Pelicans center Willy Hernangomez credits his success to his family: his parents and siblings, his Spanish NBA mentors, and his New Orleans teammates. “Las cosas en equipo. Las cosas en familia. Saben mucho mejor.” Willy Hernangomez has tasted victory in a way few other professional athletes ever have. Willy wasn’t the first person to win
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The Over and Back NBA podcast is celebrating the NBA at 75 by rewatching some of the greatest Slam Dunk Contests in NBA history. In 1988, the NBA slam dunk contest was still trying to figure out exactly what it wanted to be. Early competitions featured some of the league’s top stars and legendary dunkers
4:55 PM ET Guard Jevon Carter plans to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks once he clears waivers, agents Mark Bartelstein and Reggie Brown of Priority Sports told ESPN on Tuesday. The Nets waived Carter upon reaching an agreement with free agent guard Goran Dragic on Monday. Carter is the second perimeter player this month to
Feb 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Team Durant center/forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dunks during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports What fast-food restaurants are open on President’s Day? by Amy Kaplan Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns is paying tribute to his mother with his shoes for
The 2022 NBA Slam Dunk Contest was another disaster in a long line of them. But I just can’t give up on the dunk contest yet. Saturday night’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest was not good. A litany of meandering preambles, missed attempts, and underwhelming finishes made for another in a long line of underwhelming dunk
2:12 PM ET New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has been absent from the court this season due to a foot injury, but according to JJ Redick, Williamson has been absent as a teammate his entire time in the NBA. “There’s a responsibility that you have as an athlete when you play a team sport
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.The 50-piece Giannis Antetokounmpo hung on the Indiana Pacers last night was noteworthy for more than a few reasons. It was the third 50-point game of his career and, on
Michael Jordan had a hilarious moment with fellow NBA75 inductee Magic Johnson, challenging the “old dog” to a legendary game of 1-on-1. The ultimate test of talent in basketball is this: defeating Michael Jordan in a game of 1-on-1. Although the Ball patriarch LaVar Ball has long claimed that he could defeat Jordan in a
8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders ESPN’s ranking of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team has been revealed. What did we get right and what did we get wrong about our countdown of the league’s 76 greatest legends? Michael Jordan tops the list, followed by LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain. The top 10
CLEVELAND, OHIO – FEBRUARY 20: Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, James Worthy, and Bob McAdoo pose for pictures after the introduction of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 20, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and
8:08 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul will be out for the next six to eight weeks due to an avulsion fracture in his right thumb, a source confirmed to ESPN. The injury is a massive blow to a Suns team with the league’s best record and knocks the All-Star
Former Boston Celtics teammates Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen had an awkward interaction at the NBA 75 ceremony at the All-Star Game. One of the highlights of the NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland was the introduction of the NBA 75 team, which features the top 75 players in the league’s history. Two of the players
8:00 AM ET NBA All-Star Weekend was a showcase of today’s superstars, but it was also a celebration of the best players throughout 75 years of league history. Earlier in the 2021-22 season, the NBA unveiled its 75th Anniversary Team, a squad full of iconic players representing different points in the evolution of basketball. But
LeBron James drained the game-winning shot right in front of the folks in Cleveland, which is the absolutely perfect way to end the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. One of the greatest things about sports is the storylines and the archetypes that are so often present in games, athletes, and careers. So, when a hero-turned-villain-turned-hero-turned maybe
12:53 PM ET Free agent guard Goran Dragic is signing for the rest of the season with the Brooklyn Nets, his agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Dragic began the season on the Toronto Raptors before he was sent to the San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline and subsequently had
11:19 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — The two kids from Akron stole the show at Sunday night’s All-Star Game. Stephen Curry put on a shooting clinic all evening, hitting 16 3-pointers and scoring 50 points, while LeBron James hit an absurd, one-legged turnaround jumper to clinch the victory for Team LeBron over Team Durant
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 11: Bronny James #0 of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers is greeted by his father and NBA player LeBron James after defeating the the Perry Pumas in the Hoophall West tournament at Footprint Center on December 11, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) LeBron James reopens door for potential
7:35 PM ET The 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend is in full force as the league’s biggest stars meet in Cleveland. This year’s edition saw multiple events with new formats — starting with Rising Stars Challenge that took place on Friday night. Saturday’s action is headlined by three events: the 3-point contest, slam dunk contest and
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 02: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts during a time-out from the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on November 02, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Pelicans 112-100. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by
CLEVELAND, OHIO – FEBRUARY 19: Stephen Curry and Ayesha Curry attend the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest as part of the 2022 NBA All Star Weekend at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 19, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting
11:00 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns demanded an answer as he bounded into the interview room following the 3-point contest at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Saturday night. “Who bet against me?” Towns asked with an ear-to-ear grin. Whoever did, lost. Towns, thanks to a record-setting 29 points in the
CLEVELAND, OHIO – FEBRUARY 19: Obi Toppin #1 of the New York Knicks holds up the trophy after winning the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest as part of the 2022 NBA All Star Weekend at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 19, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
11:12 PM ET CLEVELAND — Obi Toppin was the top dunker at NBA All-Star weekend. The New York Knicks forward went through the legs, tapped the ball off the backboard and finished with a one-handed slam to score a 47 on his final dunk and win NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He beat the Golden State
New York Knicks high-flier Obi Toppin used creativity to lift himself to the 2022 NBA Slam Dunk competition championship. The last time NBA All-Star Weekend emanated from Cleveland (1997), the weekend’s Slam Dunk Contest was so poorly received the NBA would cancel the contest completely, removing it from the weekend schedule for 1998. The contest would
6:44 PM ET LeBron James said the door is “not closed” on a potential return to the Cleveland Cavaliers and that his last season in the league “will be played with my son” in an interview with The Athletic ahead of Sunday’s All-Star game. James, who is back in Cleveland for his 18th appearance in
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 12: Ayo Dosunmu #12 of the Chicago Bulls against the Oklahoma City Thunder at United Center on February 12, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images
Luka Doncic landed at the top of our 25-under-25 rankings, two years in a row. To celebrate, The Step Back commissioned a pair of custom sneakers for him. For the past five years, FanSided’s NBA team at The Step Back has begun each new NBA season by ranking the 25 best young players in the
7:51 AM ET Brianna Williams The 2022 NBA All-Star Game is the 71st edition of the midseason showcase. While hosting the league’s biggest stars on one court has been a constant for several decades, save for 1999, due to the NBA lockout, much has transformed since the game’s beginning in 1951. One change that easily
Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis got dinged up when playing against the Utah Jazz. With his ankle injured, when will Davis be able to return? The Los Angeles Lakers are certainly having a, uh, season. Unfortunately for the Lakers and their fans, this particular season has been marred by injuries while certain members of
11:49 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — The Rising Stars Challenge became the latest part of All-Star Weekend to undergo a format change, and it was a success. The event, which features the top first- and second-year NBA players, employed an entirely new format this season. Rather than just being one game involving those players,