Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is taking his talents to television, but he isn’t retiring just yet — and it’s all thanks to Charles Barkley. Charles Barkley hasn’t played in the NBA for 22 years, but he still practices an art form he perfected long ago: the finesse of talking trash. Barkley is often
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8:00 AM ET The Phoenix Suns won their 10th straight game on Sunday, cementing Monty Williams’ spot as head coach of the NBA All-Star Game’s Team LeBron as he leads the top squad in the Western Conference. The 40-9 Suns sit atop the NBA, ahead of the West rival Golden State Warriors, who own the
The fact that Rudy Gobert got more media votes, more player votes and a higher player rank than Andrew Wiggins proves that NBA All-Star voting is broken. By all meaningful voting metrics, Rudy Gobert is universally considered to be a better player than Andrew Wiggins. During voting for the NBA All-Star roster, Gobert received more
9:57 PM ET There’s fear that Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles suffered a significant left knee injury in Sunday’s game in Minnesota and the team will await results of an MRI set for Monday to learn the full extent of the injury, sources told ESPN. Ingles’ knee buckled on a drive to the basket, causing
While Toronto Raptors fans may have been somewhat stressed, head coach Nick Nurse was put through the wringer in Toronto’s win over the Miami Heat. Most casual NBA fans probably thoroughly enjoyed watching the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat battle back and forth through multiple overtimes as Toronto eventually won 124-120. Raptors fans and Heat
12:11 PM ET ATLANTA — Lakers star LeBron James flew back to Los Angeles on Saturday for treatment on his ailing left knee and will not be with the team for the end of its six-game road trip against the Hawks on Sunday, according to Lakers coach Frank Vogel. James underwent an MRI that revealed
Julius Randle, New York Knicks. (Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports) Chiefs: Brittany Matthews turns champagne criticism into a positive by Mark Powell New York Knicks star Julius Randle got a fan ejected in Miami for incredibly soft heckling. Julius Randle got a New York Knicks fan ejected from a game for simply heckling facts
8:14 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden was held out of Saturday night’s game vs. the Golden State Warriors after an MRI on his right hand revealed a strain, coach Steve Nash said. Nash said it’s an injury that has been bothering the 32-year-old Harden for several days. “James’ hand has
Photo by Michelle Farsi/Getty Images Projected college basketball rankings after Kentucky thrashes Kansas by Cody Williams James Harden was ruled out of the Brooklyn Nets’ game against the Golden State Warriors due to a hand injury. Entering Saturday, Jan. 29, the Brooklyn Nets were on a three-game losing streak. To end it as early as
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 Cavaliers kept rolling Monday night with a 95-93 win over the New York Knicks. It was a typical Cavs’ win — suffocating defense paired with well-rounded offense and
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 NBA All-Starters will be announced tonight, with reserves to follow on Feb. 3. There are sure to be some surprises as the rosters are filled out but one
8:37 PM ET DALLAS — Mavericks power forward/center Kristaps Porzingis exited Sunday’s game against the Indiana Pacers in the second quarter due to soreness in his surgically repaired right knee. The 7-foot-3 Porzingis underwent surgery during the 2020 offseason to address a lateral meniscus injury in that knee, which caused him to sit the final
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 14: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after making a three point basket to break Ray Allen’s record for the most all-time against the New York Knicks during their game at Madison Square Garden on December 14, 2021 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User
Making picks for the NBA All-Star Team is hard. But what if we were only picking from players who wear t-shirts under their jerseys? The 2021-22 NBA All-Star Game starters will be announced Thursday night on TNT, and the reserves will be revealed on Thursday, Feb. 3. But here’s an important question: if there was
2:30 PM ET Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a right ankle sprain and will be sidelined at least through the All-Star Break, the team said on Saturday. The Thunder said he will be reevaluated after the break in mid-February. Gilgeous-Alexander was injured early in the third quarter of the Thunder’s 113-110 overtime loss
Despite a loss on national television to the Charlotte Hornets, NBA fans were relieved to see a throwback performance from Russell Westbrook. Where has this version of Westbrook been so far this season? Brodie has struggled with the Lakers, so much so they’d consider trading him for virtually nothing. Westbrook has been so bad it’s
12:52 AM ET ESPN News Services NEW ORLEANS — Nikola Jokic scored 22 of his 29 points in the second half to go with 13 rebounds and 10 assists as the Denver Nuggets held off the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 116-105 on Friday night. It was the reigning NBA MVP’s sixth triple-double in January, tied
The Philadelphia 76ers fan who was ejected from game after verbal altercation with Carmelo Anthony claims he did not use a racial slur. During the Jan. 27 game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers went viral due to an altercation between Carmelo Anthony and a fan. Anthony was incensed with a Sixers fan
7:47 PM ET Less than 2 weeks after being a 50-1 longshot to win NBA MVP, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid is now the favorite (+260) at Caesars Sportsbook. Embiid, listed at 50-1 on January 16, is in the midst of a 16-game stretch in which he is averaging 34 points and 10 rebounds per
Andrew Wiggins is set to be a starter for the NBA All-Star game and folks on Twitter aren’t exactly thrilled with the NBA’s voting process. The NBA All-Star starting lineup has been announced and people online aren’t all that happy about the way this year’s lineup looks. There’s one particular player that people have gotten
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 starters were revealed last night and the inclusion of Andrew Wiggins was really the only surprise. But as each roster gets filled out with reserves (announced Feb.
2:16 PM ET The Sacramento Kings — one of the most aggressive teams in the trade market and once an eager suitor for Philadelphia‘s Ben Simmons — have ended their pursuit of a deal with the 76ers and turned elsewhere in trade talks, sources told ESPN on Friday. Inside of two weeks until the Feb.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 27: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against Isaiah Joe #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph,
8:42 PM ET It’s almost time for the NBA’s midseason showcase. The 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend is set for Feb. 18-20 in Cleveland, and as of Thursday, the starters and captains are now known. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) again will be the captains of the two teams in this
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 27: Carmelo Anthony #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The 2022 NBA All-Star Game is just a few weeks away, and on Thursday night the NBA will reveal the 10 players voted in as starters along with the two All-Star captains who will draft their teams for the eventual showdown in Cleveland on Feb. 20. As of the last
After an enthralling 35-point comeback, the Los Angeles Clippers celebrate the unexpected win over the Washington Wizards with plenty of dunking. Clippers guard Luke Kennard hit a three-point buzzer-beater as the home crowd went wild. Drawing a foul, the Clippers ended their Jan. 25 game against the Wizards 116-115, the victory going to the underestimated
8:00 AM ET IT WAS THE start of the fourth quarter and the Boomers, the Australian Olympic team, were in a tight game against Italy in an important group stage match. The Aussies had inched ahead and a finishing kick would guarantee advancement to the medal round. Coach Brian Goorjian peered down the bench, looking
The NBA All-Star Game is fast approaching. Which players from the West deserve a spot on this year’s roster, and which ones just miss the cut? The NBA All-Star Game is less than a month away, which means it’s time to determine which players deserve to participate in this year’s contest. Last week, we cast
10:53 PM ET ESPN News Services INDIANAPOLIS — Charlotte coach James Borrego gave his players a simple instruction Wednesday night: let it fly. The Hornets didn’t disappoint. They made 24 3-pointers, broke the franchise’s single-game scoring record and produced the highest point total in the NBA this season with a 158-126 win over the Indiana