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Time of India
11-08-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo going to miss EuroBasket 2025 Prep Games? Exploring the reasons behind the NBA legend's absence
Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to miss the EuroBasket 2025 Prep Games (Image via Instagram / @giannis_an34) Greece's EuroBasket Cup matches in Cyprus will not feature Giannis Antetokounmpo . According to Greek publication SDNA, the NBA legend's absence from Greece's preparatory matches is due to unpaid insurance. It further stated that his presence is only a single payment away. In the event of an accident or other unfortunate circumstance, the payment would guarantee insurance coverage. That money still hasn't been paid. It may be due to trade rumors about the Greek player's future rather than a lack of funding. Giannis Antetokounmpo is missing Greece's EuroBasket 2025 warm-up matches due to unpaid insurance and training plans It has been formally stated by the Greek Basketball Federation that Giannis Antetokounmpo would not be attending this weekend's EuroBasket Cup in Limassol, Cyprus. The two-time NBA MVP will no longer be participating in the prep event, which is a final warm-up before EuroBasket 2025, and will still include games against Israel and Serbia. Basketball fans will be deprived of a highly anticipated matchup between the Greek player and fellow NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who will captain Serbia, as a result of the absence. Widely considered to be future Hall of Famers , the two superstars haven't played against one another on the national team since 2019. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Simple Morning Habit for a Flatter Belly After 50! Lulutox Undo Now, the reason behind this absence seems to have been clarified. He is actually in limbo. The incoming team will have to pay the insurance if the Milwaukee Bucks trade him. The Greek legend will stay off the pitch until that matter is handled, which SDNA thinks should happen in the next ten days. According to SDNA: 'The national team coach wasn't even sure if Giannis would play on August 14 in Thessaloniki in the next friendly against Montenegro.' However, he will still play other matches. Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to coach Vassilis Spanoulis, is "following a program we agreed on to be in the best shape for EuroBasket." Earlier this week, the head coach discussed his condition and clarified that the Milwaukee Bucks star is adhering to a customized training regimen. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Greek legend (Image via Instagram / @giannis_an34) On Tuesday, he further stated: 'He is following his personal training program… I don't believe his absence here will have any influence on his participation in EuroBasket 2025.' Later in August, Giannis Antetokounmpo is anticipated to return to the team in time for Greece's first group matches, which will also take place in Limassol. Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Georgia, and the defending winners, Spain, will all be in Group A with Greece. Also read: Giannis Antetokounmpo trains with Greek national team as he prepares for EuroBasket 2025 tournament run Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Dakota journalism is infused with new energy and passion
Attendees at the 2025 South Dakota NewsMedia Association Convention in Aberdeen included, from left, Kathy Nelson of the Timber Lake Topic, Jason Ferguson of Southern Hills Publishing, Scott Waltman of The Aberdeen Insider and Molly McRoberts of the Potter County News. (Courtesy of David Bordewyk/SDNA) I have read so many stories and opinion pieces about the decline of newspapers and community journalism that sometimes I worry if even I am losing faith in my profession. And then I met up with a bunch of South Dakota journalists for a few days last week. And my faith was renewed plenty. I have just returned from the 142nd convention of the South Dakota NewsMedia Association, and I am happy to report community journalism is alive and well in South Dakota. The energy and passion demonstrated by the 100-plus South Dakota journalists who gathered in Aberdeen last week was authentic and contagious. It warmed my heart and made me proud. Proud to be in a profession that matters dearly these days. South Dakota Searchlight wins 12 awards in annual contest I attended my first newspaper convention in 1979 to pick up an award for a photograph of mine published in The Corsica Globe. I was hooked. I have been to many conventions since that time, having worked at SDNA since 1995. And I've enjoyed them all. However, I witnessed something truly special this year: journalists of all ages and backgrounds coming together to learn from one another and, just as importantly, to encourage, support and believe in one another. All things desperately needed in today's often contentious civic arena where journalists work. In attendance were individuals of all ages and backgrounds, from college students to publishers and editors who have been in the business for decades. Also, attendees who knew little about the profession until they took over the local newspaper because they couldn't imagine their community without one. During the opening lunch, I asked those who were first-time convention attendees to stand. Half of the room stood up. Young and old alike. At that same lunch, we honored two journalists under the age of 30 for their exemplary work. Wren Murphy is a reporter at the Madison Daily Leader doing award-winning work that is making a difference for the community and audience served by that newspaper. Amelia Schafer covers the Indigenous affairs beat for the Rapid City Journal. Her six-month investigation and reporting about 38 unmarked graves at a former Indian boarding school resonated with readers and gained nationwide attention. On Friday night, we inducted Debbie Hemmer into the South Dakota Newspaper Hall of Fame. Debbie worked at the Grant County Review in Milbank for more than four decades, eventually becoming co-owner. Her hard work and dedication over the years has helped the Review to continue its tradition as one of South Dakota's best and largest community newspapers. Also at the convention, we handed out more than 250 awards for excellence in community journalism. Awards for reporting and writing, commentary, photography, design, advertising and much more. The