News

3:32 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — As Joel Embiid has emerged from two seasons wiped out by injuries to begin his professional career, he has become one of the faces of the modernization and evolution of the center position. By pairing his massive 7-foot frame with the ability to space the floor beyond the

6:35 PM ET The NBA has fined Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson $25,000 following his ejection in Friday’s 114-106 loss to the Indiana Pacers. NBA executive vice president Kiki VanDeWeghe announced the fine on Saturday. A league statement said Atkinson was fined for “verbally abusing game officials and failing to leave the court in a

2:58 AM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James defended his comments about wanting to play with Pelicans star Anthony Davis, rattling off the names of several other stars he would love to team with and rejecting the notion that he did anything wrong. Speaking with reporters after Friday’s 112-104 win over New Orleans, James was

11:46 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was critical of NFL owners during the latest episode of HBO’s “The Shop” on Friday night, saying they have a “slave mentality.” “In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality,” James said during the episode.

2:56 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is feeling ill and is a game-time decision for Friday night’s game, coach Luke Walton said. James was not at Lakers shootaround. Walton said he was getting extra sleep prior to Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPNApp). “We got a sick

3:36 AM ET LOS ANGELES — On a night that Dallas Mavericks center DeAndre Jordan was welcomed back and honored by his former team at Staples Center, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he hoped to see Jordan’s LA jersey retired when all is said and done. “When you think of [Jordan] more than anybody, you

9:22 PM ET Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul suffered a strained left hamstring and will not return against the Miami Heat on Thursday night. Paul played 12 minutes and had four points before exiting in the second quarter. He lost control of the ball while dribbling past midcourt, and while attempting to take it

1:32 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Naismith Hall of Famer Rick Pitino is finalizing a to deal become head coach of EuroLeague power Panathinaikos of Greece, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Pitino’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has been working with Panathinaikos ownership on a contract to coach the rest of the team’s season, sources said. Pitino’s goal

2:09 AM ET SALT LAKE CITY — Golden State Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry believes his team is close to finding its collective rhythm but admits the group needs to find its “edge” again in order to start rattling off wins at the same clip as in years past. “A lot of it’s just getting

7:45 PM ET Free agent guard Ron Baker has agreed to a deal with the Washington Wizards, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Wizards are waiving Okaro White. Baker, who signed a two-year $8.9 million deal with the Knicks before the 2017 season, was released on Thursday to make room for rookie Allonzo Trier,

8:00 AM ET LEBRON JAMES SAID what many Los Angeles Lakers fans have been thinking for months now. When talking to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on Tuesday, James said that the Lakers trading for Anthony Davis “would be amazing … that would be incredible.” Indeed it would. It wasn’t the most eloquent quote of James’ career

12:47 AM ET NEW YORK — When Brooklyn Nets center Jarrett Allen decided to contest a dunk attempt by LeBron James on Tuesday, he knew he’d end up on social media. “If you go up and you block it, you’re going to be on the highlight. You get dunked on, you’re going to be on

6:46 PM ET Michael Jordan came in at No. 4 on Forbes’ annual list of America’s wealthiest celebrities, with a net worth estimated at $1.7 billion through a sneaker fortune and a 90 percent stake in the Charlotte Hornets. Tiger Woods was tied at No. 9, with an $800 million net worth, according to the

1:57 AM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — An otherwise ho-hum blowout by the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Chicago Bulls became suddenly tense Monday night when a squabble spilled over into courtside fans and players and coaches tried to separate the teams. It started with Russell Westbrook and Kris Dunn in the third quarter of the

1:04 AM ET NEW YORK — The Phoenix Suns and star shooting guard Devin Booker took to Twitter to troll Knicks center Enes Kanter after their win at Madison Square Garden. 🤦🏽‍♂️ “Pick n Roll at 00 every time” https://t.co/riaizpFpZV — Devin Booker (@DevinBook) December 18, 2018 Monday night’s tweets were the latest in a

