On Wednesday, Kevin Durant opened up about his departure from the Golden State Warriors after his on-court altercation with Draymond Green, which led to his abrupt, questionable trade to the Brooklyn Nets. The two-time MVP insinuated that the way general manager Bob Myers and head coach Steve Kerr handled the petty quarrel between him and
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76ers guard Ben Simmons. (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports) 3 Braves who won’t be back next season if they miss the playoffs by John Buhler Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons keeps putting out hype clips, but they’re really not doing him any good at this point. Ben Simmons has taken a beating in 2021. On some
7:20 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The past two seasons have seen the NBA — like the rest of the world — deal with unprecedented circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused as much upheaval across the NBA as any sports league in North America and beyond, with the 2019-20 season ending in a bubble inside the
Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) PFL playoffs: Denis Goltsov is the fighter to watch by Zain Bando Kevin Durant and Draymond Green point the finger at Steve Kerr and Bob Myers for breaking up the Golden State Warriors. While Kevin Durant and Draymond Green seem to have made
The Orlando Magic are hoping they got an NBA Draft steal in Jalen Suggs. He looked ready to prove it in his Summer League debut. The fact that Jalen Suggs was available for the Orlando Magic with the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft shows just how deep the draft class was this
4:37 PM ET Kevin Durant and Draymond Green both blamed Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and team president/general manager Bob Myers for mishandling the fallout from the players’ argument that ultimately contributed to Durant leaving the team following the 2018-19 season. In an interview posted Wednesday on Bleacher Report, Durant and Green both said
It’s not every day that a player can say they got to the NBA Finals in their rookie season after being undrafted. That was the case for London Perrantes during the 2017-18 season. After a solid four-year career at Virginia under Tony Bennett, Perrantes didn’t hear his name called in the 2017 NBA draft. He
10:46 AM ET Longtime NBA journalist Jackie MacMullan will retire from ESPN on Aug. 31, ending a decade-long tenure with the company. MacMullan, who has been an NBA reporter for 40 years, joined ESPN in 2010 after a long career with The Boston Globe. She has appeared on every ESPN platform, as a senior writer
Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers drives against Danilo Gallinari of the Atlanta Hawks. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) 3 ring-chasing vets the Lakers should avoid at all costs by Baigen Seawell The Ben Simmons trade speculation is heating up and it’s getting more and more outrageous, with the Philadelphia 76ers now holding out
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 25: Evan Fournier #94 of the Boston Celtics reacts against the Brooklyn Nets in Game Two of the First Round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on May 25, 2021 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 05: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks in action against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on April 05, 2021 in New York City. The Nets defeated the Knicks 114-112. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) Pelicans land Devonte’ Graham in sign-and-trade after
12:38 AM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Louis King slammed home a two-handed dunk with a little more than two minutes left in the third quarter of the NBA Summer League championship game, let out a monstrous roar and promptly flexed with authority. Fittingly, it was King who dominated for Sacramento and finished with
Marcus Smart has agreed to a four-year, $77 million contract extension with the Boston Celtics. With no player option, the deal starts in the 2022-23 season. Smart was selected sixth overall by the Celtics in the 2014 NBA Draft. In the 2020-21 NBA season, the seventh-year player averaged 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists
Jaxson Hayes, New Orleans Pelicans. (Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports) Cole Beasley makes long statement on COVID vaccine stance by John Buhler Aaron Rodgers says he considered retirement from Packers in offseason by Braulio Perez Jaxson Hayes was arrested and hospitalized after getting into a fight with the cops. New Orleans Pelicans center and
Devonte’ Graham celebrates his three point shot in the second quarter against the New York Knicks. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) Lakers fans are thrilled with Rob Pelinka’s moves so far in Free Agency by Alicia de Artola Updated Knicks depth chart after Free Agency Day 1 by Mark Powell After losing Lonzo Ball to the
