LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 03: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets cheers from the bench during a pre season game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on October 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is
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4:27 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will miss the start of the regular season because of a right foot injury that required offseason surgery, Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said on Thursday. Williamson received scans on Wednesday, and after reviewing the scans with Dr.
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. As I mentioned a few newsletters ago, I am dipping my toes back into the water of making preseason predictions and picks this year. It’s something I’ve mostly eschewed
8:00 AM ET FIFTY-FIVE MINUTES before tipoff at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook take the court for a joint workout that Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy guides. “We’ve been tied at the hip, pretty much, since we made the acquisition,” James says of Westbrook at media day. “We’re
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 13: Brittney Griner #42 and Skylar Diggins-Smith #4 of the Phoenix Mercury celebrate after defeating the Chicago Sky in Game Two of the 2021 WNBA Finals at Footprint Center on October 13, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury defeated the Sky 91-86 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
4:44 PM ET Calling it a “difficult” but “sound” decision, Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash addressed the team Wednesday and began the process of moving forward without Kyrie Irving. A day after the Nets decided not to allow their starting point guard to practice or play with them until he complies with New York City’s
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Joel Embiid can’t help throwing a little shade while he praises Andre Drummond by Braulio Perez With the NBA’s Opening Night all set to arrive next week, the Boston Celtics have two stars who have recently tested positive for COVID-19. The 2021-22 NBA regular season is almost here and fans
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 preseason is officially underway and even a sample size of a single game we’re already seeing some rookies showing out against the increased level of competition and
3:33 PM ET Associated Press CAMDEN, N.J. — This much is known: Ben Simmons is back in Philadelphia. But there’s no clear sign yet the All-Star guard is set to rescind his trade request and actually play for the 76ers. Even coach Doc Rivers — publicly, at least — says he’s unsure of the status
Zaire Wade, the 19-year-old son of Dwayne Wade, is signing an NBA G League contract with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Utah Jazz affiliate team. Three years after Dwayne Wade hung up his jersey, his son Zaire is set to follow in his footsteps — on a Wade-affiliated team, no less. According to The
8:00 AM ET Behold, the top 10 NBA teams in our 10th annual League Pass Rankings. Reminder: These are watchability scores, not power rankings! We score teams, 1-10, in five categories: ZEITGEIST: Do actual humans care about this team? STAR/HIGHLIGHT POTENTIAL: Do you stick around games, at the expense of sleep and loved ones, because
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 03: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets follows the action from the bench during a preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on October 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user
For the first part of this season, Jamal Murray will be an inanimate object for the Denver Nuggets. What happens when he comes back to life? These injury timetables are like forgettable Wyclef Jean songs. You’re gone until you’re not. Everyone is lucky if it’s only until November. But the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray will
7:04 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — The Boston Celtics say center Al Horford has tested positive for COVID-19. Horford is currently in isolation and didn’t travel with the team for its two-game exhibition road trip to Florida, which includes games in Orlando on Wednesday and Miami on Friday. He is the second Celtics player
11:12 AM ET Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the Brooklyn Nets until he is eligible to become a full participant under local COVID-19 vaccination requirements, general manager Sean Marks said Tuesday. “Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose. Currently the choice restricts his ability to
1:02 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker will undergo surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb, sources told ESPN on Monday. Horton-Tucker, who turns 21 next month, signed a three-year, $32 million extension in the offseason, providing the team an ascending talent among a roster mostly comprised of accomplished veterans.
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers. (Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports) The Philadelphia 76ers have a lot to prove this season after the most tumultuous offseason in the NBA. They may have the most important questions to answer in basketball. The Philadelphia 76ers spent the entire offseason in the NBA news cycle. They gave content to
10:21 PM ET After staying away for the first two weeks of the preseason, 76ers All-Star guard Ben Simmons reported to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Monday night, sources told ESPN. As the Sixers played the Brooklyn Nets, Simmons took a COVID-19 test in the arena, sources said. The initial test starts several
Oct 4, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (11) shoots over San Antonio Spurs forward Drew Eubanks (14) in the first half at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports One of the greatest storylines in the NBA last season was Mike Conley’s All-Star Game appearance. Which player can
8:00 AM ET SAN DIEGO — Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap and Joe Harris were all trying their best, but this was not their night. On the plush, manicured lawn of Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai’s picturesque La Jolla, California, home, the Nets’ four veterans were no match for Tsai’s two sons at bocce
Shaquille O’Neal continued his criticism of Ben Simmons as Simmons continued his holdout in Philadelphia. Shaquille O’Neal has a reminder for Ben Simmons. The two have at least one thing in common. “In all my championships, I shot 30-40 percent in the Finals ( from the free-throw line ),” O’Neal told FanSided. “That’s not what
With only two weeks left before the start of the season, the Brooklyn Nets are unsure about what Kyrie Irving’s intentions are concerning the coronavirus vaccine. At a point in time, Kyrie Irving was given the monicker ‘The Bus Driver’ for his renowned ankle-breakers that often left defenders dazed and confused. In 2021, however, Irving is operating
3:58 AM ET LOS ANGELES — As preseason losses have piled up, while the Lakers‘ revamped roster hasn’t even showcased all its stars in the same game yet, Anthony Davis admitted Sunday that Los Angeles’ disjointed dawn could seep into the regular season. But he isn’t sweating it. “We want to be good, but we
1:57 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN DETROIT, Mich. — Ben Wallace is an NBA Hall of Famer, NBA champion and four-time Defensive Player of the Year. Now the 47-year-old can add basketball operations and team engagement advisor for the Detroit Pistons to his resume. The Pistons announced Friday that Wallace has been hired in this role
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 03: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets during a pre season game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on October 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms
Kevin Huerter doesn’t seem destined for NBA stardom. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t incredibly important to the present and future of the Atlanta Hawks. The act would be incredibly corny, but it would be fitting. You could give Kevin Huerter a nickname like the Hold Steady and you would have summed up his career
2:11 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Udonis Haslem and Bam Adebayo were yelling at each other during practice Sunday, which was a critical step for the Heat. It meant things were normal again. Their captain is back. Haslem — the NBA’s oldest active player at 41– returned to practice Sunday, joining his team for
12:03 PM ET Associated Press GREENSBORO, N.C. — Former NBA guard J.R. Smith is set to make his debut next week as a golfer for North Carolina A&T. The school announced that Smith will play his first collegiate tournament Monday and Tuesday at the Phoenix Invitational hosted by Elon. The tournament will take place at
Washington Wizards forward Kyle KuzmaMandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports With the 2021-22 NBA season scheduled to begin soon, these five players have the most to prove this season. The NBA off-season is a time filled with hot takes, trade and free agency rumors, player rankings and a lot of criticisms. While media discusses this
8:43 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — Ontario’s major indoor professional sports teams have been given the green light to host capacity crowds. The NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors will be able to play in front of full arenas when their seasons start this month, Ontario Sports Minister