder said.

Nowitzki is one of the greatest players in European history and earned a long list of honors in international competitions. Schröder is also building an impressive resume, adding the EuroBasket gold to the championship he won at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and a bronze medal in the 2022 EuroBasket, but he doesn’t want to be compared to Nowitzki.

“At the end of the day, my name is Dennis Schröder, and I’m just Dennis Schröder, and that’s my legacy,” he said. “Whatever I can bring to the table to make sure my teammates are good and we compete at the highest level and win gold medals. That’s what I’m going to do. Everything else doesn’t matter.”

There’s more from EuroBasket:

German teammate Franz Wagner dedicated the championship to his brother, Moritz Wagner, who was unable to play due to an ACL tear in his left knee that he suffered with Orlando last season, per Pijus Sapetka of BasketNews. Franz said his brother is “super happy” about the gold medal, and he wore Moritz’s jersey during the victory celebration as a way to include him. “Obviously, he had a tough injury, and he’s trying to get back as fast as possible,” Franz said. “Couldn’t be here, but I think everybody on the team knows that he’s part of the group. It’s part of what we’re building.”
Greek coach Vassilis Spanoulis was happy to leave with the bronze, which represents the nation’s first international medal in 16 years, according to Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops. “This medal belongs to all Greeks,” Spanoulis said. “We wanted to bring basketball to the top again. This generation deserved it. Thank you very much, and I hope this medal returns basketball to the golden era.”
We covered Schröder’s MVP and the naming of the First Five on Sunday, but several other awards were also handed out. FIBA’s EuroBasket website lists Poland’s Jordan Loyd, Turkey’s Cedi Osman, Israel’s Deni Avdija, Finland’s Lauri Markkanen and Serbia’s Nikola Jokic as second-team honorees. In addition, Germany’s Isaac Bonga was named Best Defensive Player, Finland’s Miikka Muurinen received the Rising Star award and Turkey’s Ergin Ataman was recognized as Best Coach. Full standings for all 24 tournament teams have also been released.

Isaac Bonga Can’t Return To NBA This Season

September 15th, 2025 at 10:06am CST by Arthur Hill

Isaac Bonga played a huge role in helping Germany capture the gold medal at EuroBasket, and his stellar play at both ends of the court has prompted speculation about a possible return to the NBA. However, that can’t happen during the 2025/26 season, according to BasketNews, which relays a report from Serbian outlet Mozzart Sport.

Bonga recently extended his contract with Partizan Belgrade, keeping him with the team until the summer of 2027. The deal includes an NBA exit clause, but it has already expired for this year.

Bonga was an important contributor for the German squad, which posted a 9-0 record at the tournament. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game and was named the Best Defender at the competition.

The 25-year-old swingman began his NBA career with the Lakers after being selected with the 39th pick in the 2018 draft. After seeing limited playing time during his first season, Bonga was traded to Washington the following summer in the three-team deal that brought Anthony Davis to L.A.

He spent two seasons with the Wizards, starting 49 of the 66 games he played in 2019/20, then signed with Toronto as a free agent in 2021 before returning to Europe the following year.

German teammate Franz Wagner suggested over the weekend that Bonga could still have an NBA future, saying that teams would be interested in an “elite defender” who can hit three-pointers and make plays with the ball. According to Meridian Sport, when Wagner approached him about the idea, Bonga laughed and responded, “That’s something so you have something to talk about.”

Kai Jones Signs With Anadolu Efes

September 15th, 2025 at 7:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 15: Jones’ new contract with Anadolu Efes is official, according to Eurohoops.

SEPTEMBER 11: Free agent big man Kai Jones is close to signing with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes, BasketNews’ Donatas Urbonas reports.

Jones worked out for the Heat last month but his chances of getting a contract with Miami waned after the team decided to ink Dru Smith. Prior to his workout, Jones was reportedly close to signing with Italy’s Virtus Bologna.

