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Paolo Banchero, Trae Young: Breaking down 10 names that could define NBA season

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Paolo Banchero, Trae Young: Breaking down 10 names that could define NBA season


  • Tim BontempsOct 3, 2025, 08:00 AM ET

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      Tim Bontemps is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com who covers the league and what’s impacting it on and off the court, including trade deadline intel, expansion and his MVP Straw Polls. You can find Tim alongside Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast.

With less than three weeks until the start of the 2025-26 season, the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers kicked off the NBA’s preseason schedule on the other side of the globe in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

In an offseason full of movement, many players and personnel are stepping into uncharted waters: a point guard adjusting to a new home, a new coach in charge of a team with massive expectations and some young talent staring at massive opportunities. It sets them up to be among the people who will define the NBA this season.

We published our first version of this list a year ago, featuring names such 76ers center Joel Embiid, Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick and (now former) Boston Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck, among others.

This is not a list of the best or most important people in the league. Names such as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Lakers guard Luka Doncic won’t be found on this list.

Let’s break down 10 names who will play major roles in defining the upcoming season — both on the court and as far as the trade deadline, draft and free agency play out.

The NBA universe has collectively waited to see if the Greek superstar will ever choose to leave Milwaukee, the only city he has called home across his 12-year NBA career.

The Bucks have satisfied Antetokounmpo’s desires for upgrades, first by landing Jrue Holiday in 2020 and then using Holiday to acquire Damian Lillard in 2023. But will waiving-and-stretching Lillard’s deal to land former Indiana Pacers star Myles Turner — one of the most shocking moves of the summer — be good enough to do so a third time?

Speaking via videoconference Monday because of a bout with COVID-19, Antetokounmpo acknowledged he spent the summer thinking about his future after three straight first-round playoff exits.

“It’s a disservice to basketball and just to the game, to not want it to compete in a high level, to want your season to end in April,” he said. “It’s pretty much the same. It’s not the first time. I had the same thoughts last year. I had the same thoughts two years ago.”

Later, when asked about Bucks owner Wes Edens saying he and Antetokounmpo had a conversation in June in which the superstar said he was “committed to Milwaukee,” Antetokounmpo said he couldn’t recall the conversation.

The irony of this is that, on the court, Antetokounmpo could be on the brink of his best statistical season. With Lillard sidelined late last season, Antetokounmpo’s numbers skyrocketed with the ball in his hands all the time. Expect coach coach Doc Rivers to do that again this season, and for Antetokounmpo to be a massive stat machine as a result.

With now less than two years separating Antetokounmpo from unrestricted free agency — and a roster that, outside of Turner, is littered with questions — it’s safe to say the topic of Antetokounmpo’s future won’t be going away anytime soon.

In May, Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman in a radio interview said: “We’re ready to kind of turn the page on our rebuild and enter the next stage of our team and look through a more win-now lens.”

Weltman then took action, sending several future draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in a blockbuster trade for Desmond Bane. It was lauded by multiple respondents in last week’s offseason survey as one of the best moves of the summer.

But if that move is going to pay off in the way he and the Magic hope it will, it won’t be because of Bane, Jalen Suggs or even Franz Wagner. Instead, it will be because Banchero, fresh off landing a five-year, $239 million maximum contract extension this offseason, is blossoming into full-blown superstar status. Could he lead Orlando to winning a playoff series for the first time since 2010 and possibly reach the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history?

That path is possible. Banchero, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, has a rare blend of size, strength and skill within his 6-foot-10, 250-pound frame, and doesn’t even turn 23 years old until Nov. 12. But, in his three seasons, Banchero has hit 3-pointers at a career 32% clip and barely crept over 50% true shooting last season for the first time in his career.

The addition of Bane, a terrific outside shooter and additional ballhandling threat, will help plenty. Having Wagner end a two-year cold streak shooting from deep — he went from 36% three seasons ago to under 30% each of the past two years — will, too.

Orlando will go as far as Banchero can carry them. And, in a wide-open Eastern Conference because of Achilles injuries to the Indiana Pacers‘ Tyrese Haliburton and the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (a theme of this list that will come up again), that could be quite far — assuming he takes the steps forward the Magic believe he can this season and beyond.

