NBA: Kleber and Dallas with opening win
German basketball professional Maximilian Kleber got off to a successful start into the NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs won their opening game in the North American professional league with 120:109 against the San Antonio Spurs and were particularly convincing in the second half in their first competitive game since the final defeat against Boston. Kleber had three points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
Superstar Luka Doncic narrowly missed a triple-double with 28 points, ten rebounds and eight assists. Four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson scored 22 points in his debut for Dallas. “I couldn’t have wished for a better start,” said Thompson: “But it’s just a small step on the path we want to take.” San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama hit just five of 18 shots from the field and scored 17 points.
NFL: Next Vikings bankruptcy – Stafford too strong
After their strong start to the season with five wins from the first five games, the Minnesota Vikings have landed on earth in the NFL. At 20:30 against the Los Angeles Rams, quarterback Sam Darnold’s team lost for the second game in a row.
Meanwhile, the Rams celebrated an important home win and improved their record to 3:4. It was a liberation for quarterback Matthew Stafford – after only three touchdown passes in the entire season, the 36-year-old veteran managed four touchdown passes this time. The strong Stafford threw for a total of 279 yards.
The Vikings now have to get back on track in the difficult game against the Indianapolis Colts in 10 days. “I’m not going to make excuses,” said Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell: “We’re a 5-2 team and we still have a lot of football to play.”
NHL: Seider continues to win with the Red Wings
Vice world champion Moritz Seider remains on the road to success with his Detroit Red Wings in the NHL. The Red Wings defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-3 in the North American professional ice hockey league and celebrated their third win in a row. Defender Seider didn’t score a point, but had the longest playing time of his team’s field players at 24:51 minutes.
The German international signed a long-term contract worth 60 million euros in Detroit before the new season. The Red Wings have a positive record so far with four wins and three defeats.
The San Jose Sharks around Nico Sturm, on the other hand, remain the league’s whipping boys. The 2:3 against the Los Angeles Kings was the eighth defeat in the eighth game, the Sharks are the only team in the NHL still without a win. Sturm remained without a goal in the fifth game in a row. Goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer was not used for the Seattle Kraken’s 3:4 overtime loss against the Winnipeg Jets.
MLS: Messi earns more than any professional at 22 other US teams
World champion Lionel Messi earns more at his club Inter Miami than all professional footballers from 22 of the other 28 teams in Major League Soccer combined. The 37-year-old will receive a guaranteed income of 20,446,667 US dollars (around 18,892,925 euros) from the winner of the MLS main round this season. The figures come from an overview published by the players’ union, which does not take sponsor payments into account.
After leaving Borussia Dortmund, Marco Reus will receive a guaranteed salary of $1,216,667 at Los Angeles Galaxy. He earns less than Marcel Hartel after his move from FC St. Pauli to St. Louis City SC. Hartel collects a guaranteed income of $2,183,113.
At $41.7 million, Miami’s roster is significantly more expensive to maintain than any other in the league. This is followed by Toronto with 31.8 million and the two teams from Los Angeles. The Galaxy squad costs $22.1 million, while LAFC pays $22 million in salaries. Otherwise, the professionals only earn more in total than Messi at Miami in Nashville ($21.9 million), Cincinnati (21 million) and Houston (20.5 million).
Parade in New York: Fiebich and Sabally celebrate WNBA title
A big parade, lots of confetti and thousands of fans on the side of the road: The German national basketball players Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally celebrated their WNBA title win extensively together with their teammates from New York Liberty. Four days after the 67:62 victory in the decisive game five against the Minnesota Lynx, the winners drove through the metropolis on rolling platforms with loud music blaring from the loudspeakers.
In addition to the German players and the Liberty stars Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, another prominent guest was on board in the “Big Apple”. Satou Sabally, Nyara’s older sister, also attended the celebrations. “Proud of my Germans,” wrote the 26-year-old in an Instagram story.
With last Sunday’s success, the German duo followed in Marlies Askamp’s footsteps. She was previously the only German to win the WNBA title. For Fiebich and Sabally, the success marked the glorious end to a highly successful year. With the national team they unexpectedly qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris and reached the quarter-finals there.
It was the first title win for WNBA founding member New York. In the previous season, Liberty lost the final series against the Las Vegas Aces 1:3.
