Victor Oladipo, Houston Rockets. (Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports) UFC 259 weigh-in live stream: Watch Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya online by Thomas Albano The Houston Rockets are going nowhere fast and shooting guard Victor Oladipo wants out, possibly to the Miami Heat. No team in the NBA is playing worse than the Houston
On Tuesday, the Houston Rockets announced they will end up retiring James Harden’s No. 13 jersey down the road. For many NBA fans out there, it’s still strange to see superstar player James Harden rocking a Brooklyn Nets jersey. After such a long, historic time with the Houston Rockets, the sharpshooter was traded to Brooklyn in
Feb 28, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) is hugged by a teammate after making the winning basket late in the fourth quarter of their 111-110 win over the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports Mel Kiper also sees some Tom Brady in Mac Jones by
In case you were wondering, Robin Lopez is a Thousand Island percent not a salad guy. Fate would have it, the same 7-footer who hates NBA mascots is not a fan of salads either. Robin Lopez let the world know how he really feels about mixed greens when it comes to room service. The Washington Wizards big
3:13 AM ET LeBron James will miss his first game of the season when the Los Angeles Lakers play a road game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday in their final game before the NBA All-Star break, the Lakers said. James did not accompany the team on its flight to Sacramento following a 114-104 loss
There’s no need really to ask “what’s wrong with the Boston Celtics?” because it seems pretty clear as day what’s wrong with them. Jayson Tatum hasn’t returned to his dominant form since coming back from COVID. Kemba Walker’s slow recovery has led to maddening inconsistency. Marcus Smart’s calf injury put things out of whack. They
The Jazz have surged to the top of the West with Rudy Gobert moving to the front of the Defensive Player of the Year race. Is it enough to win an NBA title? When Rudy Gobert inked a five-year, $205 million extension this offseason, it sparked conversation over the value a defensive anchor with limited
Former Jazz guard Elijah Millsap accused team executive Dennis Lindsey of using racist language during his 2015 exit interview. Dennis Lindsey, the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Utah Jazz, was accused of making a racist statement to a player on Wednesday. Elijah Millsap, a former guard for the Jazz, posted a thread
6:40 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN THERE ARE TWO versions of the Boston Celtics. One is led by two under-25 All-Stars and carries the expectations of having reached the conference finals in three of the past four seasons. The other has eight players in their first or second year in the NBA, most of whom have
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. Zion Williamson and Ja Morant will always be linked — both because they went with the first two picks in the 2019 NBA Draft and because of the way
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has reportedly apologized to Toronto Raptors team president Masai Uriji. No one has forgotten about the 2019 NBA Finals when the Toronto Raptors somehow upset the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately, no one has forgotten about the post-game incident where Raptors team president Masai Uriji had an altercation with California Deputy Sheriff Alan
Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam will miss at least another week in health and safety protocol. The health and safety protocol that saw Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam miss Friday’s game against the Houston Rockets will see him miss even more time. That’s according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reported on Saturday that Siakam is
7:00 AM ET ON THAT MONUMENTAL day, the only thing Kobe Bryant carried with him was a basketball. It was early June 1996, on the morning of his now-legendary pre-draft workout in Los Angeles, when a skinny, smiley Bryant, then 17, stepped out of the swanky Shutters on the Beach resort in Santa Monica, California,
There’s no need really to ask “what’s wrong with the Boston Celtics?” because it seems pretty clear as day what’s wrong with them. Jayson Tatum hasn’t returned to his dominant form since coming back from COVID. Kemba Walker’s slow recovery has led to maddening inconsistency. Marcus Smart’s calf injury put things out of whack. They
Dejounte Murray hit one of the unlikeliest game-tying buzzer-beaters you’ll ever see. Sometimes, you just need a little bit of luck on your side. Dejounte Murray had plenty of it on Monday night. In their home game against the Brooklyn Nets, the San Antonio Spurs trailed by two points with less than a minute to
1:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN Last Saturday following a disappointing loss to the San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson told reporters he felt like his team was close to what it wanted to be. The Pelicans had just played two tough games with losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Spurs, but
The Atlanta Hawks have convinced assistant Nate McMillan to become the team’s interim head coach after firing Lloyd Pierce. The Atlanta Hawks entered this season with the hope they could be contenders in the Eastern Conference. But with the team sitting in 11th place in the East with a 14-20 record, the organization opted to
4:50 PM ET The Atlanta Hawks have dismissed Lloyd Pierce as their coach. “We would like to thank Lloyd for his work and commitment to not only the Hawks organization but the city of Atlanta. He and his wife, Melissa, are tremendous people who have made a positive impact throughout the city,” Hawks president of
Needless to say, 2020 forced us all to accept uncertainty in all facets of our lives – and that includes sports. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of missed games, the NBA did not announce a complete schedule entering the 2020-21 season. But the NBA – as well as most of
Enes Kanter, Portland Trail Blazers. (Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports) Mariners snag reliever Ken Giles with 2022 comeback in mind by John Buhler Enes Kanter’s face is dripping with sweat, and blood, after this inadvertent hit to the dome. When Enes Kanter suited up for the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, he had no
Damian Lillard gave the ultimate compliment to Brandon Roy, who he said would have been the greatest Portland Trail Blazer of all-time. On Wednesday night, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard continued to make his case as the favorite to win the NBA MVP award this season. In the Trail Blazers’ 126-124 victory over the
7:00 AM ET If the season ended today, the New York Knicks would be hosting a first-round playoff series. Backed by three straight wins, the Knicks are one of only four Eastern Conference teams — the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks being the others — with records greater than .500. But the Miami
The Brooklyn Nets’ Big 3 — Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving — are a study in aesthetics, efficiency and the places they overlap. The Brooklyn Nets feel like a mad scientist’s experiment. Can three of the greatest isolation scorers in NBA history coexist in a single offense? Can they create an offense historically
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 19: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns reacts to a call during the first half of a NBA game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on February 19, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
Suns guard Chris Paul. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Lebron James’ son Bronny suffers torn meniscus, season-end likely by Scott Rogust Suns guard Chris Paul has been drinking “secret stuff” on the sideline during Pheonix’s games this season. Is Chris Paul trying to gain a special advantage during the 2021 NBA season? Why
10:10 PM ET With 24 seconds left in a 1-point game, the Milwaukee Bucks came out of a timeout and passed the ball five times, moving it around until it returned to Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s hands. With the LA Clippers defense in full scramble mode and leaving the paint as wide open as a runway, Antetokounmpo
As they’ve acclimated to one another, the Brooklyn Nets are finding their groove on both ends of the floor recently. While that’s bad news for the rest of the NBA, there are still things the Nets need to address before making their eventual playoff run. Winning regular-season games is one thing, winning playoff series is
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Chiefs: Brett Veach should go to Patrick Mahomes for more cap space by John Buhler Texas football: Steve Sarkisian saves lives by way of Raising Cane’s by John Buhler A career-high 50 points from Joel Embiid will do the trick in the MVP discussion.
The big man has largely been phased out in today’s NBA with the exception of Joel Embiid who is impressing Shaquille O’Neal in a big way. Joel Embiid is one of the leading candidates for the NBA MVP as the league reaches the halfway point. The Philadelphia 76ers center is having a career-year, averaging 29.8
11:49 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Two days after the Toronto Raptors beat the Houston Rockets with several coaches — including head coach Nick Nurse — and star forward Pascal Siakam sitting out due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the Raptors had their scheduled game Sunday night against the Chicago Bulls postponed because they