By james art 
Paris – San Antonio star Viktor Wangnyama stood out in the rain on a cold Paris night. He wore the park, a hooded sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers. And then he spent a few seconds showing his skills.
No basketball was included.
Welfnya – like many others in the NBA – is obsessed with football. He was one of the star attractions of the Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City earlier this week. Below the field, the Whabanya showed a juggling show, throwing the ball into the air again and again, sometimes alternating with the legs without hitting the ground. This is a skill that requires at least a little football skills. He made it look easy.
“He can come and play with us,” said PSG star Ashraf Hakimi.
Welfnya left the stadium with a T -shirt that evening, smiling, as someone would leave the NBA arena with one of his T -shirts.
Wesbanya, LeBron James of Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee teammates Janis Adetokumbo and Damian Lillard, Jimmy Butler of Miami, Luka Doncic of Dallas and Josh Hart of New York are just a small part of the football players in The footsteps of ex -stars such as Steve Nash, Goran Dragic, Kobi Bryant, Pa Gasol and many others who have participated in basketball but love football.
“The players are much better known than the NBA players,” Adetokumbo said. “Many, much, much better known.”
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi went to Miami’s match last season and Heath’s audience – accustomed to seeing celebrities of almost every race – he was crazy, trying to find out exactly where the Argentine Grand was able to take a picture. James acquired part of Liverpool in 2021 through his investment in Fenway Sports Group. Adetokumbo became part of Nashville’s owner from Major League Socrate in 2023. The heat guard Josh Richardson is in the process of investing in a team.
There are many relationships between NBA and football – and they grow.
“This emphasizes the impact we can have as NBA players,” said Wangnyama. “It just reminds me of this responsibility that we have to do everything we can to make this impact positively. In general, I just bring emotions to people and unite them. “
The NBA looks very carefully at football, especially in Europe. The way the clubs conducted tournaments during the season was part of what NBA Commissioner Adam Silver convinced that such an event would work in his league. The tournament, now called the NBA Cup, has succeeded in its first two seasons.
Even now, when the NBA negotiates with FIBA and other entities for new basketball cooperation in Europe, Silver cite football as an example of what it can do.
“Having this long history of our sports league activities, to a large extent in the United States and a little elsewhere, seeing what happened in Europe – not only in basketball but also in football – this allows us to say well, let us let us We look again at what are the most effective practices for creating a commercially viable league, ”Silver said.
The spurs have formalized the fans of PSG. There is already a business relationship between the teams; This week with San Antonio in Paris to play two games with Indiana Pacers, Spurs and PSG even cooperated with new goods together, combining the brands. The executives met to discuss best practices and that sharing ideas would continue in the future-from mutual benefit, as spurs are playing in France now, and PSG is coming to the United States later this year.
“This partnership is a unique opportunity to combine our experience in leadership and relationship with fans, creating unforgettable experiences for our audience,” said PSG CEO Victoriano Melero. “With the World Club Championship competition in the United States next summer, we make the way for new initiatives that go beyond borders.”
Butler considers several players – Paul Pogba among them – for his closest friends. He regularly congratulates football stars in the stands during matches, has a bunch of T -shirts in his collection and follows many teams around the world.
He says there is a level of respect between football stars and basketball greats.
“What they do is so difficult, so it is humble for us to know that all we do is coordinate eye-hand and all they do is coordination of eye-skirt that does not look like any other game” said Butler. “Then, on top of this, they are really the coolest people in the world. And on top of that, I think that if the majority of them ever had to choose another sport to want to play, it would actually be basketball.
South Carolina took the match with women
South Carolina showed once again who headed the Southeast Conference.
Number 2 Gamecocks (19-1, 7-0 SEC) received 14 points from Joyce Edwards and uses its trademark for Lockdown Protection to put an end to the perfect start of the season of No. 5 LSU with 66-56 on Friday night. in Colombia.
“I don’t know if I have ever been a coach against a team that has a 10 McDonald’s All-Americans on the list.” “How do you manage to keep 10 on the list?”
Running like this certainly helps. South Carolina continued her dominance in the league-she won four of the last five SEC tournament titles-with her 54th consecutive victory in the regular season in a conference game.
Against LSU (20-1, 5-1), eight Gamecocks players recorded at least 15 minutes. Sanja Feigin, a two -time national champion, recorded 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two taken balls.
South Carolina won 13 consecutive wins after her only loss in November, 77-62 against number 1 in UCLA. Seven of these victories came against ranked opponents.
Brie Hall, a senior, appointed in the class of Feigin before the 2021-22 season, said she and her teammates have heard a lot on social media who doubt Gamecocks and can withstand unbeaten tigers.
“They nourish such things,” Hall said.
The victory was 17 in a row over LSU and the fifth in a row, since lightning tiger coach four seasons ago.
All these matches were filled with drama, the last time, especially with South Carolina’s 79-72 victory over LSU, to win the SEC tournament last March.
The dispute darkened the last quarter of this match when Flu’ja Johnson was knocked down on the floor by Camilla Cardoso from South Carolina, 6 feet high and 7 meters. Johnson’s brother, Traron Milton, was arrested after jumping to court and accused of attack, beating and hooliganism.
The lawsuit against him, according to a spokeswoman for the Greenville Police Department, is still not over.
In this case, there was no such bad blood, only some strong whistles when the lightning came out on the court.
Staley said victory over LSU was essential for South Carolina in her attempt for the second consecutive national title and a third in four seasons. Winning tigers gives Gamecocks an advantage in the SEC tiebreaker and improves their chances of another high place in the NCAA tournament in two months.
“We needed to win this match,” she said.
Michigan basketball schedule
men
Thursday
Ferris State 85, North Michigan 79
Grand Valley 59, ParkSide 49
Kentucky Weslian 85, Northwood 50
Lake Superior 82, Michigan Tech 72
Purdue Northwest 80, Davenport 59
Wayne State 88, Saginaw Valley 84
Friday
Purdue 91, Michigan 64
Saturday
Michigan State in Rutgers, 1:30
Buffalo in East Michigan, 2
West Michigan in Central Michigan, 7
Roosevelt in Sagino Valley State, 3
Michigan Tech in Ferris State, 3
Parkside at Davenport, 3
Purdue Northwest in Grand Valley State, 3
North Michigan at Lake Superior State, 3
female
Thursday
Ashland 70, Hilsdale 59
Grand Valley 72, ParkSide 43
Michigan Tech 101, Lake Superior 52
North Michigan 78, Ferris State 48
Northwood 79, Kentucky Wesleyan 63
Purdue Northwest 69, Davenport 66
Robert Morris 73, Oakland 63
Wayne State 71, Saginaw Valley 67
Saturday
Michigan State in Michigan, lunch
Central Michigan in West Michigan, TBA
Eastern Michigan in Ohio, 1
North Michigan in Lake Superior State, 1
Purdue Northwest in Grand Valley State, 1
Parkside at Davenport, 1
Michigan Tech in Ferris State, 1
Roosevelt in Sagino Valley State, 1