When you fire a coach after he led your team to playoff victories in three consecutive seasons for the first time in a generation and to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in a quarter century, it’s clear what the expectations are for his successor.

That’s the situation Brown has walked into after replacing Tom Thibodeau this summer. And while Brown has repeatedly said, including at last week’s media day, that “no one has higher expectations than he does,” that’s not exactly true.

There’s a unique symbiosis between the Knicks and their fans, who have been waiting more than half a century to snap their championship drought. It might be the best chance to do so since the Patrick Ewing-led Knicks reached the NBA Finals in 1994. Unlike the past couple of seasons when the Knicks surpassed relatively low expectations, a wide-open East could make anything short of a Finals appearance a lost season for New York.

Brown is no stranger to high-pressure situations. He coached LeBron James to an NBA Finals in 2007, and he was the head coach of the Lakers. But he arguably has never faced the kind of pressure he is under this season — and no one on his roster has either.

Dybantsa is one of four players — alongside Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and Tennessee forward Nate Ament — who will spend the season being debated for the top spots in a loaded 2026 NBA draft class.

While there will be plenty of eyes on what’s happening across the league, there also will be plenty on the scouting trail, with several teams — including the Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz — probably in positions to fight for the top odds in next spring’s draft lottery. And that doesn’t include teams such as the New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers. If they fall lower on the standings, they could be sending their pick to the Atlanta Hawks, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively (in Philadelphia’s case, if it lands outside of the top four picks in next June’s draft).

Teams had visions of picking Cooper Flagg last season before the Dallas Mavericks unexpectedly landed the No. 1 pick, but the three-or-four-way competition for the No. 1 pick in 2026 could add extra intrigue.

There remains a tremendous amount of excitement and anticipation about Spurs center Victor Wembanyama‘s return, especially after he leaped to No. 5 in ESPN’s annual NBA Rank.

But for as brilliant as Wembanyama is, landing on Most Valuable Player ballots and All-NBA teams doesn’t just come down to individual excellence. It also requires a team being able to make strides alongside its young star, and be in a position to make the playoffs — even in the ultracompetitive Western Conference.

For the Spurs to reach those heights this season, it’s very likely to be because Fox is a good enough co-star alongside Wembanyama.

In the brief time the two shared the court in February, the results were mixed (though the sample size of 120 minutes should be taken with a grain of salt). Fox was acquired in a blockbuster trade in February and then bestowed a maximum contract extension in August when he was eligible to receive it. Their investment in him is a sign they believe he is an optimal right-hand man for Wembanyama. Fox will also have to fit alongside No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle. The lack of consistent shooting between the three could make that an awkward fit.

(As an aside, I’m proposing a nickname for Wembanyama: The Anomaly. I’d say he qualifies as an anomaly, and I like it a lot more than calling him an alien).

For the first time since he was in middle school or so, James — about to enter his 23rd NBA season — is not the focal point of his team. That, of course, is Luka Doncic, whom the Lakers inked to a three-year contract extension this summer and have openly oriented their franchise around going forward.

It’s an entirely understandable position. But this is LeBron James we are talking about.

As this season goes along, expect there to be nonstop questions about James and his future — questions that began in June when his agent, Rich Paul, gave a cryptic statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania about James’ future.

Until one side or the other definitively says what the future of this partnership will look like after this season — one way or the other — expect those questions to continue. And if the Lakers struggle this season, expect the intensity surrounding this topic to ramp up between now and February’s trade deadline.

The investigation into potential salary cap circumvention by the Clippers involving Aspiration, a former Clippers sponsor, will continue to be a topic of discussion throughout the season.

But then there’s the on-court part of the story. Leonard again sat out much of last season because of injuries but returned to be an impactful player down the stretch and in LA’s seven-game loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round. With a very deep (albeit old) roster around him, if Leonard can stay on the court, the Clippers could be a true factor in the West.

And, with this being Leonard’s age-34 season, there won’t be many chances for him to make his Clippers tenure a success if it doesn’t happen in 2025-26.

Adam Silver

Even before the Clippers investigation took center stage, it was already setting up to be a consequential season for the NBA commissioner as he enters his 12th full season on the job. How Silver chooses to rule on the case will be one of the enduring stories of this season and possibly his tenure as commissioner.

