International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mojave King Signs With G League Ignite

August 8th, 2022 at 5:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mojave King has signed with the G League Ignite, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets.

King, 20, averaged 18.0 PPG and 3.3 APG in the New Zealand NBL for the Zerofees Southland Sharks this summer. He’s also played for Adelaide and Cairns in the Australian NBL.

King, who was born in New Zealand, is an NBA Academy alumnus looking to improve his draft prospects by joining the Ignite.

Projected 2023 No. 2 overall pick Scoot Henderson has committed to play for the Ignite, as well as French wing Sidy Cissoko, 6’10” Canadian forward Leonard Miller and Nigerian Efe Abogidi.

At the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta in July 2019, King averaged a tournament-high 19.2 PPG. He turned down several Division I schools before signing with the NBL.

George King Signs With Illawarra Hawks

August 8th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

After briefly returning to the NBA during the 2021/22 season, veteran forward George King is headed back overseas to resume his playing career. King has signed with the Illawara Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League, the team announced today.

The 59th overall pick in the 2018 draft, King signed a two-way contract with the Suns and spent his rookie season with Phoenix, though he played in just one game at the NBA level. After reaching free agency in 2019, King spent time in Italy, Poland, and Germany from 2019-21.

The former Colorado standout returned stateside for the 2021/22 season and spent most of the year with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario in the G League, appearing in 32 regular season NBAGL game (33.6 MPG) and averaging 13.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.3 APG on .445/.378/.760 shooting. He also saw action in four contests with the Mavericks on a 10-day hardship contract in December.

King will join an Illawara Hawks team that finished second in the NBL’s regular season standings a year ago and is looking to replace a group of departing players that includes Antonius Cleveland and Xavier Rathan-Mayes.

“We’re excited to have someone with King’s international experience join our young core group,” Illawara head coach Jacob Jackomas said. “He gives us elite shooting and defending on the perimeter and we believe he will complement the other guys on the team.”

Doron Lamb Signs In Italy

August 7th, 2022 at 5:36pm CST by JD Shaw

Former NBA guard Doron Lamb has decided to sign a one-year deal in Italy with Scafati Basket, the team announced on social media. This is Lamb’s second trip to the country in the past year, as he most recently played for Victoria Libertas.

Lamb’s professional career has spanned over a decade. He won an NCAA title with Kentucky in 2012, then became the No. 42 pick of the draft that year. After that, he made NBA stops with the Bucks and Magic, as well as G League trips with Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Texas Legends and Westchester Knicks.

Lamb has spent much of his career overseas. He last saw G League action in 2017, playing 42 games with the Knicks’ affiliate. At 30 years old, time is gradually starting to run out for him to make an NBA comeback, though it’s unclear how hard of a push he plans to make.

Lamb has also played in Montenegro, France, Greece, Turkey and Poland. He averaged 12.9 points per game during his last stint in Italy, shooting an efficient 48% from the floor and 45% from deep.

Turkish Team Adding Jarell Eddie

August 7th, 2022 at 3:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Former NBA forward Jarell Eddie has joined Turkish club Konyaspor for the 2022/23 season, per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The team itself announced the signing via Twitter.

Eddie, 30, last played for Spanish team San Pablo Burgos, averaging 11.8 PPG and 3.3 RPG on .431/.422/.909 shooting through 19 contests.

The 6’7″ small forward went undrafted out of Virginia Tech in 2014. He spent the 2014/15 season with the Spurs’ NBAGL affiliate club, the Austin Spurs. He eventually joined the Wizards in the 2015/16 season for 26 games, and then enjoyed briefer stints with the Suns, Celtics and Bulls in subsequent years. In 34 NBA games, Eddie averaged 2.6 PPG and 0.9 RPG in just 6.4 MPG.

Following his NBA run, Eddie has linked up with a pro club in France, plus multiple teams in Spain and Turkey.

Sam Dekker Signs With London Team

August 7th, 2022 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Sam Dekker, who made a brief NBA comeback last season, has signed a one-year deal with the London Lions, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 28-year-old forward earned a roster spot with the Raptors in training camp, but was waived before his $1.79MM contract became fully guaranteed in early November. He played just one game for Toronto before being released. Dekker finished the season with Bahçeşehir Koleji of Turkey, which went on to win the FIBA Europe Cup.

