In a season where there will be plenty of wild cards, Dallas just might be the wildest of them all. With the long-awaited return of Kristaps Porzingis, no one knows exactly how this season is going to turn out for the Mavericks. If Porzingis is — or will be — back to normal, there may
3:30 PM ET ESPN News Services The NBA is looking to further crack down on tampering, proposing a new top fine of $10 million for teams conducting the practice, according to a league memo obtained by ESPN. Other maximum-fine levels could be raised significantly as well, provided the league’s board of governors approves the measures
This past summer, the NBA liquefied from a league of super-teams (and wannabe super-teams) to a league of duos. Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors’ championship not only ended an era in Golden State but also may have ended an era in the league altogether. To borrow from Daryl Morey’s Evernote, talent is still the
12:00 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — The Raptors say a new line of team-branded hijabs is part of an effort to be more inclusive to fans of all cultures. The team’s parent company, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, unveiled the Nike Pro hijabs emblazoned with the team logo in a social media post Friday.
The New York Knicks enter 2019-20 hoping for development and cohesion. As recently as this time last year, the Knicks expected to enter the season with at least one cornerstone piece in Kristaps Porzingis, a free agent superstar and a lottery pick added to the roster. Instead, the team experienced tremendous turnover, returning only six
8:21 PM ET Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan has agreed to sell a portion of the team to a pair of investors, the team announced in a release Saturday. The sale is pending NBA approval. Terms of the deal have not been released. Jordan is bringing in Gabe Plotkin, a founder of Melvin Capital, and
The rest of the world may have caught up to Team USA basketball, but before we blame this loss on external forces, it’s time we face a few harsh internal realities. After Team USA lost its second consecutive game at the FIBA World Cup, Kobe Bryant opined that international competition would never again be a
John Stockton’s short shorts were not with the times, but much like Stockton’s career itself, their length never wavered throughout the 1990s. I attended elementary school in the early to mid-1990s, and I still remember being made fun of for a pair of jean shorts that, despite touching the top of my knee caps, was
5:18 PM ET On behalf of certified player agents, the National Basketball Players Association is sending a signed letter to the NCAA that refuses to submit to a proposed certification process to work with undergraduate men’s basketball players “testing the waters” for the NBA draft. The NBPA has been communicating with NCAA officials in recent
The Phoenix Suns have had a bad go of it. In five years, the Suns have managed just 126 wins, tied with the Knicks for the fewest in the NBA over that span. With the exit of Steve Nash in 2012, the team found themselves in a pit that they have yet to dig themselves
7:58 AM ET BEIJING — After finishing seventh in the FIBA World Cup with a victory over Poland on Saturday, Team USA coach Gregg Popovich issued a rebuke for those criticizing his team for its worst-ever showing in a major event. “Some people want to play the blame game, there’s no blame to be placed
The Clippers added two elite two-way perimeter stars but neither Paul George or Kawhi Leonard has much track record as a passer. Could this be a problem? After a summer full of seismic shifts and full-out Steve Ballmer enthusiasm, the Clippers are entering the 2019-20 season as favorites to win the title. And those high
5:48 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — New Jersey’s governor has signed a bill allowing Atlantic City’s Golden Nugget casino to accept bets on most National Basketball Association games. Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta owns the casino — and also owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets. When New Jersey lawmakers legalized sports betting last year,
Sometime in July, the internet unanimously crowned the Atlanta Hawks as basketball’s newest darlings — everybody’s favorite upstart, League Pass-worthy, fun-as-heck roster that could shock the world and make a postseason bid through high-tempo and athletically electric hoops. Although such claims may, in truth, be premature — at heart, the sport does love a good
4:53 PM ET The New Orleans Pelicans have named Jeff Bzdelik an associate coach for defense and promoted Chris Finch to associate head coach for the offense, the team announced Friday. Bzdelik, 66, worked the past three seasons with the Houston Rockets and received credit for the team’s defensive turnaround. He began a stint as
