Match-fixing scandal in Greek basketball: Six arrests and €820,000 in cash found in the safe of one referee. Implicated in the scandal that shakes the Greek Basketball is also the president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK), Vangelis Liolios, ANT1 TV who has been also arrested and other media reported on Tuesday afternoon. Law enforcement […]
A massive scandal is rocking Greek sport after the president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation, Vangelis Liolios, and other basketball figures were arrested or named in arrest warrants over allegations of match-fixing, bribery and illegal conduct linked to games, while €820,000 in cash was reportedly found at a referee’s home.
The developments emerged on Wednesday, following a three-month investigation by Athens sports prosecutor Apostolos Grammenos into allegations concerning Greek basketball, according to Greek sports media outlet Sport24.
Six arrest warrants were issued in total, with the case reportedly involving the federation’s leadership, referees and other basketball figures.
Liolios, who has led the federation since September 2021, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, Sport24 reported.
Three other people were also reported arrested, although reports differed on the identities of those detained as the investigation developed.
The warrants reportedly concern alleged offences including bribery and accepting bribes under sports legislation, as well as suspected manipulation of matches in Greece’s top basketball division and other categories over at least the past five years.
According to Sport24, the warrants cover three referees, a chief referee or refereeing adviser, and a businessman who is also a former athlete, alongside Liolios.
Referees Vaso Tsaroucha and Petros Papapetrou were among those reported to be wanted, as was basketball official Giorgos Mavraganis. Papapetrou reportedly retired during the summer.
Greek outlet SDNA separately reported that referee Elias Koromilas had also been arrested, and that €820,000 was found at the home of a referee in Katerini during searches connected to the case.
The amount was described by the outlet as unexplained, but the allegations have not been established in court.
The reports said searches of properties linked to people under investigation uncovered substantial sums of cash that authorities suspect may not be consistent with the individuals’ declared financial circumstances.
The case reportedly includes complaints and allegations made by people in basketball, as well as messages and other evidence examined during the prosecutor’s investigation.
According to Greek media, the warrants were issued after the case file was referred to an investigating magistrate, with the agreement of the sports prosecutor.
The reported grounds for issuing the warrants included concerns that some suspects, who remain active in the sport, could potentially commit further offences.
Those arrested were expected to appear before the investigating magistrate as the legal process continued.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations against the individuals mentioned are currently accusations rather than proven findings.
LeBron James overcame a hostile New York Knicks crowd to get off to a winning start in his tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, beating the NBA champions 106-100 to kick off a record-extending 24th season.
The 41-year-old hopes to deliver a title for the long-suffering Sixers, and his season debut for Philadelphia at Madison Square Garden drove interest in the most hotly anticipated contest of the NBA’s opening day.
New York’s devoted fans dug deep to see their team receive their championship rings four months after ending a 53-year title drought in June.
The cheapest ticket available on TickPick was priced at over $2,000. The total cost to attend every other NBA team’s home opener, based on the cheapest ticket prices, is $1,545, the resale platform said.
“We played exceptionally well, especially defensively. Didn’t shoot the ball well, but we have we have capable shooters,” said James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
“Good way for us to start the season.”
Home fans booed whenever announcers mentioned James’ name ahead of tipoff, and the four-time MVP verbally sparred with a fan late in the first half but otherwise had no issues tuning out the noise as he recorded 14 points, 7 assists and 9 rebounds.
“I’m still getting my rhythm, obviously, you know, just a little bit over two weeks with the new squad, but I like the way we played,” said James, who came to Philadelphia from the Lakers, where he picked up a fourth title in 2020.
Philadelphia fans celebrated his arrival even before he stepped onto the court, hoping he will help end the team’s 43-year title dry spell.
James took the largest pay cut in NBA history when he joined the fourth NBA team of his career. He adds significant firepower to a team that includes 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and newly acquired 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey led the scoring with 28 points on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks swept the 76ers in the conference semi-finals earlier this year.
“Last time we were here we should’ve won,” said Sixers coach Nick Nurse. “These first few weeks have been fun.”
Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Commissioner Cathy Engelbert revealed in a letter that “only women are eligible” to compete in the WNBA. In a letter addressed to Reps. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Erin Houchin (R-IN), and Zach Nunn
A game-worn Michael Jordan jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals has sold for $14 million, setting a new record for basketball memorabilia and becoming the second most expensive piece of sports clothing ever sold.
The red road jersey, signed by Jordan and worn during Game 2 of the 1998 championship series, changed hands in a private transaction that underscores the surging financial value attached to objects tied to the Chicago Bulls legend’s career.
