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Pacific Notes: Suns, Ishbia, Doncic, EuroBasket

August 27th, 2025 at 9:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

There’s little question who the most important Suns player is. Beyond recently extended All-Star guard Devin Booker, however, identifying the top talent on the current roster is more of an open question.

Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link) tackles that question, ranking the five most important Phoenix players aside from the 6’5″ Kentucky alum. Second-year wing Ryan Dunn, new post-Durant trade additions Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, and new centers Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach make the cut.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

  • Suns owner Mat Ishbia has weighed in on ESPN’s recent forecast that Phoenix would win 30 games, Rankin writes. Given that the Suns won just 36 games last year with a more star-studded roster led by 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant, ESPN’s thinking seems fairly logical. “I’m not worried about what the so-called experts think,” Ishbia wrote (Twitter link), while quoting a Burn City Sports tweet about the article. “They had us as a title contender the past two years and were wrong then. We’re focused on making our fans proud by playing great as a team and building a brand of basketball that’s tough and gritty.”
  • Lakers officials, including president Rob Pelinka, paid a visit to five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic in Poland prior to the EuroBasket tournament this week, writes BasketNews. Doncic is plying his trade for his native Slovenia. Pelinka praised Doncic’s improved fitness this summer while addressing reporters, per BasketNews. “He’s in great shape, really committed to working hard this summer,” Pelinka told reporters. “And to be able to watch that in person was worth flying over the ocean to be with him.”
  • Doncic affirmed his long-term interest in suiting up for Slovenia during the summers, while Pelinka seemingly endorsed that approach, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic. “It’s an easy choice,” Doncic said. “I always want to represent my country. Always did. No matter what. Obviously, if I’m injured, I’m not gonna play, but if I have nothing, I will always play.” Doncic has won EuroBasket before, beating Bogdan Bogdanovic‘s Serbia, 93-85, in 2017. During Doncic’s most recent EuroBasket run, in 2022, Poland upset Slovenia in the quarterfinal round. “We just wanted to make a statement to Luka that we support what he does for his country,” Pelinka said. “That’s really important to the Lakers when we have a player that’s the face of our franchise, just to show that support for him.”
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28 Current NBA Players Competing In FIBA EuroBasket 2025

August 27th, 2025 at 7:07am CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of the FIBA World Cup in 2023 and the Paris Olympics in 2024, the 2025 NBA offseason doesn’t feature a major international tournament in which the United States’ top stars are competing.

However, several of the league’s biggest names – including three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and five-time All-NBA first-teamer Luka Doncic – are taking part in FIBA EuroBasket 2025, which tipped off on Wednesday.

The tournament, also known as the European Basketball Championship, takes place every four years and features 24 European countries vying for a gold medal. The 24 teams who qualified for EuroBasket are split up into four groups and will face the other teams in their group across five games from August 27 to September 4.

At the end of group play, the top four teams from each group will advance to the knockout round, which is a single-elimination tournament featuring the remaining 16 countries.

By our count, 28 active NBA players are taking part in EuroBasket 2025, along with 30 former NBA players and several more who were selected in an NBA draft but have yet to play in the league.

Here’s the full list of current and former NBA players set to compete in EuroBasket, sorted by group and country:

Group A

Czechia (Czech Republic)

  • Current NBA players: Vit Krejci (Hawks)
  • Former NBA players: None

Estonia

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: Henri Drell

Latvia

Portugal

  • Current NBA players: Neemias Queta (Celtics)
  • Former NBA players: None

Serbia

Serbia’s roster also includes Nikola Milutinov and Vanja Marinkovic, who are former NBA draft picks but have never played in the league.

Turkey

Group B

Finland

Germany

Great Britain

Lithuania

Lithuania’s roster also includes Rokas Jokubaitis, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league, and Azuolas Tubelis, who was on a two-way contract with the Sixers during the 2023 offseason but was waived before the season began.

Montenegro

Sweden

  • Current NBA players: Pelle Larsson (Heat)
  • Former NBA players: None

Group C

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Current NBA players: Jusuf Nurkic (Jazz)
  • Former NBA players: None

Cyprus

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

Georgia

Greece

Italy

Italy’s roster also includes Matteo Spagnolo, Gabriele Procida, and Saliou Niang, who are former NBA draft picks but have never played in the league.

Spain

Group D

Belgium

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

France

France’s roster also includes Isaia Cordinier, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league.

Iceland

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: None

Israel

  • Current NBA players: Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers)
  • Former NBA players: None

Israel’s roster also includes Yam Madar, a former NBA draft pick who has never played in the league.

