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11:52 PM ET New details about the midnight phone call from the president of the National Basketball Players Association, Chris Paul, to the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, that helped save the NBA season have surfaced. Appearing as a guest on LeBron James‘ barbershop-themed talk show “The Shop,” which aired Friday on

11:17 PM ET After pushing back a deadline until next Friday that would allow for the NBA to serve notice on termination of the collective bargaining agreement in the wake of the pandemic, the league and the National Basketball Players Association are running short on time to agree on starting the NBA’s season before Christmas.

7:00 AM ET Editor’s note: This is one in a series of six pieces that shows how professional sports owners in America contribute to political campaigns, why they spend millions in the space and what that financial power means as athletes across sports continue to embrace activism of their own. THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS faced

6:50 AM ET Ramona Shelburne Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News Malika Andrews Close ESPN Staff Writer Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2018 Appears regularly on ESPN Chicago 1000 Editor’s note: This is one in a series of six pieces that shows how professional

7:29 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon said that he “absolutely” expects Friday’s deadline for the NBA or the National Basketball Players Association to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement to be pushed back, as both sides work through several issues before returning to play for the 2020-21 season. Brogdon, an

1:18 PM ET Projected No. 1 pick LaMelo Ball met with the Minnesota Timberwolves, owners of the top selection in the NBA draft, on Tuesday, a source told ESPN. The meeting, conducted in Southern California, consisted of an interview and did not feature any basketball activity. It was attended by Gersson Rosas, the Timberwolves’ president

7:00 AM ET Editor’s note: This is one in a series of six pieces that shows how professional sports owners in America contribute to political campaigns, why they spend millions in the space and what that financial power means as athletes across sports continue to embrace activism of their own. DURING A RECENT weekend gathering,

10:34 AM ET Editor’s note: This is one in a series of six pieces that shows how professional sports owners in America contribute to political campaigns, why they spend millions in the space and what that financial power means as athletes across sports continue to embrace activism of their own. BILLIONAIRES OPERATE DIFFERENTLY from the

10:33 AM ET ESPN and FiveThirtyEight Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of six pieces that shows how professional sports owners in America contribute to political campaigns, why they spend millions in the space and what that financial power means as athletes across sports continue to embrace activism of their own. American

6:23 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Two years removed from coaching in the NBA, Stan Van Gundy was looking for a “great opportunity” before returning. He believes he’s found just that in the New Orleans Pelicans, a team equipped with what he called two of the more unique talents in the league in Zion Williamson and

2:35 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash has yet to coach an NBA game, and his star players — Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving — have yet to play a game together. But that didn’t stop him from embracing the team’s sky-high expectations during a virtual town hall with season-ticket holders Tuesday

1:26 PM ET With the Los Angeles Lakers just coming off having won the NBA championship on Oct. 11, Danny Green doesn’t expect LeBron James and some of his other veteran teammates to be on the floor every night if the new season begins on Dec. 22. “If we start in December, I think most

7:20 AM ET The 2020 NBA free-agent class won’t have the star power of last season — when nearly half the league became available — but plenty of big names are set to hit the market. Even more could be offered in trade talks. Will back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo sign a five-year extension with the

7:43 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill said the importance of Wisconsin in the upcoming election caused him to fly back here this weekend to assist in a local voting drive. Hill, who lives in San Antonio, worked alongside about 50 volunteers from the Milwaukee-based organization Common Ground walking through

6:38 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Pat Riley is always looking for ways for the Miami Heat to improve. This offseason has him wondering if that might come from within. The Heat president on Friday said that the top offseason priority for the Eastern Conference champions “is to take care of the players that

4:35 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books The NBA is pursuing a pre-Christmas Day start and a reduced regular-season schedule for the 2020-2021

2:19 PM ET ESPN Insiders The NBA season ended just under two weeks ago with uncertainty around when the 2020-21 season would begin. On Friday, ESPN reported that the league’s Board of Governors is discussing starting the season as soon as Christmas Day. The move would mean that the end of the 2019-20 season and

7:20 AM ET Next season will reintroduce the eight teams that didn’t make the cut for the NBA’s restart this summer in Orlando, Florida. For the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks, the tipoff to the 2020-21 season will be their first

Oct 21, 2020 Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS — New Indiana Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren went right to work Wednesday. Less than 24 hours after accepting the job, the 45-year-old former Toronto Raptors assistant started explaining his plan. He expects the Pacers to move the ball and take more 3-pointers. He wants the defense to be more

5:18 PM ET Five weeks after the LA Clippers suffered an embarrassing playoff collapse, Tyronn Lue addressed the team’s chemistry and leadership issues on his first official day as the franchise’s new head coach. Lue, who won a championship and went 128-83 in less than three full seasons as head coach in Cleveland, will try

1:38 PM ET The 2020 NBA draft on Nov. 18 will be held virtually and hosted from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut, the NBA and ESPN announced Thursday. Commissioner Adam Silver will be in studio at ESPN to announce the selections for the first round, and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum will be in studio to

11:34 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN The 2020 NBA draft is less than a month away, but the Minnesota Timberwolves still don’t see a can’t-miss guy to take with the No. 1 pick. After months of planning to make the top pick for the second time in franchise history, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas

2:12 PM ET Stan Van Gundy has agreed to a multiyear deal to become the next head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Van Gundy, the former Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons head coach, becomes the seventh coach in Pelicans franchise history. The Pelicans and Van Gundy’s representative,

6:30 AM ET NBA Insiders The NBA has plenty to figure out ahead of the start of free agency and trade season. The transaction moratorium will be lifted sometime before the Nov. 18 draft, but before then, let’s dive into the biggest storylines this offseason has to offer. Which players are the most intriguing targets?

8:52 PM ET ESPN News Services SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will let fans back in outdoor stadiums for pro sporting events in counties with low coronavirus infection rates, the state’s top health official said Tuesday. San Francisco and neighboring Alameda and Santa Clara are the only counties that meet the threshold for pro sports. However,

12:22 PM ET The Indiana Pacers have agreed to a multiyear deal to hire Toronto Raptors assistant Nate Bjorkgren as their head coach, sources told ESPN. The Pacers officially named Bjorkgren as their new head coach Tuesday but did not disclose terms of his deal. Bjorkgren, a disciple of reigning NBA Coach of the Year

7:06 AM ET This NBA offseason is full of decisions that could impact the hierarchy of the league for years to come. Will back-to-back MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo hold off on signing a supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks? Will the Golden State Warriors keep or trade the No. 2 overall pick in November’s draft? Will

Oct 15, 2020 Sports Africa Network recently hosted a roundtable with five basketball players from the African continent. The discussion revealed the tremendous potential the sport has for enhancing mutual understanding between Africa and the USA, while highlighting the challenges remaining. Thirteen Africa-born men play in the NBA today, nearly enough to fill a team

1:00 PM ET Phil Mickelson will take part in another high-profile match, but this time Tiger Woods will not be part of it. Charles Barkley will partner with Mickelson in a match against Stephen Curry and Peyton Manning on Nov. 27 at Stone Canyon Golf Club in Arizona. Called Capital One’s The Match: Champions for

6:23 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Sometime between now and the 2020 NBA draft on Nov. 18, the league should lift the monthslong transaction moratorium, allowing its annual round of offseason chaos to officially begin. There are many things the NBA will need to sort out over the next few months, from the salary cap rules