7:26 AM ET Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid is finalizing a four-year, $196 million supermax contract extension, sources told ESPN. The extension keeps Embiid under contract with the Sixers through the 2026-27 season for a total of $261 million. The four-time All-Star already was set to make $65 million over the final two years
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. This morning ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne broke the news that the Philadelphia 76ers were signing Joel Embiid to a four-year, $196 million supermax extension. Among the reported details — the
Patrick Beverley is on the move again, now headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal involving a former lottery pick. On Sunday night, Patrick Beverley was sent to the Memphis Grizzlies in a deal that brought Eric Bledsoe to the Los Angeles Clippers. The veteran point guard and noted agitator is on the move
11:28 AM ET A showdown between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers will highlight the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. In addition to the star-studded, cross-country clash, the Atlanta Hawks will travel to take on the New York Knicks. That game will be a rematch of a first-round playoff series
According to BetOnline, Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham has the best odds (+250) of winning Rookie of the Year for the 2021-22 NBA season. Next, Houston Rockets‘ Jalen Green has the second-best odds (+275), followed by Jalen Suggs (+650), Evan Mobley (+800), Scottie Barnes +1200), Alperen Sengun (+1200) and others. Point guard Cunningham was selected first
Ex-Bucks forward P.J. Tucker. (Ebony Cox/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK) Karsten Warholm breaks own world record to win gold in 400-meter hurdles (Video) by Scott Rogust Thunder lock in franchise star with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extension by Scott Rogust Veteran forward P.J. Tucker penned a message to Milwaukee after leaving for Miami in free agency, implying
Shaquille O’Neal gave Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo his blessing to use his Superman nickname. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo silenced his critics with a historic performance in the 2021 NBA Finals. With the Bucks down 0-2, Antetokounmpo stepped up and helped his team win the next four games to secure the franchise’s first NBA
7:15 AM ET Tuesday’s Las Vegas Summer League championship game (9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN App) will feature the Boston Celtics and the Sacramento Kings — both undefeated coming into the finale. Boston’s run has been fueled by a pair of second-year players in Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith, a backcourt duo that has shined
George Karl speculates on what it will be like to see Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James play as teammates now that they are with the Los Angeles Lakers. Few coaches know what Carmelo Anthony can and can’t do than his former Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl. Anthony is in the twilight of his NBA career
Mandatory Credit: Rich Schultz/POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports NBA Twitter freaks out after Bulls land Lonzo Ball in sign-and-trade by Mark Powell Phoenix Suns keeping Chris Paul with mega 4-year deal by Gerald Bourguet NBA Free Agency has started with a bang, and now-former Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry is taking his talents to South
Heat forward Jimmy Butler. (Journal Sentinel) Phoenix Suns keeping Chris Paul with mega 4-year deal by Gerald Bourguet Suns: Chris Paul had surgery on his left wrist after NBA Finals by Baigen Seawell All-Star forward Jimmy Butler is expected to sign a maximum contract extension with the Miami Heat for four years and more than
7:59 PM ET Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has agreed to a four-year, $77 million contract extension, sources told ESPN. The extension — which begins with the 2022-23 season — is the maximum allowable off Smart’s $14.3 million salary for 2021-22. The deal does not include a player option. Smart has developed into one of
Dalano Banton, the Toronto Raptors’ No. 46 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, has officially signed a two-year, $2.5 million rookie deal with the organization. Banton is the first Canadian player in NBA history to be drafted by the Raptors. The signing was made official this morning. In 58 combined games played at Western Kentucky
The Los Angeles Clippers are heading back to 2013, shipping Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo and Daniel Oturu to the Grizzlies for Eric Bledsoe. Eric Bledsoe is a Clipper. Welcome back to 2013! Los Angeles is trading Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo and Daniel Oturu to the Grizzlies for their former point guard, according to Adrian Wojnarowski
Newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers, Carmelo Anthony, revealed what LeBron James said to him during free agency. The Los Angeles Lakers, much like they did last offseason, made huge splashes on both the free agency and trade markets. Shortly after they acquired star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards, the Lakers