Basketball: the main stories of 04.09.2026

The WNBA will go into its off-season looking for someone to run it. Cathy Engelbert leaves once the season finishes, after seven years that brought record growth, a landmark media deal and expansion — and, latterly, a relationship with the players that has soured over the labour talks. Whoever follows inherits that dispute unresolved and without the credit Engelbert had already spent. No successor has been named and no date beyond the end of the season has been given.

Sacramento have taken on a former No 1 pick who did not play at all last season. Ben Simmons has a one-year deal worth AU$4.9m, his fourth club, and one outlet reports that Doug Christie and his staff needed only a few minutes after the workout to settle on it. Elsewhere, the United States opened the Fiba World Cup by routing China for a 31st consecutive win at the tournament, Caitlin Clark finishing with 14 points and 11 assists. China's 7ft 3in Zhang Ziyu scored 13 on debut.

The rest rests on single reports.

• Emma Meesseman scored 27 points with 9 rebounds and 5 assists as Belgium beat Turkey 89-75 in their opening World Cup fixture — a personal and Belgian record at the tournament.
• Enes Kanter has publicly put himself forward for Engelbert's job, promising "common sense, fairness and a dictionary".
• Richard Dietz used a pre-emption right to block the sale of Maccabi Tel Aviv to the owner of DC United and took control of the club himself; he had held 17.5% since 2013.
• The Athletic reports that BlackSun Private Equity has joined Samantha Holloway in the running for an NBA franchise in Seattle.
• The Euroleague is keeping its inaugural Super Cup in Abu Dhabi on 18-19 September, with Olympiacos, Real Madrid, Fenerbahce and Dubai.
• Barcelona forward Tosan Evbuomwan is out at least three weeks with a subluxed right shoulder, sustained on Great Britain duty.
• Panathinaikos have lost Nikos Rogkavopoulos for several weeks, adding to Kendrick Nunn and Nigel Hayes-Davis.
• Branko Lazic retired at 37 after 14 years at Crvena Zvezda and seven Adriatic League titles, collecting the competition's achievement award on the same day.
• Olivier Hanlan, 33, has signed for Petkim Spor in Turkey.
• Chris Paul called his mid-season release by the Clippers "one of the most disrespectful things" he has faced.
• Tony Parker said Villeurbanne's budget fell from 59m to 24m over the summer, costing the club most of its planned signings.
• Kai Sotto has been refused NCAA eligibility at Texas A&M.
• Tonight: Partizan play Hapoel Tel Aviv and Real Madrid host Baskonia in friendlies; Germany face Japan and France play South Korea at the World Cup.