5:00 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN The Oklahoma City Thunder have picked up the option on coach Billy Donovan’s contract for the 2019-20 season, the final year on his original five-year deal, a league source told ESPN. Donovan has a 150-96 (.610) record in his three-plus seasons with the Thunder, trailing only Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich

7:43 AM ET NEW YORK — New York Knicks owner James Dolan, who has put the WNBA’s New York Liberty up for sale, said he couldn’t rule out selling the Knicks if the right offer came along. Dolan, who is chairman of Madison Square Garden and also owns the NHL’s New York Rangers, told ESPN’s

11:40 PM ET DALLAS — Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger sees unlimited potential in Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic, the player selected with the pick immediately after the Kings drafted Marvin Bagley III. “He’s got a lot of different skills and I think he’s going to become a heck of a shooter,” Joerger said of

10:03 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN While he’s most known for wearing collectible kicks worth as much as $20,000 per pair — and sometimes even more — Houston Rockets power forward PJ Tucker has been showcasing a love for sneakers that extends far beyond the hype this season. From obscure, decade-old Kevin Durant models to vintage

3:47 AM ET SAN ANTONIO — Both coaches tossed about the T-word for different reasons Saturday after the Chicago Bulls crushed a 21-point deficit to top the San Antonio Spurs 98-93 — souring a flawless 4-0 start to San Antonio’s six-game homestand. Bulls coach Jim Boylen called starting point guard Ryan Arcidiacono “a tough nut,”

3:05 PM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With LeBron James set to meet Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets later Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers star thought back to the first time he met the former Chicago Bulls superstar on a June day in 2001, ages before he would be considered on par with the six-time champion and

3:23 AM ET Sacramento Kings rookie Marvin Bagley III will be sidelined at least 10 days after an MRI revealed a bone bruise in his left knee, the team announced Friday night. The Kings said he will be re-evaluated in 10-14 days. Bagley suffered the injury in the second quarter of Friday’s 130-125 loss to

9:02 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — There was no big celebration for Spencer Dinwiddie when he signed a contract extension with Brooklyn that guarantees a paycheck in an NBA where he once couldn’t even hold a job. Outside of the satisfaction of knowing his parents can retire, Dinwiddie said nothing really changed. “Other

7:57 AM ET ESPN News Services Amid uncertainty surrounding a proposed renovation to their arena, Suns owner Robert Sarver said Thursday that he is fully committed to keeping the team in Phoenix. Sarver put out a video message via Twitter a day after a Phoenix City Council vote to approve $230 million in renovations was

2:56 AM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — Dirk Nowitzki at last began his record-breaking 21st season with the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, coming off the bench in the first quarter of a 99-89 loss to the Phoenix Suns. No other NBA player has played that many seasons with the same team. “It is good

6:18 PM ET The Brooklyn Nets and guard Spencer Dinwiddie have agreed to a three-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday. The deal is for $34 million, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. There will be a player option on the third year, sources said. Dinwiddie was eligible for four years and $47 million, but

10:26 AM ET New York Knicks guard Allonzo Trier — a rookie revelation on a two-way contract — has agreed to a two-year, $7 million contract with a team option for the second year, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The Knicks were rapidly closing on 45 days of allowable NBA service under Trier’s two-way deal,

1:14 AM ET NEW ORLEANS — Two nights after dropping 41 points on the NBA’s second-best defense in the Boston Celtics, Anthony Davis followed with 44 points against the league’s top defense in the New Orleans Pelicans‘ 118-114 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. Davis went 16-of-32 shooting, including 11-of-11 from the line,

6:10 PM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — The city council has postponed a vote on a proposed $230 million renovation of the Talking Stick Resort Arena that would keep the Suns in downtown Phoenix. The council agreed unanimously Wednesday to postpone a decision until Jan. 23 so residents can attend five public meetings to be

8:47 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN The first colorway of the Curry 6 is based on the famed Fox Theater in Oakland. Courtesy Under Armour As he played host to an Under Armour product meeting at his home near Oakland, California, in 2017, Stephen Curry was asked to think two signature sneakers ahead. What ideas would he