News

1:44 PM ET SHANGHAI — During their first night in China, the members of Team USA didn’t want to be around any coaches or other staff members. Gregg Popovich, a famous host of dinners, couldn’t have been happier he was excluded from their plans. From the first day this team got together in Las Vegas

4:21 PM ET The Golden State Warriors promoted Mike Dunleavy Jr. to assistant general manager Thursday and added former player Zaza Pachulia as a team consultant. Dunleavy, a Warrior from 2002 to 2007 and a veteran of 15 seasons in the league, has worked for the past year as a scout for the team. Dunleavy,

8:28 AM ET For all of their starry absences, the United States will be the favorite to retain their FIBA World Cup when the 2019 edition tips off on Saturday in China. But an alternative victor isn’t that difficult to imagine. Within the competition’s largest-ever field of 32, there are a clutch of potential contenders

11:52 AM ET Brooklyn Nets forward Wilson Chandler has been suspended 25 games without pay after testing positive for the performance‐enhancing drug Ipamorelin, the league announced Thursday. The positive test violates the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. Chandler, 32, averaged 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds while playing in 51 games for the Philadelphia 76ers

3:52 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett has signed a multi-year footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Puma, linking the franchise’s highest draft pick in over three decades with the brand’s original endorser, Knicks Hall of Famer Walt “Clyde” Frazier. “We’ve had our eyes on him for a long time, going

6:06 PM ET Marc J. Spears Former NBA All-Star Joe Johnson is in Philadelphia preparing for a workout Thursday with the 76ers, a source told ESPN’s The Undefeated. Johnson, 38, also is receiving interest for potential workouts from the LA Clippers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Pelicans head coach

2:25 PM ET Kobe Bryant says he has “no beef” with Shaquille O’Neal after comments came to light that Bryant thought he could have won 12 NBA titles if the dominant big man had Bryant’s legendary work ethic. Bryant tweeted Wednesday that their old feud remains in the past and there’s “nothin but love” between

8:37 AM ET Kevin WangESPN.com Veteran guard Jeremy Lin has signed with the Beijing Shougang Ducks to play in the Chinese Basketball Association next season, the team announced Tuesday. In a statement, the Ducks say the team is now in the process of working with the league to get his registration paperwork approved, a procedural

3:42 PM ET A former girlfriend of DeMarcus Cousins is seeking a restraining order against him after she said in court documents and a police report obtained by TMZ that the Los Angeles Lakers center threatened her and has previously choked her. Christy West, according to TMZ, alleges that Cousins said he would put a

11:00 AM ET Lisa Leslie has won coach of the year honors in the BIG3 after leading Triplets to Saturday’s title game, the league announced Tuesday. Leslie, the Hall of Famer and WNBA legend, is the second woman to win the award, which is voted on by players and coaches in the league. Last year,

7:22 AM ET Which players should be the favorites for NBA MVP in 2019-20? In the latest edition of the ESPN summer forecast, our panel predicted 2018-19 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo as having the best chance to win the award. Two-time MVP Stephen Curry finished second, with Curry and Giannis getting more than half of the

7:49 PM ET ESPN News Services Dwight Howard has officially rejoined the Los Angeles Lakers six years after his acrimonious departure. The eight-time All-Star center and 15-year NBA veteran agreed to a contract with the Lakers on Monday. The non-guaranteed deal comes with a stern caveat from the Lakers that if Howard disrupts the team,

8:26 AM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — Order restored. After losing for the first time in nearly 13 years two days earlier, the United States rebounded to outclass Canada 84-68 in a pre-World Cup exhibition basketball game Monday. At the same arena where the Americans won Olympic gold at the Sydney 2000 Games the U.S.