Dekker was selected by the Rockets with the 18th pick in the 2015 draft and spent two seasons in Houston before being shipped to the Clippers as part of the Chris Paul trade. He also had brief stints with the Cavaliers and Wizards, and averaged 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 201 total NBA games.

The former Wisconsin star headed overseas after the 2018/19 season, signing with Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia and then Turk Telekom in Turkey.

Dekker will join former NBA center Kosta Koufos, who signed with the London team last month.

International Notes: Dorsey, Antetokounmpo, Caver, CSKA

August 7th, 2022 at 9:20am CST by Arthur Hill

Before joining forces with Luka Doncic this fall, Tyler Dorsey is excited about the opportunity to play alongside two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Greek national team, writes Achilleas Mavrodontis of EuroHoops. Entering the 2017 NBA draft, Dorsey talked about the possibility of being taken by the Bucks and teaming up with Antetokounmpo. However, he was selected by the Hawks at No. 41, a few picks ahead of Milwaukee.

“This is a great opportunity to play alongside him,” Dorsey said of Antetokounmpo. “I am excited to get to know him. He has a wonderful story. For me, the story is amazing to where he is at today.”

After two seasons with Atlanta and Memphis, Dorsey returned to Europe, signing with Maccabi Tel Aviv and then Olympiacos. He had a chance to join Turkish power Fenerbahce this summer, but he opted to take another shot at the NBA on a two-way contract with Dallas.

“Definitely, Fenerbahce was an option,” Dorsey said. “It could have happened. But the NBA opened the door a little bit and Dallas took the opportunity to offer for me and I wasn’t going to turn that down.”

There’s more international news this morning:

Antetokounmpo is enjoying the experience of being with all his brothers during Greece’s training camp, Mavrodontis adds in a separate story. Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Kostas Antetokounmpo are both expected to make the final roster for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers and EuroBasket, and Alex Antetokounmpo is hoping to join them. Giannis admits the Greek team may not be ready for a medal, comparing it to how long it took to turn the Bucks into contenders, but said the experience is important for his family. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. “We’ve been saying that one day we’ll achieve this. It makes us proud to guard each other in the practice of the national team. Our mother can’t wait to come to the games. But when they enter the court, they are my teammates, not my brothers.”
Ahmad Caver, who had a brief appearance with the Pacers last season, has signed a one-year contract with the BC Wolves in Lithuania, the team announced (via Twitter). The 25-year-old point guard, who spent most of the season with Memphis in the G League, got into one game after joining Indiana in late December on a 10-day contract under the hardship provision.
CSKA Moscow is appealing the decision to bar the team from the EuroLeague for the upcoming season, per Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops. The decision to remove all Russian teams from EuroLeague competition was made following the nation’s invasion of Ukraine.

Aaron Henry Headed To France

August 6th, 2022 at 11:51am CST by Dana Gauruder

Swingman Aaron Henry has signed with France’s Betclic Elite team Metropolitans 92, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia.

The Michigan State product went undrafted in 2021, then signed a two-way contract with the Sixers last summer. Philadelphia waived Henry in January after he made six brief appearances in NBA games.

He spent the bulk of last season with the Sixers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. averaging 13.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 2.5 APG in 27 appearances, including eight starts. Henry participated in mini-camps with the Knicks as well as the Jazz after the regular season but didn’t land an NBA contract.

And-Ones: Crawford, Micic, Dragic

August 5th, 2022 at 7:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Retired shooting guard Jamal Crawford reflected on his 20-year NBA run in a conversation with Bryan Kalbrosky of USA Today. Earlier this summer, the 6’5″ vet, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year, showed off his still-lethal handle at his yearly Seattle-based Pro-Am league the CrawsOver.

“I would always stretch and ice even if nothing was hurting,” Crawford, now 42, said of one of the keys to his longevity in the league. “I heard an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of recovery. I was always taking care of myself… I was always trying to think about the long game so I could play at a high level for a long time… I would’ve played even longer if I knew the stuff I know now.”

