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5:59 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on Saturday said he’s one of the few NBA players who will forgo a social justice message on the back of his jersey when the season resumes in Orlando, Florida. “I didn’t go with a name on the back of my jersey,” James said Saturday. “It

6:45 AM ET Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books Tim Bontemps Over the past three months, the NBA’s league office has exhausted itself in stitching together a comprehensive plan to conclude the 2019-20 season. In the front offices of the

6:41 PM ET As NBA teams get situated in the Orlando bubble, one question that has persisted since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is not only what happens if a player tests positive for the virus but also what lingering effects might follow. “There are unknown effects it has on lung capacity, unknown effects

7:44 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN For New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, the time he spent in quarantine made him feel like a kid. In order to get ready for the NBA season, Williamson worked out with his stepfather Lee Anderson when he wasn’t rehabbing with Pelicans staffers. It’s that time that Williamson cherished in

8:11 PM ET Associated Press Nikola Vucevic had to raise his voice a bit to answer a question. He had just walked off the court after the first Orlando Magic practice of the restart, and some of his teammates remained on the floor while engaged in a loud and enthusiastic shooting contest. After four months,

5:32 PM ET Zion Williamson‘s stepfather solicited and accepted a $400,000 payment from a marketing agent in October 2018 prior to Williamson’s only season with the Duke Blue Devils, according to a court motion and sworn affidavit filed by his former marketing representative’s attorneys in federal court on Thursday. Gina Ford’s attorneys say the affidavit

6:53 PM ET Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook were among a small group of Houston Rockets players and staffers who did not travel on the team flight to Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, sources told ESPN. Each member of the group is expected to join the team later at Walt Disney World after traveling

6:17 AM ET NBA Insiders How well will the top teams in the NBA restart answer their big questions heading into the postseason? We polled the ESPN Forecast panel of 40 NBA experts for their confidence level in one key unknown about each of the top 10 teams in our latest round of power rankings.

12:13 AM ET Stephen Jackson apologized Wednesday night for using what he said were the “wrong words” in defending DeSean Jackson, but the former NBA player told CNN that what he said a day earlier should not be misinterpreted as support for anti-Semitism. “As I first stated when I got on here, I could’ve changed

7:28 AM ET In a May Instagram chat, Chris Bosh gave voice to the gnawing sense that the Miami Heat of 2010-2014 — a supernova of sports celebrity — fell short of expectations. Bosh conceded the Golden State Warriors had surpassed that Heat team in dynastic terms, and compared the Heat to the short-lived U.K.

Jul 6, 2020 It was just over three weeks ago when Luka Doncic‘s trainer was misquoted when discussing the Dallas Mavericks star’s physique. “Not in top shape yet” was the translation, missing a key qualifier. So when Doncic addressed reporters last week for the first time in nearly three months, he was immediately asked about

6:54 PM ET Brooklyn Nets forward Taurean Prince has tested positive for the coronavirus and has been ruled out of the NBA’s restart in Orlando, Florida, sources told ESPN. Prince is the fourth Nets player — including DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Dinwiddie and Wilson Chandler — who won’t participate in the league’s restart because of the

6:46 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN When the NBA last descended upon Orlando, Florida, the sneaker world saw some of the most iconic themes and launches in All-Star Weekend history. Brands began planning some 16 months in advance for the 2012 event, with Nike’s detailed “Galaxy” collection celebrating the region’s nearby NASA space center at Cape

6:37 AM ET THE DAY AFTER Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus, triggering the suspension of the NBA season, the Utah Jazz center tried to get in touch with his co-star, Donovan Mitchell. Gobert had just learned that Mitchell was the only other member of the team’s 58-person traveling party to test positive. Gobert

11:37 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard told CNN on Monday night that he will join the team in Orlando for the restart of the NBA season. “I feel like we have a great opportunity, the Lakers do, for winning the title this year … Yes, I will be joining my team in

1:28 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Philadelphia 76ers forward Mike Scott said the NBA giving players a list of phrases they may put on the backs of their jerseys when the season restarts in Orlando, Florida, later this month, rather than allowing players to choose what they want to say, was a “bad miss.” “They gave

7:09 PM ET The Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings shut down their practice facilities Sunday, sources told ESPN, after receiving the results of a recent round of testing for the coronavirus. It was not immediately clear if there was more than one positive test on the Bucks, but Milwaukee plans to keep its facility closed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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