Poland

  • Current NBA players: None
  • Former NBA players: Jordan Loyd

Slovenia

  • Current NBA players: Luka Doncic (Lakers)
  • Former NBA players: None
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And-Ones: Award Predictions, Top Forwards, Free Agency, Cui

August 26th, 2025 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Will Nikola Jokic win a fourth Most Valuable Player award in 2025/26? He’s the top choice among a panel of ESPN Insiders to capture the league’s top individual honor next season. Luka Doncic ranks as the second pick, with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting the third-most votes.

The panel also offers their predictions on five other major awards, including Rookie of the Year (no surprise, they picked No. 1 draft choice Cooper Flagg) and Sixth Man of the Year (Alex Caruso and Naz Reid received the most votes}.

We have more from around the international basketball world:

  • Who’s the top forward in the NBA? Giannis Antetokounmpo is in a class of his own, according to The Athletic’s Zach Harper. The Bucks superstar holds the tier-one level all by himself in “The Bounce’s Top 40 Forwards.” Jayson Tatum, Paolo Banchero and Zion Williamson are in the tier-two “Still Elite, Just Not Giannis” level. Heading up the group of six players who round out the top 10 and start the tier-three level is Draymond Green.
  • Free agency isn’t what it used to be in the NBA, with most star players signing extensions before they ever reach that point. HoopsHype’s Alberto De Roa examines the decline in free agency’s importance, noting that only one player this summer who changed teams — new Bucks center Myles Turner — secured a contract with at least $100MM in guaranteed money.
  • Cui Yongxi – also known as Jacky Cui – is working toward an NBA comeback after tearing his ACL in December with the G League’s Long Island Nets, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. He has been working out in Brooklyn and is now participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages in Los Angeles. The 22-year-old free agent guard had been on a two-way contract and appeared in five games with the Nets but was waived by Brooklyn in December following the injury.
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Cuban Regrets Not Opening Bidding Process During Mavs’ Sale

August 26th, 2025 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban doesn’t regret his decision to sell a large portion of his stake in the team but wishes he’d have opened up the process, he stated during an interview on the DLLS podcast (hat tips to Jasmyn Wimbish of CBSSports.com and Tim Cato of AllDllls.com).

“I don’t regret selling the team, I regret how I did it,” Cuban said. “Would I still sell the team? Yes, for all the same reasons I’ve said 100 times. Would I do it the same way? Absolutely not. I would have put it out to bid, but I didn’t so it doesn’t matter.”

Mavericks are now primarily owned by Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont, her son-in-law and the team’s governor.

Dumont’s role as team governor wasn’t in Cuban’s plans. Cuban kept a 27% stake in the Mavericks intentionally, since a part owner needs at least a 15% stake to remain governor of the team. When the sale was made official, there was nothing to indicate Cuban would continue his role in running the team’s basketball operations. He blames the league for losing his governor title.

“I did have it in writing,” Cuban said. “… Like I said before, there was a clause in there that gave me the right to be in every meeting, every trade discussion, everything, and the NBA took that out.”

Commission Adam Silver denied earlier this year that it was a league decision.

“Any decision as to what Mark’s role would be in basketball operations was a function of an arrangement to be made between Mark Cuban and Patrick,” Silver said in March.

But Cuban reiterated during the podcast that the league was to blame.

“Who the hell do you think took it out?” Cuban said. “I’ve got a letter from my lawyer saying the NBA made us remove it.”

However, Cuban says he has a good relationship with Dumont.

“I still talk to (him) a fair amount,” Cuban said. “He does care. And he cares when we lose. He’s spending time to learn. He’s learn a ton in time. Now I can talk to him about analytics. I can talk to him about our roster.”

However, Cuban says he doesn’t stay in contact with general manager Nico Harrison, who made the controversial trade that sent fan favorite and franchise player Luka Doncic to the Lakers. Cuban made it known publicly shortly after the trade occurred that he had no say in the matter and was against the idea of dealing Doncic.

“We all were hurt when Luka got traded — me as much as anyone, because I felt like I let people down by not being there,” Cuban said. “But what’s done is done. And we got Cooper (Flagg) — the basketball gods were looking down on us and he’s the real deal.”

The entire interview with Cuban can be accessed here.

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EuroBasket Notes: Wagner, Giannis, Risacher, Doncic

August 25th, 2025 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Germany made a huge statement by going unbeaten on its way to the 2023 FIBA World Cup title, and a win at EuroBasket would cement its status as an international basketball power. Magic forward Franz Wagner talked to reporters, including Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops, about what another major championship would mean for his nation’s basketball program.