10:55 PM ET Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert has agreed to a three-year, $52.5 million contract extension, league sources told ESPN. LeVert, who turned 25 on Sunday, was eligible for his rookie extension as a member of the NBA’s draft class of 2016. His new deal will begin with the 2020-21 season. No better feeling

7:28 PM ET At five home games this year, the Portland Trail Blazers will wear red jerseys with “blazers” in lowercase letters written vertically down the chest. The jerseys resemble those the team wore during the 1976-77 season, when they won the NBA title. Bill Walton, the center on that team, helped the Blazers unveil

2:45 PM ET Investigators for the Sacramento Kings and NBA determined that, based on available evidence, there was “not a sufficient basis to support” the sexual assault allegations made against Kings head coach Luke Walton. According to a Friday statement from the Kings and NBA, Kelli Tennant, who alleged that Walton sexually assaulted her in

5:21 PM ET After completing a contract buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies, Dwight Howard will sign a non-guaranteed contract with the Los Angeles Lakers that comes with a clear message, league sources told ESPN: Disrupt this team — and you’ll be gone. In meetings with Lakers management, coaches and teammates — including Anthony Davis —

6:22 PM ET HOUSTON — James Harden isn’t just playing around in pickup games when he launches the one-legged, stepback 3-pointers seen in viral videos shot during open runs this summer. Harden, the Houston Rockets‘ superstar who led the NBA in scoring the last two seasons, is searching for ways he can continue to improve

10:41 AM ET Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers will not play for Team USA in the upcoming FIBA World Cup after it was determined that his left ankle injury would prevent him from participating, USA Basketball announced Saturday. With the loss of Kuzma, the USA Basketball roster is now finalized with 12 players.

2:47 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — The U.S. men’s basketball team lost for the first time in nearly 13 years, falling to Australia 98-94 in a pre-World Cup exhibition game Saturday. Patty Mills scored 30 points for Australia, which rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half. It was the first loss

7:48 PM ET Dwight Howard is on his way back to the Los Angeles Lakers, after agreeing to a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies. While the move wasn’t a surprise given recent developments — specifically the Lakers losing DeMarcus Cousins to a torn ACL and the Grizzlies having little interest in keeping Howard on the

4:33 AM ET ESPN.com Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print The 2019-20 edition of ESPN’s NBA summer forecast is here. Which will be the best and worst teams this season? Which superstar players will win the major awards? What surprises are on the way? We polled ESPN’s panel of basketball experts for their predictions

10:27 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has been home for nearly a week in Detroit as he continues to recover from a stroke suffered in May. Gilbert, 57, had spent the past two months in a rehabilitation center in Chicago. On Thursday, Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner provided a brief

6:35 PM ET Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants to temper expectations. Maybe that is understandable. He is preparing to step into the point guard position Russell Westbrook held for 11 years for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 10.8 points and 3.3 assists as a rookie for the Los Angeles Clippers last

7:32 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — You could just about hear the collective groan reverberating around Melbourne as one by one, they started falling like dominoes. When Team USA’s superstars began withdrawing from the FIBA World Cup squad, it meant they would no longer be taking part in the two highly anticipated friendlies against the

9:38 AM ET Former NBA first-round pick Royce White believes Carmelo Anthony has been “blackballed” by the league and he thinks LeBron James is partly to blame. “‘Melo is absolutely being blackballed,” White, who plays in the BIG3 league, told Fanatics View on Saturday. “He’s one of the realest in [the league]. … He’s given

6:41 PM ET The attorneys for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson filed additional amendments to a lawsuit that is attempting to enforce the termination of a signed agreement with a Florida marketing company. The amendments, filed in the U.S. District Court in North Carolina by Williamson’s New York-based lawyer Jeffrey Klein on Wednesday, include

10:25 AM ET Hall of Fame middle linebacker Ray Lewis will prove whether he has more moves than his signature pregame dance. Lewis will be among the 12 celebrities competing on the 28th season of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” it was announced Wednesday. The only other professional athlete on this season’s show is Lamar

10:57 PM ET Ty Lue has agreed to a deal with the LA Clippers to become a top assistant coach on Doc Rivers’ staff, a source told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Lue was a leading candidate to become the Los Angeles Lakers head coach until negotiations broke down earlier this summer. Lue wanted to coach LeBron

7:30 AM ET The Sterling Affairs is a story of power and scandal in Los Angeles. When an audio recording of a racist rant by former Clippers owner Donald Sterling was leaked online in 2014, it caused an uproar that changed the NBA forever. But Sterling had been a problem for decades — in basketball,