Colby Covington calls out LeBron James, other “woke” athletes following win Colby Covington has not been shy about his support for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump, especially ahead of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. And following his win at UFC Vegas 11, Covington took aim at an athlete who is completely on the other side
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7:25 AM ET NBA Insiders The 2020 NBA playoffs have provided many with their first extended look at the unusual game of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. In the past week, Jokic has led the Nuggets to a startling upset of the LA Clippers, been named to his second All-NBA team and made his Western
12:24 AM ET NBA playoff basketball is an exercise in advanced problem-solving, and the Boston Celtics came into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals with some serious problems. They blew double-digit second-half leads to the Miami Heat in consecutive losses, encountered far more trouble with the Heat’s zone defense than any top-five offense should
The Charlotte Hornets are doing their part for Election Day, providing rides and childcare for voters who need it in November. The Charlotte Hornets are following the example of other professional teams around the country, helping out with polling and giving rides and childcare services to voters who need them, per The Charlotte Observer, as the
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 07: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats looks on during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on March 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) Alvin Kamara returns to Saints practice after positive talk with Sean Payton by Braulio
Even as a rookie, Matisse Thybulle looked like a special wing defender. But can the shooting-starved 76ers justify keeping him on the floor? The NBA Bubble has brought quite a variety of players into the media’s spotlight. The rookie Matisse Thybulle became a Youtube sensation as he recorded his time in The Bubble. Despite the
2:24 PM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Barring a setback in pregame warm-ups, there’s significant optimism within the Boston Celtics that forward Gordon Hayward will make a return to the lineup for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat on Saturday night, sources told ESPN. Hayward has missed a month
With Game 1 on the line, Bam Adebayo stuffed Jayson Tatum at the rim. Where does one even begin in retelling the epic slugfest that was Game 1 of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals? Well, you’d probably have to start with Bam Adebayo’s legendary, game-saving block on Jayson Tatum’s dunk attempt in the waning seconds
7:51 AM ET Be careful writing off the Boston Celtics. Our memories get short. The Celtics just took a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors and barely hung on in seven games. The Denver Nuggets have rallied from two 3-1 deficits. Boston had late leads in both Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference
Lakers vs. Nuggets isn’t the Western Conference Finals we were expecting. These are the lineup, matchup and strategic issues that will decide a winner. The Western Conference Finals are here. It’s not the Battle for Los Angeles that many envisioned since last July, but instead, the Lakers taking on the Denver Nuggets for the right
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 02: Chris Paul #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder passes the ball during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 02, 2020 in
The Oklahoma City Thunder appear headed toward a rebuild, but how should they complement ascendant young point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? With head coach Billy Donovan out the door and point guard Chris Paul potentially following him, the Oklahoma City Thunder appear headed for a rebuild. However, after trading Russell Westbrook and Paul George last offseason,
1:58 AM ET The last time we saw the Los Angeles Lakers, nearly a week ago when they were finishing off the small-ball Houston Rockets in the second round of the playoffs, centers Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee had been relegated to socially distant cheerleaders on the bench. An important role in a mostly-empty, fanless
Beijing Ducks’ Jeremy Lin (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images) The elastic soul of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat by Kevin Yeung Jeremy Lin is coming back to the NBA. At 31 years old with declining health, it seemed as though Jeremy Lin’s wild NBA career was drawing to a close after
7:05 AM ET THWACK!! Detroit Pistons defensive wizard Tayshaun Prince, all 215 pounds of him, smashed into an immovable, 7-foot-3, 260-pound object named Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Cleveland Cavaliers big man planted himself adjacent to Prince with the explicit purpose of preventing him from tracking a precocious 21-year-old LeBron James. Splat!! This time the culprit was
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 Boston Celtics have only been outscored by the Miami Heat by a total of eight points so far in the Eastern Conference Finals, but that narrow margin
Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back, by Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson, is a look at the complicated moral dilemmas of the modern sports fan. Throughout the last four years, since Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the National Anthem, a sort of reckoning has taken place in the sports world. His activism, and
10:57 AM ET Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has won his second consecutive MVP award, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Antetokounmpo joins Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as back-to-back MVPs. Antetokounmpo joins Michael Jordan (1987-88 season) and
Building player pick probabilities from a massive sample of mock drafts reveals just how divisive this NBA Draft class is. Say you’re the Atlanta Hawks, and you really like Obi Toppin in the upcoming NBA Draft, but you’re not sure if he’ll still be available at No. 6. Do you move up, or hold on
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MARCH 03: Juan Hernangomez #41 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at the Smoothie King Center on March 03, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting
10:45 PM ET In the NBA postseason, there’s often a team that discovers its potential along the way. It learns who it is, banks on its strengths and builds confidence with each win. The Toronto Raptors accomplished that in the 2019 playoffs, and in the Year of the Bubble, the Miami Heat are that team.
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 head coaching carousel never stops spinning. Despite the New York Knicks (Tom Thibodeau), Brooklyn Nets (Steve Nash) and Cleveland Cavaliers (J.B. Bickerstaff) all filling their vacancies
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo more like Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen? And how much nuance is missed in such an obtuse question? I was reminded recently of how difficult and ill-fitting comparisons can be when Richard Jefferson tweeted that Giannis is a “Pippen” in need of a “Jordan.” Comparisons are born from questions with difficult answers. Who
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 29: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Thursday night is a must-win for Baker Mayfield and the Browns by Steven Kubitza Chiefs announce fan who attended opener has tested positive for COVID by Mike Phillips Khris Middleton was robbed of an All-NBA
7:20 AM ET I first started hearing versions of it from rival executives at the end of the 2014-15 season, when the Miami Heat traded two first-round picks for Goran Dragic on an expiring contract — and finished 37-45, one game short of the playoffs: If it wasn’t the Heat, we’d all be laughing at
LeBron James sits and waits at the top of the mountain, while all of his presumed challengers keep coming up short. Friday, Sept. 18, was nearly a historic day. That’s the day the Western Conference Finals begin. For a week it looked like that series would feature the L.A. Clippers vs. the L.A. Lakers in
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (Photo by Kim Klement – Pool/Getty Images) Bam Adebayo stuffs Jayson Tatum at the rim with game-winning block (Video) by Gerald Bourguet Bam Adebayo made one of the best blocks in NBA playoff history, and Twitter went wild Bam Adebayo blocked Jayson Tatum at the summit, but it’s unlikely he’ll
Game 1 between the Celtics and Heat was an instant classic. With Game 2 looming tonight, what questions do each team need to answer? The Miami Heat escaped Game 1 with a three-point overtime win, thanks to the last-second defensive heroics of Bam Adebayo. It was a crucial win but at least a dozen 50-50
6:24 AM ET THE NINE MONTHS it took to schedule a dinner between Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and the franchise’s newest superstar, LeBron James, really wasn’t that long by Los Angeles standards. James lives in Beverly Hills; Buss lives in Playa Vista. Busy people, L.A. traffic, intense jobs — nine months is actually
The 2019-20 All-NBA teams were unveiled by the league on Wednesday, which of course led to debate. The 2020 NBA Playoffs are entering the final stretch, as the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat battle in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets prepare to face off for the right to represent the