8:34 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN THE FIRST MEETING Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse had with Kawhi Leonard came with trepidation. As Nurse walked down the hall from his office inside the team’s practice facility to the coach’s meeting room last July, just weeks after being named Toronto’s head coach, uncertainty loomed large. Nurse had heard
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3:40 AM ET LOS ANGELES — A year ago, Paul George‘s visits to Staples Center were borderline recruiting trips, featuring plenty of cheers, signs and chants. But after George spurned the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency last summer, fans greeted him with hearty boos on Wednesday, including every time he touched the ball. “It
In the NBA, tough decisions must be made. Sometimes it’s a front office deciding to go in another direction with a trade or release. Other times, it’s a coach having to pull a guy out of the active rotation. Most of the time, however, it’s a player figuring out the next move to benefit his
For several years now, the Charlotte Hornets have been attempting to stave off a seemingly inevitable decline. Michael Jordan wants his team to be relevant, and ideally wants them to make the playoffs every year. Anyone expecting any other attitude from the most maniacally competitive player of the modern era has not been paying attention.
6:51 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Tristan Thompson and Rodney Hood will return for the Cleveland Cavaliers after missing time with injuries. The return of the two players will give a boost to the Cavaliers, who have the NBA’s worst record (8-29) going into Wednesday night’s game against the Miami Heat. Thompson has missed
An update of our 2019 NBA Draft prospect rankings breaks down all of the movement from the month of December, including the rise of Jarrett Culver and the question of Nassir Little. The 2019 NBA Draft was billed as terrible heading into the season, and two months into the season, it’s been difficult to shake
Behind star play from their point guard, the Celtics are establishing themselves as one of the East’s best teams. Stardom may be the greatest on-court advantage in the NBA. This well-worn aphorism bears itself out almost yearly at the highest levels of the playoffs, in improbable streaks of Finals appearances and in the day-to-day standing
The Boston Celtics aren’t the team you thought they were. The Boston Celtics were viewed as a championship contender before this season started, but it’s time to pump the brakes on those expectations. The Celtics held a team meeting after their 120-107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, that saw their record drop to 18-13, and it
9:13 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN The footwear industry didn’t need just another signature sneaker. Russell Westbrook, who reinvented the arena walk-in with his daring fashion, didn’t want just any other shoe with his name attached. The starting point for his newest signature sneaker, the Jordan Why Not Zer0.2, was simple: Be anything but simple. “To
Is there any word that excites fans more about an individual player than “potential?” Hardly anyone comes into this league a finished product. With rare exceptions like Tyreke Evans and Michael Carter-Williams, almost every player that makes it in the NBA gets better after their rookie season. Some young players need more time than others.
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 1: Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on during the national anthem prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 1, 2018 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph,
C.J. McCollum made the rookie mistake of trying to verbally box with offseason Kevin Durant. Poor C.J. McCollum. He had Kevin Durant on his “Pull Up” podcast, hoping to get some insight from the two-time Finals MVP. Instead, Durant entered his home, didn’t take his shoes off and stomped all over McCollum’s couch. The Portland
In most American professional sports, divisions — the grouping of regionally similar teams for the common goal of producing storylines and rivalries that drive narratives and cash flow — have some meaning. In the NFL, for example, division champions, the team who wins the most games that season amongst the grouping of four teams, are
ESPN announced its NBA Christmas Day schedule Wednesday, lined with marquee teams and signature stars. Here’s what you should make your priority among the mistletoe and hot chocolate this winter. 5. Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks The NBA, by scheduling this match for its vaunted Christmas-Day slate, is establishing a Mendoza Line of Knicks
2:08 AM ET New year, new Mambacita? Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant announced Tuesday night that he and his wife, Vanessa, are expecting their fourth child — a baby girl, or as Bryant wrote, “another #mambacita.” The couple already has three daughters: Natalia, Gianna and Bianka. Bryant made the announcement on his Instagram
