11:44 AM ET A severe injury has been ruled out for Zion Williamson‘s right knee, but he is expected to miss a period of weeks to start regular season, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pelicans traveled to New York to take on the Knicks on Friday, but Williamson did not make the trip.
Month: October 2019
Once upon a time, during a routine, regular season game, a well-regarded shooter was left alone for a corner three. Iman Shumpert, then with Cleveland, rushed to a hard closeout. Seeing Shumpert off balance, the shooter blew by him. After the play, LeBron James criticized Shumpert for his overaggression. Shump, understandably, was confused – he’s
12:11 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN MILWAUKEE — Two things stood out to Giannis Antetokounmpo as he glanced at the stat sheet while addressing media members Thursday night following the completion of the Milwaukee Bucks‘ first undefeated preseason since 1997: 3-pointers and turnovers. Despite the Bucks committing 21 turnovers and going 11-for-40 (27.5%) from 3 in
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 11: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards smiles during the second quarter of their game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 11, 2019 in New York City. (NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph,
8:06 PM ET Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes and his wife and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Malik Jackson have offered to pay for the funeral of a Fort Worth, Texas, woman killed in her home by a police officer last week. Atatiana Jefferson, 28, was taking care of her 8-year-old nephew Saturday when a police
Carsen Edwards gets annoyed when people spell his name wrong. Maybe after Tuesday night’s shooting clinic in Cleveland, that won’t happen anymore. In the first half of the Boston Celtics’ preseason finale, the 5-foot-11 rookie had four points, was in foul trouble and just looked out of rhythm after he got bumped in the head
7:26 AM ET In a commitment carrying leaguewide ramifications, Washington Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal has agreed to extend his deal for two years on a $72 million maximum contract, agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told ESPN on Thursday morning. Beal’s extension, which will begin with the 2021-22 season, includes a player option for
Site experts in the FanSided NBA Network weigh in on the biggest questions for the 2019-20 NBA season. With the 2019-20 NBA season just days away we’ve turned to the FanSided NBA Network and our site experts to help us answer some of the biggest preseason questions. In all, 25 experts made their picks on
3:44 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis scanned the halftime stats Wednesday night in his debut playing at Staples Center in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform and noticed an uneven equation: He had only six points on 2-for-4 shooting, yet the Lakers were up 26 points on the Golden State Warriors. He told LeBron
Carsen Edwards gets annoyed when people spell his name wrong. Maybe after Tuesday night’s shooting clinic in Cleveland, that won’t happen anymore. In the first half of the Boston Celtics’ preseason finale, the 5-foot-11 rookie had four points, was in foul trouble and just looked out of rhythm after he got bumped in the head
6:41 PM ET BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari came out strongly against the idea that the NBA would consider expanding beyond its current draft format, which includes two rounds. Speaking at the SEC Tipoff event on Wednesday afternoon, Calipari argued that the more rounds wouldn’t be for the NBA but rather to
Every October, the collective NBA intelligentsia generates a consensus on what we know to be true about the impending season. The track record isn’t great. In 1991, we knew we’d be getting Magic Johnson vs. Michael Jordan for years to come. In 1994, we knew the NBA was doomed. In 1995, we knew we better
8:02 AM ET Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is weighing a maximum contract extension from Sacramento or entering free agency after the season. Bogdanovic told The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday that he has received a four-year, $51.4 million extension offer but has not decided whether he will sign it. “They did, but we will wait
It’s hard to look at the New York Knicks after this summer and not see the glass half-empty. In fact, it’s hard to look at the glass and think it’s anything but empty. After they traded Kristaps Porzingis — who was the franchise’s biggest break in years — they bet the moon on winning both
10:43 PM ET ESPN News Services From Larry Bird to Ray Allen, the Boston Celtics have suited up some of the best perimeter shooters in NBA history. None of them ever had a hotter hand from behind the arc in a quarter than rookie Carsen Edwards on Tuesday night. Edwards made eight 3-pointers and scored
Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson talk about all things NBA, including what made Kobe Bryant so great: He’s a well-calculated psychopath on the hardwood. It’s not just the great play on the hardwood that makes the NBA so captivating. A lot of the league’s popularity comes from the men playing in those basketball games, on
7:34 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James said Tuesday he had not seen reports of protesters in Hong Kong trampling on his jerseys and even watching one burn following his comments about Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet that sparked turmoil and tension between China and the NBA. A day after saying
The NBA preseason is in full swing and teams around the league are shaking off the rust in exhibition games that may or may not be televised. Trying to make a meaningful assessment based on preseason play is a fool’s errand, but the games can be useful to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses that may factor
Daryl Morey’s tweet heard ’round the world sparked international upheaval, spanning the issues of geopolitical diplomacy, censorship, human rights and, of course, basketball. Before delving into the controversy itself, here’s a brief background of the why and the what: Since June, protests have run rampant in Hong Kong, gradually becoming more violent over time. The
9:08 AM ET Andre SnellingsESPN Three seasons ago, after Kevin Durant left the Thunder to play for the Warriors, Russell Westbrook went nuts on the court. He would go on to post then-career highs in scoring (31.6 PPG), rebounds (10.7 RPG) and assists (10.4 APG) in one of the greatest individual statistical seasons in NBA
The Oklahoma City Thunder are beginning a new chapter in 2019-20. Here are their five biggest questions for the upcoming season. 1. By the end of this season, it will be clear that Shai-Gilgeous Alexander is . A legitimate franchise
9:50 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James believes Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey “wasn’t educated” before he sent the tweet in support of antigovernment protesters in Hong Kong that damaged relations between China and the NBA. Speaking to the media for the first time since Morey’s tweet on Oct. 4 set off a
Being a number one overall draft pick in the NBA instantly puts a target on your back. Expectations come with that as well, fair or not. Andrew Wiggins has had a roller coaster ride since being taken with the top pick in the 2014 draft. After three years of promise, he has tapered off in
3:24 PM ET NBA commissioner Adam Silver held a tense meeting with players from the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers last week when he arrived in Shanghai, sources told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols. During the meeting, sources said several prominent players also voiced frustration about what they perceived as being put in the middle of
Will Kawhi Leonard’s load-management plan with the Toronto Raptors spur a wave of copycats during the 2019-20 NBA season? Kawhi Leonard might be a trendsetter. The Toronto Raptors held Leonard out for 14 games last year for “load management,” according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, as he attempted to put a mysterious quadriceps injury
3:20 PM ET San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Sunday responded to criticism from Donald Trump, praising NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s handling of the ongoing China issue as compared to the president’s relationship to a number of foreign leaders. “[Silver] stood by our nation and its principles. That’s pretty huge in these days,” Popovich
For the better part of the last decade, Jeff Teague has been a mainstay of the NBA point guard crop. He is the consummate professional every team desires to have, drawing on a track record of unselfishness and availability on the floor while also providing leadership and guidance away from it. Between 2011 and 2018,
3:34 PM ET Key Houston Rockets reserve swingman Gerald Green is believed to have suffered a broken left foot and is expected to miss an extended stretch, league sources confirmed. Sources said that Green, who was injured during the Rockets’ preseason win Thursday over the Toronto Raptors in Japan, will get more medical opinions on
Coming off a 19-win season and a summer of change, how should the rebuilding Phoenix Suns define success for the 2019-20 NBA season? The Phoenix Suns enter the 2019-20 NBA season in a different, yet extremely familiar position: coming off a summer of incremental changes framed as a reboot, hoping this time will be different.
5:52 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — As Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry gets ready to enter his 11th NBA season, he does so with those around him believing that he is at the ‘peak’ of his basketball powers. Warriors coach Steve Kerr has reiterated throughout training camp that he is not expecting Curry to