News

11:17 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles police officer briefly pressed a knee to the neck of Jaxson Hayes as the New Orleans Pelicans center gasped “I can’t breathe” seconds before another officer used a Taser on him during a struggle, according to body camera video released Friday. The officers went

12:15 PM ET The Cleveland Cavaliers are acquiring Chicago Bulls restricted free agent Lauri Markkanen in a three-way trade that also involves the Portland Trail Blazers, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Markkanen is heading to the Cavs on a four-year, $67 million deal in a sign-and-trade agreement with the Bulls. Chicago will receive Derrick Jones

2:23 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN The Phoenix Suns have had great success over the past year with their “The Valley” jersey design. Now, they’ve introduced a new concept to honor their Mexican and Mexican American fans and are looking to fans for feedback. Phoenix said it is working on a uniform concept based on ancient

5:58 PM ET Tory BarronESPN Editor Close Tory Barron is a Bristol-based writer and editor for ESPN.com. After retiring from playing lacrosse at UConn, the DC native decided to try her hand at writing about people playing sports. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and his wife, Ayesha, are collaborating with Davidson College to launch

2:01 PM ET The National Basketball Players Association, in partnership with NYC Parks, will renovate the Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, the players’ union announced Thursday. In a project funded by the NBPA, the renovation of the iconic court includes repairing and leveling the pavement, the replacement

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The peak of NBA free agency is in the rearview. The full 2021-22 season schedule has been released. Training camps can officially open on Sept 28. Still, there are a few potential moves that remain unresolved. Will the Philadelphia 76ers trade Ben Simmons? How much longer will Damian Lillard remain

6:22 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Nick Van Exel has returned to the Atlanta Hawks, joining Nate McMillan’s staff as an assistant coach. Van Exel spent the past two years as a scout with the Dallas Mavericks. The Hawks announced his hiring Wednesday, bringing back a former All-Star who served as a player development

Aug 24, 2021 Andrew LopezESPN Jared Dudley‘s NBA career is coming to a close as he’s joining the Dallas Mavericks‘ coaching staff, the 14-year veteran said on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon. In a pair of tweets, Dudley thanked the Los Angeles Lakers organization — naming LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Jeanie Buss specifically — for

7:50 PM ET New York Knicks center Nerlens Noel filed a lawsuit against former agent Rich Paul and his firm, Klutch Sports, on Monday, claiming he lost $58 million in potential salary while he was represented by Paul from 2017 to 2020. Noel took the action after Klutch recently filed a grievance with the National

9:06 PM ET After leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the franchise’s first NBA championship in 50 years, coach Mike Budenholzer has agreed to a three-year contract extension, sources told ESPN. Budenholzer — who was entering the final year of his deal — now ties himself to the Bucks through the 2024-25 season. His extension punctuates

2:05 PM ET LOS ANGELES — As fans look to find ways to remember Kobe Bryant this week — with the late Lakers star’s birthday Monday followed by the date on the calendar that commemorates his uniforms Tuesday, 8/24 — a blockchain company has found another way to honor Mamba forever. Cryptograph, a digital collectibles

9:00 AM ET 30 for 30 Podcasts and The Undefeated present The King of Crenshaw, a four-part podcast series that focuses on how the late Nipsey Hussle’s life, death, and legacy deeply impacted the sports world. This series aims to examine how that overlap of Black male creativity, talent, and ambition will forever live on

7:56 PM ET ESPN News Services Boston Celtics forward Josh Richardson has agreed to a one-year, $12 million extension, his agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Richardson had one year and $11.5 million left on his deal, which now runs through the 2022-2023 season. The Celtics acquired Richardson from the Dallas

4:54 PM ET Associated Press J.R. Smith is finally getting the college-athlete experience he missed out on nearly two decades ago. The 16-year NBA veteran who skipped college basketball, won two world championships and made millions is now a freshman walk-on for the North Carolina A&T men’s golf team. Now, instead of first-class cross-country travel

7:16 AM ET How has the NBA’s landscape changed after the draft and free agency? The biggest shocker came on draft night, when the Los Angeles Lakers sprung a deal with the Washington Wizards to land former MVP Russell Westbrook. The move created the league’s newest superstar Big Three of Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony

9:34 PM ET Tyler Smith, the No. 8 basketball prospect in ESPN’s Class of 2023, has signed with Overtime Elite, he told ESPN on Sunday. “This is different and new,” Smith said. I wanted to be a pro already, working on stuff that NBA players work on. In high school you can’t work out as

1:20 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Boston Celtics and center Robert Williams have agreed to a four-year, $54 million contract extension, agent Kevin Bradbury of REP1 Sports told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. The deal will put Williams, 23, among the top half of centers in the NBA in terms of annual salary and is

4:17 PM ET The Brooklyn Nets, the consensus favorites to win the title, opened at a league-best 54.5 wins at Caesars Sportsbook after the NBA released its full 2021-22 schedule on Friday. The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are next at 53.5. The Bucks host the Nets on opening night, Oct. 19. Milwaukee is an early

8:42 PM ET Associated Press KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — What David Stern did for the sport of basketball transcended any gender bias and opened a whole new world for women in the game. NBA commissioner from 1984 to 2014, Stern was the key figure in the formation and operation of the WNBA in 1997. That bold

3:36 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN A trio of return games for All-Star point guards Russell Westbrook, Kyle Lowry and Kemba Walker highlights the NBA’s full schedule release Friday afternoon. Westbrook will head back to Washington with the Los Angeles Lakers on March 19, about a week after the teams meet in Los Angeles on March

5:36 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Kevin Garnett will become the 24th player in Boston Celtics history to have his jersey retired on March 13, when Boston will host the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Garnett, who won the 2008 title with the Celtics, spent six seasons of his Hall

5:00 PM ET The NBA schedule is here. And unlike last season’s unveiling that broke games into first and second halves, we know all 1,230 games up front. The 2021-22 season tips off on Oct. 19 with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks hosting the Brooklyn Nets on ring night. The last time these two Eastern

9:00 AM ET Who are the NBA free agents to watch in 2022 and 2023? Most of the league’s superstars have signed long-term extensions with their current teams, leading some league executives to call 2022 “The Offseason of the Rotational Players.” Still, superstars like Bradley Beal, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook could become

4:25 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN LeBron James took to Twitter to react to ESPN’s offseason survey of 10 NBA scouts and executives leaving him without a single vote for the title of best player in the NBA. James responded to a tweet sarcastically saying he was washed-up as a player, then sent out a separate

4:20 PM ET ESPN News Services The Dallas Mavericks are hiring two-time WNBA champion Kristi Toliver as an assistant coach, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Toliver has previous NBA coaching experience. She spent parts of two seasons as an assistant on the Washington Wizards’ staff. Toliver is currently playing for the Los Angeles Sparks where