But that’s not all. Over the past several months, Silver has repeatedly talked about the league’s interest in expanding into Europe and creating a new league there to challenge EuroLeague, the best league outside of the NBA. That league could potentially see the creation of several new expansion teams, with billions in expansion fees for the 30 NBA owners and new deep-pocketed options to buy NBA teams.

Then there’s domestic expansion, which remains a hot topic within league circles. When Silver was asked about whether Europe was a priority over domestic expansion last month, he vociferously shot the idea down, saying both projects can operate on parallel tracks — and that they are.

Expansion is still seen as something that is a matter of when, not if. Seattle continues to be an obvious market to expand into, while several ownership groups are interested in pursuing a team in Las Vegas. But the next several months will potentially show us just how legitimate Silver’s argument about parallel tracks is, and how long it might take for expansion to arrive in the NBA.

The No. 4 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, Thompson took no time to establish himself as one of the NBA’s most intriguing talents and is primed for a breakout season.

Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL in offseason workouts, meaning Houston will be without his outside shooting, defense and leadership this season. But it creates a massive opportunity for Thompson. Last season, he took on a larger ballhandling role, third on the team in terms of bringing the ball up behind VanVleet and the since departed Jalen Green. The stage is set for Thompson to lead the team and set the table for All-Stars Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun in Houston.

The Rockets didn’t make the Kevin Durant trade for this season to be a gap year. And if Thompson — a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year contender and a terrific passer — seizes this opportunity, he could easily be an All-Star, the NBA’s Most Improved Player this season and have Houston remain as a true threat to challenge Oklahoma City in the West.

Not too long ago, Young would have been seen as an automatic candidate for a maximum extension. But those days were before the current collective bargaining agreement. Since the spring of 2023, teams are more hesitant to hand out that type of deal.

Atlanta is entering the most anticipated Hawks season in years after a lauded offseason under new lead basketball decision-maker Onsi Saleh, which could drive Young’s market in free agency next summer if the two sides don’t come to an agreement.

We could be entering a new era of team building and spending in the NBA, and Young’s deal could be at the epicenter of it.



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Our favorite bowl game moments: Mascots, mayhem and more

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January 14, 2026

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Our favorite bowl game moments: Mascots, mayhem and more


Jan 13, 2026, 07:00 AM ET

After five months of college football, the season is down to two teams and one game. But as we wait for Miami and Indiana to meet in their College Football Playoff title throwdown, it is time for our annual lookback on the postseason contests that led up to this one.

All of them.

Since Dec. 13, when the Cricket Celebration Bowl and Bucked Up LA Bowl kicked off 2,200 miles apart, this great nation has been covered up in bowl games. And those bowl games have been covered up in mayonnaise, eggnog, baked beans and Frosted Flakes.

If you don’t like fun, stop reading now. If you don’t love college football, stop reading now. And if you are one of those Ebenezer Scrooge/mall-parking-lot-road-rage Karens who spent their holidays trying to convince the rest of us that bowl games are outdated, stop … well, OK, you probably already stopped reading anyway. And that’s cool with us. Because it’s time for our annual celebration of all that is right with this greatest of sports at a time when so many are so obsessed with what is wrong.

Welcome to the 2025-26 edition of Best of the Bowls.

Best Performance by a Game Winner: Hawai’i’s two-headed QB

In the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl, Rainbow Warriors starting quarterback Micah Alejado threw for 274 yards and three TDs, and rushed for another 33 yards, but suffered a hard hit in the closing seconds of the game with his team trailing Cal 31-28. Backup QB Luke Weaver, who hadn’t played since mid-September, came off the bench and threw a 22-yard TD pass with 10 seconds remaining to win the game 35-31.

The Tigers QB threw for 267 yards and three TDs, and nearly saved the day in the fourth quarter, but the team playing out the pre-Kiffin era string blew an early 14-point lead and lost to Houston 38-35 in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl.

Best Finish You Might’ve Missed: Rate Bowl

You might remember the Rate Bowl as the Artist Formerly Known as the Copper Bowl, but now you’ll know it as the Game Forever Known as the Golden Gophers’ Last-Second Dagger Bowl.

Best Float: Prince Cheddward’s Dragon

OK, OK, yes, we know that nothing will supplant the Rose Parade when it comes to rolling street artistry. However, those flower-and-seed covered floats never come close to the Rose Bowl itself. Prince Cheddward rode into the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl atop a smoking dragon slathered entirely in Cheez-Its.

