Thunder give G Ajay Mitchell multi-year deal
Financial terms were not disclosed, but reports indicate Mitchell received a three-year, $9 million deal.
Mitchell, 23, was selected 38th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, who traded him to the Thunder for fellow draft pick Oso Ighodaro.
Mitchell proceeded to appear in 36 games and make one start for Oklahoma City in the regular season. He averaged 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor and 38.3 percent from 3-point range.
Mitchell got into 12 games during the Thunder's playoff run and four games in the NBA Finals, where they beat the Indiana Pacers. Mitchell averaged 3.4 points in 7.0 minutes off the bench.
Mitchell, from Belgium, played college basketball for UC Santa Barbara. He averaged 20 points in his third and final season with the Gauchos.
--Field Level Media
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The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Putellas at the double as rampant Spain hit rain-soaked Belgium for six at Euro 2025
Spain, looking ominously ruthless, continued their rich goalscoring form to reach the knockout stages of the 2025 European Championship as they put six goals past Belgium on a rain-soaked evening in Thun. The world champions were twice pegged back by equalisers, but Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir's side were eventually overpowered and were eliminated by Portugal's 1-1 draw with Italy on Monday night, a result that also ensured Spain's place in the last eight. Spain had scored five times in their opening victory against Portugal last Thursday and went one better in their second outing. This Group B match was being contested in the pretty town of Thun, where surfers love to ride the Aare river, in the centre of the old town, including earlier on Monday afternoon, as the heavy downpours of rain only strengthened the river's force. Each time the surfers fell and were swept downstream, they would swim back upstream, to try their luck again, adjacent to the tournament fan zone. The scene proved rather reminiscent of Belgium trying to resist wave after wave of Spanish attacks in the second half, but it felt as though every time Belgium clawed themselves back into the match, a fresh torrent of Spanish brilliance swept them away again. Alexia Putellas began the relentless scoring when she rounded off a neat team move, after superb play from Vicky López, to clinically tuck the ball home. Justine Vanhaevermaet briefly stunned the pre-tournament favourites as she headed in from a corner, but Spain were soon back in front when Irene Paredes headed in to make it 2-1, towards the end of a first half where Olga Carmona had also driven a powerful strike narrowly wide. The crowd were momentarily sensing a monumental shock might be on the cards, when Hannah Eurlings sprinted in behind Spain's defence and slotted in, but almost immediately after the restart, Esther González met Putellas's outstanding pass to restore Spain's lead and make it 3-2. By this point, the Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, still returning carefully to full fitness after contracting viral meningitis before the tournament, had been brought on as a half-time substitute and she was showing her usual creativity and style in midfield. Her head coach, Montse Tomé, said: 'Aitana could play but I think we must be patient. According to the medical team, she is fine, but we don't want to risk her. As we have other players who allow us to keep the level. I believe Aitana will be 100%.' Spain were mounting pressure and shortly after the hour Mariona Caldentey tucked in from close range, before a marvellous strike from Clàudia Pina in the 81st minute, curled into the far corner from distance, made it 5-2 with a goal that will undoubtedly be included in the goal‑of-the-tournament shortlist. Putellas said of Pina's strike: 'Her goal was special, as always. Honestly, she's so good, it was a perfect goal, it was impossible to stop it.' Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Putellas, who was named player of the match, showed her class with a fine finish for her second of the game and Spain's sixth, and Tomé's team continue to look like they will justify their status as favourites. The Barcelona midfielder said: 'The team had an excellent performance. We have room for improvement but the team is feeling fine, we feel comfortable that if something doesn't work, we can change and adapt.' Tomé's side will top Group B if they continue their form against Italy in their final group match, and the head coach was full of praise for Putellas, in particular, adding: 'Alexia has a high performance for the whole team. She thinks collectively. She understands the spaces, she flows, and you see she enjoys it. I'm glad for her and also for the rest of the team.' Gunnarsdóttir, appeared crestfallen by her team's fate but was also proud of their endeavour in attack. Trying to see the bigger picture, the Icelandic coach said: 'When I was hired to coach the team, it was about more than leading the team to the Euros – it was about building a team that can compete regularly against the top teams in Europe. 'I've only been here for five months. I've learned so much. I know I have a lot more to learn [but I] really feel we're going in the right direction. I would never have taken this job if I didn't believe the Red Flames could be a top nation in Europe. 'I walked into the locker room today and I really wanted to cry. I loved seeing my players giving everything they had. I'm going to be happy with a lot of things but it's going to take some time until I get to a point where I see it.'
