Basketball
Pete Mikeal: “My life changed forever the day my brother was killed.”
pete mickielFormer Barça player
A week ago, we reflected on our journey so far. pete mickiel In the world of basketball.A fall in the mud in a race full of obstacles propelled him to become one of the world’s best. The brightest star in Barça’s history. Today he himself explains it to MD, looking back on his youth, his four years with the Curé team, and his four years with the team. mickeal sports club, an international sports organization of which he is the owner. The company he currently makes a living from is dedicated to recruiting talented young players and preparing them to make the leap to professional basketball.
Before we start, Pete, in a career that has had many unforgettable moments, what is your favorite memory of your entire career in the world of basketball?
My favorite moment was when the EuroLeague was launched in Paris in 2010. This was the best year of my career from a basketball and personal standpoint. Not just in basketball, but off the court as well. While playing against Barça with other teams, I always admired the city of Barcelona. And it was a great opportunity for me to live and play in this city, which I had always wanted. When I’m happy off the field, I usually perform well on the field. they are closely related.
It was a historic year for Barça. Euroleague left its mark on the whole city. Looking back on your career, if not, what was the most difficult moment you faced?
I understood from a young age that injuries and disabilities were part of the game. It’s part of the job to play basketball as long as I have. That’s why I’ve always maintained a tough mentality that I can overcome any obstacles that come my way. For me, no obstacle is too big.
“I was inspired by my brother. He died in a murder when I was in high school. He was tough on me, but he kept me grounded.”
Are there any basketball players or people in particular that inspire you?
I was inspired by my brother growing up. He died in a murder case when I was in high school. He was the one who pushed my entire career, because no matter what I did in the basketball world, I never impressed him. He was tough on me, but he also taught me a lot about life and kept me grounded so I could make good decisions off the court. He made sure I never did anything bad on the street and that I had good people around me to help me grow. The day he was murdered, my life and spirit changed forever. Many of my friends I grew up with in high school didn’t help me in any way. So, you see, they chose the wrong path in life.
What a story of overcoming, Pete. You were so strong that you were able to walk on the right path. Looking back on your four years at Barça after flying to Europe, which player on the team did you get along with the most?
All the players were great. I’m lucky enough to respect all of them and my work ethic. That’s how you earned respect too. Boniface Ndong was the closest player I’ve ever been to any team in my career. We had a lot in common. We both worked very hard and came out winners. Moreover, we are fishermen and adventurers. So we had a great trip fishing in Cambrils on our free day. Also, he is just like me and comes from a similar background where he had to work hard to get everything he has achieved in his life. Therefore, there was no alms. Also, Mr. Ndon is a wonderful person. Ricky Rubio was also one of my favorite teammates.
Boniface Ndon is another historic player who played for Barça. Continuing the thread, he says that he likes to visit Cambrils and that they often went fishing together there. Where does your love for fishing come from?
My father taught me how to fish. He is the best fisherman I know. He loves fishing and he taught me how to fish and how relaxing it is. I’ve done that all my life. That’s what I want to do most in the world. It’s all thanks to him.
By the way, why did the Endesa League wear the number 33 on their backs?
I originally wore “32” because I’ve been a big Magic Johnson fan since I was little. Showtime Lakers was from my time, when I was young. But as I got older, I wanted to go to another level and establish my own identity. Since 3 was my favorite number, I chose the perfect number 33.
If you had to choose a coach, who would you choose among all the coaches you have had?
Xavi Pascual.
“Playing against Kobe brought out the best in me. We all laughed together after the game.”
Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Metta World Peace, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol. They still remember their win in Barcelona against the current NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, and their legend, Kobe. What memories do you have of that game and the famous duel with Kobe?
I knew he was a great competitor. Still, he considered me the best competitor in the world, regardless of where he played. Plus, I’m a winner and I wanted to show the world exactly who I am. Playing with the best players brought out the best in me. I actually laughed a little after the game. It didn’t matter how hard I competed with him on the court. Then we respected each other. I won everything I accomplished in my career, and when there was the most pressure, that’s when I loved competing the most.
What projects or activities have you participated in since retiring as a player?
I spent four years in the NBA as a scout for the Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves. He then obtained official certification as an NBA and FIBA agent. Currently, I run one of the fastest growing agencies in the world. At Mickeal Sports Group, we support thousands of players around the world and offer personalized plans to maximize the value of your contract.
Mickey Sports Group. For what purpose did you establish this agency in 2020?
We specialize in building success stories and supporting athletes’ careers on and off the court. I empathize with all these young people and have been in all the situations they are in. We help thousands of players realize their sporting dreams and handle all aspects of contract negotiations.