Best Sideline Interview: Snoop Dogg

Dude doesn’t just sponsor a game, the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, he broke off the pregame interview of the game with his name because he looked up and saw he was game for making an actual play in the game with his name, fielding a kick in the end zone adorned with, yes, his name.

Best Trophy You Already Know About: Pop-Tarts Bowl

What could possibly top a giant toaster that cooks human-sized Pop-Tarts, so giant that we all held our breath when one of those tarts leapt for its life? How about a trophy that is also a toaster (even if the coaches can’t figure out how to operate it)? If you don’t know about the Pop-Tarts Bowl accolade/kitchen appliance, then you need to read this story by the great Dave Wilson.

Best Trophy You Need to Know About: Isleta New Mexico Bowl

During the first sunrise of September, on the sacred ground of the Zia Pueblo, Elizabeth and Marcellus Medina’s family gathers clay from the land their family has occupied for centuries, which is used to craft the pot that is awarded to the winner of the New Mexico Bowl every December. It is hand-painted except for one blank space reserved for the name of the winning team, carefully inscribed as soon as the game is over. One part history, one part art and all parts glory.

Best Trophy the Coach Didn’t Want: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

Miami’s Mario Cristobal, like Kirby Smart and others from the Saban coaching tree, has taken on his mentor’s model of postgame celebration following any win that isn’t a national championship. In his defense, Cristobal’s focus was to get his players on the stage instead of “all these extra people,” but when he was handed the golden football from atop the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl trophy he looked at it like he’d just opened a Christmas present that he thought was going to be a PlayStation but ended up being socks.

Still the Best Bowl Perk: NASCAR Ride-Alongs

No matter the name of its game, from Continental Tire and Meineke Car Care to Belk and Duke’s Mayo, Charlotte’s bowl game continues to both electrify and terrify its participants by taking them to Charlotte Motor Speedway for some 180 mph hot laps via the NASCAR Racing Experience.

Best Educational Experience: Is this where the dentist lost his tooth?

No doubt Nebraska was bummed to lose the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl to Utah, but at least they were able to get in some great learning opportunities. Isn’t that right, Huskers wideout Dane Key?

Best Surprise Game Tweeter: Steven Van Zandt

Social media can be the worst. But when Bruce Springsteen’s righthand man, aka Miami Steve, aka Little Steven aka Silvio Dante starts randomly live-tweeting about the Go Bowling Military Bowl because he likes East Carolina’s logo because it wears a bandana like he does, well, then social media can be the best. Especially when he kept on tweeting all the way through bowl season and into the CFP.

The ‘Hang It In the Louvre’ Award: Duke WR Que’Sean Brown

Brown did what Arizona State’s Jalen Moss had done earlier, taking a post-TD dive into a giant bowl of Frosted Flakes at the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, but the image that emerged from Brown’s backward flop was pure art.

The ‘Isn’t This Actually in the Louvre?’ Award: The Beaneater by Annibale Carracci

After Louisville defeated Toledo in the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans, the Cardinals partook of said beans … and legendary social media follow @ArtButSports partook of some art education.

The ‘Is There Something Opposite of the Louvre We Can Hang This In?’ Award: Holiday Bowl

The Trust & Will Holiday Bowl is an underrated classic, from BYU’s 1984 national title game to Kevin from “The Office” slinging eggnog over the coach’s head and onto photographers (which he did on purpose). But this year’s end zone paint jobs were like some sort of wintertime beach Rorschach test.

Best Odd Couple: Butch Jones and Master Chief

The Xbox Bowl made its debut this year, played at The Star in Frisco, Texas. If you’re going to be an Xbox game then who else should present the trophy but the hero of THE Xbox game, Master Chief from Halo, who handed over the hardware to Arkansas State and coach Butch Jones. I can’t accurately explain why that juxtaposition is so funny, but you have to admit that it totally is.

Best Gatorade Bath Chase Won by Players: UTSA

As the Roadrunners finished off Florida International in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, head coach Jeff Traylor responded by dashing more than 50 yards to try to avoid getting doused in the cold December Dallas air, but the plastic sideline thingy did him in.

