{"id":874278,"date":"2026-08-30T21:28:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T21:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/874278\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T21:28:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T21:28:20","slug":"international-notes-valanciunas-france-howard-monaco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/874278\/","title":{"rendered":"International Notes: Valanciunas, France, Howard, Monaco"},"content":{"rendered":"

After spending the past 14 years in the NBA, veteran center Jonas Valanciunas<\/a> returned to his native Lithuania this summer, having signed a two-year deal<\/a> with Zalgiris Kaunas.<\/p>\n

In his first preseason game with the EuroLeague club, the 34-year-old had a strong performance, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds in just 19 minutes in a victory over Riga Zelli, per Alessandro di Bari of Sportando<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to be back, put the green jersey on again and play basketball,\u201d Valanciunas said. \u201cThe game was a test, a chance to see where we are. We\u2019re still working on things and trying to put everything together. We\u2019ve only been together for a week, and it was a very intense one. There\u2019s still a lot to improve, but that\u2019s exactly why we\u2019re here. We got together early so we would have enough time to put everything in place. I think we\u2019re heading in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s more from around the international basketball world:<\/p>\n

Speaking to Yann Ohnona of L\u2019\u00c9quipe<\/a>, longtime NBA wing Evan Fournier<\/a> said Victor Wembanyama<\/a>\u2018s presence has given him motivation to continue competing with the French national team, as Aris Barkas of Eurohoops<\/a> relays. \u201cHe\u2019s a global megastar, but on a daily basis, he is also a great guy, focused on others, who really wants to perform,\u201d Fournier said about Wembanyama. \u201cThe fact that he\u2019s there, I\u2019m not going to lie, has been a motivation for me to continue. Seeing a kid who wants to achieve things and puts in the effort is inspiring. \u2026 I don\u2019t want to come just for the sake of coming.\u201d Fournier, 33, has won two Olympic silver medals with Team France.
\nAlthough he officially retired as a player in March, Hall of Famer Dwight Howard<\/a> will return to Taiwan next month to play in a charity exhibition game, the New Taipei Kings announced (via Instagram<\/a>). As Dario Skerletic of Sportando<\/a> notes, the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year had two professional stints in Taiwan before he announced his retirement.
\nAS Monaco, which lost in the finals of the 2024\/25 EuroLeague playoffs, is dealing with financial difficulties and is not expected to play professionally in France during the upcoming season, writes\u00a0Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops<\/a>. Monaco has won three of the past four domestic titles in France\u2019s top league, the LNB \u00c9lite. The team may not compete in the EuroCup either, with Mozzart Sport<\/a> reporting that Monaco might be replaced by KK Bosna.<\/p>\n

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