“It would be a massive achievement,” Wagner said. “I think winning anything is super difficult. I think winning something for your country, obviously, is super special. We felt that two years ago, and we’re doing everything we can to have that feeling again and bring home a gold medal for your country.”

Germany is a huge favorite to advance out of Group B, which also includes Great Britain, Lithuania, Sweden, Montenegro and host Finland. The pressure ratchets up in the knockout stage, with single-elimination games being played from September 6-14 in Riga, Latvia.

“I think every do-or-die game, and especially national team games, when you play for your country, and especially when the time you have with the team is kind of short or way shorter than during a season with a team, I think those games are always super physical and every player is putting it all out there,” Wagner said.

On the tournament format, he added, “I think that’s what makes those games super fun to play and hopefully fun to watch as well.”

There’s more from EuroBasket:

  • Rival players are raving about the impact that Giannis Antetokounmpo has for Greece, according to a story on the FIBA website. Willy Hernangomez says the Bucks star “tries to destroy everyone in front of him,” and Spanish teammate Santi Aldama claims Antetokounmpo takes his intensity to a different level when he’s part of the Greek national team. “He always talks about how he plays hard every single day,” Aldama said. “And seeing an MVP-level player play as hard as he does every day … and him having the pride to play for his country every summer you can see it’s different when he plays for his country. And he takes a lot of pride in playing for his country.”
  • In an interview with Christos Tsaltas of Athletiko, Zaccharie Risacher talks about the things he learned during his rookie season with the Hawks that have made him a better player. Risacher may need to take on a larger role for France with several important teammates unavailable, and he said he’s willing to do whatever is asked of him. “I want to contribute to my team so that it wins as many games as it can and contribute in any way I can,” Risacher said. “With defense, with scoring, with rebounds. I’m a versatile player and I have to make sure I’ve adapted and I can do the right thing and make the right phase at the right time to help as much as I can.”
  • Lakers star Luka Doncic delivered a fiery locker room speech after Slovenia lost to Serbia by 34 points in an exhibition game, relays BasketNews. “I don’t like to talk about what’s going on in the team. Yes, we had a conversation,” teammate Edo Muric said. “We cleared up a lot of things and said what needed to be said. This defeat actually brought us even closer.”
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Several Countries Finalize Rosters For EuroBasket 2025

August 24th, 2025 at 9:17am CST by Rory Maher

Several countries have made their final roster cuts ahead of EuroBasket 2025, according to FIBA, which has compiled a tracker of each finalized 12-man squad.

The tournament begins on Wednesday and is made up of four groups of six teams apiece, with 16 of the 24 total clubs advancing to the knockout round. All knockout round games — including the final and third-place matchup on September 14 — will take place in Riga, Lativa.

We’ll have another story in the coming days on all the NBA players participating in the tournament, including stars such as Luka Doncic and Lauri Markkanen, who headline the rosters of Slovenia and Finland, respectively.

Here are the 16 countries that have finalized their rosters (all links courtesy of FIBA):

Here are the eight countries that have not yet finalized their rosters (links go to preliminary rosters):

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EuroBasket Notes: Bogdanovic, Bona, Bertans, Avdija

August 20th, 2025 at 7:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Serbia is among the favorites as EuroBasket gets ready to open next week, and captain Bogdan Bogdanovic recognizes the expectations for his star-filled team, according to Eurohoops. Serbia hasn’t won the event in 24 years, and it has been placed in a challenging Group A along with Turkey, Czechia, Portugal, Estonia and host Latvia.

“We are aware of it, but our focus should be on the upcoming tournament,” Bogdanovic said of the long drought. “Do we feel it? Yes. But that’s part of the game. You have to embrace it and push through.”

Bogdanovic has the advantage of playing alongside one of game’s elite talents in Nikola Jokic, and he said Jokic has a “front vision” that allows him to remain a few steps ahead of the action. He also discussed some of the tournament’s other stars, including Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic.

“Giannis is pure athleticism,” Bogdanovic said. “You can’t make mistakes against him because he punishes them all the time. His defense is incredible, and running in transition makes him unstoppable. (Doncic) can kill anyone in a tournament. He can go for 50, 60 points … that’s what makes him special.”