Best Gatorade Bath Chase Almost Won by Coach: Army

As the Black Knights put away UConn in the much-colder New England air of the Wasabi Fenway Bowl, Army head coach Jeff Monken ran a bazillion yards zigzagging like Barry Sanders before a definite should-have-been holding penalty against D-lineman Jack Bousum did the frozen deed.

Best Season: Bowl Season

The ratings were up, the fun was up, and transfer portal be damned, the football was up … especially for those who knew their time together was up, too.





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Mike Tomlin is out as coach; who are candidates and what’s next for Steelers?

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January 14, 2026

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Mike Tomlin is out as coach; who are candidates and what’s next for Steelers?


Jan 13, 2026, 02:40 PM ET

Mike Tomlin has embodied the stability created by routine and transparency throughout his 19 seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. It has endeared him to hundreds of players and kept him entrenched in an organization that mirrors the values of its coach.

That stability has come to an end as Tomlin is stepping down with two years left on his contract, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter on Monday afternoon.

Tomlin, 53, informed players Tuesday of his decision to walk away at a 2 p.m. ET meeting, a day after falling to the Houston Texans 30-6 in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs, extending the team’s playoff win drought to nine seasons.

He leaves Pittsburgh with the unprecedented accomplishment of never having a losing season in nearly two decades at the helm of the franchise. He clinched his 200th career NFL victory in Week 16 against the Detroit Lions and tied Chuck Noll for ninth all time with 193 regular-season wins in a Week 18 victory against the Baltimore Ravens that clinched the AFC North title.

With Tomlin’s departure, the Steelers will begin the search for just their fourth head coach since 1969. Before his resignation, Tomlin was the longest-tenured head coach of any North American professional sports franchise, having taken the Steelers job in 2007. He finishes his career in Pittsburgh with 193 regular-season wins, 114 losses and two ties.

Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor and NFL reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano answer the pressing questions in the wake of Tomlin’s departure.

How much of a shock is the news of Mike Tomlin’s departure?

Though there had been rumblings that Tomlin could walk away, potentially to pursue opportunities in television, his announcement and decision coming to fruition was still a surprise to many in the Steelers’ building. Tomlin’s Tuesday started as it often did during the regular season, with an early-morning arrival and a scheduled 2 p.m. team meeting. Players were in the locker room cleaning out their lockers following Monday’s wild-card loss. Before Tomlin’s meeting, there didn’t appear to be any indication that the players inside the locker room knew big news was coming. Less than 24 hours earlier, both Cameron Heyward and Aaron Rodgers had stumped for their head coach’s job.

And in the locker room Tuesday afternoon, tight end Jonnu Smith said he couldn’t imagine the Steelers without Tomlin.

“Ever since my childhood growing up, it was Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin, and winning,” he said. “And winning and winning. And the culture that the city has established football-wise based around what Mike Tomlin has done, the culture that he’s built, the way he’s constructed this team, the way he’s treated people in the building, the way he’s cared about this organization so much, and has embodied the true meaning of a Pittsburgh Steeler.” — Pryor

Who could the Steelers target at head coach, and how does Pittsburgh’s tendency to keep coaches for decades factor into this decision?

This is an all-hands-on-deck, drop-everything job for any and all candidates. The Steelers have had three head coaches since 1969, uncanny stability for the modern era. The championship tradition, coupled with the chance for real tenure, will make Pittsburgh’s the best job available. The Steelers will prioritize leadership, most likely, and as they did with Tomlin, they could identify a rising star in the business.

Several defensive coordinators — the Los Angeles Rams‘ Chris Shula, the Green Bay Packers‘ Jeff Hafley and the Los Angeles Chargers‘ Jesse Minter — seem to fit that mold. Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman has rebuffed NFL intrigue but could revisit that for a job like this. The Steelers would be smart to modernize the offense, looking hard at that side of the ball, so several young offensive playcallers could come into play. — Fowler

play

1:37

Alex Smith lauds ‘one of a kind’ Aaron Rodgers

Alex Smith lauds ‘one of a kind’ Aaron Rodgers Alex Smith joins the “The Rich Eisen Show” to discuss Aaron Rodgers’ career after the Steelers’ wild-card loss to the Texans.

What does the future hold for Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ QB position?

