In an Instagram story, former NBA big man Ekpe Udoh has expressed his will to comeback to Euroleague, whether with Fenerbahce (with who he was Euroleague champion and Final Four MVP in 2017) or a different team.
Udoh is currently under a contract with Chinese side Beijing Ducks, and has made his return to China in order to be ready for the eventual restart of CBA.
Killian Hayes announced that he is entering the 2020 NBA Draft.
Hayes, 2001, has played with Ratiopharm Ulm this season averaging 11.6 points and 5.2 assists in Bundesliga and 12.8 points and 6.2 assists in EuroCup.
Fonte: Ratiopharm Ulm.
FC Barcelona have decided to cut the salaries of their athletes 70% from March 13th when the season was suspended and till the season won’t resume.
When the season restarts, Barcelona will pay the players 100% of their salaries.
CSKA Moscow and Mike James are close to a contract extension, as reported by Donatas Urbonas.
The American guard signed a one-year deal with CSKA Moscow but he will remain also next season.
CSKA Moscow finalizing extension with Mike James, according to sources.
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) March 26, 2020
Fenerbahce president Ali Koc said that six members of the team may be positive for Covid-19.
The Turkish powerhouse is still waiting for the results from the Minister of Health.
“There are no results from the Ministry of Health yet, we still waiting this. Six people were suspected of COVID-19, and there was no one to stay in the hospital, except for Cenk Renda” Koc said.
Fenerbahce is waiting for the results since last weekend.
Representatives for Joe Alexander have filed an official FIBA BAT claim for outstanding salaries and fees in excess of $100,000 against Turkish FIBA BCL club Besiktas, a source told Sportando.
Alexander has played for Besiktas in 2018-2019 averaging 11.7 points per game in BSL and 5.7 points in FIBA BCL and was one of the lone imports that didn’t leave the club during due season to late payments.
The former NBA forward has been with Le Portel and Hapoel Holont his season.
They were joined by Mori Yoshiro, the President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee; the Olympic Minister, Hashimoto Seiko; the Governor of Tokyo, Koike Yuriko; the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, John Coates; IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper; and the IOC Olympic Games Executive Director, Christophe Dubi.
President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games.
In a very friendly and constructive meeting, the two leaders praised the work of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and noted the great progress being made in Japan to fight against COVID-19.
The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating. Yesterday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is “accelerating”. There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour.
In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.
The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Fonte: Olympic.
During a podcast, canadian forward Thomas Scrubb said that he would like to extend his contract with SIG Strasbourg.
“We love the city, and would like to stay there for more than two years. It is certain that there will be big changes so we are waiting to see what the club will plan”
This year Scrubb averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in Jeep Elite, shooting 60% from the field, 42% from long range and 73% from the foul line.
Fonte: Top SIG.
Serie A teams may lose up to €40 minion if the season doesn’t resume due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, La Stampa reports.
Without help from the government, tax breaks, ticketing and having to respect all the commitments and deadlines sets (including the reimbursement to season ticket holders) the Italian top division risks to collapse.
According to La Stampa, Legabasket has already started the discussions with players’ representative to cut the salaries during the suspension.
LBA has a conference call scheduled for Wednesday.
Fonte: La Stampa.
Devin Vassell has announced on his Instagram account that he will enter the 2020 NBA Draft.
“It is with a heart full of gratitude that I am entering my name in the 2020 NBA draft. I’ll never forget the amazing ride of these last two years, and I’m excited to see what the future holds.” the Florida State player said.
Vassell as a sophomore, averaged 12.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.4 SPG, and 1.0 BPG with a .490/.415/.738 shooting line in 30 games (28.8 MPG) and he should be selected with in the first round of the draft.
Fonte: Hoopsrumors.
Turkish team Afyon Belediyespor allowed all of its foreigners to leave due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The players are expected back if and when the BSL season resume.
