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Finally Mario Hezonja is ready for the jump
On the eve of the ACB finals and just a week before the 2015 NBA Draft, BallinEurope takes a deep look at the Croatian sensation Mario Hezonja Mario Hezonja has been on the NBA radar a long time. The FC Barcelona swingman has been talked up since he was 14 as a serious prospect. Now, […]
Draft Profile: Mario Hezonja
With the 2015 NBA Draft just a few weeks away, BallinEurope’s Sam Chadwick is breaking down the Europeans in contention to hear their names called on 25 June. First up it’s Mario Hezonja of Croatia and FC Barcelona. Vital Stats: Position: Shooting Guard/Small Forward Height: 1.98m Date of birth: 25/Feb/1995 Country: Croatia Current club: FC […]
Q&A: Tom Ziller on the Kings and Peja
With the Sacramento Kings announcing that they will retire Peja Stojakovic’s number 16 December, we spoke with SB Nation basketball journalist and Kings fan Tom Ziller about Peja’s legacy means to people in Sacramento. BiE: As a Kings fan, what does it mean to see Peja honoured like this? Tom Ziller: It’s wonderful to see […]
Podcast: On Tracy McGrady, other names in China; bizarre Japanese ball; awesome Hong Kong film
Episode number (sexy and) 17 of the Taking the Charge podcast series is now online. Admittedly, BallinEurope and heinnews deviate a bit from the Continental hoops with this show’s emphasis on Asia. However, our return interview with Jon Pastuszek of China-based NiuBball is certain to be of interest to any fan worth his/her salt. Get […]
Ricky Rubio to Nikola Pekovic for the NBA’s Play of the Day
Here it is: Another one for the Human YouTube Highlight Clip’s collection. From the Love-less Minnesota Timberwolves’ 86-84 victory at the Sacramento Kings last night, Ricky Rubio contributed what the NBA official website is calling “The Play of the Day.” In the third quarter, Tyreke Evans lost the handle, and La Pistola swooped in on […]
The Eurocentric 2011-12 NBA Western Conference preview (plus Official Fearless Predictions™)
Okay, after that Xmas distraction, BallinEurope is ready to write up some more stuff about good tidings and cheer*, namely, the start of the NBA season. With hours to go, BiE’s got just enough time to get in the part two of the Euro-centric big-league preview in this brief look at the teams in the […]
Peja Stojakovic: The BallinEurope tribute
Just days ago, Peja Stojakovic appeared to be a viable free agent for an NBA team with roster holes, a still-deadly long-range assassin at the age of 34, a 19-year veteran with gas enough in the tank for late-game daggers and smart D, a prototypical European baller with an American championship pedigree. “Couldn’t he drain […]
Frustrated with players' union, Omri Casspi joins Maccabi Tel Aviv
BallinEurope welcomes another NBA player to the Continent this afternoon with the long-awaiting signing of Omri Casspi with Maccabi Tel Aviv today reportedly a reality, according to the Cleveland Plains-Dealer. The locked-out Cavalier first expressed frustration with the NBA Players’ Union this weekend and took Israel’s Euroleague club up on its longstanding offer. Writes Tom […]
Vlade Divac: The BallinEurope/YouTube career retrospective
BallinEurope sends out hearty congratulations to Serbian great Vlade Divac on his nomination for possible entry into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s “Class of 2012.” While Divac may be known as a famous trivia answer (“Who was traded for Kobe Bryant?”) or by the dreaded “F-word” (i.e. “flopper” as used in – really […]
Watching the Las Vegas Superstar Challenge online
In the wake of the NBA lockout, those players from the big league not hawking their wares in Europe or elsewhere overseas are looking to schedule alternative games. Though a big-name international tour appears to be stalling at present, this weekend will see quite an exhibition in the four-team “Las Vegas Superstar Challenge” headed up […]
Eurojam 2011 tournament confirms Dan Gadzuric, Francisco Elson; no news on Bar Refaeli
Some news from organizers of the upcoming interesting Holland-based EuroJam 2011 tournament, which pits NCAA men’s and women’s sides against European national teams. Confirmed for the tournament are NBA Dutchmen Francisco Elson of the Utah Jazz and Dan Gadzuric of the New Jersey Nets – BallinEurope can’t help but speculate as to whether the latter […]
Pau Gasol: “A bit distracted,” “A bit exhausted” in Lakers-Mavs series
For the Spanish-language ‘site Marca.com, Los Angeles-based sportswriter Jesús Sánchez recently got some quality face time with Pau Gasol – enough to fill three columns’ worth of stories. The key news for those looking ahead to the summer, a group that certainly includes Lakers fans and those cynical about the possibility of the NBA actually […]