Warriors re-sign guards Melton and Payton II

The Golden State Warriors re-signed free agent guards De'Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II on Saturday.

The moves to retain Melton and Payton mean that the Warriors will have 10 of the 12 players who had the most playing time last season back under contract for the 2026-27 season.

Golden State went 37-45 last season and missed the playoffs after losing to Phoenix in a play-in game.

The 28-year-old Melton appeared in 49 games last season, averaging a career-high 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists in 23.0 minutes per contest. He missed the first 22 games of the season to recover from a left knee injury that sidelined him for all but six games in his first season with Golden State in 2024-25.

Melton has played in 405 career games over eight seasons with the Warriors, Phoenix, Memphis and Philadelphia.

The 33-year-old Payton played in a career-high 73 games last season, averaging 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He led the team in shooting at 58.3 percent and has shot at least .560 from the floor in each of the last six seasons.

Wemby, Nike extend deal

French NBA star Victor Wembanyama has agreed to a contract extension with Nike that will include his own signature shoe, according to multiple reports last week.

ESPN and The Athletic, citing unnamed sources, reported the 22-year-old, 7-foot-4 (2.24-meter) San Antonio Spurs center will extend a deal that expires in October, but there were no details except ESPN's sources calling it a "long term" contract.

The move comes on the heels of Wembanyama signing a five-year maximum rookie contract extension worth $252 million with the Spurs in early July.

A video released by Nike and Wembanyama on Instagram shows an explosion in outer space settling into a logo shaped like an alien head made up of the letters V and W.

"We are proud to continue supporting Victor Wembanyama's journey with Nike," Nike said in a statement to The Athletic.

"As one of the most unique and influential athletes in the world, Victor is a generational talent who continues to inspire the game's next generation. We are excited about all that we've built together and look forward to more wins ahead."

Wembanyama, the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, was named last season's NBA Defensive Player of the Year, topping the league in blocked shots for a third consecutive campaign.

AFP