I’ll give it to you in the end, Pete. Recently, my play style has changed a lot. What do you think about the evolution of basketball in recent years?
Basketball is big business. And the more attacks and points you put in on the court, the more chances you have to gain followers and strengthen your marketing within the club. Therefore, to sell more tickets, you need a good three-point shooter who guarantees entertainment. I like the basketball business. I also think European players are improving a lot, and having international players in the NBA and EuroLeague is great for basketball.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
I have been working as a sports journalist for about 6 years now. I currently work as an author at Sportish, which is a sports news website. I mainly cover sports news and I love writing about all aspects of the sport. I also have experience working as a broadcast journalist, so I have some great insights into how sport is reported and presented.
On the evening of December 25 and the night of December 26, five Christmas games were traditionally held as part of the NBA regular season.
The most important match of the match day was played in Oklahoma, where the Thunder hosted San Antonio.
The home team started the game better and were ahead for most of the first quarter, but they missed a move 0:11 into the quarter, allowing Spurs to take the lead 41:36. Oklahoma was unable to take the lead after that, but San Antonio maintained its lead by keeping the game under control and eventually won 117-102.
The Spurs have won all three games against the Thunder this season, while Oklahoma has lost just two of the other 28 games.
The most productive player of the match was Fox, who brought 29 points to San Antonio, while Vembanyama also scored a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers played Houston at home and suffered a crushing defeat.
The fate of the match was decided in the first quarter, when the Rockets won by 12 points (25:37). Afterwards, they increased their advantage by completely controlling the course of the match and eventually won with a score of 119:96.
For Houston, Thompson scored 26 points and Shengyun had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Denver and Minnesota closed out game day.
The first half of the match ended in a draw. Neither team managed to take a lead of more than 9 points, and Denver entered the big break with a 2-point lead at 57:55. In the third quarter, the Nuggets made an attack of 6:0 at the beginning and 10:2 in the middle, reaching a 16-point lead, and at the end of the quarter they were ahead +15 – 90:78. The Timberwolves did not give up and made a 16:2 move midway through the fourth quarter, reaching a lead of 107:108. This gave fans a tense ending; Edwards hit a three-pointer 2 seconds before the siren, sending the game into overtime at 115:115. And there Jokic played a decisive role and scored 18 points in 5 minutes, allowing the Nuggets to win 142:138.
Jokic scored 56 points in the NBA on Christmas Day, falling just four shy of Bernard King’s record. Nikola also recorded a triple-double with 16 rebounds and 15 assists. Murray had a double-double with 35 points and 10 assists.
NBA. Regular season. Christmas Day, 25-26 December
New York – Cleveland – 126:124 (23:38, 37:20, 24:38, 42:28)
New York: Brunson (34), Hart (15), Bridges (12), Towns (11 + 14 rebounds), Anunoby (8) – start; Clarkson (25), Kolek (16 + 9 assists), Diawara (5), Hookporty (0), Robinson (0 + 12 rebounds).
cleveland: Mitchell (34 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Garland (20 + 10 assists), Merrill (11), Allen (7 + 9 rebounds), Wade (6) – start; Tyson (16), E. Mobley (14 + 9 rebounds), Hunter (13), Bryant (3), Ball (0).
Oklahoma – San Antonio – 102:117 (36:41, 24:28, 19:26, 23:22)
Oklahoma: Gilgeous-Alexander (22), Hartenstein (13 + 12 rebounds), Jaylen Williams (12 + 6 assists), Holmgren (10 + 12 rebounds), Dort (8) – start; Caruso (12), K. Williams (8), Wiggins (5), Joe (5), Wallace (5), Carlson (2), Barnhizer (0), Youngblood (0).
San Antonio: Fox (29), Castle (19 + 7 assists), Barnes (15), Cornet (6), Vassell (5) – start; Vembanyama (19 + 11 rebounds), Harper (12), K. Johnson (9 + 7 rebounds), McLaughlin (3), Sohan (0), Shempeni (0), Brian (0), Olynyk (0), Waters (0).
Golden State – Dallas – 126:116 (40:28, 31:30, 29:31, 26:27)
Golden State: Curry (23), Butler (14 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists), Moody (12), Dr. Green (7), Post (6) – start; Melton (16), Horford (14), Podziemski (13 + 8 rebounds), Jackson-Davis (10), Payton II (6), Richard (5).
dallas: Flagg (27), Marshall (14), Washington (14 + 10 rebounds), Nembhard (4), Davis (3) – starter; Williams (26), Christie (13), Thompson (7), Gafford (6), Caleb Martin (2).
