Clyde Drexler did not approve of Portland trading CJ McCollum and has a reminder for Damian Lillard. History has a way of repeating itself. In February of 1995, the Portland Trail Blazers were at a crossroads. They had been to the Finals twice with a group led by Clyde Drexler in 1990 and 1992, but
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Goran Dragic, Chicago Bulls. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports Goran Dragic was expected to be a buyout candidate after being traded to the Spurs. Now that he’s a free agent, these NBA teams could be great fits. The NBA Trade Deadline was exceptionally busy, punctuated with blockbuster deals such as James Harden and Ben
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 16: DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls drives against Donte DiVincenzo #0 of the Sacramento Kings in the first half on February 16, 2022 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting
7:01 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — San Antonio Spurs legend and four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili and WNBA legends Swin Cash and Lindsay Whalen headlined the 11 finalists from the North American and Women’s Committees for the Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2022. The other eight finalists were: former Los Angeles Laker Michael
The Over and Back NBA podcast is celebrating the NBA at 75 by rewatching some of the greatest Slam Dunk Contests in NBA history. The 1986 NBA slam-dunk contest is famous for being the night when spectacle took center stage. 5-foot-6 Atlanta Hawks point guard Michael Anthony Jerome “Spud” Webb probably wasn’t the night’s best
The life of an Army Veteran changed in a major way at the Charlotte Hornets game on Wednesday night. Talk about a night to remember for Army Veteran Forrest Severson and his wife Sarah. Severson, who will medically retire from the Army this month, was on hand for the contest between the Charlotte Hornets and
9:49 AM ET Four months into the season, the odds to win the NBA championship have seen significant change at the top. The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors, considered second-tier contenders to begin the season, enter the All-Star break as the favorites to win the NBA title at sportsbooks around the nation. Meanwhile, the
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. Most of the NBA is preparing to take a break for the All-Star festivities but everything else is popping off — awards races, budding rivalries, and more. To break
Because of injuries, vaccinations and dissatisfaction the Brooklyn Nets’ Big 3 only played 16 games together. How might we remember them if they made it to 17? To understand the suspension that is time, one must examine the spider web cables that hold and ensnare it. It is 2029 and the Memphis Grizzlies are about
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 Ben Simmons for James Harden swap has been completed and the ultimate perception of the trade will be based on how each team performs over the next 18
9:53 PM ET Anthony Davis will be out at least four weeks after an MRI showed that the Los Angeles Lakers star has a mid-foot sprain, the team announced Thursday. Davis suffered the injury in the team’s 106-101 win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. He underwent X-rays at Crypto.com Arena that revealed no fracture,
OAKLAND, CA – MAY 26: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts after a play against the Golden State Warriors during Game Six of the Western Conference Finals in the 2018 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on May 26, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading
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. NBA All-Star Weekend is just days away and will provide a welcome break for some teams looking to get healthy or integrate new pieces. For others, it may be
The Dallas Mavericks have turned their season around with one of the NBA’s best defenses, while Derrick White has given the Celtics exactly what they need. It wasn’t long ago that the Dallas Mavericks’ season, and a year of Luka Dončić’s prime, was on the brink of falling by the wayside. On December 30, Dallas
12:53 AM ET NEW YORK — As Tom Thibodeau watched his beleaguered Knicks blow a 28-point lead to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, even he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. The veteran coach flailed his arms and shook in apparent disbelief as he watched his team get outhustled down the stretch in
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. If you had spent much time reading scouting reports before the 2021 NBA Draft then you probably recognized the Golden State Warriors taking Jonathan Kuminga with the No. 7
8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN After Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid battled for the right to be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player all last season, it appears this year’s chase for the award could once again come down to the two All-Star big men. Embiid, after coming in second to Jokic in last year’s
Photo by Michelle Farsi/Getty Images After the fight: Daniel Jacobs and the end of a boxer’s road by Jeremy Herriges Kevin Durant had some fun on Twitter after the Brooklyn Nets roared back to beat the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden Wednesday evening. Kevin Durant got the last laugh after the Brooklyn Nets
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal. (Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports) Report: Mike McDaniel should quell Dolphins concerns about Tua Tagovailoa by John Buhler The Washington Wizards will have to play the rest of the season without Bradley Beal, who is set to undergo wrist surgery. The Wizards are in the middle of a major skid and
11:27 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis exited Wednesday night’s game against the Utah Jazz with a right ankle sprain and will not return. X-rays revealed no fracture, and according to the team, Davis will be re-evaluated after the upcoming All-Star break. Davis came down on Rudy Gobert‘s heel,
The Los Angeles Lakers are in dire need of more leadership from their stars including LeBron James according to Hall of Famer Laker James Worthy. Have the Los Angeles Lakers hit rock bottom? Hard to tell. The question has been asked frequently. Their current record, 26-31, 9th place in the Western Conference is statistically their
7:41 PM ET After missing two months due to an ankle injury, there’s optimism guard Derrick Rose will return to the New York Knicks‘ lineup out of the All-Star Break next week, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Rose has been progressing on the court for a return, and barring setbacks, there’s confidence he’ll be ready
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 12: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers takes a personal moment before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 12, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting
10:46 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the New York City vaccination mandate that is preventing Nets guard Kyrie Irving from playing in home games “doesn’t quite make sense to me” during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Wednesday morning. As an unvaccinated player against COVID-19, Irving cannot play at the
In light of the hamstring injury to 76ers guard James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen will be assuming his place in the NBA All-Star Game. It stung to see LeBron leave Cleveland (again) for Los Angeles, but this All-Star Weekend, Cavs fans now have a reason to cheer on Team LeBron despite his departure.
11:37 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points and made 17 of his 21 shots from the field Tuesday night to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 128-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers. The 21 attempts were the fourth fewest in a 50-point game in NBA history. It marked the first
Feb 15, 2022; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden practices at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Hollywood sign replaced to honor Rams Super Bowl 56 win by Alicia de Artola NBA Twitter could not believe what James Harden was wearing during the Philadelphia 76ers’ game against the
Here are the trade grades for the Indiana Pacers sending Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings in a multi-player deal involving Tyrese Haliburton. So the Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings made a deal with Domantas Sabonis going to Northern California and Tyrese Haliburton to the Hoosier State. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pacers sent Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb and a
3:42 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CAMDEN, New Jersey — James Harden on Tuesday said his newfound partnership with center Joel Embiid can deliver the Philadelphia 76ers their first championship in almost 40 years. “For me, it made sense, man,” Harden said of the blockbuster trade during his introductory news conference at the team’s practice facility.
In the aftermath of the blockbuster trade that sent Nets point guard James Harden to Philadelphia, those close to Kevin Durant reveal his trade involvement. In one season, the Nets Super Three fell apart like dominos. The team camaraderie that initially brought Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving dissolved during the 2021 season, and