Dakota Scout won the 2024 SDNA Freedom of Information Award for its dogged reporting and legal challenges to obtain information about former Gov. Kristi Noem's government credit card spending. The Aberdeen Insider is among South Dakota's newest newspapers and won its first general excellence award – one of the highest awards we give. These are just two examples of the great work that South Dakota's news media organizations are doing and what we celebrated during our time together in Aberdeen last week. I firmly believe the statewide surveys we commission every few years to gauge what South Dakotans think about local newspapers and local news media organizations are spot-on. Last year, the survey we commissioned found that more than 7 in 10 South Dakotans believe having a local newspaper or news media outlet to serve their community is very important, and more than 8 in 10 adults in our state read a newspaper every month. Spending time last week with South Dakota journalists from across the state reaffirmed those survey results for me. These journalists are dedicated to their work and to the communities served by their newspapers and news organizations. They know better than anyone that the success and sustainability of local journalism is dependent on the support of readers, advertisers and others. Their passion is inspiring. Their work matters. Because without journalism, democracy suffers. Finally, here is my hot tip for the week. A 3-year-old colt named 'Journalism' is the 3-1 favorite to win this Saturday's Kentucky Derby. Bet on journalism. Every time. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sunshine Week finds some light in a partly cloudy South Dakota
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signs Senate Bill 74, an open meetings bill, on Feb. 12, 2025, in his office at the Capitol. From left: South Dakota NewsMedia Association's David Bordewyk, Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen, Sen. Tim Reed, Gov. Rhoden, Rep. Mary Fitzgerald, Attorney General Marty Jackley, SDNA lobbyist Justin Smith and Sen. Steve Kolbeck. (Courtesy of SDNA) Sunshine Week is a nationwide time to reflect on just how good your government is about conducting the public's business in a transparent, accountable way. South Dakota has always struggled to let the sunshine in, though some clouds may have parted this year. Those clouds can blot out the sun in South Dakota because of the state's limp open meetings law. That law, among other things, governs when city councils, school boards and county commissions may go into executive session — barring the public from seeing them do the people's work. While there have certainly been transgressions, there has never been a case brought by a state's attorney against a local governing board for an open meetings law violation. Never. There is reason for hope, however. During the recently completed legislative session, both chambers passed, and the governor signed, Senate Bill 74. It requires local governing boards to conduct a yearly review of the open meetings law. This will surely cut down on some of the infractions that are simply due to an ignorance of the law. March 16-22, 2025, is Sunshine Week, a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, education, government and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government. Also providing a little sunshine was House Bill 1059, which clarifies that local governing boards are not allowed to conduct business in a group text or email chain except for the purpose of setting a time for an official meeting. That bill was approved unanimously in both chambers and, at this writing, is awaiting the governor's signature. South Dakota's new governor, Larry Rhoden, is also letting some sunlight into the Capitol. His predecessor, Kristi Noem, was prone to seeing the media as an enemy causing her office to be unresponsive or dismissive of media requests. She did her best to shut down media access to state government with her decree that all media inquiries had to go through each department's information officers. The responsiveness and professionalism of those information officers varied wildly by department. Rhoden has promised a reset of his office's relationship with the Legislature and the media. Like many professional groups, the South Dakota NewsMedia Association hosts a day in Pierre during the session to meet with lawmakers. A meeting with the governor was a traditional part of NewsMedia Day until Noem gave up on the practice a few years ago. At this year's NewsMedia Day, Rhoden invited SDNA's board of directors in for a meeting to discuss media issues as they pertain to state government. Rhoden has also restarted the governor's weekly news conferences during the legislative session, another tradition that Noem gave up on. While Rhoden and his office have been open to media requests, it may take a while for that openness to trickle down to the rest of the executive branch. After the Noem years of being told not to talk to the media, it's likely state government officials are still wary about opening their mouths. Rhoden, however, is setting a good example for them to follow. Another good example was set last year by Attorney General Marty Jackley, who resurrected the Open Meetings Commission after it went dark during the tenure of Jason Ravnsborg. The commission, made up of state's attorneys, met twice last year to deal with the backlog of complaints about open meetings violations. In most cases, the commission found that local boards and councils had run afoul of the open meetings law. There is no real punishment for those offenders, other than being reprimanded by the commission. Since the mechanism to review open meetings violations already exists, it would help increase transparency in local governments if the commission were given the power to do more than just slap wrists. While no one wants to see elected officials go to jail for an open meetings violation, there should be real consequences for failing to handle public business in a transparent way. Perhaps a system of fines, imposed by the commission and to be paid for individually by elected officials who break the open meetings law, would go a long way toward letting some sunshine in. At the least, a system of fines would ensure that the new law calling for a yearly review of the open meetings law becomes a priority for elected officials. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