Jones played 40 games for the Clippers and Mavericks in ’24/25, averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG while shooting 79.8% from the field in 11.7 MPG.

Jones began last season on a two-way contract with the Clippers, then was waived on March 1 so the team could bring in a couple of new two-way players. He caught on immediately with the injury-plagued Mavericks, who were desperately seeking frontcourt depth as they pushed for a play-in spot.

The 24-year-old center was the 19th pick of the 2021 draft. He spent his first two seasons in the league with the Hornets.

Jones’ contract with Anadolu Efes in expected to include an exit clause in January, Urbonas adds.

EuroBasket Standouts For NBA Teams To Monitor

September 14th, 2025 at 6:04pm CST by Eli Cohen

The 2025 EuroBasket tournament has officially concluded, with Germany taking home the gold medal after defeating Turkey 88-83. Soon, the NBA players involved in the competition will rejoin their teams as they gear up for training camp, while EuroLeague players get ready for the September 30 season tip-off.

While the competition was a great way for teammates like Franz Wagner and Tristan Da Silva of the Magic to further build chemistry and for international stars like Dennis Schröder and Giannis Antetokounmpo to continue to shape their FIBA legacies, it was also a chance for less-heralded players to gain the eye of NBA executives and scouts, write Cyro Asseo and Sam Yip of HoopsHype.

Asseo and Yip break down eight players who proved during competition that they are worth NBA teams’ attention. They start with Isaac Bonga, who was named MVP of the EuroBasket Final after scoring 20 points and making 4-of-4 three-pointers.

Bonga played four seasons in the NBA from 2018-22, and averaged 3.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 13.1 minutes per night. Since leaving the league, the 6’8″ forward has become one of Europe’s premier defenders while shooting over 37% from three each of the last three seasons.

Asseo and Yip referred to him as “by far the best defender in this year’s Eurobasket” and “perhaps the best perimeter defender outside the NBA.” Bonga, who signed an extension with Partizan Belgrade that runs through 2026/27, is only 25 years old.

Next, HoopsHype’s duo turned to Bonga’s German teammate Oscar Da Silva, brother of Tristan, whom they describe as a 6’9″ versatile defender capable of doing the dirty work that NBA teams value. However, Da Silva’s contract with Bayern Munich extends through 2027 and doesn’t contain a buyout clause.

Finnish high school phenom Miika Muurinen was one of the breakout stars of the tournament, catapulting to international acclaim with high-flying dunks and an intriguing shooting stroke. Asseo and Yip write that Muurinen plans to choose a college sometime this winter and that he is expected to be a high-level prospect in the 2027 draft class.

Tyler Dorsey, a strong shooter and capable ball-handler who helped Antetokounmpo lead Greece to the bronze medal, has been in and out of the NBA since 2017, most recently playing three games with the Mavericks during the 2022/23 season. HoopsHype’s writers say they wouldn’t be shocked if the Bucks moved to bring him in alongside the star forward he has already shown he can succeed alongside.

Andreas Obst, Sylvain Francisco, Mikael Jantunen, and Ercan Osmani are names fans may be less familiar with, but all gave good reason for NBA teams to be intrigued if they decide to bring a player in from overseas.

Obst is considered perhaps the best shooter outside of the United States, Asseo and Yip write, as evidenced by his 43.8% three-point mark over his eight games. At only 6’3″, he may struggle with NBA defensive assignments, but could carve out a role as a shooting specialist.

Francisco has flirted with the NBA, but has never been able to make the leap. However, the writers note that the French guard, who went to high school in Florida, has the same agent that represents European NBA players such as Nikola Jovic and Nikola Topic, while also holding a buyout clause for 2026.

Jantunen had a strong performance for Finland, displaying a high-level shooting stroke for a 6’8″ 25-year-old. He shot 44.1% from three and 91.7% from the free throw line while scoring 12 points per game. Jantunen played two years for the Utes in college.

