Sports Poets Society

Hannes Steinbach freut sich mit seinem Vater Burkhard. In Hannes Steinbach schafft es der nächste Würzburger in die NBA, ihm folgt auch noch Christian Anderson. "Glückwunsch, mein Lieber.  Ein weiterer Junge aus Würzburg."    - Ex-NBA-Profi Dirk Nowitzki zu Hannes Steinbach 25 Jun 2026 - Der Tagesspiegel Von Florian Lütticke (dpa) Als sich für Hannes Steinbach sein Traum von der NBA erfüllte, erhielt das deutsche Basketball-Toptalent eine ganz besondere Videobotschaft. „Glückwunsch, mein Lieber. Ein weiterer Junge aus Würzburg“, sagte Dirk Nowitzki in einem Einspieler im US-Fernsehen, an den 20-Jährigen gerichtet. „Ich kenne dich, seit du geboren bist. Ich bin super stolz, wie du alles gemeistert hast. Genieß diesen Moment.“   Steinbach wurde beim Draft der besten Basketballliga der Welt bereits an Position 14 von den Charlotte Hornets ausgewählt, die wenig später auch noch Christian Anderson als zweiten Deutschen verpflichteten. „Das ist sehr, sehr cool, dass...

KIRBY LEE/IMAGN IMAGES/ REUTERS The NBA fined Indiana Pacers $100,000 for  removing  some of their star players during a game It has been a ‘perfect storm’ this season because there are four college superstars expected in June’s NBA draft 10 Mar 2026 - The Guardian Sean Ingle Imagine you are the director of football at a crisis-stricken Premier League club in a world where relegation doesn’t exist and the planet’s best teenagers become available for free in a draft every June. In this alternate universe, you are also aware of something else: the 2026 Premier League draft is one for the ages. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí are in it. So are Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl and Real Madrid’s Franco Mastantuono . Sign one of them and the glory days will suddenly beckon again. There is, though, one almighty curveball. Teams that finish in the bottom four have a 14% chance of getting the first pick in the draft. But with every place you climb, your chances of acquiring a top ...

That was the goal of every NBA team, The former Duke star andpresumptiveTOP DRAFTPICKhas an uncanny skill set that hoops IQ and a preternatural calm “I love being the underdog,” Flagg says. “Always have. It gives you a little EXTRA FUEL , extra motivation every game. You get a spark. It’s a great feeling.” by CHRIS MANNIX photograph by CLAY PATRICK MCBRIDE Sports Illustrated - July 2025 THE SCENE FELT FUNEREAL In April, minutes after Duke’s collapse in the NCAA semifinal againstHouston, a contingent of Blue Devils motored down a back hall of the Alamodome on a golf cart. Coach Jon Scheyer, flanked by freshman wing Kon Knueppel, was stuffed in the middle row. As the cart hummed down the quiet hallway, Cooper Flagg appeared on the back, still in his sweat-soaked uniform, staring vacantly in the direction he came. The images, captured by dozens of cameraphones, quickly went viral. Flagg can’t recall what he was thinking in that moment. Just that, whatever it was, he didn’t want anyone to ...

That was the goal of every NBA team, and with good reason. The former Duke star and presumptive has an uncanny skill set that combine athleticism, hoops IQ and a preternatural calm TOP DRAFT PICK JULY 2025 • SI .COM • 25 photograph by CLAY PATRICK MCBRIDE txt by CHRIS MANNIX In April, minutes after Duke’s collapse in the NCAA semifinal against Houston, a contingent of Blue Devils motored down a back hall of the Alamodome on a golf cart. Coach Jon Scheyer, flanked by freshman wing Kon Knueppel, was stuffed in the middle row. As the cart hummed down the quiet hallway, Cooper Flagg appeared on the back, still in his sweat-soaked uniform, staring vacantly in the direction he came. The images, captured by dozens of camera phones, quickly went viral. Flagg can’t recall what he was thinking in that moment. Just that, whatever it was, he didn’t want anyone to know it. “It was an incredible season,” Flagg later told reporters. “Didn’t end the way we wanted to.” Weeks later Flagg still struggles...

Noa Essengue au côté d’Adam Silver, le patron de la NBA,  mercredi soir sur la scène du Barclays Center de Brooklyn. Réservé hors des parquets, l’ailier-fort cache une détermination sans faille et un vrai potentiel de joueur polyvalent en NBA. Deux qualités qui ont séduit les Chicago Bulls, qui l’ont choisi en 12e position dans la nuit de mercredi à jeudi. 27 Jun 2025 - L'Équipe MAXIME AUBIN NEW YORK (USA) – Assis au bord de l’estrade du Barclays Center à Brooklyn, costume noir sobre avec quelques perles cousues aux manches en guise de fantaisie, Noa Essengue place ses invités à sa table en imaginant le déroulé de la soirée. Quand Adam Silver, grand patron de la NBA, l’appellera sur scène, il commencera par un câlin «pas trop long» à sa mère, puis finira par un check répété plus tôt dans la journée avec son grand frère Mathis. Une sobriété qui caractérise bien ce jeune ailier-fort français de 18 ans, sélectionné quelques minutes plus tard en 12e position de la draft par les Chicago...

As expected, Cooper Flagg was welcomed to the NBA by  Commissioner  Adam Silver as the draft’s No. 1 pick Wednesday night in New York. SARAH STIER/GETTY IMAGES Mavericks select Flagg with draft’s No. 1 pick Native of Maine was national player of year in lone season at Duke 26 Jun 2025 The Washington Post BY BEN GOLLIVER NEW YORK — The Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick of the NBA draft Wednesday night, capitalizing on their good fortune in the draft lottery to take the 18-year-old basketball prodigy from rural Maine. Flagg, who graduated from high school in three years and earned national player of the year honors during his freshman season at Duke, became the first White American to be selected with the top pick since Kent Benson in 1977 and the first Maine native to be drafted since Jeff Turner in 1984. When he stepped onto the Barclays Center stage to shake hands with Commissioner Adam Silver, Flagg wore a blue three-piece suit that hinted at the Ma...

TERRANCE WILLIAMS/ASSOCIATED PRESS - Dylan Harper, a guard out of Rutgers,  is a  strong candidate to go to San Antonio at No. 2 in the NBA draft — if the Spurs keep the selection. Ben Golliver mocks the lottery selections, including the Wizards’ pick at No. 6. How the lottery picks unfold after No. 1 is anyone’s guess 25 Jun 2025 The Washington Post BY BEN GOLLIVER NEW YORK — Let’s count the ways this year’s NBA draft will be defined by unexpected twists and turns. One: Cooper Flagg , the consensus favorite to be the No. 1 pick, is only draft-eligible because he opted to graduate high school in three seasons. The 18-year-old do-everything forward, who led Duke to the Final Four this spring as a freshman, is on track to become the youngest top pick since Lebron James in 2003. Two: The Dallas Mavericks earned the right to select Flagg even though they were slotted 11th in the draft lottery order and had just a 1.8 percent chance to receive the top pick. Instead of spending the ...