There’s more from EuroBasket:

  • Sources tell BasketNews that Turkish big man Adem Bona is expected to be fine after limping off the court in Wednesday’s win over Lithuania (Twitter video link). Bona, who’s coming off a promising rookie season with the Sixers, played just seven minutes before the injury.
  • Former NBA forward Davis Bertans credits coach Luca Banchi with helping to make Latvia a legitimate contender on the international stage, per Giorgos Kyriakidis of BasketNews. EuroBasket will be Banchi’s final tournament with the national team. “Few coaches have left such a visible imprint in such a short span,” Bertans said. “Under his leadership, Latvia not only shed its underdog label but also carved out a new identity — one built on collective confidence, tactical sharpness, and the belief that no opponent was beyond reach.”
  • Deni Avdija leads Israel’s final 12-man roster for EuroBasket, according to BasketNews. He’s the only player with NBA experience for the Israelis, who went 3-2 in exhibition play and will be in Group D along with Belgium, France, Iceland, Slovenia and host Poland.
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EuroBasket Notes: Doncic, Player Rankings, Valanciunas, Smailagic

August 20th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Dana Gauruder

Any concerns about Luka Doncic‘s health were eased on Tuesday when the Lakers superstar guard scored 28 points and dished out 10 assists for Slovenia in a 93-81 exhibition win over Great Britain, Eurohoops.net relays.

Doncic had an injury scare on Saturday when a Slovenian teammate fell on his right leg during an exhibition game against Latvia. It was later diagnosed as a right knee contusion.

Here’s more on the upcoming EuroBasket tournament:

  • Doncic ranks third among the NBA players participating in the tournament, according to Neil Paine of ESPN. Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) rank first and second, with Franz Wagner (Germany) and Alperen Sengun (Turkey) rounding out the top five.
  • Jonas Valanciunas is the lone NBA player on the Lithuanian squad but he feels his national team can make some noise, according to Nikola Miloradovic of Eurohoops.net. “I think every team is capable. We have some big names coming. Serbia, Turkey, Germany, we have Slovenia with Luka and, Greece with Giannis,” he said. “… We have a lot of a lot of a lot of big names, but that feel like every team is capable and every team can make some shake.”
  • Former Warriors forward Alen Smailagic won’t play for Serbia in the tourney, according to Sportando. Injuries prevented him from participating in prep games. Euro star Dzanan Musa will also miss the event for Bosnia and Herzegovina due to health issues, Basketnews.com relays.
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Luka Doncic Cleared To Return Following Injury Scare

August 18th, 2025 at 1:06pm CST by Rory Maher

August 18: Doncic has been cleared to play for Slovenia on Tuesday vs. Great Britain, tweets Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

August 17: After a teammate fell into his leg during the third quarter of an exhibition game against Latvia on Saturday (Twitter video link via Dan Woike of The Athletic), Slovenian captain and Lakers star Luka Doncic reportedly suffered a right knee contusion that was not believed to be serious and would not impact his status for EuroBasket 2025, which tips off later this month.

This morning, Slovenia’s basketball federation announced (via Twitter) that Doncic would practice on Monday, officially putting to rest any lingering concerns about the injury. Slovenia will face Great Britain in another exhibition contest on Tuesday.

Doncic signed a three-year, maximum-salary extension with the Lakers earlier this month on the first day he was eligible to do so. The deal features a player option for the 2028/29 season.

The NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2019 and a five-time All-NBA first-teamer from 2020-24, Doncic battled a calf issue last season that limited him to a career-low 50 games (22 for Dallas and 28 for L.A.). The 26-year-old put up his usual superlative numbers when he was available, averaging 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game with a .450/.368/.782 shooting line.

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Doncic Gets Injury Scare During Slovenian Exhibition Game

August 16th, 2025 at 1:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

2:23pm: Doncic has a right knee contusion, Marc Stein tweets. He’ll remain with the Slovenian national team and compete in EuroBasket, Woike tweets.

1:30pm: Lakers superstar Luka Doncic apparently avoided a serious injury after a Slovenian teammate landed on his right leg during an exhibition game on Saturday, Dan Woike of The Athletic tweets.

Early in the second half, Gregor Hrovat fell on Doncic’s knee during a defensive play, according to Eurohoops.net. Doncic was able to head to the locker room on his own power but did not return to the game. Doncic, who scored 26 points against Latvia during the first half, did return to the bench to watch his Slovenian teammates collect a 100-88 victory.

It remains to be seen how this will impact Doncic’s status for the EuroBasket tournament. Slovenia is scheduled to play its tourney opener against Poland on Aug. 28. They’ll also face France, Belgium, Iceland and Israel.

Doncic signed a three-year max extension with the Lakers earlier this month.

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