Most Lakers fans have been looking for ways to move on from Russell Westbrook but new head coach Darvin Ham sounds quite optimistic about the veteran guard. For much of the offseason already, talk around the Los Angeles Lakers has focused on two things: How to reunite Kyrie Irving and LeBron James and how the
5:55 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Bradley Beal and the Wizards renewed their commitment to each other when he agreed to a five-year deal worth up to $251 million to stay in Washington. Whether that commitment will make the next five years any more successful than the past 10 is the big question. “I
May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN television personality Stephen A. Smith (left) and sportswriter Brian Windhorst (right) prior to game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Miles Bridges’ wife details horrific domestic abuse
The new documentary Unfinished Business uses the New Liberty as a lens to explore the evolution of the WNBA and the work that’s still left to do. At halftime of their game against the Washington Mystics on September 17, 2021, the New York Liberty led 46-29. It was a must-win for the team if it
5:32 PM ET Star point guard Damian Lillard has agreed to a two-year, $122 million contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers that will tie him to the franchise through the 2026-27 season, sources told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears and ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Lillard is expected to sign his deal Saturday in Las Vegas, a
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant is on the open market. With several potential suitors in play, Durant is open to a surprise trade destination in the Raptors. The Nets are going to take the best trade package for Kevin Durant. It sounds simple, but despite what some players around the league might say and/or think,
Otto Porter Jr. celebrates from a double decker bus during the Golden State Warriors NBA Championship victory parade along Market Street on June 20, 2022 in San Francisco, California. – Tens of thousands of fans poured onto the streets of San Francisco on Monday to salute the victorious Golden State Warriors as the team celebrated
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Several NBA rookies have already debuted in the smaller Summer Leagues run in Sacramento and Utah. But with the Las Vegas Summer League kicking off last night, we’re about
5:55 PM ET Aron Baynes, who suffered a spinal cord injury after a freak fall while playing for the Australian national team in the Tokyo Olympics last summer, has resumed his career and will be working out for NBA teams Friday in Las Vegas. Baynes was in hospitals in Tokyo and Brisbane for nearly two
The Brooklyn Nets are likely sorting through plenty of trade offers for Kevin Durant. But a new rumor reveals what they’re really looking for. The Brooklyn Nets had to be salivating looking at the deal that sent Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Jazz wound up with four first-round picks, a 2026 first-round pick
1:44 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAS VEGAS — Before his lone season at Duke, Paolo Banchero tattooed a message to himself on his left forearm: “No pressure.” Naturally, the No. 1 pick in last month’s NBA draft said that while he was excited for his first game in an NBA uniform Thursday night, in a
The Atlanta Hawks have traded Kevin Huerter to the Sacramento Kings, suggesting a bigger move is on the horizon for this contending franchise. While the Sacramento Kings have traded for wing Kevin Huerter, the Atlanta Hawks could be up to something once again in the early stages of NBA free agency. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday
WNBA superstar Brittney Griner has plead guilty to drug charges that could imprison her for up to 10 years. Here’s what that means for Griner and her cause. After 140 days of detainment in a Russian prison, Brittney Griner plead guilty to smuggling and drug possession charges. The AP offered more insight into how Griner
12:57 PM ET Memphis Grizzlies guard John Konchar — once armed with a single scholarship offer and ultimately undrafted out of Purdue-Fort Wayne — has agreed to a three-year, $19 million contract extension, his agent, George Langberg, told ESPN on Thursday. The extension takes Konchar, who has two seasons left on his contract, through the
While rumors about Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have swirled, the Los Angeles Lakers have quietly done a lot with limited resources in NBA free agency. The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t found a way to land Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant. They haven’t found a way to turn Russell Westbrook into a piece that fits
7:42 PM ET ESPN News Services Rudy Gobert reads Twitter comments, so he’s aware that Minnesota fans didn’t like him very much during his first nine NBA seasons. And he also heard Timberwolves coach Chris Finch complain regularly about the way he sets screens. Those perspectives are probably going to change. “Now we’re on the
The Phoenix Suns have signed star Devin Booker on a supermax contract. Now, will the team land Kevin Durant to play alongside him? Hours before the start of NBA free agency at 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 30, a bombshell report dropped that revealed Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. One
Despite going undrafted, Yeshiva’s Ryan Turell still hopes to break barriers for Orthodox Jewish basketball players in the NBA and beyond. At the 68th annual Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia, college seniors with professional basketball dreams competed for the four-day tournament in front of NBA and international scouts. This year’s rosters included college stars like guard
6:57 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — What a difference a year makes. Last year on July 6, his 21st birthday, Zion Williamson found out he had suffered a broken right foot, an injury that ended up costing him the 2021-22 season. This year on July 6, his 22nd birthday, the New Orleans Pelicans‘
The 76ers and Nuggets have each shaken up their guard rotations on the trade market. Will De’Anthony Melton and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope unlock better versions of their new teams? NBA Draft night featured almost no player movement on the trade market, but the 76ers’ acquisition of De’Anthony Melton was the kind of marginal addition that could
1:15 PM ET Caleb Martin has agreed to return to the Miami Heat on a three-year deal worth $20 million, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. A restricted free agent, Martin broke out last season for Miami, providing a solid rotation option on the wing to an injury-plagued Heat team. After playing his first
NBA 2K23 joke reminds Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook that his stock has fallen considerably throughout the league after the 2021-22 season. Russell Westbrook has been doing his best to live his best life, showcasing his apparel brand Honor The Gift at Paris Fashion Week in late June. But the NBA world refuses
Paolo Banchero reportedly loves his new NBA team. He also expressed deep admiration for some of the greatest players to ever suit up for the Lakers. Paolo Banchero was a surprise pick at No. 1 for the Orlando Magic in this year’s draft, not because of his talent but because rumors had so loudly connected
8:00 AM ET IT WAS AUG. 11, 2021, and inside the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, what appeared to be an ordinary NBA summer league game between the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies was anything but. This was sudden death, after the NBA had seven years prior changed the rules for summer league games that
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports) Ryan Garcia targeting Gervonta Davis after Javier Fortuna bout by Jeremy Herriges Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton is still sorting out his future in free agency but NBA rumors suggest the Pacers and the Raptors are hovering. While Kevin Durant rumors dominate NBA circles, the
Oklahoma City Thunder rookies Jaylen Williams and Jaylin Williams recreated the Spider Man pointing meme when taking photos with the team. The Oklahoma City Thunder had an eventful NBA Draft night. Not only did they select Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren with the second-overall pick, but they drafted three other players on the night. Two of those
11:42 PM ET ESPN News Services SALT LAKE CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren shined in his professional debut, scoring 23 points and setting a Summer League record for blocks and 3s in a game. The No. 2 pick in the draft also had seven rebounds, four assists and six blocks in 24
Skip Bayless can’t be trusted to share reasonable opinions on LeBron James but his most recent assertion is the most insane of all. Ridiculous hypotheticals are a favorite talking point on sports debate shows, especially during the offseason. Sometimes, they can spark interesting conversations. More often, they’re simply a vehicle for sharing the most outrageous
Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson is reportedly expected to leave in free agency and sign with the New York Knicks for huge money. The New York Knicks were the focus of the 2022 NBA Draft after they made three trades in the first round. They managed to dump Kemba Walker’s contract off to the Detroit
The Knicks disappointed fans in New York by missing the playoffs last season. Here’s how they hope to strengthen their roster heading into next year. Tom Thibodeau piloted the New York Knicks to a surprising fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference two years ago. That made last season’s 11th-place finish a massive disappointment for fans