Lakers-Houston-96:119 (25:37, 28:26, 21:29, 22:27)
Lakers: Doncic (25 + 7 assists + 6 turnovers), James (18), Reeves (12), Ayton (10), Hachimura (0) – start; Vanderbilt (11), Smart (6), Larevia (5), James Jr. (3), Thiero (2), Knecht (2), Kleber (2).
Houston: Thompson (26 + 7 rebounds), Durant (25 + 9 assists), Smith (16 + 7 rebounds), Shengyun (14 + 12 rebounds + 6 turnovers), Eason (13) – start; Sheppard (13), Capela (6), Adams (4 + 9 rebounds), Tate (2), A. Holiday (0), Davison (0), Green (0), Okogie (0), Finney-Smith (0).
Denver – Minnesota – 142:138 (STARTING 32:29, 25:26, 35:23, 23:37, 27:23)
Denver: Jokic (56 + 16 rebounds + 15 assists + 5 turnovers), J. Murray (35 + 10 assists), Hardaway (19), Jones (12 + 9 rebounds), Watson (9) – start; B. Brown (7), Nnaji (2), Valanciunas (2), Strother (0).
Minnesota: Edwards (44 + 6 turnovers), Randle (32 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), McDaniels (21), Gobert (9 + 12 rebounds + 6 blocks), DiVincenzo (6 + 7 rebounds + 8 assists) – start; Reed (13), Hyland (11), Clark (2), Juzeng (0), Conley (0), Shannon (0).
tournament tables
Western Conference
Eastern Conference
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
Head coach of “Kharkov Falcons” Valery Plekhanov He summarized the team’s 2025 results and talked about the preparations for the continuation of the season:
“Summing up the results of the calendar year, I want to congratulate all our fans on the upcoming New Year and Merry Christmas, wish our favorite team peace and good victories! “Kharkov Falcons” are the first players of this Super League season, so second place at the moment is a good result.
There are a few points we would like to emphasize separately. First of all, seven players from last season’s active squad won the Premier League together, but five of them never played in the Super League. Therefore, the experience they gained in the first half of this season is almost priceless. Secondly, Kharkiv Falcons are one of the two champion teams that did not play a single match at home. It’s very difficult when you’re not playing for your fans, you’re training in one gym, and you’re playing in a different gym every time, even on home tours. In these conditions, 4 defeats in 13 matches is a good result.
One of the most negative moments of this year was not being able to participate in the last four of the Ukrainian Cup. Unfortunately, we were a little unlucky in the draw. After an emotionally difficult and physically exhausting match with Krivbass, we did not have enough strength for the next match against Kiev-Basket in the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, our performances in the cup are over, but now we will be able to focus all our efforts on the championship.
Our main problem now is injuries. We have five injured players, three of whom have serious injuries that require a long recovery period. We’re about to get off to a very tough start to the new calendar season because the Falcons will be playing basketball six weekends in a row, which means six road trips with no rest time. If we could count on all twelve players in the squad at the beginning of the season, there will no longer be such a rotation. Therefore, all the responsibility and burden will fall on the players in the rankings. I hope they get over their injuries in the new year, recover from their injuries as soon as possible, return to work and help their beloved club properly represent Kharkiv in the Super League.
Despite the holidays, we have training scheduled almost seven days a week. “I really hope that by January 10 we will be a combat-ready team that can solve serious problems.”
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
On December 23, as part of the 1/8 final of the Romanian Cup, the Ukrainian derby was played between Bucharest and Dinamo. Vyacheslav Bobrova and “Fast” Alexandra Lipovoy.
Dinamo won the match 89:79, and the fate of the ticket to the next round was decided in overtime, as Rapid won the first match – 83:73.
The home players acted more accurately in extra time and won with a total score of 101:85 and advanced to the quarter-finals.
Vyacheslav Bobrov made a double-double in 33 minutes on the field, scoring 10 points (4/7 two-pointers, 0/1 three-pointers, 2/2 free throws), collecting 10 rebounds, 1 block, 5 turnovers and 2 fouls.
Alexander Lipovoy played 38 minutes, scored 16 points (1/2 two-pointers, 4/7 three-pointers, 2/2 free throws), collected 3 rebounds, made 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 4 fouls.
Romanian Cup. 1/8 final. 2nd match, 23 December
Dinamo Bucharest – Rapid Bucharest – 101:85 Overtime (17:22, 28:12, 24:19, 20:26, 12:6)
Match record:
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
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