It was a foregone conclusion that LeBron James would be drafted first overall in 2003, even before the draft lottery rewarded his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick. James was already a national phenomenon before stepping foot on an NBA court. James immediately bore a tremendous burden, with pressure to grow into potentially
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12:29 AM ET SHENZHEN, China — Marcus Smart went through Friday’s shootaround and is planning to play when Team USA faces Greece in the FIBA World Cup on Saturday. The Boston Celtics guard missed Thursday’s game against Japan with a left quadriceps strain. He missed several weeks in August with a left calf strain. “Today
3-point percentage is the most commonly used statistic to measure shooting in the NBA. By adjusting for defensive attention, we can create a more accurate figure. If you asked any 100 NBA fans who is a better shooter, Damian Lillard or Pascal Siakam, all 100 would say Lillard. However, if you asked those same fans
4:16 PM ET NBA stars Deandre Ayton and Buddy Hield are helping raise money to aid their native Bahamas, which was devastated by Hurricane Dorian. Ayton, the Phoenix Suns center, announced Friday that he and his family are pledging $100,000 toward relief efforts in the archipelago nation of 400,000. He also asked Suns fans to
The Chicago Bulls are close…to something. They aren’t close to contention – they won 22 games last season. They may not even be close to a playoff berth, as most oddsmakers put the Bulls’ wins projection around 32 (FiveThirtyEight’s model does give them a 55 percent chance of making the playoffs, however). What they are
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images With DeMarcus Cousins likely out for the 2019-20 campaign, the Los Angeles Lakers need to shore up their frontcourt. It’s time to rank their best backup big options. Most assumed the Los Angeles Lakers would be hurting for depth given their salary cap situation and how long they waited around
Dwight Howard’s stock has been steadily declining for a decade, but it’s time we take a moment to appreciate how good he was before it all went so wrong. In February of 2011, Dwight Howard was on his way to finishing second in the MVP race, one spot ahead of LeBron James. It was his
7:46 AM ET Associated Press Poland had not been to the World Cup in 52 years. It’s making up for lost time. Poland is in the driver’s seat for a quarterfinal berth next week after beating Russia 79-74 in a second-round opener on Friday in Foshan, China. Adam Waczynski scored 18 points and Mateusz Ponitka
Cole Anthony enters his freshman season as one of the nation’s most exciting prospects. The secret to his success runs deeper than his highlight packages. Athleticism. It’s a vital component of the NBA game, of sports as a whole and is an omnipresent talking point among fans of the game. A lot has been made
The Chicago Bulls are close…to something. They aren’t close to contention – they won 22 games last season. They may not even be close to a playoff berth, as most oddsmakers put the Bulls’ wins projection around 32 (FiveThirtyEight’s model does give them a 55 percent chance of making the playoffs, however). What they are
2:20 PM ET SHANGHAI — It should’ve been a forgettable game, just a formality in pool play. But Jayson Tatum always remembered the big athletic guy on Team Japan. It was four years ago in Dubai, and Tatum was playing for the U.S. team in the under-17 world championships. He had a nice game, leading
Richard Hamilton might not ever be adequately appreciated for his NBA career, but he’ll always have the mask. Richard “Rip” Hamilton was a good basketball player, and some — mainly Detroit residents — think he should be in the Hall of Fame. Hamilton led the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons team in scoring and once
As they seek a championship, the Houston Rockets are switching things up. Don’t worry about fit, they have talent and chaos on their side. Winners win not in spite of chaos but by embracing it. The Golden State Warriors strategically induced positionless chaos to build a mini-dynasty. The Toronto Raptors opportunistically took advantage of chaos
8:32 AM ET SHANGHAI — Marcus Smart missed Team USA‘s World Cup game Thursday with a left quad strain and will be day-to-day. Smart missed most of Team USA’s training in August with a calf strain on the same left side. He only played 11 minutes in the Americans’ victory over Turkey on Tuesday. He
Seven years later, the Orlando Magic are still dealing with the fallout of their separation from Dwight Howard. A slow, incremental rebuilding process that ownership hesitantly embraced in the first place is finally finished. The Magic made the playoffs last season for the first time since Howard’s swan song, and with stoic second-year coach Steve