Rodgers’ one-year deal expired with Monday’s wild-card loss, but he recently expressed that he hadn’t thought about what was next for him. After posting a playoff career-low of 14.3 QBR in Monday night’s loss to Houston, Rodgers said he wasn’t going to make an “emotional” decision about his future. In June, he told “The Pat McAfee Show” that he was “pretty sure” 2025 would be his last season.

If that is indeed the case, the Steelers would be in the market for their next starting quarterback. Mason Rudolph is under contract for another year, and the team also selected former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 draft. The Steelers have been doing their homework on the 2026 quarterback draft class, but with a pick at No. 21, they aren’t likely to land one of the few top-tier rookie signal-callers unless they use draft capital to move up.

Like last year, Pittsburgh will undoubtedly host a number of quarterbacks on predraft visits to do their due diligence, but it seems more likely the Steelers would look for another inexpensive bridge quarterback option to get them to a stronger 2027 draft class. — Pryor

What’s next for Tomlin?

On some level, whatever he wants (other than coaching the Steelers). He’ll likely draw interest from multiple TV networks for a variety of possible roles if he wants to take some time off from coaching, with the potential to go back later. He’ll also surely draw interest from teams that need a head coach, since plenty of these front offices are looking for coaches who have NFL head coaching experience; no one on the current market except John Harbaugh has anywhere close to as much of that as he does.

Tomlin’s entry into the coaching free agent market is sure to alter teams’ plans and interview schedules, and if he wants to jump right into another head coaching job, he’ll have his pick. — Graziano

How does the 2025 season affect Tomlin’s legacy?

Tomlin’s final season was a microcosm of his 19-year tenure at the helm of the Steelers. There were incredible highs and improbable wins coupled with inconceivable lows and befuddling losses. Ultimately, the 10-7 final season was like so many before — good enough to reach the postseason, but not good enough to make a run and recapture the magic of his early years. The Tomlin era in Pittsburgh will be remembered for near-instant success and an unprecedented streak of non-losing seasons as the head coach raised the floor of his squad every single season by being a transparent leader and a players’ coach.

“Obviously, he’s the fall guy, right? You look at this situation and you said, ‘OK, we went down. Who’s the leader?’ They’re going to look at the leader. And for us, that’s Mike Tomlin. But we had a hell of a leader, a great leader, a man that is capable of leading us to ultimately the ultimate goal. And he’s done it. He’s very capable of doing it. Like I said before, we just came up short,” Smith said on Monday. — Pryor



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Mario Balotelli’s wildest moments: Fireworks, a pet pig and ‘Why Always Me?’

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January 14, 2026

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Mario Balotelli’s wildest moments: Fireworks, a pet pig and ‘Why Always Me?’


Mario Balotelli is about to begin the latest chapter in his unique career with the news that the well-traveled Italian striker has signed for United Arab Emirates side Al Ittifaq on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

The Dubai-based side play in the second tier of UAE football and is rock bottom of the standings. It is also the 14th club of Balotelli’s career to date.

Balotelli had been a free agent since the summer and has not played competitive football since December 2024, following a somewhat underwhelming stint back in Italy with Genoa. The 35-year-old mustered just six league appearances for the club, all of which came off the bench.

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The oft-controversial forward has struggled to settle anywhere since leaving Liverpool in 2015 and has spent periods at various clubs in France, Italy, Turkey and Switzerland. However, he has never recaptured the mercurial form that saw him win the Premier League title with Manchester City, earn 36 caps for his country and even get nominated for the 2012 Ballon d’Or.

Though it is worth recalling why we all fell in love with him in the first place. That is, of course, his vast array of misguided mischief and antics.

The cars

Balotelli has owned a succession of high-end supercars over the years, but perhaps the most memorable (other than the handful he has managed to crash and write off) is the astounding camouflaged Bentley he proudly unveiled while pulling up to City training in 2011.

The cold shoulder

Among the most famous goals of Balotelli’s career came for City during a 5-1 pummelling of Norwich City in 2011. The Italian added his side’s fourth goal of the rout with one of the most nonchalant finishes the Premier League has ever witnessed, nudging the ball over the line with a shrug of his shoulders.

