Happy August, Enjoyers! We’re just two short months away from NBA preseason action. Can you feel it?

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Dariq Whitehead, Austin Reaves, and Scottie Barnes! 🎉

Around the Association

Grizzlies, Magic to play 2025-26 regular season games in Berlin and London; new European basketball league gaining traction

In more ways than one, the NBA is making plans to jump across the pond.

The league announced on Wednesday that this upcoming January, the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic will play two regular season games in Europe—one in London and one in Berlin. The international matches are part of the NBA’s Europe Games, a series of six regular season games over the next three seasons in Berlin, London, Manchester, and Paris.

The announcement came around the same time that NBA fans learned about commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum’s meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as part of the NBA’s outreach to explore potential international partnerships, including early-stage discussions around a rumored NBA Europe league. Meanwhile, rumors are flying around about Maverick Carter’s potential plans for a new international basketball league. Could European expansion really be happening?

Mikal Bridges, Knicks agree to 4yr, $150M contract extension

Shams reported yesterday that the New York Knicks and Mikal Bridges had agreed on a four‑year, $150 million contract extension with a player option for the 2029–30 season, locking Bridges into the Knicks’ near future as they hope to build on last season’s momentum.

Bridges was eligible for a $156 million maximum extension, but he reportedly accepted less money to help the Knicks maintain roster flexibility and stay under the second apron in the coming years. In his one season for New York after arriving via trade from Brooklyn, Bridges started all 82 games and averaged 17.6 PTS per game while shooting 50% from the floor. His efficient scoring and elite perimeter defense helped lead the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years.

With Bridges secured alongside Jalen Brunson and Karl‑Anthony Towns, the Knicks’ core is firmly in place as they look to contend in a weaker Eastern Conference.

Top Five Friday

Chris Paul returning to the Clippers has us thinking—how many other NBA players have played multiple stints for the same franchise?

We turned to the history books to find the answer. Presenting: the top five come-back kids in NBA history.

#5: Mark Jackson (Indiana Pacers, 1994-96, 1997-2000)

From 1994 to 1996, Mark Jackson was Indiana’s primary starting point guard and only missed one game while the Pacers went 52-30 in back-to-back seasons. This wasn’t today’s Eastern Conference, either—it featured the likes of Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Patrick Ewing.

What happened after that? They traded him in the 1996 offseason for Jalen Rose and then promptly started the 1996-97 season by going 19-22.

So the Pacers traded back for Jackson, but it was a little too late. He only played 30 games for the Pacers in ‘97, and they ended the regular season 39-43. But with the Reggie Miller-Mark Jackson tandem reunited in 1997-98, the Pacers returned to dominance and went 58-24. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

#4: Ersan Ilyasova (Milwaukee Bucks, 2005-07 and 2009-15 and 2018-20)

Ilyasova sneaks onto this list because, depending on how you look at it, he registered three separate stints with the Bucks. Insane.

The Turkish forward was drafted by Milwaukee in 2005 and played his rookie season in 2006-07 after spending time in the NBA D-League, the predecessor to the modern G League. But in July 2007, Ilyasova swapped Lake Michigan for the Mediterranean Sea, signing a two-year deal with FC Barcelona Basquet of Spain’s top professional basketball league, Liga ACB.

He returned to the Bucks (that’s two stints!) after winning a championship with Barcelona in ‘09 and stuck around in Milwaukee until they traded him to Detroit for Caron Butler in 2015. After bouncing around the league over the next three seasons, Ilyasova came back to the Cream City for a third time, signing a $21M deal with the Bucks.

Phew. Anyone else out of breath?

#3: Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers, 2012-23 and 2025-?)

He technically hasn’t started his second stint as a Blazer, but Dame D.O.L.L.A. has done enough for the city of Portland to make this list.

With seven All-Star appearances and seven All-NBA honors during his first stint in the Rose City, Damian Lillard knows what it means to be a Trail Blazer. It’ll be a while before we see him on an NBA court again, but props to Dame Time for bringing it all back to where it started.

#2: Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns, 1996-98 and 2004-12)

Nash’s second stint in Phoenix is the one most fans remember thanks to his two MVPs in The Valley in ‘05 and ‘06. After averaging just over six points per game in his first two years with the Suns, the eventual HOF point guard was traded to the Mavericks for a package that included the pick that turned into Shawn Marion.

After kicking it with Dirk Nowitzki for a few years and making two All-Star games in Dallas, Nash signed back with Phoenix as a free agent in 2004. The rest, as they say, is history.

#1: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers, 2003-10 and 2014-18)

You can call him anything—King James, The Kid From Akron, or Pookie Bear—but no one’s gonna debate LeBron James’ place atop this list.

If you dare to deny it, rewatch this. Enough said? Good.

Three in the Key

Signing Off

It’s the last day of the week, but the first day of the month. Anything as confusing as that has to mean something important, but this was already a long newsletter. We’ll let you figure it out.

See you Monday!

Austin Zeglis