Nikola Jokic is in the headlines, not for something he did, but for a proposal that a Greek club offered to the Denver Nuggets superstar.Dimitrios Giannakopoulos is the owner of the Panathinaikos Basketball Club in Athens, Greece. The Greek businessman said he made a proposal to the Nuggets to buy out the final season of Jokics current NBA contract. Despite getting a rejection, he believes he will have better fortunes of signing Jokic away in the 2027 offseason.People are going to say, OK, now hes joking,' Giannakopoulos toldthe Euro Insiders podcast. I did make a very serious proposal this year both to his team and to him. I got a rejection. I know that he has one more year of a contract.It took a few seconds [for the Nuggets] to say, Who? Greece? Where? What? Bye,' Giannakopoulos said. But lets wait until next year.Raznatovic longtime agent, Misko Raznatovic, has confirmed that Giannakopoulos was telling the truth.What Giannakopoulos said is true,Raznatovic told Athletiko.What Lies Ahead for Nikola Jokic and NuggetsApr 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) shoots the ball at Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)Nikola Jokic still has a long career ahead of him as one of the top superstars in the NBA. Should he wish to go leave the league and go international, it would take a lot of benefits for him to embrace that pathway.Jokic, 31, will be eligible to sign a five-year, $359.5 million extension with the Nuggets in July 2027, a contract that would be the largest in NBA history, according to ESPN insider Bobby Marks. He has two seasons and $121.8 million remaining on his current contract, but the second season is a player option, giving him the freedom to enter unrestricted free agency next summer.Jokic prepares for Year 12 of his time in the league while flourishing as a triple-double machine. Throughout 65 games last season, he averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game. In the playoffs, he produced 25.8 points, 13.2 rebounds and 9.5 assists per contest.Minnesota finished with a 54-28 record in the previous campaign, securing the third seed in the Western Conference standings. Despite having championship expectations, they suffered a stunning first-round exit after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games.Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter

While some players have hype during an offseason, that's kind of not the case for Michigan football wide receiver Andrew Marsh.Entering his second year with the program and in college football, Marsh's hype came in-season last year, when he supplanted starter Channing Goodwin after the fourth game of the season. And his stock kept rising from there.But with Marsh, the expectations are so high, it's not even like he's getting spoken of as a player who is about to break out. Instead, it's more of a foregone conclusion that he will.Tight end Zack Marshall says that's due to his work ethic. He's taken big strides this offseason, and the thought is that he'll take a massive step forward rather than a simple continuation of what he did a year ago. And he's been able to do that because he's more mature than the average sophomore, Marshall says."He attacks the exact same way when he walked in the first day to now," Marshall said."Do what you're told to the best of your ability.No excuses. No explanations.Be here.Be about the team. Handle yourself as a professional.And that's exactly what Andrew Marsh does."A lot of guys could work on emulating that. I mean, kids that come in at 17 years old, they're not going to be professionals right away.Sorry.A lot of guys make screw-ups. I mean, you see things about whether it's social media, whether it's what we've been accused of doing.That's the real world.People aren't grown up when they show up. But by the time you're done here, you've got to be a man.That's one of the things that Greg Harden taught us.It's not just growing up on the football field or growing up outside of here. "Andrew Marsh grew up in a day.He's handled it better than anyone I know."With Marsh being the bona fide No. 1 wide receiver, that means that he'll be the go-to, the player who quarterback Bryce Underwood will look to first on any given play. Though that might mean fewer opportunities for the other pass catchers, Marshall says that's not a concern.Because a rising tide lifts all ships, and with Marsh getting more opportunities, it should open up the field for others. And if not, Marsh's success is still the team's success."Iget to be in the offense," Marshall said."I get to be on the field with him.I got to watch him make a crazy catch against Northwestern, the go ball on the right side of the field. Yeah, I was wide open on my out route.I didn't care.He caught the ball. You know what I mean?Everyone gets theirs when we all have success."Fall camp will continue until game week, when Michigan football will switch gears in earnest to face off against Western Michigan on September 5 at The Big House.This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Andrew Marsh is ready to lead Michigan football offense

