12:54 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard has received a contract extension amid Washington’s fast start to the season. Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced Wednesday that Sheppard and Sashi Brown signed multiyear extensions and received promotions. Sheppard now becomes president and GM of the Wizards. Brown, who has served as
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Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports The Warriors have been dominant early in the season and it’s become more obvious by the day that Golden State should be heavy NBA Championship favorites. Coming into Tuesday night’s trip to Barclays Center to face the surging Nets, the Golden State
Longtime Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard revealed how a conversation with LeBron James made him contemplate a move to the Lakers. Throughout his career, Damian Lillard has remained extremely loyal to the Portland Trail Blazers. However, when he and the team fell in the first round of the playoffs last year to a short-handed Nuggets team,
8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders Which underperforming teams should hit the panic button? The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and the team they beat to reach the Finals, the Atlanta Hawks, are both under .500 to start the season. Can the Bucks get healthy and begin a climb toward the top of the Eastern Conference, and
Cleveland Cavaliers rookie center Evan Mobley is expected to miss a few weeks due to a right elbow sprain suffered in a Nov. 15 game against the Celtics. When the Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Boston Celtics on Monday night, they were 9-5 this season. This season’s early success is largely due to Cavs rookie Evan
Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver was accused of racist, misogynistic behavior in a toxic workplace and now his wife has sent messages to former employees. While Phoenix Suns fans await any resolution to the bombshell report that alleged team owner Robert Sarver created a toxic workplace environment with rampant racism and misogyny from the executive,
12:42 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BROOKLYN, N.Y. — After the Brooklyn Nets were routed by the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night on their home floor, losing 117-99 to fall to 0-4 this season against the Warriors, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, Nets coach Steve Nash said his team doesn’t belong in the
The Warriors have the best record in the NBA but many people are still doubting them, something Klay Thompson and Golden State are feeding off of. It’s been a dream start to the 2021-22 season for the Golden State Warriors. Heading into their matchup against a familiar face, Kevin Durant, and the Nets on Tuesday
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 8 and is now entering NBA health and safety protocols. Forced to cope with the absence of Ben Simmons all season, Philadelphia’s Sixers have adapted accordingly, winning eight of their 10 games so far this season. Now, they’re set to lose another one
12:04 PM ET There’s growing optimism that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James — who has been out two weeks with an abdominal strain — could make his return against the Boston Celtics on Friday, sources told ESPN. James has been making good progress, and Friday’s meeting with the Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) looms
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Ricky Rubio delivered an exhilarating comeback win against the Detroit Pistons, showing the Team Spain version of himself. The Boston Celtics maybe 6-7, but they nearly had another win on Saturday night when facing the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers played up from behind, staging an incredible 91-89 comeback win at the
3:48 AM ET Jamal Collier LOS ANGELES — Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 38 points on Monday night to help lift Chicago to a 121-103 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, the fifth time in the past nine games he has notched at least 30 points. Even though DeRozan reached his season high
Washington Wizards small forward Kyle Kuzma finally answered the viral Cleveland news station who said Kuzma won an NBA Championship “thanks to LeBron.” The Wizards defeated the Cavaliers last Wednesday, but Kyle Kuzma and the city of Cleveland have been taking shots ever since. It all started on Wednesday, when Kuzma was in Rocket Mortgage
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. To be clear, the Oklahoma City Thunder offense is not good right now. Through nine games they’ve averaged just 98.0 points per 100 possessions, worse than any team but
10:26 PM ET In initial remarks made to Phoenix Suns employees Monday, lawyers from the New York-based Wachtell Lipton firm that’s investigating the team and majority owner Robert Sarver addressed concerns about retaliation, confidentiality and a timeline for completion, league sources told ESPN. Two attorneys from the firm — David Anders and Sarah Eddy —
The Detroit Pistons drafted Cade Cunningham to transform the franchise. The rookie is proving why patience will pay off in the long term. Cade Cunningham is starting to look more like the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft by the day. On Thursday, the Pistons guard put up 20 points in a win
4:18 PM ET The NBA has fined the Minnesota Timberwolves $250,000 for what it says was a violation of league rules that prevent teams “from arranging or paying for offseason practice or group workout sessions for their players outside a team’s home market.” According to the NBA, the violation occurred as the result of Timberwolves
Kelly Oubre Jr., Charlotte Hornets. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) Raiders punter AJ Cole auditions to play linebacker with hit-stick, forced fumble by Scott Rogust Kelly Oubre was not cool enough to keep his cool when battling his former Golden State teammate Steph Curry in Charlotte. Kelly Oubure may play for the Charlotte Hornets now,
8:00 AM ET The NBA’s last remaining one-loss team suffered its second defeat Sunday when the Golden State Warriors fell to the Charlotte Hornets. Stephen Curry kicked off the week with a 50-point performance against the Atlanta Hawks — and dropped 40 against the Chicago Bulls on Friday — but was 7-of-22 from the field
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 14: LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets drives to the basket while guarded by Damion Lee #1 of the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter during their game at Spectrum Center on November 14, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that,
In the final seconds of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Memphis Grizzlies game, Karl Anthony-Towns banks a buzzer-beater that sends Timberwolves to overtime. If there was ever a Hail Mary on the basketball court, it would be the shot Karl-Anthony Towns banked in at the final seconds of the Timberwolves-Grizzles game. With one second left on the shot
11:19 PM ET Kevin Durant‘s MVP-like start to the season continued Sunday with 33 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite a sore right shoulder. After helping the Brooklyn Nets beat the Thunder 120-96, Durant acknowledged that he is getting treatment on his shooting shoulder. He could be seen at one point moving and feeling
Feeling slighted by underestimation, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr compared himself to Game of Thrones hero Arya Stark. Whether you’re an NBA coach or royalty of the Kingdom of the North, there’s nothing like being fueled by underestimation. That’s the comparison Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr drew when he likened himself
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo joked around about one day running for U.S. president while celebrating his championship at the White House. The celebration for winning the 2020-21 NBA Championship continues, as the Milwaukee Bucks visited the White House on Nov. 8 to celebrate their momentous achievement. But being in the political atmosphere got Giannis Antetokounmpo thinking:
8:21 PM ET Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner were among four players fined by the NBA on Friday after the two players got into a scuffle late in Thursday night’s game. Gobert was fined $35,000 for initiating the on-court altercation, while Turner received a $25,000 fine for escalating it,
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 11: Head coach David Joerger of the Sacramento Kings reacts to a call against the Washington Wizards in the first half at Capital One Arena on March 11, 2019 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting
6:05 PM ET Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets with lower abdominal pain. Lillard has struggled to start the season, shooting below 40% from the field and below 30% from 3-point range. The Blazers officially ruled Lillard out with “lower abdominal tendinopathy.” He had
During their Nov. 12 loss against the Charlotte Hornets, the New York Knicks proved that their bench was stronger than their starters. When the New York Knicks won their season opener against the Boston Celtics, New York celebrated in the streets about how this Knicks team just might be different. The New York team has
9:37 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers top assistant coach Dave Joerger is leaving the team for several weeks to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments for a form of “head and neck” cancer, Joerger told ESPN. Joerger, 47, has undergone treatments while coaching for the past two weeks — missing only one road game — but the
After the Philadelphia 76ers resumed fining Ben Simmons last week, the 76er revealed through his agent that the team is making his mental health even worse. Ben Simmons has reached a new level of unhappiness as a 76er, according to an exclusive released by The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Charania reported on Nov. 11 that Simmons