LeBron James' move to the Philadelphia 76ers left the Miami Heat without the reunion many fans had hoped for. But according to Miami Heat beat writer Ira Winderman, Miami did not necessarily lose by making a strong push for James. The Heat were among the teams interested in the 41-year-old star before he chose Philadelphia in July. Miami later added Klay Thompson after also bringing Giannis Antetokounmpo to the roster. LeBron James And Miami Heat Had Different Plans In 2026 Free Agency The Heat were one of the teams in the mix for James during his long free-agency process. James eventually chose the 76ers and signed a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option. He said his focus was winning another championship, while his friendship with Tyrese Maxey and his desire to help Joel Embiid also played a role. Winderman addressed whether Miami wasted time by pursuing James. His view was that the Heat had little reason to regret the move because they continued buildin...
The organisers of the Ballon d'Or award insisted on Monday that "no player or club" knows who has won the award, responding to Real Madrid's decision to boycott the event because they believe that Vinicius would not win. "All the clubs and players are in the same boat," a Ballon d'Or source told AFP, pointing out the strict confidentiality rules laid down for this 2024 edition.
Real Madrid said they will stay away from the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday as they are convinced that their striker Vinicius, the favourite to win the men's award, has been snubbed.
The club told AFP it questioned the methods behind the selection of the Ballon d'Or winner, saying that defender Dani Carvajal, another of the 30 players nominated, had also been unfairly overlooked.
"If the award criteria doesn't give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner," the club told AFP.
"As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d'Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected."
The Ballon d'Or organisers decided to innovate this year by keeping the winner's identity a secret until the very end, to avoid any leaks to the press.
In previous years, the winner was revealed a few days before the award ceremony.
All the nominees were invited to the ceremony in Paris this evening.
The absence of the Real players and the club's declaration suggest that neither Vinicius, Carvajal nor Jude Bellingham, the architects of the club's European triumph, will win the trophy.
That could leave the way clear for Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri, who won Euro 2024 and was named the tournament's best player by UEFA.
The Ballon d'Or is awarded by a jury of journalists representing the top 100 nations in the FIFA rankings.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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