U.S. and Russia strike deal over release of Brittney Griner

From the Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine. The statement marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related…

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Eurohoops News: Croatian Basketball announces prelim EuroBasket roster

Wednesday the Croatian Basketball Federation released the preliminary list of 24 players rostered for the upcoming 2022 EuroBasket. Here is the list of the 24 players called up by senior national team head coach Damir Mulaomerovic: Dragan BenderBojan Bogdanovic (Utah Jazz)Dario Dreznjak (Zadar)Mateo Dreznjak (SC Derby)Goran Filipovic (Cedevita Olimpija)Lovro Gnjidic (Cedevita Olimpija)Mario Hezonja (Real Madrid)Pavle Marcinkovic (Zadar)Karlo Matkovic (Cedevita Olimpija)Dominik Mavra (Zadar)Toni Nakic (Rio Breogan)Toni Perkovic (Split)Roko Prkacin (Girona)Kresimir Radovcic (Cibona)Ivan Ramljak (Slask Wroclaw)Roko Rogic (Acqua S.Bernardo Cantu)Matej Rudan (Mega MIS)Zeljko Sakic (Lietkabelis)Dario Saric (Phoenix Suns)Krunoslav SimonSven Smailagic (Nevezis-OPTIBET)Jaleen Smith (Alba…

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They are already gearing up the Westbrook blame

Barring miraculous, sweeping changes to their roster, all indications are that the Los Angeles Lakers will once again be the worst pro basketball team in LA. Unlike last season the gas bags in the sports media have not to wait until the year tipped off to find a scapegoat, they are already planting those seeds in the hopes they will blossom into a Westbrook-Ham blame tree. When this season takes its inevitable nosedive, the sports media and Laker ”fans” new favorite whipping man Russell Westbrook and new head coach Darvin…

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SIAC, SWAC and NBPA partner again on Top 50 Bball Camp

Courtesy of the SIAC: The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (“SIAC”) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (“SWAC”) are pleased to announce their continued partnership in hosting the Top 50 Basketball Camp. After a two-year break due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Top 50 Camp will take place from July 28th to July 30th on the campus of Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA.  First developed in 2017, the Top 50 Camp features a group of the best players from the SIAC and…

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Eurohoops News: The Brothers Antetokounmpo are part of Greek National team

The Greek Basketball Federation announced their 23-man roster for the 2022 EuroBasket and the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers and it is nearly 20 percent Antetokounmpo. Two-time NBA MVP, 2021 NBA Finals MVP and NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo is confirmed to be making his return to the national team, as well as brothers Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex also named to the squad. American basketball fans may recognise the names of Nick Calathes and new Dallas Mavericks guard Tyler Dorsey, with other notable international names Kostas Sloukas, Kostas Papanikolaou, George Papagiannis and…

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Eurohoops: Spain wins third U20 European Championship

Yesterday in Podgorica, Montenegro, Spain got by a plucky and gritty Lithuanian team, 69-61 to capture the U20 European crown, completing their undeated , 7-0, run through the competition. Movistar Estudiantes’ Ruben Dominguez scored a game-high 17 points, while FC Barcelona’s Michael Caicedo added 13. Tournament MVP ,Real Madrid’s Juan Nunez contributed 11 points. The young Spanish squad built an early14-point lead but Lithuania battled back. The Spaniards made timely plays down the stretch, including an acrobatic basket from Miguel Allen, who ended the day with 6 points, 4 boards,…

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KD, Evan Mobley and Spencer ” Dinwiddie

While Kevin Durant was certainly getting busy the other day at the Guard whisperer runs, he was not the only NBA baller whose skills were on full display. Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers and current Dallas Mavericks (and former Brooklyn Nets) guard Spencer Dinwiddie were also putting in work. Check them out in the video below.

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EuroHoops News: Ignas Brazdeikis signs with Zalgiris Kaunas

Ignas Brazdeikis signed a 1+1 deal with Zalgiris Kaunas of the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga. The club released the following statement regarding Brazdeikis’ signing: Zalgiris Kaunas bolsters its roster with the signing of Ignas Brazdeikis. The most titled club in Lithuania struck a deal on a 1+1 contract with the Kaunas-born player, who left the country for Canada at a young age. The 23-year-old 198 cm tall swingman regained his Lithuanian citizenship last year and put on the Lithuanian men’s national team jersey for the first time. Brazdeikis made his debut in…

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EuroHoops: Money may keep Bosnia out of EuroBasket

Via eurohoops.net Bosnia is one of the teams that is slated to participate in the EuroBasket tournament for this first time since 2015 but finances could prevent them from getting on the court. The Bosnian basketball federation recently announced they could not handle the costs of its national teams participation in the summer 2022 tourneys, the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers and the European championship. The organization says they have raised a portion of the the funds through sponsorships and institutions, but there is still gap that needs to be overcome.…

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