8:00 AM ET For the current generation of college basketball players, Kobe Bryant was an icon. They dreamed of one day playing the game the way he did. He inspired them. They idolized him. He was “The Mamba” and they wanted to emulate his work ethic. In some cases, he was also the motivation behind
Month: March 2020
To say the events of the past three or so weeks were irregular would be the understatement of the year. And during an already tragic year for the NBA, the league made the tough choice to postpone the season, prior to government intervention, on Wednesday, Mar. 11. In the two-plus weeks since the COVID-19 outbreak
Sam Hinkie was a visionary whose tanking plan hit the barriers of conventional wisdom. What would he do with a stalled-out 76ers squad now? Across the vast plains of internet and print, millions of words were poured over his reign as Philadelphia 76ers general manager. From the onset of his contrarian blueprint to the league-mandated
3:18 PM ET Fred “Curly” Neal, the face of the Harlem Globetrotters for 22 years, died Thursday morning in Houston at the age of 77, the team announced on Twitter. Neal, with his slick ballhandling skills, recognizable shaved head and playful banter, in 2008 became just the fifth Globetrotters player to have his jersey retired,
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 14: Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Kristaps Porzingis #6 looks on prior to the start of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 2019 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
8:53 AM ET Tim Bontemps Tim MacMahon Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM AS SOON AS the NBA season had been indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, Drew Hanlen’s phone lit up with a FaceTime call. It
12:54 PM ET USC freshman Onyeka Okongwu is entering the 2020 NBA draft, he announced Wednesday. “I am declaring for the draft, forgoing my final three years of school [and] planning on signing with an agent in the near future,” Okongwu told ESPN in a text message. Okongwu also posted a message to social media
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 27: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers sits on the bench injured during their game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 27, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User
5:54 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James taped a message of support and gratitude for UCLA health care workers Wednesday, joining a trend of athletes finding ways to support medical staffers on the front lines of the coronavirus. Athletes from around the world, from Pete Alonso to Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Stephen Curry, are
So, this is what the wasteland is like, huh? During 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, the titular character – aimlessly stuck in the barren desert sands and forever shooing his inner-demons – makes the best of a terrible situation. In short, Max helps others in need, survives a horrific storm and then releases the floodgates,
After missing much of his rookie season, Zion Williamson has proven to be worth the wait for NBA fans, combining grace and brutality in new ways night after night. In the fifth game of Zion Williamson‘s NBA career, against the Memphis Grizzlies, the New Orleans Pelicans phenom streaked along the baseline and jumped to receive
9:11 AM ET Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he hopes the NBA resumes playing games in May, saying that the league’s restart can help bring people together amid the coronavirus pandemic. In an interview published Tuesday by Dallas television station WFAA, Cuban cited “people I’ve talked to at the CDC and other places” for
Due to public pressure and Joel Embiid’s generosity, the Philadelphia 76ers have decided not to temporarily cut at-will employees’ salaries after all. Novel coronavirus has shut down most of the world, with the sports industry feeling the impact on a very public stage. When the NBA made the responsible decision to suspend its season, many
1:54 AM ET Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns says his mother has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Towns spoke about his mother’s condition in an emotional Instagram video Tuesday night, revealing she is in a coma and connected to a ventilator. He said he was told early last week that his mother was not feeling
So, this is what the wasteland is like, huh? During 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, the titular character – aimlessly stuck in the barren desert sands and forever shooing his inner-demons – makes the best of a terrible situation. In short, Max helps others in need, survives a horrific storm and then releases the floodgates,
Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images The top of the 2020 NBA Draft class is murky as ever following the cancellation of March Madness (and literally everything else), but our second mock draft has the New York Knicks picking first after winning a simulated lottery. Given the weird nature of the sports landscape right now, a
1:51 PM ET SEVENTY-TWO HOURS before the NBA shuttered its practice facilities to players, Denver Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly decided to streamline rounds of telephone conversations and text messages with his front office peers into a conference call. Most executives were working out of their homes, crisis managers on the front line
7:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN During the first 19 games of his career, Zion Williamson has put up numbers that have him in the company of legends Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan. His strong performance — averaging 23.6 points per game on 58.9% shooting — has led many to wonder if Williamson, even
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 18: The Raptor, mascot of the Toronto Raptors, relaxes in a chair during a break in the second half of an NBA game against the New York Knicks at Scotiabank Arena on March 18, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
9:09 PM ET The Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils have notified non-contracted employees they will be subject to pay cuts starting as soon as next month, sources confirmed to ESPN. Both teams are owned by billionaire Josh Harris. The cuts will affect full-time employees who make $50,000 or more and would go as high
11:33 AM ET NBA icon Charles Barkley, who announced 10 days ago that he was being tested for the coronavirus after falling ill, does not have COVID-19, he said Monday. “I’ve received my COVID-19 test results this morning and they are negative,” he said in a statement released by Turner Sports. “I’d like to thank
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Right now, we have no idea if the 2019-20 NBA season is actually over, or if the league will figure out some way to wedge an abbreviated version
8:47 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Before the NBA suspended its season due to the coronavirus pandemic, LeBron James posted his best weekend of the 2019-20 season. He put up 37 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks and reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and followed that with a 28-point, 8-rebound,
10:42 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN Rockets center P.J. Tucker, known for his longtime love of limited edition sneakers almost as much as for his 3-and-D role with Houston, will be opening his own sneaker boutique later this year. Tucker made the announcement Saturday during an Instagram Live Q&A with Nice Kicks. “We’re looking to do
DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 22: Cornerback Darius Slay #23 of the Detroit Lions jogs on the field on before a game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on December 22, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Lions 27-17. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) Ohio State adding Harvard grad transfer
2:17 PM ET ESPN.com Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print As the NBA season’s suspension due of the coronavirus pandemic continues, teams are running video game simulations of their remaining games and players are passing the time working out, shooting rolled-up socks into mini hoops and doing plenty of trash talking. And then there
12:42 PM ET The decision to continue or resume playing international basketball — even without fans — in some countries is causing concern and second-guessing in some places. Japan’s B League, which had just resumed play, has now announced it will again postpone its season, this time until April 1, after what the Japan Times
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 03: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers stands on the court in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at Staples Center on March 03, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this
6:48 AM ET It was late January, and Adam Tatalovich was in Istanbul. The Chinese Basketball Association was midway through its season, and the Lunar New Year celebration had given the assistant coach of the Guangzhou Loong Lions the time to take a long weekend trip. The CBA traditionally takes a few days off for
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the NBA putting its season on hold, Kevin Love donated $100,000 to the Cleveland Cavaliers staff. When Kevin Love’s career wraps up, we’ll remember him as an NBA champion, five-time all-star and an inside-out double-double machine who threw the best outlet passes since Wes Unseld. However, his greatest
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