News

8:00 AM ET Gay people have made strides in many sectors of American professional life. An openly gay man runs Apple, presides as the governor of Colorado, and an open lesbian runs a Fortune 500 company. But in the highest reaches of men’s basketball, gay people are almost invisible. In 2011, 58-year-old Phoenix Suns CEO

4:38 PM ET Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — The secret about how Orlando was going to take Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft was incredibly well-kept. Among those who didn’t know: Banchero himself. Banchero said even he was kept out of the Magic decision loop until about 30 seconds before

6:39 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving has created a list of teams he’d like the Brooklyn Nets to consider working with on a sign-and-trade if he and the team can’t agree on terms for him to stay in Brooklyn, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. That list includes the Los Angeles Lakers,

5:39 PM ET ESPN News Services Steve Clifford has agreed to a deal to return as the Charlotte Hornets‘ coach, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The 60-year-old Clifford spent five seasons coaching the Hornets, compiling a 196-214 record with a team that included Kemba Walker. He led the Hornets to two playoff appearances prior to

10:10 PM ET The Detroit Pistons acquired veteran guard Kemba Walker from the New York Knicks as part of a three-team trade involving the Charlotte Hornets that also saw the Pistons acquire the draft rights to Jalen Duren on Thursday night. Walker and the Pistons are expected to discuss a contract buyout that will allow

2:01 AM ET NBA Insiders With the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, the Orlando Magic selected Duke forward Paolo Banchero. The move came as something of a surprise, given that Banchero never met with the Magic and the consensus around the league was that Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. would be headed to

8:11 PM ET The Orlando Magic selected Duke’s Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft on Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. “I dont even know what to say,” Banchero said on ESPN’s draft broadcast. “I can’t believe what just happened. Honestly.” A 6-foot-10 forward, Banchero helped

8:00 AM ET HOUSTON — Christian Wood keeps swishing 3-pointers and smiling, the skilled big man showing off his shooting range and seemingly responding whenever the other team gets within striking distance. It’s June 13, and Game 5 of the NBA Finals tips off in eight hours, but metaphorically, this pickup game takes place as

4:35 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — At one point early in the NBA playoffs, Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers and head coach Steve Kerr had a conversation about how they didn’t feel their team was championship caliber. They saw themselves as a Western Conference finals team, maybe, but compared with the

6:13 PM ET The Detroit Pistons are trading forward Jerami Grant to the Portland Trail Blazers for a 2025 first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The 2025 first-round pick via Milwaukee is protected Nos. 1-4, sources said. Detroit sends Grant into a $21 million trade exception, and the Pistons now

12:00 PM ET Former National Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette and potential top-10 NBA draft picks Ausar and Amen Thompson headline the 2022 field for The Basketball Tournament. The 64-team TBT bracket, which was released on Wednesday, features a record 71 players with NBA experience as well as 29 college alumni teams. For the

4:57 PM ET Houston Rockets guard John Wall exercised his $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Rockets will continue to seek trade scenarios in the coming weeks, but are expected to work with Wall on a contract buyout if a swap can’t be found, sources said. Wall,

6:19 PM ET NBA free agency doesn’t begin until June 30 at 6 p.m. ET, but the news is already rolling in from around the Association. Much of the early buzz is coming out of New York, where Kyrie Irving‘s contract status has pundits and fans speculating about the future of the Brooklyn Nets‘ star

11:38 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN After Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum had a rough NBA Finals, Brad Stevens had a simple message for his team’s franchise player. “I just told him to go on vacation,” Stevens, Boston’s president of basketball operations, said with a smile during a videoconference call with reporters after Boston’s season ended

2:12 PM ET An emergency protective order filed last month against veteran NBA point guard Rajon Rondo in Louisville, Kentucky, has been dismissed. The protective order, which was filed against Rondo by a woman on May 13, was dismissed on Thursday after the “parties reached an agreement,” according to the document, which was obtained by

7:47 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — It’s been two years since the Bay Area hosted a championship parade, but the city, nor the Warriors, forgot how to take in the moment. Stephen Curry hopped on top of a banister at a Muni train station stop and started hitting the sign that was next

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA Finals wrapped up only a few days ago, but The Association’s calendar stops for no one. This week, the next generation of players will be welcomed into the league when the Orlando Magic begin the 2022 NBA draft Thursday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. From there, free agency

4:44 PM ET Associated Press In a couple of weeks, Bradley Beal‘s future might look a lot clearer. At this point, the Washington Wizards star isn’t tipping his hand. When asked Saturday about how he expects the start of free agency to go, he replied: “Crazy. probably — like it always is.” When asked how

8:26 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to hire Atlanta Hawks assistant Chris Jent as Darvin Ham’s top assistant coach on his staff, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Ham, a first-time head coach, made Jent a priority and recruited him hard after getting the Lakers job, sources told Wojnarowski. Ham and Jent coached

11:31 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Denver Nuggets forward Jeff Green has exercised his $4.5 million player option for the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN. Green had until Monday to decide whether to opt into the deal, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Green, who will turn 36 in August, averaged 10.3 points in 75 games (63

8:18 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Amid the champagne showers that drenched Golden State’s locker room in the TD Garden, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins hopped on Instagram Live to share the celebration with their followers. In the livestream, Poole looked at Wiggins and proclaimed, “You’re going to get a bag.” An uncontrollable

3:39 PM ET Kenny Atkinson has decided he won’t become the Charlotte Hornets‘ head coach and instead will remain with the Golden State Warriors as the top assistant, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Atkinson was offered the job during the NBA Finals, but after further conversations Atkinson was led to believe it would be best

11:43 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN BOSTON — For the fourth time in eight years, the Golden State Warriors have been crowned champions, as they eliminated the Celtics 103-90 on Thursday night in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Warriors won their first title since 2018 and became the first team to go from the

8:00 AM ET The Golden State Warriors are the 2022 NBA champions, Stephen Curry has his long-awaited Finals MVP award and the Warriors’ big three of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green tallied title No. 4. OK, what’s next? After battling in the Finals, where do the Warriors and Boston Celtics check in for the

2:30 PM ET One day after Stephen Curry added a fourth NBA title and first Finals MVP Award to his illustrious résumé, his alma mater, Davidson, announced that the Golden State Warriors star would have his number retired by the school at an August ceremony. Davidson athletic director Chris Clunie said Friday that Curry’s No.

9:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — With 63 seconds remaining in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, his team trailing by 11, waved the white flag and replaced all five of his starters. Jayson Tatum, after slowly trudging off the court, exchanged greetings with Boston players and coaches, untucked

1:00 AM ET Stephen Curry didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when the seconds ticked down at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night. He appeared to be ecstatic — broad smile, giddy — a natural reaction to winning a fourth NBA championship. Yet in an instant, Curry sank to the floor with two

4:49 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN After wrapping up a 24-hour shift as a firefighter in Toledo, Ohio, this past weekend, Myles Copeland went to New York to suit up for his other job, a player for Toledo Glass City of The Basketball League, for a playoff game against the Jamestown Jackals. But his two worlds

5:32 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Three times in this year’s NBA playoffs, the Boston Celtics have found themselves one loss away from going home for the summer. Three times in these playoffs, the Celtics have found a way to extend their season — including two victories on the road. So, as Boston prepares

9:23 PM ET Tim MacMahon Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 The Dallas Mavericks are acquiring center/power forward Christian Wood from the Houston