12:10 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee city officials are offering Bucks guard Sterling Brown $400,000 to settle his lawsuit accusing police of using excessive force and targeting him because he’s black when they confronted him over a parking violation. The city’s Common Council authorized the offer Wednesday during a closed session. Brown has
SHANGHAI, CHINA – SEPTEMBER 03: Jayson Tatum of USA reacts during the 1st round Group E match between USA and Turkey of 2019 FIBA World Cup at the Oriental Sports Center on September 3, 2019 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) ACC power rankings, Week 2: North Carolina climbs, Virginia Tech falls hard
Ben Wallace became one of the seminal players of the 2000s due to strapping the burly confluence of his upper arms with sweatbands. Many iconic accessories appeared throughout the annals of basketball history. George Mikan’s spectacles, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s goggles, any and every time a player had to wear a mask, and John Stockton’s hotpants, to
3:58 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Before signing with the Lakers in one of the more surprising reunions in NBA history, Dwight Howard said his life away from the court hit rock bottom this summer. “It didn’t have anything to do with basketball,” Howard said Wednesday during an introductory phone call with reporters. “It was
When Philadelphia started this whole “process,” the endgame in mind was bringing in multiple franchise cornerstones with high lottery picks that the franchise hoped would come. From 2013 to 2017, this yielded mixed results. The Sixers had a few disasters along the way, but time was on their side, and they even made up for
7:20 AM ET SHANGHAI — Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will miss at least the next two World Cup games for Team USA with a sprained left ankle. Tatum turned the ankle in the final seconds of overtime in Team USA’s 93-92 win over Turkey Tuesday night. He was examined Wednesday and was declared to
BROOKLYN, NY – JUNE 20: Ja Morant speaks to the media after being selected second overall by the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2019 NBA Draft on June 20, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting
6:37 PM ET The Nets are looking into allegations of domestic violence against Rodions Kurucs after the forward was arrested in Brooklyn and released without bail Tuesday. The New York Daily News, citing police sources, reports Kurucs choked his then-girlfriend in his Brooklyn apartment on June 27. “After learning of the allegations against Rodions Kurucs,
When Philadelphia started this whole “process,” the endgame in mind was bringing in multiple franchise cornerstones with high lottery picks that the franchise hoped would come. From 2013 to 2017, this yielded mixed results. The Sixers had a few disasters along the way, but time was on their side, and they even made up for
2:38 PM ET ESPN News Services Brazil overcame a double-digit deficit and beat Greece 79-78 in a thriller at the FIBA World Cup in Nanjing, China, on Tuesday. NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 13 points but fouled out late in the fourth quarter for Greece. Brazil’s Alex Garcia, 39, seemed to stifle Antetokounmpo at
Cheryl Reeve and the Minnesota Lynx are thriving right now, but does she deserve Coach of the Year or Executive of the Year honors? Or is it both? It is a conundrum borne of success. One can’t consider Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx for 2019 WNBA Coach of the Year without acknowledging the extremely
In any given year, the NBA is chock-o-block with surprises. Whether it be the out-of-the-blue trade, the surprise breakout or the unlikely contender, there is never a lack of the unexpected. True to form, the 2018-19 regular and postseason had unexpected in spades. There were a number of anomalies last year, both good and bad.
4:48 PM ET Fresh off an MVP and championship campaign in the BIG3, veteran swingman Joe Johnson is scheduled to work out for three NBA teams next week in attempt to get back into the league, sources told ESPN. Johnson, who last played in the NBA in 2017-18, will audition for three Eastern Conference playoff
Allen Iverson is one of the most influential players in NBA history for a myriad of reasons, but his shooting sleeve has permeated basketball culture itself. Imagine an NBA superstar wearing what looked like pantyhose on his arm at the peak of his popularity. Now imagine that look becoming a fashion staple in the game
7:20 AM ET SHANGHAI — The grandstands at the Oriental Sports Arena for Team USA’s first game were like a rainbow of NBA fandom. There were gold Steph Curry jerseys, a bunch of Giannis Antetokounmpo jerseys in various colors and plenty of Los Angeles Lakers attire. But then there were the Charlotte Hornets colors, with