6:57 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Julius Randle apologized in a statement on his Instagram account on Friday, saying that his thumbs-down gesture to Knicks fans during Thursday’s win over the Boston Celtics as well as his postgame remarks were “an example of how sometimes you say things you regret to people you
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Attending a Dallas Mavericks game may come back to haunt Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper. By sitting courtside alongside Dallas Cowboys teammate CeeDee Lamb to celebrate the iconic Dirk Nowitzki at a Dallas Mavericks game on Wednesday night, wide receiver Amari Cooper could be in trouble with the NFL. Because Cooper is an unvaccinated player, he could
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. Offenses have, in general, had a tough time this season and it’s about more than the endless shuffling of lineups as teams navigate a surge in COVID cases and
12:16 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant said he hasn’t had any extra conversations with teammate Kyrie Irving about getting a COVID-19 vaccination that would allow him to play in every game this season, not just most of the road games. Irving, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, returned to the
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 06: RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks drives against Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics during their game at Madison Square Garden on January 06, 2022 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph,
12:57 PM ET Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19. Kidd is the 13th NBA head coach to enter the protocols this season. Kidd tested positive Thursday night after the team traveled to Houston for the road game Friday against the Rockets. Assistant coach
Jan 6, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) gestures after making a basket against the Boston Celtics during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball ‘Manningcast’ featuring A-Rod sounds terrible by Scott Rogust Julius Randle gave New York
8:00 AM ET When the Los Angeles Lakers host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night (10 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App), the team and the NBA will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lakers’ 33-game winning streak in the 1971-72 season, regarded as one of the most unbreakable records in NBA history.
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. On Wednesday night, Stephen Curry put up his second-straight stinker, shooting 5-of-24 from the field and 1-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc in a 17-point loss to the Dallas
12:44 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Despite helping his team engineer a remarkable comeback from 25 points down against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, star forward Julius Randle wasn’t happy. Midway through the fourth quarter, Randle made a layup and, as he ran back to the other end
Nic Claxton has played fewer than 70 NBA games, but the Nets’ wiry big man could be the key that unlocks the best version of a title contender. Kevin Durant and James Harden excluded, the most crucial variable in Nets’ championship aspirations isn’t a former All-Star big man, a sharp-shooting wing or a mercurial, galaxy-brained
8:00 AM ET FOR MOST OF Monty Williams’ tenure coaching the Phoenix Suns, the downs have followed the ups. An 8-0 record in the NBA bubble two seasons ago still resulted in missing the play-in game to qualify for the postseason. Last season, making the franchise’s first Western Conference finals in a decade was met
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images The Long Two: Nets need Nic Claxton, Jalen Brunson helps lead the Mavs by Ben Ladner With an NBA expansion looking more and more likely, basketball fans in Seattle and Las Vegas are getting fired up about the future. While we may be in the middle of another exciting NBA
According to new reports, the Sacramento Kings are apparently open to trading two of their young guards for Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons. It seems the Sixers’ adamance about holding off on lowball Ben Simmons offers has finally paid off — or, at least, that’s the way it’s trending. The Kings have been popping
12:39 AM ET DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki watched and listened to two tribute videos and three high-profile speakers Wednesday night before he finally took his place behind the lectern, which featured “41 FOREVER” on the front and was set up in the center of the American Airlines Center court for a postgame ceremony in which
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Malik Monk has a specific strategy when it comes to tattoo sleeves — and it’s borrowed from Nick Young. Malik Monk is only 23 years old, but he’s quickly building a name for himself in the NBA as a former first-round pick and a Los Angeles Laker. But during that
11:46 AM ET INDIANAPOLIS — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving will make his season debut Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers — but Nets coach Steve Nash didn’t want to reveal whether Irving would start or come off the bench. No matter what Nash decides to do, he is confident that Irving will play “a
Former WNBA star and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon talks about leading her own professional basketball team with the Las Vegas Aces. Basketball star Becky Hammon has been circling the top as a candidate for leading professional basketball teams for years, but it was the Las Vegas Aces who finally gave her a
8:00 AM ET IT’S A FEW hours after dusk on a Monday in early December, and the Golden State Warriors‘ gleaming spaceship, the Chase Center, is about to transform into a vibrating dance party. The frenzy will be identical to those created by superstar Stephen Curry‘s one-man scoring blitzkriegs, but Curry will be swaying and
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 02: Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat dribbling the ball drives towards the basket on Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center on January 02, 2022 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
8:00 AM ET “Will Kyrie Irving play tonight?” is about to become a regular question throughout the rest of the 2021-22 NBA season. Irving, who is not vaccinated for COVID-19, hasn’t played because of the Brooklyn Nets‘ decision prior to the start of the regular season not to allow him to participate due to New
7:11 PM ET The Miami Heat have ruled out forward Jimmy Butler for Wednesday night’s game against the Trail Blazers in Portland. Butler injured his right ankle late in the third quarter of Monday night’s 115-108 loss to the Golden State Warriors. The Heat provided no other updates Tuesday beyond ruling him out against the
10:38 AM ET After missing four games in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams has been cleared and will join the team for Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Suns, at 28-8, have the second-best record in the league. Williams entered the league’s health and
Though Antonio Brown trying to get away from MetLife Stadium was a big subplot of yesterday, he never left New York after quitting the Bucs and football. Antonio Brown was the talk of the NFL on Sunday, but not for anything he did on the field — well, at least in terms of playing in
12:27 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane has heard the chatter about whether his backcourt mate, Ja Morant, should make his first All-Star Game this season. But after Morant’s latest dominant performance — 36 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and a game-high plus-24 in 33 minutes of a 118-104
4:20 PM ET After a two-year layoff with significant injuries, there’s optimism that Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson will make his return against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, sources told ESPN. A final decision on Thompson’s debut is expected to be made once the Warriors return from back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday in
The Rajon Rondo trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers got a little bigger after the Knicks trade for Denzel Valentine. It’s been a rather quiet transactional front so far in the NBA this season. While teams struggle to deal with how to properly handle COVID-19 without changing the rules on everyone, deals
4:20 PM ET After a two-year layoff with significant injuries, there’s optimism Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson will make his return against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, sources told ESPN. A final decision on Thompson’s debut is expected to be made once the Warriors return from back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday in Dallas
8:00 AM ET DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls ended 2021 with fireworks. They started 2022 with some too. The NBA’s leader in fourth-quarter scoring was at it again this past week, knocking down wild, buzzer-beating 3-pointers in back-to-back fashion to stun the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards. Thanks to DeRozan’s late-game heroics, the Bulls
10:03 PM ET ESPN News Services OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard Josh Giddey, back after missing three games while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double during Sunday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Giddey finished with 17 points, 14 assists