8:58 AM ET Here are 11 things — all “likes.” This is a week to appreciate the beauty and ruggedness of the game. 1. The magic and malleability of the reigning MVP The power of Giannis Antetokounmpo: He can morph into any player type depending on what Milwaukee wants, and perform each at an All-Star
News
1:25 AM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said he was pushed by a fan when he dove into the stands going after a loose ball during Thursday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The play occurred late in the fourth quarter of Toronto’s 115-109 victory. Lowry retrieved a missed shot
5:06 PM ET The NBA has informed teams of 2020-2021 salary-cap and luxury tax estimates, including a $2 million drop in the tax threshold that brings a costly impact to teams facing that penalty, league sources tell ESPN. The league informed teams of estimates of a $115 million salary cap and $139 million luxury tax
9:46 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — It took nearly 375 days, but Victor Oladipo is back making 3-pointers, and he did it at the most opportune time Wednesday. The Indiana Pacers guard, playing in his first game in more than a year, made a 3-pointer from the left wing with 10.3 seconds remaining to force overtime
12:59 AM ET The NBA has alerted teams to the impending release of adjusted 2020-2021 salary and luxury tax projections, signaling the likelihood that a decline in revenue will cause a drop in the figures, league sources tell ESPN. The league office is expected to deliver revised projections as soon as Thursday, an accommodation that
4:28 PM ET Carmelo Anthony is hoping his stay in Portland lasts longer than this season. The veteran forward, who’s on a one-year, $2.2 million deal with the team, told the Portland Tribune earlier this week that he’s hoping to finish his career with the Trail Blazers. “I would love to stay,” he said as
8:34 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant died Sunday at age 41. Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, a source confirmed to ESPN. Bryant entered the NBA straight out of high school in 1996 and won five championships and one regular-season
1:06 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN MILWAUKEE — The league-leading Milwaukee Bucks will clearly go as far as Giannis Antetokounmpo can take them this season. But there are nights when others steal the show. And Tuesday was one of them. Khris Middleton posted a personal-best 51 points, 10 rebounds and six assists on 16-for-26 shooting, leading
5:15 PM ET Malika Andrews Close ESPN Staff Writer Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2018 Appears regularly on ESPN Chicago 1000 Tim Bontemps Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and Orlando Magic guard Terrence Ross will both change their jersey numbers from No. 8 to honor Kobe Bryant. Dinwiddie announced Tuesday on Twitter that he will
Jan 26, 2020 We were visiting relatives on a brisk Thanksgiving afternoon on Cape Cod in 2007, and I was balancing a piece of piping-hot apple pie in my hand when my phone pinged to let me know I had a text message. It was from Kobe Bryant. “Hey Jackie, wishing you and your family
1:02 AM ET Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward disputes that he intentionally tried to commit a free throw lane violation to ensure that Kobe Bryant would hit 60 points in the final game of his career. Hayward took to Twitter on Monday night after NBC commentator Mike Tirico, who was calling the game for ESPN
4:59 PM ET ARDMORE, Pa. — Most of the people didn’t know the man they came to honor — at least not really. Most of those who came to lay down flowers, No. 24 and 33 jerseys, candles, teddy bears and basketballs had never spoken to the man they came to mourn. The news of
1:24 AM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Trae Young had to compose himself a couple of times when asked about the death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. It wasn’t easy for Young, who was mentored by Bryant and had a special relationship with the former NBA star’s 13-year-old girl, nicknamed Gigi. “One of
12:32 AM ET ESPN News Services Basketball fans in Europe and Asia reacted to the sudden death of former Lakers star Kobe Bryant with tributes and praise. Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among several people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Bryant was
3:53 PM ET Kobe Bryant and his daughter were among five people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Bryant was 41. Drafted 13th overall in 1996 out of Lower Merion High School, Bryant was a five-time NBA champion, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and
10:13 PM ET SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert can count on Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle’s vote for All-Star reserves. “In my opinion, he is,” Carlisle said of Gobert after the player’s dominant’s performance in the Jazz’s 112-107 win over the Mavs on Saturday. Gobert had 22 points on 8-of-8 shooting
After Kobe Bryant showed up to watch LeBron James and the Lakers earlier this season, James reflected on the two players’ careers. “Two guys that came straight out of high school, a lot of pressure put on both of us at such a young age. … Just use that every single day on trying to
1:51 PM ET Oklahoma City Thunder center Nerlens Noel underwent a procedure to repair a left cheek fracture and will miss Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to the team. The Thunder will also be without forward Danilo Gallinari, who is out with a sore left thumb. Noel, 25, briefly went to the locker
12:49 AM ET MIAMI — LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard earned the first triple-double of his career in Friday night’s 122-117 comeback victory over the Miami Heat. Leonard finished the game with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, bringing the Clippers back from a 15-point deficit, while handing the Heat just their second home
8:08 PM ET MIAMI — Heat coach Erik Spoelstra responded swiftly to swingman Jimmy Butler not being selected as a starter for next month’s All Star game in Chicago, calling his omission “a joke” and adding that he’s hopeful it will help change the voting process. “I just think it’s ridiculous that we’re still in
3:59 PM ET ESPN News Services Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen will be out for four to six weeks after an MRI of his right hip revealed an early stress reaction of his right pelvis, the team announced. Markkanen, who is averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, was coming off a 21-point performance
2:16 AM ET PORTLAND — After his team’s 133-125 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard expressed frustration with a no-call that eventually led to him receiving a technical foul in the game’s closing seconds. With 3 minutes, 42 seconds left and Portland down by 15, Lillard scored on a
10:08 PM ET Steph Curry has three championship rings, two MVP trophies and five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors. But if Curry’d had his way, he would have gone to the New York Knicks, not the Warriors, in the 2009 Draft. “I wanted to go to New York and
10:53 AM ET Zion Williamson made his highly anticipated NBA debut Wednesday night, scoring 22 points in 18 minutes for the New Orleans Pelicans. His Rookie of the Year odds shortened at all major sportsbooks. We’ll keep track of changes in his ROY odds in this file. All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. Rookie of
2:14 AM ET NEW YORK — Having been in Zion Williamson’s shoes eight years ago, playing in New Orleans as the NBA’s No. 1 pick, Anthony Davis had some advice for the Pelicans rookie. “Just go out there and play and have fun,” he said. Davis said there are outsized expectations that come with being
10:53 AM ET ESPN News Services Denver Nuggets backup center Mason Plumlee is expected to miss two weeks to a month with a right foot injury, according to the team. Plumlee rolled his ankle in the second quarter of Monday’s 107-100 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves but was able to return to the game. It’s
1:15 PM ET Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant said he believes that there are three WNBA players who could play in the NBA right now. “I think there are a couple of players who could play in the NBA right now, honestly,” Bryant told CNN when asked if there might be a day
9:44 PM ET DALLAS — The Mavericks fear that starting center Dwight Powell suffered a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon early in the first quarter of Tuesday night’s 110-107 loss to the LA Clippers. “It’s a somber night with Dwight’s situation,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s going to have an MRI tomorrow. Right Achilles
11:02 PM ET NBA Insiders Zion Williamson‘s NBA debut with the New Orleans Pelicans is here. Williamson’s surgery to fix the meniscus in his right knee happened on Oct. 21, the day before the Pelicans opened the 2019-20 season against the Toronto Raptors. The original timeline for Williamson was six-to-eight weeks, which would have put
3:36 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — Sleep might be hard to come by for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson on Tuesday night. The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft is set to make his NBA regular-season debut on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, but he said on Tuesday that