Report: LeBron James, Nikola Jokic meet about new hoops league
While the meet-up between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets stars was not about forming an on-court partnership, it was about the reported global basketball league being backed by James' agent Maverick Carter, Front Office Sports reported Thursday.
Jokic's agent, Misko Raznatovic, is known to have significant influence on basketball in Europe.
A report from Bloomberg in January revealed Carter's interest to raise as much as $5 billion for a men's and women's league of international teams that would travel together to as many as eight different cities to play games then move to the next locale.
Interested investors include the government of Singapore and the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, which started LIV Golf, purchased Newcastle United of the English Premier League and formed a partnership with tennis' ATP and WTA tours.
The NBA also is interested in starting a satellite league in Europe, while revealing this week that the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic will play games against each other in Berlin and London in January.
--Field Level Media
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The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Electric car grants and discounts round up – Citroen first to get grants, while Vauxhall and Fiat are the latest with discounts
Citroen is the first car maker to offer discounts on its electric car range as part of the official government Electric Car Grants that were announced three weeks ago, with the eligible Citroen models now showing on the official government website as being available with grant money applied to the list price. Models including the Citroën e-C3, e-C4, e-C4 X and e-Berlingo are getting £1,500 off with immediate effect, with customers automatically benefiting from the discounts without having to do any paperwork. The upcoming e-C3 Aircross and e-C5 Aircross models are also set to get the same £1,500 discounts when they go on sale in the coming months. The first official discounts come three weeks after the government's announcement of the Electric Car Grant, and as news broke of a drop in car sales. Overall car sales were down five per cent in July, while there was a clear slow down in the rate of growth of EV sales. It had been expected that there would be a pause in electric car sales as buyers waited to see which cars would be eligible for discounts and which cars wouldn't. One car company executive, speaking anonymously to The Independent, confirmed that dealers were reporting customers cancelling orders until it was clear which cars were and which cars weren't eligible for grants.. The electric car grant was announced on Monday 14 July and went live on Wednesday 16 July. Car makers must apply for the grants, which are available on EVs up to the price of £37,000 and where car makers have signed up to low-carbon 'science-based targets' around manufacturing. Grants of between £1,500 and £3,750 will be available for eligible cars. While the announcement of the EV grant has been broadly welcomed by car makers, it took many of them by surprise, with some learning about the government plan via the media. As car companies grapple with the process involved in getting approval for the grants, many of them have introduced their own discount schemes to incentivise customers to keep buying their electric cars. The latest discounts come from Vauxhall and Fiat – fellow Stellantis brands to Citroen. Vauxhall is offering £1,500 off its entire range of Corsa, Frontera, Mokka, Grandland, Astra and Astra Sports Tourer, with additional benefits including up to £1,500 deposit contribution on zero per cent finance on some models, or a £2,500 deposit contribution towards finance on the Grandland. Vauxhall's 'Electric All In' offer of £500 towards a home charger or public charging also still stands. Fiat is offering £1,500 off its 500e, Fiat 600e, Abarth 500e and Abarth 600e all-electric models, with zero per cent finance still available on the 500e. Volkswagen Group brands VW, Skoda and Cupra have launched a 'Grant Guarantee' discount scheme while waiting for news from the government. VW is offering £1,500 off selected ID. 3 and ID. 4 all-electric models. 