French Teammates Nell Angloma, Leila Lacan Find Friendship, Grow Together With Connecticut Sun originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Journeying into the unknown can be a lonely experience. That would have been the case for French star Nell Angloma, drafted by the Connecticut Sun with the 12th pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. However, she quickly learned she wasnt alone.The 20-year-old joined Leila Lacan, picked 10th in the 2024 WNBA Draft (she didn't play during the 2024 season), in Connecticut. Together, the two have become a dynamic duo on and off the court.Lacan, 22, has driven with Angloma on long car rides, helping adjust to the rules of the road and of womens basketball in America. She provides a trusting voice in an unfamiliar world. Its made for an easier adjustment than most have attempted.She (Lacan) helped me a lot because Im not very comfortable with my English, Angloma told The IX Sports. She can help me to translate some details.What I can say is that, if you do your workouts and focus on the extra work after, you know that you will be ready when your name is called, no matter how long you spend on the court, Lacan said.When in Connecticut, spending about 50 minutes in a car each day can do wonders for camaraderie. It can also help push one another when it's needed.Nell Angloma and Leila Lacan thriving together in ConnecticutLast year, Lacan scored 10.4 points per game and had 2.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists for Connecticut. This year, she's producing 12.1 points and 4.4 assists. Earning more playing time, her value has increased. Angloma is averaging 3.7 points per game, with 1.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists.They arent the only members of the Sun that speak French. Coach Rachid Meziane, in his second year with the team, is a former Ligue Feminine champion. He understands more than anyone what they are going through, as he has embraced change in a quick period of time.Angloma and Lacan are considered the future of the franchise, one that will be moving to Houston in 2027. Another adjustment will be needed, but unless they are traded, they will continue to work together. And that bond has made them stronger as players.I feel like they do a really good job of just like being themselves, Kennedy Burke said. At the end of the day, theyre still young, they need the experience. But I feel like they come in and bring that energy no matter what.Its not all new and all completely different because she can have a French speaker, you know. So there is kind of something that is familiar for her, Lacan said.Leila Lacan stats 2026*Stats as of Aug. 11, 2026StatLacanGames22Points12.1Rebounds2.0Assists4.4Steals1.9Blocks0.3Turnovers2.1Minutes28.8FG%42.33P%30.7FT%73.7Nell Angloma stats 2026*Stats as of Aug. 11, 2026StatAnglomaGames27Points3.7Rebounds1.4Assists0.6Steals0.4Blocks0.3Turnovers0.7Minutes10.1FG%43.23P%20.0FT%60.5

The UFC is back in the "City of Brotherly Love" for the first time in more than seven years, and the popular "Embedded" fight week video series is here to document what's happening behind the scenes. UFC 330 (Paramount+), the promotion's seventh numbered event of the calendar year, takes place Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.In the main event, former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) aims to defend his welterweight title for the first time when he takes on Ian Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC). The co-main event features another title fight as strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern (16-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) puts her belt on the line for the first time against Gillian Robertson (17-8 MMA, 14-6 UFC).Thesecond episode of "Embedded" follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC's description of the episode from YouTube:Islam Makhachev catches a shark; Edson Barboza spends the day at home with his family; Chidi Njokuani teaches a class at his gym and opens up about his coach's recent passing; Jalin Turner attends church; Mackenzie Dern takes her daughter to Hershey's Chocolate Factory; Gillian Robertson puts in a hard training session; Islam Makhachev goes for a run on the Jersey Shore.Watch UFC 330 with Paramount+This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 330 'Embedded,' No. 2: Islam Makhachev catches a shark!

