5 Atlanta Braves alternate mascot names fans might be okay with by Michael Collins Power finally pays off for Bryson DeChambeau at Rocket Mortgage Classic by David Salituro Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) The Milwaukee Bucks became the latest NBA team to shut down their facility due to COVID-19. As much as the
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10:29 PM ET The NBA is less than a month away from restarting the 2019-20 season. With teams beginning to arrive at Walt Disney World on Tuesday and training camps set to begin on Thursday, it’s time to take stock of the teams that will face off later this month at Disney’s ESPN Wide World
The NBA’s return grows nearer, but new doubts bubble up each day thanks numerous players testing positive for COVID-19 tests and surging virus numbers in numerous states — including Florida, where games will be hosted. Regardless as to whether or not we all agree with its return, we are fewer than 30 days away from
Jul 2, 2020 ESPN staff This year’s edition of The Basketball Tournament is unique for a multitude of reasons. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the event is positioned to offer American fans the first televised team basketball event since the NBA suspended its season in March. But the TBT will also benefit from an
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat reacts while talking with referee Mark Ayotte (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Jimmy Butler’s live reaction during a Formula 1 ride-along is pure entertainment. Jimmy Butler is an NBA All-Star on the basketball court but a mess on the racetrack — even while riding shotgun. A resurfaced video
8:00 AM ET Carmine CarcieriESPN It has been more than three months since we’ve had organized hoops in the United States, but basketball officially returns this weekend with Fourth of July fireworks. The Basketball Tournament begins its 11-day tournament — which includes nine alumni teams and a four-time champion — starting with the Round of
8:21 PM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — As NBA teams prepare to leave for Orlando in the coming days, organizations have received directives on the process for transporting players unable to travel on the team charters, according to a league memo acquired by ESPN. If a player misses a scheduled COVID test in the
What if Sam Hinkie had been able to complete his unfinished business with the Philadelphia 76ers? Sam Hinkie’s legacy is complicated. The connotations of his actions often speak louder than the actions themselves. But through all the narratives, stories and lore, one thing remains true about him: As general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, he used
12:47 PM ET ESPN News Services The NBA announced the schedule Saturday for scrimmages at the Walt Disney World Resort, with 33 games set for between July 22 and July 28. Each of the 22 teams that will be part of the season restart has been scheduled for three games. The Orlando Magic and LA
5:51 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik will not accompany the team to Orlando for the restart of the NBA season, Bzdelik’s agent, Warren LeGarie, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday afternoon. According to team sources, the decision, which takes into account CDC guidelines, was made after Bzdelik, 67, consulted
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images Victor Oladipo has decided to sit out the NBA’s restart bubble in Orlando. The Indiana Pacers will be joining the NBA‘s restart in Orlando without the face of their franchise on the court. According to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, Victor Oladipo has made the decision to skip playing in the
Chicago Bears fans should be furious over the details of Cam Newton’s deal with Patriots by Nicholas McGee Patriots filming punishment buried by Cam Newton signing by Nick Villano Wilson Chandler (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) The 14-year veteran cited spending more time with his family as the reason. Brooklyn Nets forward Wilson Chandler has
3:59 PM ET Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo will not join his team for the NBA restart in Orlando, Florida, he told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. Oladipo had been hesitant to commit to join the Pacers at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex due to the risk of reinjuring his quadriceps tendon. The
With professional basketball on the horizon, all eyes have turned toward Orlando – but here, we’re trying to peer into the future too. Frankly, the news of pending basketball seems small in comparison to some country-wide. The planet-wide pandemic and sweeping protests have turned everybody’s day-to-day routines on their head – but, obviously, for one
6:38 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Lakers assistant coach Lionel Hollins will not join the team when it flies to Orlando, Florida next week for the restart to the NBA season, a league source confirmed to ESPN on Friday. Hollins was deemed a higher-risk individual due to underlying medical conditions, the source told ESPN. He
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images 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 if one bubble weren’t risky enough, ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan reports the NBA is currently discussing opening up a second bubble in Chicago
7:44 AM ET As the NBA calendar resumes and teams prepare for the conclusion of the season in Orlando, Florida, few franchises have been more representative of the myriad concerns than the Los Angeles Lakers. The West’s top seed has faced positive coronavirus test results in the immediate aftermath of the league shutdown, family tragedy
With professional basketball on the horizon, all eyes have turned toward Orlando – but here, we’re trying to peer into the future too. Frankly, the news of pending basketball seems small in comparison to some country-wide. The planet-wide pandemic and sweeping protests have turned everybody’s day-to-day routines on their head – but, obviously, for one
An AFC East coach doesn’t think Cam Newton will start Week 1: Let’s investigate who that coach is by John Buhler Bradley Beal, #3, Washington Wizards, (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) Bradley Beal spoke with Washington media by Zoom today and said he’s still deciding if he’ll play in Orlando. Last Wednesday was supposed to
7:29 PM ET A second NBA bubble? The NBA has yet to officially restart the 2020 season in Florida, but the league has already begun discussions with the National Basketball Players Association for a secondary bubble with the eight teams that were eliminated from postseason consideration, according to a report by ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan. There
Is Chick-fil-A open on 4th of July? by Amy Kaplan Zion Williamson, #1, New Orleans Pelicans, (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson looks ready to get back to basketball. Remember when we had concerns about Zion Williamson‘s weight? Throw those out the damn window. Williamson has since proven all of us wrong,
NBA to paint Black Lives Matter on court when sport returns by Amy Kaplan DeAndre Jordan has COVID, won’t be at NBA resume by Chad Porto Rudy Gobert (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) Rudy Gobert says his sense of smell still hasn’t come back. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert informed French newspaper L’Equipe (h/t ESPN)
4:55 PM ET The NBA is closing in on signing off on a second “bubble” in Chicago for the eight teams that were not invited to play in Florida, enabling them to participate in a mini-training camp and subsequent games against other clubs with a target date of September, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The
7:31 AM ET WHEN FRANK VOGEL has chatted with the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of traveling to the NBA’s campus at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, next week, the conversation has mostly been informational. Players want clarity about how restrictive the so-called bubble will be — for instance, under what
Photo by Matteo Marchi/Getty Images It’s getting dusty in here after WNBA star Maya Moore’s video of Jonathan Irons. Maya Moore is not a name you’ll often see alongside Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali or LeBron James for their extensive work involving social issues in America, but she absolutely should be. Moore, who was already one
7:53 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach Frank Vogel says the team will not seek a replacement player for Dwight Howard for the Orlando restart. And, according to Vogel, the team will not ask the replacement player that it did add, JR Smith, to play like the player he replaced, Avery Bradley. Speaking on
With professional basketball on the horizon, all eyes have turned toward Orlando – but here, we’re trying to peer into the future too. Frankly, the news of pending basketball seems small in comparison to some country-wide. The planet-wide pandemic and sweeping protests have turned everybody’s day-to-day routines on their head – but, obviously, for one
Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images Buddy Hield and more NBA players are testing positive for coronavirus. Early in the week, it was reported that the NBA was bracing for a significant number of positive coronavirus test results. With each passing day, more and more names are being added to the list. After it was reported
5:59 PM ET Houston Rockets forward Thabo Sefolosha has opted out of the season’s restart in Orlando, sources tell ESPN. The Rockets are eligible to sign a replacement for the team’s roster. Sefolosha, 36, had played in 41 games this season, averaging 10 minutes and 2.2 points Veteran forwards Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll —
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 01: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat in action against Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on February 1, 2014 in New York City. The Heat defeated the Knicks 106-91. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that,