Finally, the seven-foot Osmani displayed a real ability to stretch the floor, knocking down 56.7% of his threes and submnitting a 28-point performance against Greece that saw the Turkish big man hit six shots from beyond the arc.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Calls EuroBasket Medal His ‘Greatest Accomplishment’

September 14th, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

Giannis Antetokounmpo has achieved almost every NBA accolade possible with the Bucks: an NBA championship, Finals MVP, regular season MVP (twice), Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and All-Star MVP. However, he believes that leading the Greek national team to its first international medal since 2009 could be his greatest feat as an athlete, as FIBA.com relays.

Greece won the bronze medal by defeating Lauri Markkanen and the Finnish team 92-89. Antetokounmpo amassed 30 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and two steals while shooting 9-11 from the field and 12-16 from the free throw line. Markannen, for his part, had 19 points and 10 rebounds.

“This is probably the greatest accomplishment I have ever accomplished as an athlete,” Antetokounmpo said after the game.

He went on to clarify the meaning of what might seem to some an unusual claim, and to ensure fans in Wisconsin don’t take his words the wrong way.

“This is not better than the championship I won with the Bucks. Winning a championship for an NBA club is a huge accomplishment and Milwaukee is a great city. But it is 500 or 600 thousand people,” he said. “But when you are able to make 12 million Greeks happy, and you are able to inspire the next generation – like (the 2005 EuroBasket winners) inspired us from the previous generation in 1987 that inspired them. This is the biggest thing ever.”

Antetokounmpo believes there’s something special about international competition, saying that every time he plays with the national team, he falls in love with the game more, a feeling likely aided by the fact that he was able to achieve this success while playing alongside two of his brothers, Kostas Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo. He’s hoping that by seeing his and the team’s success, more young players will be inspired to chase that feeling.

“There’s a kid right now watching this on TV who is going to be very very happy that maybe one day that he can win a medal with the national team,” Antetokounmpo said.

Germany Defeats Turkey For EuroBasket Gold; Schröder Named MVP

September 14th, 2025 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

A back-and-forth battle between a pair of 8-0 teams went down to the wire in Sunday’s EuroBasket championship game, with Kings point guard Dennis Schröder helping to secure a gold medal for Germany by scoring the final six points and turning an 83-82 deficit into an 88-83 victory over Turkey.

Schöder (16 points, 12 assists), former NBA wing Isaac Bonga (20 points, 4-of-4 three-pointers), and Magic forward Franz Wagner (18 points, eight rebounds) were the standout performers for Germany, which has won two of the past three major international basketball competitions.

Although the Germans didn’t make the podium at the Paris Olympics last summer, the country is now the defending FIBA World Cup (2023) and EuroBasket (2025) champion and has posted a 21-2 record in those three tournaments, per HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Germany outlasted a Turkish national team that was led by Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28 points), former NBA forward Cedi Osman (23 points, 6-of-9 on three-pointers), former NBA guard Shane Larkin (13 points, nine assists, six rebounds), and Sixers big man Adem Bona (12 points, 5-of-5 shooting).

While they weren’t able to claim their first EuroBasket championship, Turkey matched their best-ever result by taking silver. The Turkish team lost to Yugoslavia in the 2001 final, which was the only other time the country made the championship game.

Schröder was named the EuroBasket Most Valuable Player after leading the Germans to their first title in the event since 1993. He scored at least 16 points in all nine games, averaging 20.3 points and 7.2 assists per contest.

The 2025 EuroBasket All-Star Five was made up entirely of NBA players, with Lakers guard Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) joining Schröder, Wagner, and Sengun (Twitter link).

Antetokounmpo and the Greek national team beat Finland in the third-place game earlier on Sunday.

Greece Defeats Finland For EuroBasket Bronze Medal

September 14th, 2025 at 11:24am CST by Rory Maher

Greece survived a late rally by Finland in the third-place game of EuroBasket 2025, winning by a final score of 92-89 to claim the tournament’s bronze medal.