2:56 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday afternoon that star guard Kyle Lowry underwent pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory injections in his back last week, and that he remains without a timetable for a return. Lowry, who had already been ruled out of Tuesday night’s game against the Utah Jazz, received the
Tuesday’s DraftKings slate 7:30 p.m. ET: Utah at Toronto8 p.m. ET: Detroit at Milwaukee9 p.m. ET: New York at Denver, Portland at Sacramento10:30 p.m. ET: Philadelphia at LA Clippers My favorite plays of the day can be found on the following slides in FanSided’s DraftKings daily picks. Each day in order to offer a variety of
12:21 AM ET HOUSTON — A historic run by reigning MVP James Harden has allowed the Houston Rockets to rise in the Western Conference standings and awed his coaches and teammates. Harden continued his roll with a 43-point triple-double on Monday to carry the Rockets to a 113-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, pulling Houston
In the NBA, tough decisions must be made. Sometimes it’s a front office deciding to go in another direction with a trade or release. Other times, it’s a coach having to pull a guy out of the active rotation. Most of the time, however, it’s a player figuring out the next move to benefit his
It’s almost January and the 2018-19 NBA season is nearly halfway over. And while lots of attention is already being paid to Zion Williamson and the 2019 NBA Draft class to-be, let’s look back to June and the 2018 NBA draft and grade the rookies on their performances thus far, while making an educated guess
11:04 PM ET SAN ANTONIO — Kyrie Irving dressed alone in the visitors’ locker room after the Boston Celtics‘ 120-111 loss Monday to the San Antonio Spurs, squinting his eyes after suffering what he called a scratched left cornea in the fourth quarter. Celtics coach Brad Stevens wasn’t sure whether the injury could force Irving
1:18 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Former Warriors swingman Patrick McCaw is practicing with the Cavaliers, who signed him to a two-year, $6 million offer sheet last week. McCaw officially joined the Cavaliers’ roster on Monday after Golden State decided not to match Cleveland’s offer. The 23-year-old McCaw had been expected to be in
It’s the New Year’s Resolution season. While most are making promises to themselves that they almost never plan to keep, like going to the gym or starting a new diet, NBA teams are taking stock of themselves. Competitive teams are looking for that move that propels them into the postseason. Meanwhile, some less-competitive teams find themselves
Rooting for Luka Doncic is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. It’s not like he’s suddenly one of the best players in the NBA. It’s not like his raw numbers are so eye-popping by themselves. 18 points, 6.5 boards, and 4.3 assists on .478/.382/.787 is very good, but not exactly All-Star numbers. And
Ballin’ Out will break down the best performance by a role player from the previous week, weighing both individual and team performance. In the inaugural edition of Ballin’ Out, J.J Barea’s three-game stretch for the Dallas Mavericks was the most impressive of any role player last week. Barea averaged 15 points and six assists for the
2:58 AM ET LOS ANGELES — A buzz went through Staples Center just over the mere sight of an injured LeBron James walking into the arena a few minutes into the game, but by the end Los Angeles Lakers fans were roaring over Brandon Ingram‘s best clutch performance of the season. On James’ 34th birthday,
Anyone who watched Domantas Sabonis during his rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder and then for some reason did not watch a single second of the Indiana Pacers last season would be absolutely flabbergasted if they switched on a Pacers game this year and saw the version of Sabonis that now shows up almost
Former Chicago Bulls PG Derrick Rose heard some familiar chants at the United Center, but the circumstances were quite different and frankly uncomfortable. The crowd at the United Center rained down chants of MVP on Derrick Rose last night. This was a bit weird and uncomfortable for a lot of reasons. It’s obviously odd for
The Chicago Bulls have had plenty of issues lately and Jabari Parker is no longer a prominent part of Jim Boylen’s rotation. The Chicago Bulls brought Jabari Parker back home as a free agent last offseason, with an idea he’d reach his full potential and be a big part of a fresh rebuild. He’s hardly
Dec 28, 2018 Nick DePaulaESPN Over the course of LeBron James‘ career, he has worn sneakers incorporating themes based on everything from his favorite cereals, movies and cartoons to the favored cities and cultures that his global travels had opened his teenage phenom eyes to. By the time he had reached his 10th model, there