10:51 AM ET California high school star Jalen Green, the No. 1 prospect in the 2020 ESPN 100, is making the leap to a reshaped NBA professional pathway program — a G League initiative that will pay elite prospects $500,000-plus and provide a one-year development program outside of the minor league’s traditional team structure, sources
Month: April 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting everyone around the world, and the Utah Jazz certainly aren’t exempt. If the impasse between Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell is legit, here are five Gobert trades that might make sense. Rarely do we find the Utah Jazz at the center of the league’s discord. But in today’s climate, many
Many of us are coping with quarantine and social isolation by spending a lot more time in the kitchen. Here, the staff of The Step Back shares some of their favorite NBA-themed recipes. At The Step Back, our brilliant and creative team of basketball writers have been managing this period of quarantine, social isolation and
Cole Anthony’s NBA draft stock plummeted with a difficult season at UNC. However, a different role in the NBA could let him thrive. When scouting prospects, one of the more difficult tasks to decipher is scalability. Most prospects receive more touches in college than in the NBA, and as a result, see a dip in
8:33 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The world will get to see “The Last Dance,” starting this weekend. But Michael Jordan and the rest of the Chicago Bulls knew 1997-98 would be their last dance together from the very beginning of that championship season. Speaking to “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts on Thursday, Jordan said
12:26 PM ET Gregg Popovich delivered a powerful message in a conference call with a group of local workers who needed it more than most this week. Popovich, ever quick with a dig and a quip publicly, dug into his arsenal of stories from “some tough games” to provide the staff of the San Antonio
Even if the NBA regular season is canceled, we’ve seen enough to start assessing the first seasons of notable rookies. What did the Memphis Grizzlies see from Brandon Clarke? The young Grizzlies’ core gelled into a playoff contender more quickly than anyone anticipated, turning all their optimistic upside into a 32-33 record and a hold
2:35 PM ET For five-time NBA champion Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the parallels between the coronavirus pandemic and the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the early 1990s are apparent. “The same issues we had then, we have now where bad information, myth about ‘it couldn’t happen to us in the black community,’ not being educated enough
This week, Basketball Insiders is taking a look at various positions among players in the NBA and ranking who is the best of the best. Our writers have previously used very specific guidelines to rank the best players by position in the NBA. Today, we’re taking a look at the point guards. The floor generals.
12:06 PM ET The Chinese Basketball Association is facing another setback in its efforts to resume play in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Sources told ESPN that league officials met overnight to discuss the fate of its season, which has been on hold since Jan. 24, and elected to postpone its schedule again, this
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 14: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in the Rose Garden at the White House April 14, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump announced that he is halting funding for World Health Organization WHO. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) MLB teams
8:16 AM ET Who is Michael Jordan‘s real competition for the greatest NBA player of all time? MJ’s last championship run with the Chicago Bulls is captured in “The Last Dance,” a 10-part documentary series debuting on ESPN on Sunday (9 p.m. ET). That sixth and final title helped Jordan earn a strong claim for
11:04 AM ET Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books Nick Friedell Close ESPN Staff Writer Nick Friedell is the Chicago Bulls beat reporter for ESPN Chicago. Friedell is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse
8:58 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri said Monday night that while his relationship with former coach Dwane Casey has significantly improved but there is “still plenty of work to be done” for him to get to the same place with former franchise icon DeMar DeRozan after he fired Casey and traded
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 24: Vanessa Laine Bryant (L) and Kobe Bryant attend the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 24, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/VF19/Getty Images for VF) Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty doubts 2019-20
The Timberwolves released a statement today, announcing the passing of Jacqueline Towns, the mother of star center Karl-Anthony Towns. She had been hospitalized with symptoms related to COVID-19 since late last month. We’ll all be keeping the Towns family and the frontline medical workers who worked so hard to care for her in our thoughts.
3:45 PM ET Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, the mother of Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, has died due to complications from the coronavirus, her family said Monday. She was 58. “Jackie was many things to many people — a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend,” the Towns family said in a statement. “The matriarch of
8:09 AM ET The Chicago Bulls suspected the 1997-98 season would be their last run together. For all the championships and success with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson, there was a feeling among many in the organization that the good times had run their course. That season is captured in “The Last Dance,”
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. Something is rotten in the state of Utah. At least that’s the implication from a variety of reports and rumblings that fomented over the past few days. On
Keyontae Johnson hasn’t gotten much attention but he has the tools to be one of the most impactful wings in the NBA Draft 2020 class. The absence of buzz surrounding Keyontae Johnson is strange. The NBA and the mainstream scouting consensus adores athletic tools, so much so that a prospect like James Wiseman is slated
8:55 AM ET It’s time for the ninth annual Luke Walton All-Stars — a tribute to guys who fight for their NBA lives before landing in a role that suits them. (Read about the origins of the column here.) Erik Spoelstra sat with Robinson before Miami sent him to the G League last season, and
9:00 PM ET Four players remain in the NBA HORSE Challenge after a first round that saw Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young, 2020 Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings, 2008 NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce and Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Chris Paul knocked out of the tournament. That sets up a final four that will include
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 08: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate his basket and LA Clippers foul during a 112-103 Lakers win at Staples Center on March 08, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
9:34 AM ET The NBA HORSE tournament is finally here (7 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN), but which player has the best chance to bring home the title? Can the active NBA stars reign supreme in this playground shooting exhibition? The WNBA will send Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings and two-time 3-point champion Allie Quigley,
This week, Basketball Insiders is taking a look at various positions among players in the NBA and ranking who is the best of the best. Our writers have previously used very specific guidelines to rank the best players by position in the NBA. Today, we’re taking a look at the point guards. The floor generals.
After a bland first three games of the players-only NBA 2K tournament, Patrick Beverley and his trash talk showed why it was a good idea in the first place. If you’re like me, watching other people play video games isn’t the most enjoyable way to spend your time. For a lot of people, the joy
12:39 AM ET At the end, a disgusted Patrick Beverley shed his headset and took a frustrated swipe toward the camera before leaving his gaming seat without much to say. It was one of the rare moments that the ultracompetitive LA Clippers guard was speechless. Despite being swept Saturday by Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton in the
Here’s everything you need to know, from results to reactions, from the semifinals and final of ESPN’s 16-seed NBA 2K Players Tournament. Actual NBA basketball can’t be played right now, but ESPN, the NBA and the NBA Player’s Association have teamed up to bring you the next best thing — digital hoops. The 16-seed tournament
11:51 PM ET The NBA 2K Players Tournament is over and Devin Booker is the best NBA 2K20 player in the league. Booker defeated Deandre Ayton 2-0 in an all-Phoenix Suns final on ESPN on Saturday night, earning bragging rights and a $100,000 donation to a charity of his choice for coronavirus relief. Booker went
This week, Basketball Insiders is taking a look at various positions among players in the NBA and ranking who is the best of the best. Our writers have previously used very specific guidelines to rank the best players by position in the NBA. Today, we’re taking a look at the point guards. The floor generals.