Greece led for nearly 38 minutes of the 40-minute contest and never trailed. While they were up by double-digits for the majority of the game, including a 17-point lead with four minutes left, Finland nearly pulled off a dramatic comeback, getting to within one possession in the closing seconds before coming up short.

The Greek national team was led by Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 30 points, 17 rebounds, six assists (seven turnovers), one steal and two blocks in just under 31 minutes. He converted two free throws in the clutch to help seal the victory.

Ex-NBA guard Tyler Dorsey, a Greek nationalized citizen, also had a big game, going 5-of-9 from three-point range en route to 20 points. Guard Vasileios Toliopoulos, who went scoreless in Greece’s semifinal loss to Turkey, had 15 points.

It’s the first time Antetokounmpo has won a medal with Greece and the first time the country has finished in the top three at EuroBasket since 2009, when it also won bronze.

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen had team highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds for Finland, which also received strong contributions from Elias Valtonen (18 points, five rebounds, three steals), Mikael Jantunen (13 points, six rebounds, seven assists) and Olivier Nkamhoua (15 points, five rebounds).

Despite the loss, the Finnish national team had an excellent run in the tournament, including knocking off medal favorite Serbia in the round of 16. Finland, which finished in fourth place, had already secured its best result in EuroBasket history by making the semifinals.

The final between Germany and Turkey will take place later on Sunday.

International Notes: Loyd, Larkin, NBA Europe, Athens

September 14th, 2025 at 9:29am CST by Rory Maher

Veteran guard Jordan Loyd, who starred for Poland during EuroBasket 2025, is close to signing a contract with Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (via Twitter).

Loyd, who had a brief stint with Toronto during the team’s title-winning season in 2019, averaged a team-high 22.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals on .490/.422/.875 shooting in seven games (32.0 MPG) for Poland.

Stein previously reported that Real Madrid was the most prominent suitor for Loyd, but evidently team was unable to sign him away from AS Monaco because his Spanish league rights are held by Valencia, among other complicating factors.

Loyd, 32, helped Monaco reach the EuroLeague final for the first time in franchise history last season. In 27 EuroLeague contests, he averaged 10.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.9 APG on .468/.392/.892 shooting (22.7 MPG).

Anadolu Efes, meanwhile, won the EuroLeague in both 2021 and 2022. Last season, it was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the playoffs by Panathinaikos, the 2024 champs. Efes also competes domestically in Turkey’s Basketball Super League.

Here are a few more international notes:

In an extensive — and exclusive — interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, former first-round pick Shane Larkin discussed becoming a Turkish nationalized citizen, his journey to becoming a star in Europe, battling OCD, and Turkish teammate Alperen Sengun, among other topics. “I had a few incredible seasons over here and I had opportunities to go back to the (NBA) and I was like, “Nah I’m cool, like I’m good where I am”… and when people hear that, they don’t understand what it is like to be one of the better star players in Europe. You have to really experience it to fully understand it,” Larkin said as part of a larger quote. The 5’11” point guard, who plays for Anadolu Efes, will compete in the final of EuroBasket on Sunday with Turkey, which faces Germany.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa said he has “no doubt” that the NBA’s European league will come to fruition at some point, though the details are still being worked out. “There’s a long way to work from today until whenever we start,” Garbajosa said, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. “This is going to happen. It’s very clear. Mr. [Adam] Silver announced it publicly, and so did Mr. [Andreas] Zagklis. I did it also. It is not easy to create this competition in Europe, so it’s going to take a while. But this is going to happen. How and when? Let’s see. Some prospects talked about 2027. I think it’s a good year. But obviously NBA is working on it. We are their partners, we want to be their partners, we want to be together with them.”
The 2026 EuroLeague Final Four will be played at the Telekom Center in Athens, Greece, the league announced in a press release. Athens also hosted the 2007 edition of the EuroLeague Final Four.