? Kamuoyunun dikkatine;#AfyonBasketboluSeviyor pic.twitter.com/RUbW3LXHRu
— Meksa Yatırım Afyon Belediye SK – ? #EvdeKal (@AfyonbelediyeSK) March 23, 2020
Center Bojan Dubljevic (2.05m, Niksic, 10/24/1991, 28 years old) and Valencia Basket have reached an agreement for the Montenegrin international player to extend his contract with our Club for three more seasons, until June 30, 2023, with an team and player option for a fourth. In this way, Bojan Dubljevic will reach at least eleven seasons defending the Valencia Basket jersey, being the team captain from the beginning of this 2019/20 season.
Fonte: Valencia Basket.
After a unanimous vote in both countries, the Belgian Pro Basketball League and Dutch Basketball League clubs have decided to take the next step towards the creation of a BeNeLeague as of the 2021-2022 season.
This next move is the result of a three-month process under the guidance of company Hypercube during which numerous meetings were held with the most important stakeholder groups involved in an eventual BeNeLeague. Discussions were held with clubs, but also partners, press, rights holders and federations. A fan survey was also organized to which 1200 fans from both countries responded.
A number of working groups will now be formed to treat the most important aspects of the collaboration from a sports, commercial and financial point of view. Also in the area of regulations such as licensing terms both leagues will be looking to grow closer together. Finally an efficient organizational model will need to be set up including the operational functioning.
The final decision by clubs of both countries will be made in the fourth quarter of 2020. In the event of a positive decision, we can look forward to the start of the BeNeLeague mid-September 2021.
Ramses Braakman, Dutch Basketball League president: “The DBL clubs and board are always looking to improve quality from a sports, commercial and organizational point of view. Many have also long desired to increase the number of clubs in the league. We feel that a combined competition with the Belgian league will contribute largely to our ambitions. We’re especially looking forward to the next steps.”
Arthur Goethals, Pro Basketball League president: “We are delighted about the enthusiasm in both leagues in order to create a great product. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all stakeholders who have collaborated to the process so far. Much work has been done under the guidance of Hypercube, but the real work is only just beginning. Important steps now have to be taken these next few months in order to create a good basis for a great BeNeLeague as of the 2021-2022 season. In the meantime preparations are under way for the 2020-2021 EuroMillions Basketball League season. Clubs are deliberating on how to offer more basketball to fans after the current season was cancelled last week. An earlier start to the season with more games is among the options. More news to come at the end of April.”
Fonte: EuroMillions League.
Bakken Bears forward Tylor Ongwae has signed a contract extension for the 2020-21 season, the Danish team announced.
Ongwae averaged around 10 points and five rebounds per game this season in the Danish league and FIBA Europe Cup.
Fonte: Bakken Bears.
Darussafaka officially parted ways with Doron Lamb.
The former Kentucky guard averaged 9.3 points and 2 assist over 35 games for the turkish team.
? Amerikalı oyuncumuz Doron Emannuel Lamb’in devam eden sözleşmesi karşılıklı anlaşmaya varılarak feshedilmiştir. 2019-2020 sezonunun geride kalan kısmında Daçka'mıza vermiş olduğu katkılardan dolayı teşekkür eder, bundan sonraki kariyerinde başarılar dileriz. pic.twitter.com/6Wpi9fbVGB
— Darüşşafaka Basketbol #EvdeKalTürkiye (@dackabasket) March 22, 2020
Virtus Roma guard Corey Webster has decided to leave Italy and re-join his family in New Zealand, a source told Sportando.
He was the last foreigner of Virtus Roma who was still in Italy.
The BIG3 plans to launch a quarantined, reality-show style tournament in April, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Players will be quarantined in a large home provided by the league. A basketball court will be built on site. Not only the games, but also the players’ daily lives will be captured on camera.
If a player breaks quarantine at any point during the tournament, he would be eliminated.
Fonte: Yahoo! Sports.
Olimpia Milano announced that the team has ended the self-isolation and all the members are feeling good.
The Italian team allowed all of his players to leave the city and join their families and countries.
Sergio Rodriguez, Vlado Micov, Nemanja Nedovic, Keifer Sykes and Drew Crawford are leaving to join their homes.
The players will return when and if the season resume.
Maik Zirbes and KK Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana have reached an agreement to part ways, a source told Sportando.
The German big man was averaging 5.8 points and 3 rebounds in ABA Liga and 4.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in EuroCup.
