Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic wearing a Superman Cape in the Sprite Slam-Dunk Contest at the New Orleans Arena during the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend February 16, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana. AFP PHOTO TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) Tennessee’s best chance to upset Alabama comes
8:00 AM ET Ben Simmons looks and sounds like he’s in a very good place with the Brooklyn Nets. Sitting in the padded courtside seats of Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum during shootaround on Wednesday, the 26-year-old swingman says, after nearly a year and a half away from an NBA floor, he is embracing his new role
Death. Taxes. The return of Zion Williamson to the top of the NBA elite. All these things seem inevitable — as long as Zion’s body holds up, they will be. Zion Williamson has not been the NBA’s version of Thanos in a long time. He has not played a basketball game since May 4, 2021
8:51 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green returned to practice on Thursday following a week away from the team after the fallout from punching Jordan Poole last Wednesday. The Warriors opted not to suspend Green for the incident, and instead fined him. He will play in the Warriors’
10:56 AM ET MILWAUKEE — Kevin Durant knows some of the parallels are there. From a distance, the Brooklyn Nets‘ star forward has watched — like everybody else — the leaked video footage of Draymond Green punching Golden State Warriors teammate Jordan Poole during practice. The defending champion Warriors’ locker room has been hurt by
From opening night to the 2023 NBA Draft, here are all the important dates you’ll need to know to follow the 2022-23 NBA season. The NBA preseason is already winding down and what should be a fascinating regular season is just over the horizon. We’ve seen big names change teams this offseason — Donovan Mitchell,
8:00 AM ET Here we go: The top 10 in our 2022-2023 League Pass Rankings! We revealed Nos. 30-11 on Tuesday, and you can read about the rankings formula there. 10. DALLAS MAVERICKS (35) Look at this soul-snatcher: That is the smile of someone who knows he has you. The Mavs’ offense is one-dimensional —
The Orlando Magic have to love what they’re seeing from Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. so far this preseason. The Orlando Magic have gotten off to an impressive preseason start, winning three of four games and notching wins over the Mavericks and Grizzlies. You obviously need to take all preseason results with
Any honest evaluation of Tyler Herro requires looking at his production compared to expectations, but also how much he’s actually developed. Most NBA players under 25 are somewhat difficult to project and build safe expectations around. Tyler Herro is a perfect example of the complications that come with projecting the talent of young players. Part
11:22 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN MIAMI — New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson understands the microscope he’s under when it comes to injuries. It’s why when he left Wednesday night’s 120-103 preseason loss to the Miami Heat with left ankle soreness, he knew what to expect on social media before he even looked at his
Desmond Bane may not get the headlines that Ja Morant receives. All he does is make the Grizzlies’ offense more dangerous, and continue to prove those that wrote him off wrong. In case you didn’t know, Desmond Bane is underrated. Even when he is seemingly appropriately rated, that rating is wrong. It’s not because of
5:26 PM ET MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Brooklyn Nets swingman Ben Simmons knows that criticism is going to find him wherever he goes. After years of dealing with verbal barbs from fans — both in person and on social media — the 26-year-old understands that the type of ire he faces comes with being one of
Skip Bayless is known for being critical of LeBron James but sided with the Lakers star over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s unfair and unwarranted criticism. Unlike his TV counterpart Shannon Sharpe, Fox Sports 1’s Skip Bayless has been one of the staunchest critics of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. However, Bayless recently chose a different route
2:54 PM ET NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets are doing everything they can to make Ben Simmons feel comfortable in his new surroundings after being away from an NBA floor for almost a year and a half while dealing with back surgery and mental health concerns, but coach Steve Nash acknowledged that what Simmons
Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports As the NBA regular season rapidly approaches, we take a look at some of the highly motivated players that have a lot to prove in the imminent 2022-23 season. Motivation is a powerful angle in the NBA. Redemption is an even more powerful driving force of narrative. Amidst the squeaking of
12:46 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors forward Draymond Green will rejoin the team on Thursday, coach Steve Kerr said following Golden State’s preseason win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. Green has been away from the team since an altercation with teammate Jordan Poole last Wednesday. He has been fined,
Tyrese Haliburton gives the Indiana Pacers something solid they can build, a foundation that could last for years to come. I’ve been watching the Indiana Pacers long enough to see a savior or two. I remember the excitement about Al Harrington and Jonathan Bender as potential bridges to the post-Reggie Miller era, only for Jermaine
4:36 PM ET ESPN News Services Charlotte Hornets All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball is expected to miss one to two weeks because of his sprained left ankle, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday. The Hornets had earlier announced that an MRI confirmed that Ball has a sprained ankle and his return to full basketball
With Chet Holmgren off the board and preseason action rolling, who are the top candidates for NBA Rookie of the Year this season? Chet Holmgren’s injury took a huge name off the board in what was a very crowded field of potential Rookie of the Year candidates. But the first batch of preseason games have
8:00 AM ET It’s time for our silliest preseason tradition: The 11th (how???) annual League Pass Rankings, a watchability scale to help you avoid wasting time on things like, “Wait, has this team actually ordered its players to tie their shoes together as part of its Lose-A-Rama for Victor Wembanyama campaign?” These are not power
According to The Athletic, Draymond Green could be disciplined by the Golden State Warriors after getting into a physical altercation with Jordan Poole at practice. The Golden State Warriors open up the 2022-23 season on Oct. 18 against the Los Angeles Lakers, as they look to repeat as NBA champions. But in the preseason, there
After news broke of a reported physical altercation between Golden State Warriors players Draymond Green and Jordan Poole, Twitter users shared memes. The regular season is just a matter of days away, and there is some drama brewing on the Golden State Warriors. Specifically, there was a physical altercation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole
9:16 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Hornets All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of a 116-107 preseason loss against the Washington Wizards on Monday night when his foot was stepped on while he was driving to the basket. The Hornets announced Ball would not return
The game of Cade Cunningham is both classic and something entirely his own. As the Pistons’ roster improves so do the possibilities for him. Cade Cunningham’s name rolls off the tongue like a Sunday morning comic strip your great-grandparents might have read, and there is something old about his game. Cunningham branches from the James
3:37 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Paul George set aside any ego and made it clear that Kawhi Leonard is the LA Clippers‘ No. 1 option and that he is the second star in the All-Star duo’s pecking order. As they enter their fourth season together with championship expectations, George was asked if there are
8:00 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN As long as the Milwaukee Bucks have star Giannis Antetokounmpo in his prime, they begin every NBA season with championship expectations. Despite losing Khris Middleton, arguably their second-best player, for the final 10 games of the 2022 playoffs with a sprained MCL in his left knee, the Bucks took the
Luka Doncic plays basketball like a video game, piling up stats and achievements. But can he thrive while still letting go of the controller? A cigarette burns on the screen’s left side. To the right sits a rubbed-down blue chalk cube. These are objects whose use wears them thin. The voiceover belongs to the director.
Oct 8, 2022 Associated Press UVALDE, Texas — The smallest gesture can have a huge impact. That was reaffirmed to the San Antonio Spurs when the team held an open practice and community fair in Uvalde, Texas. It was 137 days ago that the small town, 88 miles southwest of downtown San Antonio, was the
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies has made his claim as the face of the next generation of superstars ready to take the game of basketball to another level. For this season, Ja Morant has been chosen as the very best NBA player under the age of 25 by the team here at The Step
Jarrett Allen has become one of the most dominating interior defenders in the entire NBA. And he’s done it all with a characteristic smile on his face. All due respect to Jarrett Allen, but he doesn’t exactly conjure a sense of intimidation. The afro adds some soft, non-threatening curves to an otherwise angular frame. He’s