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Diogo Jota's legacy to his family: The amount set to be inherited by tragic Liverpool star's wife and their three small children after his car crash death
Tragic footballer Diogo Jota 's widow could stand to inherit up to £35million from his estate for the financial security of her and their three children, MailOnline can reveal. The Liverpool star, 28, who died alongside his brother Andre, 25, in a crash last week in Spain, has been signed with Premier League clubs since 2018 - and amassed a fortune in that time. Jota first signed a contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018 which saw him earn £38,000 a week. Two years of these wages saw him earn £3,952,000 before he hit the big time with a move to Anfield, where the first two years of his four year contract at £83,000 per week saw him pocket another £8,632,000. As a result of his phenomenal talent, Liverpool then extended the deal for five years in 2022 and upped his wages to £140,000 in a contract that saw him earn £21,840,000 before his tragic death. Built into this was performance bonuses, and his 65 goals in 182 games contributed to his wealth. However, he was also an Esports entrepreneur and global brand ambassador. Jota was due to receive another £14.5million for the remaining two years of his contract, which despite reports in Portuguese media suggesting Liverpool will honour, has not yet been confirmed. It means Jota's total earnings of around £34.4million since arriving in the Premier League could be inherited by Rute and their two sons Dinis, four, Duarte, two, and their eight-month-old baby daughter Mafalda. It is not known how much of this money he had spent, but a chunk of it had been invested in a five-bedroom, four-bathroom house in the upmarket north Liverpool suburb of Blundellsands. According to publicly available land registry documents, Jota and his wife bought the house in May 2022 for £2,125,000, where they rubbed shoulders with other players. The house had been listed for three years before selling and had been previously rented out. A brochure of the house available online shows an ornately tiled marble entrance hall leading to a reception area with a brass and wrought iron staircase. The ground floor living area has Georgian style double doors, underfloor heating and a Bose sound system. In the kitchen there are two sink units and a five hob Gaggenau cooker, wine chiller and fitted walnut units with granite work surfaces. The indoor pool is 39ft long and there is also a jacuzzi and steam room, while the games room has a snooker table and a pool table. Also on the ground floor is an eight-seat home cinema room with a surround sound system. Companies House records in the UK also show that Jota set up an image rights company called Minute J Ltd in February 2023 to channel some of his football earnings and his father Joaquim was also associated with it. The first set of accounts filed in December 2024 cover the period the initial first 12 months of the company and show it made £186,754 but owed creditors £49,786, with the bulk of £44,825 to HMRC for Corporation Tax. Football players often set up image rights companies as a way to control earnings from things like name, nickname, squad number which might be used in sponsorship, merchandising and endorsements. Besides his earnings from football Jota also had lucrative deals with Nike and EA Sports bringing in an estimated £3.3million a year and he set up his own Esports team called Luna Galaxy. According to Portuguese media, Jota also had a collection of luxury cars worth more than £1million including a Range Rover Sport, Porsche 911 Turbo S, a Ferrari 488, an Audi Q7 and a Mercedes-Benz G63AMG. Website, The Richest, in a detailed profile of Jota's financial worth, said: 'He left behind a financial legacy few soccer players achieve so young. 'His business smart matched his on-field vision, he left behind a blueprint for how athletes can build wealthy and legacy beyond the pitch.' Jota's tragic death came just 13 days after he wedded Rute, his teenage sweetheart. At the ceremony he declared himself as the luckiest man in the world to be her husband and a series of emotional images and videos were posted to social media of their special day. Many who were there on what Rute described as that 'dream come true' wedding day then had to devastatingly fly in for Jota and his brother's funeral just over two weeks later. Family and friends, including footballers, came from all corners of the globe to the 17th-century Igreja Matriz church. It was there that they heard the Bishop of Porto, D. Manuel Linda, send a message to the couple's three children. The bishop said: 'At this moment you are suffering immensely or perhaps not because you do not realise it. The ones who suffer a lot are your mother and your grandparents. 'Seeing the mortal remains of a child must be a greater torment, but when there are two urns there are no words... 'If it is difficult to see an adult cry, it is even more difficult to see a child cry. I send you a special greeting for your mother and grandparents.' Both coffins were carried through the front doors of the church to the sound of violins and applause in a procession led by two priests at 10am. Jota's Liverpool team-mates flew in overnight. They included Virgil van Dijk, the club's captain, and Andrew Robertson, who carried red wreaths in the shape of football shirts emblazoned with Jota's number 20 and his brother's number 30. Former Liverpool players, including Jordan Henderson and James Milner, were also present. Jota and his brother were 190 miles into a trip from Porto to Santander, where he planned to take a ferry to England, when they crashed in the Spanish province of Zamora. Their bodies were buried, not cremated, in a graveyard screened by olive trees. Jota's team-mates from his former club Wolves, including Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio, joined club officials to pay their respects. They were spotted escorting a Wolves-themed wreath which read: 'Diogo your desire to fight and win lit up Molineux.' Speaking after the service, Roberto Martinez, the Portugal manager, was emotional as he told of his sadness over the tragedy. He said: 'I can only say that these are very, very sad days. Today was a demonstration for Diogo and Andre that we are all together and that we are Portugal. 'Now, I would like to thank everyone for their presence, for all the messages from all over the world. We are with Andre Silva and Diogo Jota. Always, always with us.'
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Agent: Paolo Banchero, Magic agree to $239M max rookie deal
July 7 - The Orlando Magic are locking up cornerstone player Paolo Banchero, agreeing to a five-year, $239 million maximum rookie extension with the star forward on Monday, his agent told ESPN. If Banchero is either named to an All-NBA team or wins NBA MVP or Defensive Player of the Year next season, the extension could reach $287 million, per Miller. Banchero's deal includes a player option in 2030-31, which has not happened since Luka Doncic (then with the Dallas Mavericks) and the Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young finished out their rookie max contracts in 2021. The Magic appear poised to be serious contenders in the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future, with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs also under contract for the next five seasons, newcomer Desmond Bane signed through the 2028-29 season and Tyus Jones joining on a one-year deal. Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, has guided the franchise to two consecutive postseason appearances, despite missing 34 games last season with an early oblique injury. After the All-Star break, he carried the Magic with averages of 29.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He is also coming off a campaign in which he averaged career-high 25.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game along with 4.8 assists, becoming just the third Magic player to average more than 25 ppg (Shaquille O'Neal, Tracy McGrady). Over his three seasons, the 2022-23 NBA Rookie of the Year and 2023-24 All-Star has averaged 22.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 198 games (all starts). --Field Level Media