Across 1,327 career games played with the Bulls, Knicks, Warriors, Hawks, Trail Blazers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Suns and Nets, Crawford averaged 14.6 PPG, 3.4 APG and 2.2 RPG, while posting shooting splits of .410/.348/.862.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball globe:

After flirting with a move to the NBA this summer, star EuroLeague guard Vasilije Micic opted to remain with Anadolu Efes in Turkey. The Thunder continue to possess the draft rights to the two-time reigning EuroLeague Final Four MVP, who spoke to Rada Nikolić August of Sport Klub about his offseason decision . “I felt a slight mistrust from the direction of the strongest league in the world, which they have towards many, not only me,” Micic said, though he seemed open to keeping the door open to an eventual move stateside. “I really don’t think I’m going there to prove what and how much I can do. It’s nice like this for me, so if I go to America one day, it will happen…” Last year, the 28-year-old averaged 18.1 PPG, 4.7 APG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.1 SPG across 28 contests with Anadolu Efes in EuroLeague play.
New Bulls reserve point guard Goran Dragic is set to return to competition for his native Slovenia in EuroBasket 2022 this September, as he announced via Twitter. “I’M BACK,” the 36-year-old posted, along with a variety of descriptive emojis. Dragic had previously retired from playing for Slovenia in 2017, after helping the national club win its first-ever FIBA European championship in EuroBasket play. Dragic won the EuroBasket MVP award for his efforts, averaging 22.6 PPG in nine games. Dragic joined Chicago this summer following turns with the Raptors and Nets in 2021/22.

International Notes: Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Yurtseven, Pokusevski, Jovic

August 3rd, 2022 at 9:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is looking forward to representing Serbia on the basketball court for the first time in three years, writes Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops. The two-time MVP will join the national team for a pair of 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifying games, hosting Greece August 25 and traveling to Turkey August 28.

“I feel great, similar to every time I reunite with these guys. I just met some of them,” Jokic said in advance of the Serbian team’s training camp. “We are preparing, we just started and we will see how far we can go. Up first are the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and the goal of helping Serbia qualify to the World Cup.”

Jokic also plans to participate in EuroBasket next month, and he could return for both the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics if Serbia qualifies. Jokic cited a special pride in being able to play for his home nation.

“It means a lot, I talked with my family, it’s a totally different feeling when you play for the national team,” Jokic said. “I felt different when I came here than when I go to Denver.”

There’s more international news to pass along:

Another MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his brother and Bucks teammate, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, are in Athens waiting to join the Greek team for training camp, per Aris Barkas of EuroHoops. An agreement limits NBA players to 28 days of preparation before major FIBA tournaments and 14 days before the Olympics. The other Antetokounmpo brothers, Alex and Kostas, are already training with Greece. New Mavericks signee Tyler Dorsey is under the same restrictions as Giannis and Thanasis and can’t start training until Thursday.
Heat center Omer Yurtseven elected not to join the Turkish national team’s training camp in Italy, but he didn’t inform team officials of his decision or seek permission in advance, according to a EuroHoops report. The decision was made by Yurtseven rather than the Heat, the story adds, as the rookie center chose to stay in Miami and focus on preparing for training camp. The report notes that Yurtseven was suspended for eight games in 2018 for skipping national team activities without providing notice.
Thunder forward Aleksej Pokusevski and Heat rookie Nikola Jovic were denied permission by their respective teams to join Serbia for EuroBasket and the World Cup qualifiers, Askounis states in a separate story. Hawks forward Bogdan Bogdanovic is also unavailable because he’s recovering from knee surgery.

International Notes: Patton, Holman, Dekker, Krejci

August 3rd, 2022 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA center Justin Patton, who spent last season in Israel, is off to France for the 2022/23 campaign, having finalized a one-year deal with Cholet Basket, the team announced today in a press release.

The 16th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Patton only ended up playing in 22 NBA games for the Timberwolves, Sixers, Thunder, and Rockets between 2017-21 before heading overseas. A series of foot injuries derailed the early part of Patton’s professional career, but the 25-year-old was able to suit up for 21 games in 2021/22 for Hapoel Eilat, averaging 11.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in 27.5 minutes per contest.

Here are a few more items from around the international basketball world:

Former Mississipi State big man Aric Holman has signed with Tezenis Verona, the Italian club announced today in a press release. While Holman is a G League veteran and inked a 10-day hardship contract with the Heat last December, he has yet to make his NBA regular season debut.
The London Lions of the British Basketball League are in talks with veteran NBA forward Sam Dekker, according to Dario Skerletic and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. A former first-round pick, Dekker began last season with the Raptors, but appeared in just one regular season contest and was waived early in the season, before his full salary became guaranteed.
Although Vit Krejci of the Thunder is the only current NBA player on the Czech Republic’s initial 15-man roster for EuroBasket 2022, there are other notable names on the list, including Tomas Satoransky and Jan Vesely, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops details.