The sale confirms the commercial pull of “The Last Dance” season, widely regarded as the closing chapter of Jordan’s defining run.
Pennsylvania-based auction house Hunt Auctions managed the negotiation, which ended with the garment delivered to Ron Firman, a real estate investor based in Miami. The shirt corresponds specifically to the second game of the Finals, played on June 5, 1998.
The context of that game accounts for much of the jersey’s value. In it, Chicago beat the Utah Jazz to even the series, which the Bulls went on to win 4-2.The victory was key to the franchise’s sixth title and to the close of the era chronicled in the media as “The Last Dance,” the season that cemented Jordan’s legacy.
Record Air. Important 1998 @NBA Finals Game Two @chicagobulls Michael Jordan game worn road jersey sold via private treaty sale for $14,000,000. The price is a world record for any basketball memorabilia item and the second highest price ever paid for a sports jersey of any… pic.twitter.com/2ax0XBvjxm
The international market for sports collectibles has been climbing steadily, and items from that final campaign command a premium all their own. Jerseys worn in Games 1 and 3 of the same series previously sold for $10.1 million and $12.3 million, respectively, providing a direct benchmark for the latest transaction.
The shoes Jordan wore in that second game offer another reference point, which were sold in 2023 for $2.2 million, a figure that once seemed remarkable and now reads as modest alongside the prices fetched by his game-worn shirts.
What sets the red jersey apart is the convergence of several factors at once. It is autographed, it comes from a decisive road victory, and it belongs to a season loaded with symbolic weight. Collectors have treated that specific campaign as the peak of Jordan’s market, and each authenticated piece from it tends to reset expectations upward.
The private nature of the sale also reflects how the high end of this market operates. Deals at this scale often move outside public auction rooms, arranged directly between wealthy buyers and the firms that hold the most coveted inventory. Firman, the buyer, joins a growing list of investors who treat championship-grade memorabilia as an alternative asset class rather than a sentimental purchase. Because the deal was private, details such as the exact terms and whether the seller was a collector or an institution were not disclosed in the information available.
With the $14 million price, the jersey ranks as the second most expensive sports garment sold to date. Across all sports, only one garment has commanded a higher price. That record belongs to the uniform Babe Ruth wore with the New York Yankees during the 1932 World Series, which sold for $24.12 million in 2024. Jordan’s jersey still trails that figure by a wide margin, but the gap illustrates just how far basketball collectibles have climbed in a short period.
Whether other Jordan items from that series will reach the market, and at what price, remains to be seen. The Game 2 jersey now joins the Game 1 and Game 3 jerseys as part of a small group of Finals-worn pieces that have changed hands for eight-figure sums.
The broader trend shows no sign of slowing. Auction houses and private dealers continue to report strong demand for authenticated gear from iconic athletes, and Jordan remains the single most bankable name in the basketball segment. His championship items, in particular, attract interest from investors who see them as scarce, appreciating assets with global recognition.
Each new sale resets the conversation about value. The $14 million price for the Game 2 jersey surpasses the totals for the other two shirts from that series combined, a sign that the market rewards provenance and narrative as much as rarity. The buyer now holds a piece tied to one of the most documented seasons in U.S. sports history.
For collectors and investors watching the sector, the transaction sends a clear signal. Jordan-era memorabilia from the 1998 Finals has entered a price range once reserved for baseball’s most storied artifacts, and the appetite for such items remains strong.
In mid-August, The New York Times lost a defamation lawsuit in Alabama. It’s the first such case the paper has lost in more than half a century. Back in 2023, the Times reported that a University of Alabama basketball player named Kai Spears was at the scene of a fatal shooting—information that turned out to be false, and based on a single anonymous source. A jury found the paper liable for damages to the tune of $9.25 million. Ryan Phillips, the only reporter to attend the duration of the defamation trial, describes the experience:
Chief among the post-publication issues was the Times‘ reluctance to issue a correction or retraction when it became immediately clear that Witz’s anonymous source had been wrong in their assertion that Spears was in Miller’s car during the shooting.
The jury heard lengthy testimony about how the newspaper published “updates” in the form of “Editor’s Notes” to the online story to reflect each new denial coming from the University of Alabama, UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne, Spears’ father, and then the Alabama walk-on himself in an Instagram post.
Apart from the updates, which the Times argued were tantamount to a correction when applying Alabama law to the evidence, the story remained unchanged until an official correction was eventually published by The New York Times on June 3, 2023.
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