Michael Beasley has agreed to a deal with Guangdong of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Beasley will play for just two months as China's season is winding down.

Beasley was traded at the deadline by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Los Angeles Clippers and subsequently waived.

In reflecting upon the success of Basketball Without Borders, Adam Silver added that he wants the NBA to be more involved in the worldwide development of the game.

“There’s nothing more important than continuing to develop that next generation of players. Historically, we played more of a passive role when it came to development of players, whether it was through college system or systems that existed in Europe or other parts of the world. Those players were, in essence, presented to us when they are ready for the draft. I think we’re increasingly of the view that we can have more direct involvement in the development of players. If we get to them, boys and girls, at a younger age, we can begin teaching them not just fundamentals but the values of this game, helping them build character around the game, teaching them about their bodies, and teaching them the importance of nutrition and sleep and stretching and physical fitness,” said Silver.

The NBA recently announced plans to start a 12-team league in Africa.

A recent study also found that nearly a million people in Australia play basketball, more than half of whom are under 25 years old.

The NBA and FIBA will launch the Basketball Africa League (BAL), a 12-team league across Africa, in 2020.

"The Basketball Africa League is an important next step in our continued development of the game of basketball in Africa. Combined with our other programs on the continent, we are committed to using basketball as an economic engine to create new opportunities in sports, media and technology across Africa," said Adam Silver.

There will be a tournament for teams to qualify into the new league, with no more than two teams from one country in the league.

The NBA will also rebuild their direct-to-consumer offerings of NBA games to fans on the continent, as well as providing financial and support resources to help grow the game.

Luka Doncic's success has many current and former players weighing in on whether young European prospects are more prepared to play in the NBA than their American counterparts.

“One thing about the European prospects: They are a little bit more fundamentally sound, better than we are. Over there, they practice the basics. Over here, we rely a lot on our talents: jumping, shooting, running. Europeans have always been like that, and Doncic looks pretty good," said Shaquille O'Neal.

Wes Matthews pointed to the differences between a professional European setting and college basketball.

“A lot of rookies in the States right now, they’re young...they’re not quite as seasoned as far as practice times and film sessions and all that kind of stuff. If you would’ve drafted me after my freshman year in college, all I would’ve known is high school, where I could’ve essentially done whatever I wanted to do because I was the best player,” said Matthews.

The debate comes on top of Mark Cuban's comments comparing AAU basketball to Slovenia's basketball system, although Jaren Jackson Jr. defended AAU basketball. 

"I had fun playing AAU. I don’t really look at it like it’s a negative...I would just say, ‘Play more AAU games.’ They’re fun. I like them," said Jackson. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo will suit up for Greece in the FIBA World Championships this summer.

The 32-team tournament begins in China on August 31st.

Greece has already qualified for the tournament. 

The Philadelphia 76ers will release Demetrius Jackson from his Two-Way deal.

Jackson will sign a contract in China.

In a heated rivalry game, the David Blatt-lead Olympiakos defeated Rick Pitino's Panathinaikos 79-65. It was Pitino's first loss with Panathinaikos after two straight wins.

The matchup pitted two of the biggest rivals in European basketball, with 50 Panathinaikos fans visiting a practice session before the game to urge them to beat their opponents.

Pitino, who is only signed through the end of this season, has also recently been rumored as a potential candidate for the head coaching position at UCLA. 

Rick Pitino won his EuroLeague debut with Panathinaikos, beating CSKA Moscow 96-84.

Of the atmosphere in Athens, Pitino said, "it reminded me of Kentucky...and that's the highest compliment I give any crowd. Because I've always felt that in Kentucky basketball is a religion, and the fans tonight motivated us to play that type of defense."

Pitino, whose eventual goal is to coach back in the NBA, had a viral moment after yelling at his players during a timeout. 

"My message to them was that, in watching five films, you can't win playing the type of defense that you're playing. The second thing I told them is, 'Everybody says you guys can't shoot. That's not true' -- I put them through some shooting drills. I said, 'You guys can shoot, the problem is you can't pass.' I said, 'Because you're averaging 13 assists per game and four guys are watching one. If you get ball movement and you constantly pass the basketball, you'll outshoot [your opponents] from the 3-point line".

Larry Brown is out as coach of Auxilium Torino after a 5-19 record. 

The firing comes after the team was booed by their home fans during a recent loss. They have eight games remaining in the season. 

The 78-year-old Brown was hired last June by the Italian team, his first coaching job since resigning at SMU in 2016 amid NCAA investigations for academic violations. 

Rick Pitino has agreed to coach Panathinaikos of Greece for the remainder of the season.

Pitino's goal is to return to the NBA as a head coach.

Panathinaikos is expected to part ways with its coach Xavi Pascual to clear the way for Pitino