'We welcomed the Government's announcement of its Electric Car Grant and wanted to make sure customers could start benefitting from lower-cost electric motoring as quickly as possible. We have already seen an uplift in enquiries since the Government's grant was announced, which is great news for Volkswagen's electrification plans,' said Rod McLeod, Director of Volkswagen UK. Skoda is offering the same £1,500 discount across its Elroq and Enyaq model range, but not the Enyaq Coupe, while Cupra is offering £1,500 off many of its Cupra Born models. VW, Skoda and Cupra offers apply to cars bought during August and registered for the new 75 registration plate with deliveries starting on September 1. However, VW, Skoda and Cupra have all made it clear that if the government's EV grant comes through, the brands' Grant Guarantee scheme will end – customers won't be able to receive both. Last week, Volvo introduced a discount in lieu of any government grant, with £1,500 off any of the brand's EX30 electric models, even those that cost over the £37,000 limit. Smart also offered its own 'EV grant' with £1,500 off the whole range of Smart #1 and #3, in addition to existing incentives. That means you could save a total of £3,500 off a Smart #1, for example. Hyundai has its own electric grant, with the biggest discount available on Hyundai's smallest model. The Hyundai Inster – recently voted World Electric Car of the Year – gets a £3,750 'grant' bringing the entry-level car's price down to £19,755. There's still an additional £500 off if you go for Hyundai's low-rate PCP finance, too. The rest of the Hyundai electric car range, including models over £37,000, are also getting a £1,500 discount as part of the offer. Buyers of Chinese-made EVs were also left to reconsider their purchases with news that the government wasn't expecting those models to be eligible for the Electric Car Grant. Speaking on Radio Four, Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood, said: 'We don't expect any cars that are assembled in China to be eligible for this scheme. 'The grant is restricted to those manufacturers that reach minimum environmental standards. And, frankly, if you generate a lot of the electricity that powers your factory through coal power stations, then you are not going to be able to access this grant." The Department for Transport told The Independent: 'We expect dozens of models will be eligible but manufacturers will need to apply for the grant before we can confirm eligibility. We have held multiple calls with vehicle manufacturers to explain vehicle eligibility and how to apply for the grant. These discussions will continue to ensure manufacturers have all the information they need. 'All eligible models will be published on once the application has been approved. Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis and as quickly as possible.' Chinese car brands have been quick to react by introducing their own 'EV grants' to stimulate demand among private buyers. Leapmotor was first out of the blocks with its Leap Grant, offering £1,500 off the Leapmotor T03, making it Britain's cheapest car at £14,495, while the Leapmotor C10 family SUV gets a £3,750 discount, taking the price down to £32,750. MG followed with its own EV grant, offering a discount of £1,500 off the MG4 and MGS5 EVs on top of existing offers, while another Chinese brand, GWM, has taken the full £3,750 off its GWM ORA 03 models with its Green Grant, bringing the starting price down to £21,245. Relatively unknown Chinese brand Skywell is also throwing its own EV grant of £3,750 on top of a £6,000 dealer deposit contribution if you buy the Skywell BE11 on finance. That brings the potential list price down to just £27,245 for the entry-level car. The BE11 is far from the best EV you can buy, but at that price it represents a lot of car for the money. It's not just Chinese brands applying discounts, though. Alfa Romeo is offering £1,500 off its Alfa Junior Elettrica range, on top of existing zero per cent finance offers and the promise of a free EV home charger with standard installation.
The Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Sun
Man Utd fans vow to ‘call first born child INEOS' if Ruben Amorim completes incredible transfer for Brighton star
MANCHESTER UNITED fans have vowed to make some madcap life decisions if the club complete a stunning deal to sign Carlos Baleba. Reports suggest Red Devils transfer chiefs have made contact with Brighton over the possibility of signing the 21-year-old. 5 5 5 5 Baleba is seen as one of the brightest talents of his age group, and as reported by L'Equipe in France, United are currently in pole position to sign the midfielder amid a host of interested parties. In the CIES football observatory, Baleba is valued at up to £76million, though it is understood Brighton have no intention to sanction a sale for the rising star this summer, with Seagulls chief Paul Barber denying that an approach had been made at all. Barber said: "There is always going to be interest in our players. Manchester United have not been in touch with me, speculation is speculation. "Carlos is a fantastic talent and we hope he will be here for years to come. But it's subject to the dynamics of the football world, which is not always predictable." Baleba's contract at the Amex Stadium runs until 2028 - while there is also an option to extend for a further year. United are on the hunt for a dynamic midfielder to go in Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 pivot after unconvincing displays by Manuel Ugarte in pre-season, with his display against Everton coming in fro particular scrutiny. Baleba was one of the Premier League's top ranked midfielders last season for tackles, blocks, interceptions and recoveries, while his progressive carries and forward passing numbers were also impressive. And such is the fervour for United to sign Baleba - who exclusively told SunSport about his ambition to win the Ballon d'Or - that the thought of getting the deal over the line has seen some of the Red Devils faithful make some stunning promises. One excited fan declared: "If we sign Baleba then I'm calling my first born child INEOS." A second said: "Throw the f***ing bank at him. Incur a lifetime transfer ban. Pull every credit facility necessary. "Include the new stadium naming rights in the deal. Do anything and everything in your power to sign Carlos Baleba." A third said: "I swear, if we sign Baleba after signing Sesko, Mbeumo, and Cunha, then I'm driving down to Sir Jim Ratcliffe's house and kissing his feet while apologising for all the bad things I've said about INEOS." Another said: "Get Baleba and it's the best window since 2007." A fifth said: "Bro what the f*** were we gonna do if we got UCL???????" A sixth said: "Nah the way United fans manifested this Baleba [move] through pure faith and blind optimism We are massive man." A seventh speculated: "[Kobbie] Mainoo-Baleba for the next decade genuinely sorts out the base of the team in every single facet in every single system/shape." These opinions come before a fan protest against Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe, organised by The 1958, ahead of United's opening Premier League game against Arsenal on August 17. Baleba made his international debut for Cameroon last year and has played in seven games for the Indomitable Lions so far. And his high ambitions of winning football's ultimate individual prize is sure to go down well with Man Utd fans and transfer chiefs as they look to bring the club back to its former glory. He told SunSport in an exclusive interview: "Declan Rice, Matheus Cunha, Joelinton, they've all told me I've got it in me. I want to win the Ballon d'Or like Rodri. "I watched him during the Euros and before his injury I played against him and time I got the ball, he was right in front of me. 'It was my first game against Manchester City, and it was very difficult. He made it so hard to dribble or pass. That showed his class. 'His success has opened the door for midfielders like us to believe we can win the Ballon d'Or someday... I can get to the very top of world football. 'But I need to stay focused, stay calm, not rush, and not let what people write get in my head. If I keep working hard, I can be like Luka Modric or Toni Kroos, I just need to stay grounded." Baleba's journey to football stardom is nothing short of remarkable. He tragically lost his mother three years ago just as he got his breakthrough European move to French side Lille. But he explained the pain of his loss drives him forwards to be the best version of himself. Baleba continued: "It was very difficult for me because I didn't see my mum. I wanted her next to me, but when I signed for Brighton, she wasn't here. 'That's why the first season was really hard. I thought about her a lot. But I vowed that I would be the best version of myself and go as far as I can in my career." His English is still a work in progress, but he's proud of the steps he has taken to settle in, even if the British weather isn't always his cup of tea. He added: "I love it here, to be honest. My favourite English food is the English breakfast, if I'm allowed to say that! But the weather is the only issue, it changes all the time." 5
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Arteta hoping to have Havertz back before season opener
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he is hoping to have Kai Havertz, Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard available for the pre-season match with Athletic Club on was not named in the squad for Wednesday's 3-2 defeat by Villarreal but Arteta is hopeful it is a minor issue."Yesterday in training he felt something and this morning he wasn't quite right, so we decided to rest him," he said."I think it's going to be a matter of a couple of days, hopefully the weekend, if everything goes to plan, I think he will be fit."Trossard, Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes all picked up knocks on tour but Gabriel was fit enough to be introduced as a second-half substitute."Yes, the three that we lost during the tour, it was big Gabi, Leo and Ricky, and for Saturday I think both of them have a chance if everything in the next few days evolves in the way it has been evolving in the last few days," added Arteta.
