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3:14 PM ET NEW YORK — Coach Steve Nash says he doesn’t care if Ben Simmons “ever shoots a jump shot” for the Brooklyn Nets because of the versatility and unique skill set that he brings to the team. “Very unique,” Nash said of Simmons after the second full practice of training camp on Wednesday.

3:38 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Pelicans opened training camp on Tuesday with two practices, a morning session followed by one in the evening. By design, the morning session was lighter. The evening session had a scrimmage portion that was going to be the first intense 5-on-5 work for Zion

7:00 AM ET NBA Insiders NBA training camps opened this week, and players from all 30 franchises are preparing to refine their skills and build chemistry with their teammates for the 2022-23 season. But a handful of serviceable players are still unsigned and not yet sure which team they will be helping this upcoming season,

9:30 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Darvin Ham gathered his players in the film room before his first official practice as a coach in hopes of establishing an identity for his team — and for himself. “I wasn’t going to dare show any Milwaukee Bucks clips,” Ham said Tuesday after the Los Angeles Lakers‘

6:27 PM ET Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton said he hasn’t spoken with head coach Monty Williams since he was benched during a stunning Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in May. Ayton had a tense summer with the Suns, signing a four-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers before Phoenix matched

8:00 AM ET Following yet another defeat in the middle of a lost season, LeBron James was asked a question at Miami’s FTX Arena that invited him to escape the losing moment to broaden and brighten his view. What did James think about being within striking distance of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s heralded all-time NBA scoring record

8:18 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — With reams of championship banners hanging above him, a couple of surefire Hall of Fame teammates present in the gym with him and a team roster that will cost the Los Angeles Lakers a hair under $175 million, Anthony Davis‘ statement about the upcoming season sounded almost unthinkable.

3:50 PM ET PHOENIX — The Suns are moving on to a new chapter with owner Robert Sarver planning to sell the team, but the mood at media day revealed a team still in shock. Sarver announced his intentions last week following the results of an NBA investigation. The details of the report, which confirmed

5:32 PM ET Veteran forward Jae Crowder requested to not report to Phoenix Suns training camp, and the team agreed as it continues trying to find a trade for him, sources told ESPN. Crowder, 32, is headed into the final season of his contract paying him $10.1 million but was facing a diminished role as

9:18 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, speaking publicly on the Robert Sarver matter for the first time Sunday, said he had private conversations with commissioner Adam Silver regarding the punishment handed down by the league to the embattled Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner. “[I] got [Silver’s] point

6:28 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE – For Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the debate about the best player in the NBA is simple. He doesn’t consider himself the current best player in the league because his team fell short of winning the championship last season. So, he was ready to cede that accolade to Golden

9:35 AM ET Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz is out indefinitely after suffering a fractured left big toe, the team announced Sunday. The Magic said Fultz has been placed in a walking boot but will not need surgery. The team did not disclose a timeline for Fultz’s return, but the Orlando Sentinel reported that the

7:34 PM ET ESPN News Services Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade has agreed to a three-year, $18.5 million extension, his agents, Austin Walton and Adam Papas, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday. Wade, 25, is a development success story of the Cavaliers’ rebuild, an undrafted two-way player who will now compete to be a starter

12:48 PM ET New Orleans Pelicans star CJ McCollum has agreed on a two-year, $64 million contract extension that’ll take him through the 2025-2026 season, his agent Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports told ESPN on Saturday. McCollum’s new deal ties him to New Orleans for four years and $133 million, aligning him on long-term deals

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders NBArank is in the books for the 2022-23 season. How’d we do? Our top five was unveiled on Friday, with the Milwaukee Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo reclaiming the No. 1 spot following a three-year absence. The Denver Nuggets‘ Nikola Jokic, Dallas Mavericks‘ Luka Doncic, Philadelphia 76ers‘ Joel Embiid and Golden State

12:17 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said the organization’s decision to suspend Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 NBA season came after an investigation by an independent law firm uncovered multiple violations of team policies. “I am concerned about the situation and its impact on everybody in the Celtics’ organization,” Grousbeck

12:02 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Boston Celtics will have an interim head coach on the sidelines this upcoming NBA season, and everyone outside of the Northeast may be wondering: Exactly who is Joe Mazzulla? In the wake of Celtics coach Ime Udoka being suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for having an intimate relationship

8:00 AM ET NBArank is back for its 12th season counting down the best players in the league. Where are MVP candidates such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic? What about rookies and young stars ready to take the leap into the upper tier of NBA players? To get the final

9:35 PM ET The Boston Celtics have suspended coach Ime Udoka for the 2022-23 season, the team announced Thursday night. The team cited violations of team policies in its announcement. Sources previously told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Udoka had an intimate relationship with a female member of the franchise’s staff. The suspension is effective immediately,

2:28 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard has been cleared to participate fully in training camp next week but the LA Clippers will proceed with “step-by-step” caution. Lawrence Frank, Clippers president of basketball operations, said Leonard’s first 5-on-5 participation will take place in camp, which starts next Tuesday in Las Vegas. “He feels great,”

8:00 AM ET NBArank is back for its 12th season counting down the best players in the league. Where are MVP candidates such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic? What about rookies and young stars ready to take the leap into the upper tier of NBA players? Where is LeBron James,

10:26 PM ET After 18 years as Phoenix Suns owner, Robert Sarver left many across the NBA with a story. Some are bizarre, like when he put a herd of goats in his general manager’s office. Some are repugnant, such as his racially insensitive language and treatment of employees detailed by an NBA investigation that

12:42 PM ET Owner Robert Sarver on Wednesday announced that he has begun the process to sell both the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury franchises. “As a man of faith, I believe in atonement and the path to forgiveness,” Sarver said in a statement Wednesday. “I expected that the commissioner’s one-year suspension would

8:00 AM ET NBArank is back for its 12th season counting down the best players in the league. Where are MVP candidates such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic? What about rookies and young stars ready to take the leap into the upper tier of NBA players? Where is LeBron James,

3:35 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been fined $40,000 for using offensive and derogatory language on social media, the NBA announced Tuesday. Edwards made anti-gay comments while observing a group of people standing on a sidewalk during a video posted to his Instagram story last week. The video has been

3:10 PM ET Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee this week, causing him to require four to six weeks for recovery, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. The procedure, expected to be Thursday, will come six months after Williams had left knee surgery to repair a torn

7:00 AM ET NBArank is back for its 12th season counting down the best players in the league. Where are MVP candidates such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic? What about rookies and young stars ready to take the leap into the upper tier of NBA players? Where is LeBron James,

6:18 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — The Boston Celtics have painted Bill Russell‘s No. 6 in the free throw lanes of their parquet floor as part of a season-long tribute planned for the Hall of Famer, who died this summer. “The team has added the number 6 to both lanes to pay homage to

12:22 PM ET Associated Press The NBA Replay Center has a new leader. Kane Fitzgerald, who spent 13 years working as an NBA referee, has been announced as the league’s new vice president of referee operations and replay center principal. He’s replacing another former referee in Jason Phillips, who left the job after three years.

5:20 PM ET Associated Press BERLIN — For Spain, almost all of the names on the national team’s roster have changed in recent years. The expectations didn’t. And neither did the results. Juancho Hernangomez scored 27 points, his brother Willy Hernangomez added 14 and won tournament MVP honors, and Spain topped France 88-76 on Sunday