Rumors

Khan has also set up taskforce designed specifically to help to grow British basketball that includes representation from various bodies across sport, governance and basketball. "100% basketball can sort itself out," said London Lions CEO Lenz Balan, part of Khan's taskforce. "There are a lot of positive things even independent of NBA Europe and EuroLeague and Fiba being interested in our league and that's driven by the clubs themselves and the Super League Basketball. "There's capital coming in, there's expertise coming into the ecosystem. I think everybody within the SLB is sort of on the same page."

BBC

NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he wants to "tap into" Europe's football culture as part of the plans for a proposed European basketball league. Silver says he has spoken to Manchester City and Manchester United, though BBC Sport understands neither intends to have a team should the venture come to fruition.

BBC

Silver also confirmed that he has spoken to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris St-Germain as he looks to mix established European teams with new ones. However, reports say the existing EuroLeague - which features Real and Barcelona - has concerns about the new venture, threatening legal action against the NBA should clubs break existing agreements to take part in the new competition.

BBC

Adam Silver said talks with Real Madrid, who play in the EuroLeague and are regarded as one of the greatest basketball clubs in Europe, were "more in the category of fact-finding", but he confirmed discussions had taken place with another EuroLeague side, Alba Berlin, whose Uber Arena hosted the NBA game. "We're trying to find the best combination of the old and the new; the tradition and the innovation," said Silver. Alba Berlin, he said, was "the model of the type of club that we would like to see in a potential European league".

BBC

CJ Fulton says he wants to "make the most" of the opportunity he has been afforded after agreeing to sign a contract with NBA side Minnesota Timberwolves. The 23-year-old will return to the United States in September to link up with the franchise for pre-season after debuting for the Timberwolves in the NBA Summer League.

BBC

Fulton will be part of the back-to-back Western Conference finalists' squad for their six exhibition games. He will then link up with the development squad, Iowa Wolves, who play in the G-League - the NBA's team-affiliated development league, a move which Fulton thinks can help him improve as he will be afforded regular game time.

BBC

Belfast basketball player CJ Fulton has been invited to a pre-draft workout camp with NBA side Minnesota Timberwolves. The 22-year-old guard becomes the third Irish-born player to earn the chance to compete at the highest level in the United States after Pat Burke and Susan Moran.

BBC

Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes for the third consecutive year, while NBA star Stephen Curry has moved up to second. The business magazine says Ronaldo, who has topped the list fives times during his career, has increased his estimated total earnings by $15m to $275m

BBC

Golden State Warriors guard Curry, who became the first NBA player to reach 4,000 career three-pointers in March, climbs up to second after earning $156m.

BBC

A pair of sneakers once worn by basketball superstar Michael Jordan has sold for $2.2 million at an auction, according to a BBC report. This is the priciest shoes ever sold. The auction was held by Sotheby's, which had estimated that the signed trainers would fetch $2-$4 million. The basketball great wore the "Bred" Air Jordan 13s during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals on the way to his sixth and last NBA championship title. The latest auction comes a year after his 1998 NBA jersey was sold for $10.1 million, according to the BBC.

NDTV.com

With the arrival of a French superstar on the horizon, the NBA is growing its media presence in Europe. The league inked a U.K. broadcast deal with the BBC covering nine games this season, beginning with Thursday’s tilt in Paris between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons — the first regular-season game in France since 2020. The BBC will show an additional three regular-season games, two pre-conference final playoff games, one conference title game, and one NBA Finals game.

Front Office Sports

Former Pelicans coach began by retweeting a BBC report arguing that Women having rights under Islamic Law seems “oxymoronic”. Kanter weighed in, labeling Van Gundy’s opinion as an “ignorant thing to say”, adding that also the idea of him coaching a basketball team seems “oxymoronic” and ending by inviting the former Magic and Pistons coach to educate himself. Van Gundy later deleted the original tweet.

Sportando

South Sudan's first ever women's basketball coach Lindsey Harding already has an impressive CV but she still has plenty she wants to achieve both on and off the court. The 36-year-old is set to combine her job with South Sudan with her role as an assistant and player development coach with men's NBA team the Sacramento Kings.

BBC

Someone who has known Harding since their college days together at Duke is the former NBA star and now president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, Luol Deng. "I can sincerely say that more than her basketball pedigree, it's who she is as a person that is our biggest win here," the ex-Great Britain player said. "She's consistently expressed an interest in helping grow the game of basketball in South Sudan, and I'm genuinely grateful to know our women will have an amazing person leading their development and journey onto the world stage."

BBC