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 05: (L-R) Kyle Kuzma #21, Kemba Walker #26 and head coach Gregg Popovich of the 2019 USA Men’s National Team talk during a practice session at the 2019 USA Basketball Men’s National Team World Cup minicamp at the Mendenhall Center at UNLV on August 5, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
8:31 AM ET BEIJING — After a clutch performance Friday, Marc Gasol has a chance to pull off the rare double of winning an NBA championship and a FIBA World Cup title in the same summer. Gasol scored 33 points and made four crucial free throws in Spain’s 95-88 double-overtime victory over Australia in the
Sometime in July, the internet unanimously crowned the Atlanta Hawks as basketball’s newest darlings — everybody’s favorite upstart, League Pass-worthy, fun-as-heck roster that could shock the world and make a postseason bid through high-tempo and athletically electric hoops. Although such claims may, in truth, be premature — at heart, the sport does love a good
The Phoenix Suns have leaned into the chaos, firing head coach Igor Kokoskov after just one season. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Phoenix Suns have decided to fire head Igor Kokoskov, who lead the team to a 19-63 record in his first season. Before joining Phoenix, Kokoskov spent 18 years as an assistant with
Aug 12, 2019 The NBA 2K League announced on Thursday that Heat Check Gaming power forward Basil “24K Dropoff” Rose was dismissed and disqualified from joining any of the league’s teams for breaking the league’s gambling policy. In a release from the league, an investigation determined that Rose provided inside information to somebody he “knew
Why do NBA Draft prospects fail? Our four-part series looks at the 2011-2015 NBA Drafts and why the prospects who busted didn’t make it. Part one looked at functional strength. Part two looked at skill development. Part three looked at intelligence and decision-making. Part four wraps up by looking at some unique cases that we can
Joe Alexander was a workout warrior prior to being taken early in the lottery of the 2008 NBA Draft but his potential never came through. Scouting is not easy. Year-by-year hundreds of people within NBA organizations are tasked with combing through hours of game film and pages of notes breaking down the next crop of
The 76ers came out with exactly the sort of urgency and purpose that should be expected of a home team on the brink of elimination to force a Game 7. The series history suggested the Philadelphia 76ers would respond after getting blown out in Toronto in Game 5. More than that, however, it was the
1:38 PM ET The Detroit Pistons and veteran swingman Joe Johnson have agreed to terms on a deal, according to ESPN and multiple reports. Johnson, 38, last played in the NBA in the 2017-18 season. He recently was named the MVP of the BIG3 and led his team, the Triplets, to the league championship. Johnson
Sometime in July, the internet unanimously crowned the Atlanta Hawks as basketball’s newest darlings — everybody’s favorite upstart, League Pass-worthy, fun-as-heck roster that could shock the world and make a postseason bid through high-tempo and athletically electric hoops. Although such claims may, in truth, be premature — at heart, the sport does love a good
Previewing the first-round series between the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic with shot charts, assist maps, offensive style charts and expected win probabilities. Shot charts In the first season without DeMar DeRozan and Dwane Casey, the new-look Toronto Raptors have ripped off another excellent season, finishing with 58 wins. Following an increasing trend from the
8:45 PM ET France’s historic FIBA World Cup victory over Team USA on Wednesday left a lot of fans wondering how a roster full of American NBA players could lose in the quarterfinals of an international basketball tournament. While the 89-79 defeat was disappointing for the Americans, it wasn’t surprising. This version of Team USA
Kia Nurse and Napheesa Collier, both All-Stars for the first time in 2019, are leading a new generation of UConn greats in the WNBA. For former University of Connecticut stars in the WNBA, college was about the pursuit of perfection. Most Huskies began their professional careers as leaders, their success as amateurs shocking even to
9:38 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James‘ attempt to trademark the term “Taco Tuesday” has been denied. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday refused the application filed by James’ company LBJ Trademarks, explaining that “Taco Tuesday” is “a commonplace term.” “The applied-for mark is a commonplace term, message, or expression widely
Why do NBA Draft prospects fail? Our four-part series looks at the 2011-2015 NBA Drafts and why they didn’t make it. Part one looked at functional strength. Part two looked at skill development. Part three focuses on the mental game: awareness and decision-making. In parts one and two of this series, we addressed tangible reasons for