8:00 AM ET Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers remain at an impasse, as the two sides have been since Philadelphia was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks in June. Simmons, who is under contract for four more seasons, would like to be traded. The 76ers would like to
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A previously underreported twist in Kobe Bryant’s 2003 sexual assault case was illuminated by a new batch of documents just released by the FBI. The 2003 sexual assault allegations against Kobe Bryant, and the subsequent trial, are a piece of his personal history that’s generally left out or glossed over. At the time Bryant admitted
8:00 AM ET THEY STOOD SIDE to side in the center circle, waiting for referee Joey Crawford to loft the ball in the air to kick off the 2004 NBA Finals. On one side was Shaquille O’Neal, the gargantuan almost myth of a man, 7-foot-1 and some 330 pounds of pure power and force. And
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images 5 players the Browns need to play well to beat Chiefs by John Buhler The Cleveland Cavaliers have been active this offseason and rumors are they’re still pursuing one more trade, for the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons. At this point, we’ve heard just about every possible permutation of a Ben
According to oddsmakers at Bovada, the Philadelphia 76ers are the frontrunners to retain their point guard, drastically altering Ben Simmons’ trade odds for the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season. Philadelphia have +200 odds of keeping the three-time All-Star—the best odds available. Now, what’s to say the 76ers refuse to trade him before training camp and decide
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images Clemson football: 3 things Dabo Swinney needs to fix to save the season by John Buhler Mac Jones’ girlfriend helping him learn Patriots playbook by John Buhler Kyle Kuzma shares his thoughts and experiences after being traded from the Lakers to the Wizards in a summer blockbuster deal for Russell
9:37 PM ET ESPN News Services CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers signed point guard Kevin Pangos to a two-year deal, his agency announced Wednesday on Twitter. The contract is worth $3.5 million, agent Zach Kurtin of Priority Sports told ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Pangos’ first-year salary of $1.67 million is fully guaranteed. The 28-year-old Canadian spent 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. Damian Lillard is committed to the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s been repeating this fact for months, using different words and different degrees of intensity but the core message has
The Cavaliers’ young frontcourt trio might pan out, but is it worth the investment the team made to bring them Lauri Markkanen, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley together? It’s difficult to grasp the rationale behind the Cavaliers giving Lauri Markkanen $67 million over the next four years, even before accounting for their other moves this
In Wednesday night’s WNBA games, the Phoenix Mercury are playing against the Atlanta Dream and the Minnesota Lynx are facing the Las Vegas Aces; free WNBA picks today are available. All table odds were retrieved from Bovada. The Mercury-Dream matchup begins at 7 p.m. ET inside the Gateway Center Arena. Phoenix are nine-point favorites. For
7:09 AM ET IN HIS 30 YEARS in the spotlight, Chris Webber has rarely allowed anyone outside his circle to know exactly who the real Chris Webber is. It’s not surprising. Despite a decorated career — first as a high school All-American, then as a member of the Fab Five at Michigan, a five-time NBA
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban revealed that he almost acquired Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce. Paul Pierce, who is set to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, spent the majority of his 19-year career with the Boston Celtics, the team who drafted him and the organization he helped win the
Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons is threatening to hold out from training camp until his trade saga is resolved. Simmons — whose committed the ultimate crime of playing basketball without a jump shot — remains a valuable trade asset for the Philadelphia 76ers as they hope to flip him before the start of the
10-time All-Star and retired Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce was fired from his ESPN analyst job earlier in May. After Pierce was caught filming strippers at a house party during an Instagram live stream while drunk and high on drugs, that was the final straw for the sports network. Leading up to this event, the
Jun 1, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap (4). Warms up before the game five against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports Yankee Stadium underwater after remnants of Hurricane Ida hit New York City by John
Free agent forward Stanley Johnson is signing a contract with the Chicago Bulls. In the 2020-21 NBA season, the 25-year-old averaged 4.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 61 games played on the Toronto Raptors. This was an improvement over his 2.4 points-per-game average in the 2019-20 season. Shooting-wise, he averaged a
As the Lakers move toward officially adding DeAndre Jordan, what does it mean for Marc Gasol? The Los Angeles Lakers are building a lineup of big names this offseason (Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo), with age nothing but number in the pursuit of titles. Now, after the Nets traded him to the
6:22 PM ET Free-agent forward Alize Johnson has agreed on a two-year, $3.6 million deal with the Chicago Bulls, his agent, George Langberg, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. The loss of Thaddeus Young and Lauri Markkanen this offseason created a need for frontcourt depth and an opportunity for Johnson to crack the Bulls’ rotation.
On April 15, 2021, Arizona state legislators passed House Bill 2772, ratifying the legalization of sports betting for retail and online access. Governor Doug Ducey signed the bill into law for gambling expansion within the state. For those interested, scheduled sign-ups for sportsbooks are available. The sports betting law allows a maximum of 20 sportsbooks
8:00 AM ET After electing a star-studded Class of 2020 — led by NBA legends Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and the late Kobe Bryant — the Basketball Hall of Fame will officially enshrine two classes in 2021. The full Class of 2020 was unveiled on April 4, 2020. The nine new members of the Basketball
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 NBA offseason news slows to a trickle, one of the most fun stories to follow has been the comeback quests of a handful of veteran guards. Darren Collison,
In a new biography, Mirin Fader skillfully tells the story of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rise to NBA superstardom Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best and most unique players in the NBA. At 26 years old, he has already made five All-NBA teams and is one of only five players ever to win both MVP and
Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images Mets balked at chance to make blockbuster Kris Bryant trade at deadline by John Buhler Kentucky basketball: UK sets dates for Big Blue Madness and Blue-White Game by John Buhler Giannis is already the most popular man in Milwaukee. Now that he’s a part-owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, he may
Marcus Garrett has signed a two-way deal with the Miami Heat. On July 30, 2021, he originally signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the organization. After playing two games in the 2021 California Classic Summer League, the point guard averaged 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.9 blocks and a 77.8 field goal percentage. He led
Bam Adebayo took another step in his development last season, but Chris Bosh thinks there’s another level to get to. Over the last couple seasons, Bam Adebayo has become a key cog for the Miami Heat. He has earned second All-Defensive Team honors in back-to-back seasons, with an All-Star selection in 2020. Last season, he
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images Richard Seymour and other ex-Patriots react to sudden death of David Patten by Josh Hill In this episode of Over & Back, Jason Mann and Rich Kraetsch look at the quaint early days of NBA free agency. NBA free agency is an industry all to itself these days but
Rajon Rondo, LA Clippers. (Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) Florida vs. Florida Atlantic prediction, odds, spread, line, over/under & betting info for NCAA Week 1 by Alicia de Artola The Memphis Grizzlies are about to pay a fourth player to go play for the Los Angeles Lakers. For many former star players to
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, it was announced that the Memphis Grizzlies have planned jersey retirement ceremonies this season for both Tony Allen and Zach Randolph. These two jersey retirements, and the
Seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge has been medically cleared to play for the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season. The 36-year-old retired from the Brooklyn Nets in April after dealing with an irregular heartbeat. On April 15, 2021, the player left a comment after his retirement: “Though I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night
Anthony Davis, Dennis Schroder, Los Angeles Lakers. (Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo: Who will win more this season? by Clemente Lisi Anthony Davis may have played a role in the Los Angeles Lakers not bringing back Dennis Schröder on a new contract this offseason. Anthony Davis and the rest of