The dart ‘prank’

In March 2011, City were forced to launch an internal investigation in a so-called “prank” that took place at their training complex after it emerged that the then-20-year-old Balotelli had been throwing darts out of an upstairs window in the general direction of youth team players.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt as a result.

The preseason trick shot

While it wasn’t the first (or last) time he would invoke the wrath of his manager, Balotelli got himself instantly substituted inside the first 30 minutes of a preseason friendly against LA Galaxy in 2011 when a botched trick shot enraged coach Roberto Mancini to the point that he decided to hook the striker on the spot.

The fireworks

‘Twas the eve of the Manchester derby and all through Balotelli’s house nothing was stirring — nothing except the impromptu fireworks display that the City striker and his friends decided to stage in his own bathroom for reasons unknown.

Roughly 24 hours before kickoff, the Italian striker had to be evacuated from his lodgings by the fire brigade after things got out of hand, leading to a stern ticking off and an enforced stint as the club’s ambassador for fireworks safety.

“The newspapers got the story wrong about me and the fire at my house,” Balotelli later said while promoting a firework safety campaign. “I didn’t set any fireworks off, it was a friend of mine. I didn’t know anything about it until I heard the shouting coming from the bathroom.

“Luckily, nobody was injured, and my friend apologised to me for the damage to my house. It was a really stupid thing for him to do, someone could have been really hurt, and I was really, really angry with him about it.

“They can be very dangerous if they are not used in the right way. People should follow the firework code.”

The T-shirt

Despite finding himself making headlines once again, Balotelli scored the first two goals in what proved to be a 6-1 demolition of rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford in the aforementioned derby fixture, leading to one of the most famous goal celebrations in Premier League history.

“Why always me?”, indeed.

The pet pig

What do you get the man who has everything? Why a pet micro pig, of course — and that is precisely what Balotelli announced he had taken delivery of in 2014 when an adorable little oinker by the name of Super came into his life.

The statue

With a pig running loose about the house, Balotelli obviously felt the need to further feather his nest with a large bronze statue of himself.

According to Brescia-based artist Livio Scarpella, the striker commissioned an effigy of himself in full “Power Flex” mode — a nod to the iconic shirtless goal celebration he hit after scoring for Italy against Germany in the semifinals of Euro 2012.

“I received the commission, but have never actually met Balotelli, so I am working from photographs,” Scarpella said. “I presented various sketches, but Mario wanted to be immortalised in the pose after the goal: muscles in evidence and an expression to challenge the opponents.

Unfortunately it would appear that the statue never materialised, so we can only imagine how tasteful and subtle it might have been.

The selfie celebration

No stranger to a goal celebration, Balotelli had his third viral smash hit in 2019 when he scored for Marseille against Saint-Étienne and then proceeded to retrieve a mobile phone from behind the goal and mark the occasion with a group selfie.

The pasta incident

After departing Liverpool under something of a cloud, Balotelli got off to a flying start with Nice by scoring a raft of goals in Ligue 1. However, while his form improved drastically, tales of his previous antics continued to surface.

In 2016, Balotelli’s former Italy U21 teammate Salvatore Bocchetti claimed that the striker tried to start a food fight during a meal with the squad.

“One day were were eating in the dining room with the rest of the squad,” the then-Spartak Moscow defender told Russian television show Kul’t Tura. “Balotelli arrived and he just throw a plate of pasta into the face of Marco Motta!

“He’s a good player but he’s got no head! He’s crazy! He’s got no brain.”

The Puskas nomination

As well as his often overlooked Ballon d’Or nod in 2012, it is also worth remembering that Balotelli was also shortlisted for the Puskas Award thanks to the extraordinary rabona goal he scored for Adana Demirspor in 2022.

Balotelli’s fancy effort eventually finished fourth in the running with Polish amputee player Marcin Oleksy winning the 2022 Puskas Award for his incredible volley.

The fireworks (Part II)

Having obviously failed to heed the lessons of 2011, Balotelli undermined his position as City’s chief firework safety officer when he was filmed throwing lit firecrackers around in the Adana Demirspor dressing room.

The haircuts

From fluffy tufts to high-rise mohawks, Balotelli has worn many weird and wonderful coifs but perhaps the most elaborate of them all came in 2019 when the Italian unveiled a new tinted warrior braid arrangement which he accessorized with a cluster of dainty silver earrings.





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