March 2015 National Wiretap

Dragan Bender Prevented From Playing In U19 Due To Shoe Contract

Jun 28, 2015 11:35 AM

Dragan Bender, a potential top-5 pick in 2016, was ruled out of the Under-19 World Championship due to his refusal to wear Jordan Brand shoes.

Bender has signed an exclusive deal with Adidas, which prevents him from wearing other brands of shoes under the terms of the contract.

“They said to me, if Dragan doesn't use Jordan Brand shoes, he can't play,” Bender's agent wrote to Draft Express. “We are very sad. He wanted to defend the colors of his country, but it looks like commercial reasons are above sport reasons. I am so sad for all his teammates his coach. They did a great job during the past three weeks (preparing for the tournament).”

David Hein of FIBA.com confirmed that Bender wouldn't play. From FIBA's story:

"Vladimr Vanjak, Croatia's head of delegation at the tournament in Heraklion (Crete), Greece, confirmed to FIBA.com that Bender will be leaving Greece on Sunday.

He said: "The fact is that Bender denied [refused] to play in the Jordan Brand shoes but our Federation has a contract with Jordan and everybody has to play in Jordan Brand. He denied to do that but he didn't say anything before coming here. That's the problem. I talked with my Secretary General and other people who made the decision because we have a very serious contract with Jordan. If he cannot play in Jordan Brand, he cannot play. That's it."

Jonathan Givony/Draft Express

Tags: Dragan Bender, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv, NBA, National, International Teams

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Tristan Thompson Won't Play For Canada This Summer

Jun 17, 2015 1:22 PM

Tristan Thompson will not play for the Canadian National Team this summer.

Thompson will be a restricted free agent this offseason and is widely expected to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Canada will be participating in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, which allows the top two teams to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

Chris B. Haynes/Cleveland Plain Dealer

Tags: Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, National

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Dirk Nowitzki To Play For Germany In EuroBasket

Jun 4, 2015 12:34 PM

Dirk Nowitzki will play in EuroBasket 2015 for Germany this September.

Germany is hosting Group B in Berlin.

"If it [the EuroBasket] was anywhere else, at the age of 37, it probably would have been a no-go for me.

"But when I heard that EuroBasket would be played in Berlin, a great basketball city, it was something I had dreamt about.

"Like every year, the DBB let me take my decision after the NBA season and, in the end, the national team was lucky that we [Dallas Mavericks] lost so early," said Nowitzki.

FIBA

Tags: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks, Germany, NBA, National, National Euro Championship, National Teams

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Andrei Kirilenko Decides To Retire

Jun 1, 2015 11:17 PM

Andrei Kirilenko has decided to retire from professional basketball.

Kirilenko wasn't invited to join Russia's squad for EuroBasket 2015.

Kirilenko joined the Utah Jazz in 2001 and was an All-Star in 2004. Kirilenko played for CSKA during the lockout and then returned to the NBA to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets. Kirilenko was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers this season and he never reported to the team.

David Pick/Basketball Insiders

Tags: Utah Jazz, CSKA Moscow, Russian PBL, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor, International, National, National Euro Championship, International Teams, International League

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