Credit: CBS SportsThe biggest question CBS Sports had to answer at its media days on Tuesday was asked and answered in under three minutes.After acknowledging the Tony Romo-sized elephant in the room, the network was forced to explain the down-ballot impact on the rest of its broadcast booths, with J.J. Watt being promoted to the lead booth alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson after the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was placed on indefinite leave following an OWI arrest.If theres a silver lining, its that Ian Eagle doesnt really have a type. Hes called games with Dan Fouts, Charles Davis and now Watt at CBS, on top of a rotating cast of NBA and college basketball partners over the years, and he just tends to make whoevers next to him sound better. Watt basically said as much heading into this past season, giving Eagle the credit for chemistry that helped the two of them crack the top five of Awful Announcings 2025 NFL announcer rankings. That flexibility is CBSs biggest asset here. This isnt a booth that lives or dies on one specific pairing.CBS has elected to pair Eagle with Ross Tucker and Evan Washburn, as the two have done many Thursday Night Football broadcasts together on Westwood One before The Bird departed that role following the 2024 season. Initially, Tucker was seen as having a pretty good chance to fill the open spot alongside Andrew Catalon in the fourth booth, but Romos arrest seems to have changed that calculus.Tucker has been a fixture in CBSs NFL rotation since the 2023 season, regularly working alongside Tom McCarthy as part of the networks sixth broadcast crew. He also calls college football for CBS and handles radio duties for Westwood Ones Thursday Night Football coverage, rotating with Devin McCourty alongside Kevin Kugler. The Princeton alum and former offensive lineman also hosts the Ross Tucker Football Podcast for DraftKings and calls Philadelphia Eagles preseason games on local television.As for the Catalon booth, CBS has turned to former New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans back Logan Ryan, who Awful Announcing initially flagged as the most logical internal candidate to step into a booth vacated by both Charles Davis and Jason McCourty. Ryan, who spent last season working CBS games across both the NFL and college football,shadowed Jim Nantz and Tony Romo for an entire week ahead of the Patriots-Buccaneers game in November, sitting in on production meetings and learning how CBSs top team prepares, before Nantz brought him into the broadcast midway through the fourth quarter It wasnt the last we saw of him in an NFL booth.The rest of the booths remain unchanged, meaning the pairings of Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, and Melanie Collins, as well as Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, and Aditi Kinkhabwala, will return for another season together. The only other booth with a notable change is CBS Sports, which has promoted former Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts running back Robert Turbin to the sixth broadcast booth, replacing Ross Tucker, alongside Tom McCarthy and Tiffany Blackmon.The network also added Luke Kuechly, who was recently tabbed as Netflixs No. 1 game analyst, in a similar role, while Darius Slay will join as a studio analyst. Its unknown if the former Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions cornerback will join The NFL Today crew of James Brown, Nate Burleson, Russell Wilson, Bill Cowher, and Kyle Long, or perhaps replace Long on The NFL Today+. Mackenize Brooks, who joined CBS as the lead HQ Analyst of Inside the Lines, will also join the networks NFL coverage.The post CBS announces Week 1 changes to 2026 NFL broadcast booths appeared first on Awful Announcing.

The global Paper Canister End Closures Market is expected to grow from USD 478.6 million in 2026 to USD 965.4 million by 2036, expanding at a 7.28% CAGR during the forecast period, according to Future Market Insights (FMI). The market was valued at USD 445.2 million in 2025. FMI says demand is rising as food, beverage, and personal care brands shift...

Market Overview Polaris Market Research’s latest research report, titled Bio-Based Platform Chemicals Market, offers a comprehensive and data-driven analysis of the market landscape. Designed for decision-makers, strategists, and industry participants, this in-depth study offers critical insights into current trends, market dynamics, competitive strategies, and growth projections....

The global Varicose Ulcer Market is expanding as healthcare providers increase the use of compression therapy, advanced wound dressings, and structured follow-up protocols for patients requiring prolonged ulcer management. According to Future Market Insights (FMI), the market is projected to grow from USD 3.9 billion in 2026 to USD 7.6 billion by 2036, registering a 6.9% CAGR during the...

FILE PHOTO - Argentina's Facundo Medina in action during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria at Kansas City stadium. Tom Weller/dpaBayer Leverkusen have signed Argentinian international Facundo Medina, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday.Medina, 27, arrived from Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille.The defender has signed a contract until June 30, 2021, Leverkusen said.Medina was part of the Argentinian squad that made it to the finals of this year's World Cup, where they were beaten by Spain.He has made a total of 14 international appearances for La Albiceleste to date."In Facundo Medina, we have signed a highly experienced professional who, thanks to his quality and strong mentality, will immediately be a key player for our team," Leverkusen managing director sport Simon Rolfes was quoted as saying in a statement."He's a player who excels in one-on-one situations: assertive and aggressive. Facundo's qualities add an important element to our squad's profile. We're delighted to have him in our ranks."