Flex Basketball Management issued a statement condemning Panionios’ behavior towards one of its clients, DeAndre Liggins.
A few hours ago, Devin Sweetney talked to Sportando about the way the Greek team treated the players.
Official Statement ?? Flex Basketball Management
We’re extremely disappointed of the treatment by Greek Club @PanioniosBasket to our player @DeandreLigglns. DeAndre has been with the club since February 12 with a signed contract until the end of the season, but the…(1/3)
— Flex Basketball Management (@Flexbball) March 18, 2020
pandemic and league suspension, and didn’t help other players as well while ignoring all communication. We fully condemn this behavior and conduct. Their appalling mistreatment and lack of care for players warrants investigation by FIBA and the Greek A1 League. (3/3)
— Flex Basketball Management (@Flexbball) March 18, 2020
Italian prospect David Okeke is close to returning to action after more than two years, a source told Sportando.
Okeke, 1998, out since February 2018 with cardiac arrhythmia, recently underwent two cardiac ablation surgeries, the first early in February and the second around 20.
Okeke is expected to resume basketball activities from late in April.
Okeke was playing for Fiat Torino when he was stopped by doctors due to a heart issue before the 2018 Italian Cup won by his team.
The Italian born in Monza won the silver medal at the FIBA Under 19 World Cup in 2017.
Rickey McGill and Panionios have agreed to terminate the contract in the wake of the Greek A1 league suspending the season indefinitely, a source told Sportando.
McGill, a rookie guard from Iona, averaged 7.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 24.5 minutes per game this season. In the last two games, he had back-to-back career-high 19 points against AEK Athens and Lavrio.
A general manager sent a letter to the EuroLeague teams in order to discuss the possibility of freezing the contracts with players and coaches. The news was initially reported by SDNA.
Here are some takes from the letter.
“We cannot have losses for tickets, sponsorship & other incomes and follow the contracts signed fully and no cut. We understand that agents & ELPA will not be in favor of that but we all have to be responsible & make sacrifices”.
“[Our team] decided to put all the contracts of players and coaches on hold. Meaning we stop the payments till the situation with the league is resolved. We as Euroleague club have to have a consensus in this situation hoping that it will be solved sooner rather than later.”
According to Greek website SDNA, the EuroLeague clubs are discussing the possibility of ‘freezing’ or even breaking the contracts with players and coaches.
Teams are concerned with the financial hit of the hiatus and express doubts on how they will be able to pay salaries. No decision has been made yet, SDNA reports.
An option on the table is that if the season resumes, the players will re-sign on a short-term deal. If the season is canceled, their contracts will be valid until March 15.
Fonte: SDNA.
The Korean Basketball League is close to returning after a 4-week hiatus, with games scheduled in late March, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
The games will be played behind closed doors. In Asia, the Japanese league has already resumed play while the Chinese CBA is also expected to return soon.
Fonte: ESPN.
Several players of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem are flying back to the United States, according to the Israeli website Sport5.
The Israeli teams are waiting for the Winner League to release an update on whether the season will be just postponed or canceled.
Fonte: Sport5.
The Spanish Liga ACB has officially suspended the season until April 24th.
The plan is to resume and finish this season at some point when the coronavirus outbreak quiets down.
Fonte: Liga ACB.
Partizan Belgrade is closing in on a two-year deal with Trey Drechsel, sources told Sportando.
Drechsel, a 23-year-old guard/forward from Grand Canyon University, has played in the Serbian KLS as a rookie this season, averaging 18 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game for KK Mladost Zemun.
The latest updates on Chinese CBA which is now expected to restart again from April 15th with imports.
– Season will start April 15th
– All players will have to quarantine for 14 days and then get tested for Covid-19
– Players who refuse to come back will be banned for 3 years from CBA
– Players likely will have to leave 23rd-25th to make it on time for first game
– Very limited travel, as games will only be played in two locations, Qingdao, and Dongguan
– 4 games a week
– Games will be played behind closed doors
Dylan Osetkowski and BG Göttingen have agreed to part ways.
The big man asked to leave the team to return to his family in USA during the coronavirus outbreak in Europe and in his home country.
Dylan Osetkowski averaged 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Fonte: BG Goettingen.