The year 2010 has been very kind to Spain. In June, Pau Gasol won his second NBA championship with the Lakers. A few weeks later, Rafael Nadal won his second Wimbledon title. In July, Alberto Contador captured his third consecutive Tour de France title and the Spanish soccer team won its first World Cup. It … [Read more…]
The Spurs’ signing of Euroleague center Tiago Splitter earlier in the week had very little fanfare. There were no ESPN one-hour specials, no Jim Gray playing emcee and the news was absent from all the 24-hour news networks. It was your typical Spurs offseason transaction. Very low key and very business-like. The move may not look … [Read more…]
The best players of the 2009-10 Euroleague Basketball season were honored last week at the annual Euroleague Basketball Awards Ceremony held at the historic Paris city hall, Hôtel de Ville. Olympiacos point guard Milos Teodosic was voted the 2009-10 Euroleague MVP after a breakout season. Teodosic, who led Olympiacos to the Euroleague Final against Regal … [Read more…]
Like most European sensations, Juan Carlos Navarro wanted to try his luck in the NBA. He played one season with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2007-08, teaming with fellow Spaniard Pau Gasol. The Grizzlies acquired Navarro’s draft rights from the Washington Wizards – which selected the Spanish guard with the 40th overall pick in 2002 – … [Read more…]
Two years ago, Brandon Jennings put his basketball career on the line when he signed with Italian club Lottomatica Virtus Roma of the Euroleague. At the time, the decision was considered both risky and a huge gamble financially. If Jennings’ European experiment fails and he falls flat on his face in the Italian ruins, his … [Read more…]
Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia’s richest man, is on the verge of becoming the first European majority owner in the NBA as he recently put a bid to buy 80% of the New Jersey Nets, according to published reports. Prokhorov, 43, said he will also fund nearly half of a project to build a new arena in … [Read more…]
There is no doubt that Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki are the two best players in Europe. But who is better? After leading Spain to a gold medal in the 2009 European Championships, you can make a strong case for Gasol as the best non-American player in the world. Led by Gasol, named the “best … [Read more…]
After posting a perfect record during pool competition, the French national team were far from perfect in its 86-66 loss to Spain in the quarterfinals of the 2009 European Championships. The devastating one-sided defeat is just the latest in a long line of disappointments for France on the international stage since 2000 when it captured … [Read more…]
Make no mistake about, the Minnesota Timberwolves got the best player in the NBA Draft. Though Blake Griffin was the clear choice as the No. 1 player in the draft, Ricky Rubio – Minnesota’s pick at No. 5 – could potentially be the guy who will define the ’09 draft. Rubio, the much-hyped European sensation … [Read more…]
Vlade Divac’s No. 21 jersey was recently retired by the Sacramento Kings in honor of the groundbreaking Serbian center’s six successful seasons with the club. Divac was the emotional leader and most popular player on the best teams in the franchise’s history, including the Kings’ back-to-back Pacific Division champions and the 2002 Western Conference finalists. … [Read more…]