LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 10: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Alex Caruso #4 of the Los Angeles Lakers react during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World
Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard released a new song paying tribute to the late Kobe Bryant on Friday with a little help from Snoop Dogg. Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, also known as Dame D.O.L.L.A., released a song honoring the late Kobe Bryant on Friday, with the legendary Snoop Dogg joining in
3:49 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made history Wednesday when he was named to a 16th All-NBA team in his 17-year career, which snapped a tie with Hall of Famers Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in NBA history. James was
In a furious back-and-forth game full of clutch performances, Bam Adebayo made himself the hero with an epic defensive play to save Game 1. Working on a game story is a weird, unsettling task. The job is to braid together the most meaningful threads of a basketball game into a single narrative retelling. But the
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. The LA Clippers … are still the LA Clippers. Following their third straight defeat in which they led by double figures, the Clippers blew a 3-1 series lead
The Denver Nuggets stunned the LA Clippers in Game 7, advancing to the Western Conference Finals. For the second time in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, the Denver Nuggets overcame a 3-1 deficit to win the series. In the process, not only did they become the first team in NBA history to do so, but they advanced
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum ripped the Clippers. The Los Angeles Clippers authored one of the greatest choke jobs in the history of basketball, blowing a 3-1 lead to Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, and the Denver Nuggets despite holding a double-digit lead in each of the last three games. While every Western Conference rival sitting
7:02 AM ET Michael Malone and LeBron James experienced their first conference finals together 13 years ago: the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ stunning 2007 upset of the Detroit Pistons in which James was just 22 and Malone was an assistant coach. Their faces aren’t quite as smooth now and they have less hair, but their presence together
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images Bam Adebayo is the last and greatest hero of Game 1 by Ian Levy The date of the 2020 NBA Draft has officially been locked in. Mark your virtual calendars, draft prospects, general managers and basketball fans! The 2020 NBA Draft date has officially been locked in by the league.
The Indiana Pacers are interviewing a dozen candidates for their vacant head coaching gig after the team fired Nate McMillan. During their time in the Orlando bubble, the Indiana Pacers had us all believing that Nate McMillan was their head coach for the foreseeable future, especially after the team signed him to a contract extension following
Mike D’Antoni is officially a coaching free agent now, and these five teams should be calling him immediately. After being eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers, there are now the annual questions about the Houston Rockets. Chief among them was the future of head coach Mike D’Antoni, who was without a contract
11:26 PM ET A balanced Miami Heat team came into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals with the No. 4 offense and No. 4 defense in the postseason. In the final 12 seconds of an overtime thriller on Tuesday, they executed two phenomenal, game-winning plays: one an offensive gem by their closer, Jimmy Butler;
The Warriors have announced that Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa will both join the team in front office roles. Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingston both spent parts of the latter-half of their 14-year NBA careers contributing to Golden State Warriors championship squads. Now, the two long-time guards will begin the next chapter of their respective
While head coach Mike D’Antoni will not be returning to the Houston Rockets, it appears that general manager Daryl Morey will be back. The Houston Rockets lost their second-round series to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, dropping four consecutive games after taking Game 1. Wholesale changes are likely in Houston, but it appears that
Mike D’Antoni is out, but who should the Houston Rockets hire to replace him as head coach? Another year, another premature playoff exit followed by “one piece away” talk for the Houston Rockets. Mike D’Antoni took Morey-ball further than perhaps any other NBA head coach would’ve been willing to, but even he’s out after a
6:38 AM ET Three players in the history of the NBA have recorded 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a Game 7 before the age of 25: Jerry West, Kobe Bryant and, as of last week, Jayson Tatum. The first guy is immortalized as the league logo, the second became one of the
Many great players never get the chance to be great as part of a great team. Watching Kemba Walker get that opportunity has been a delight. There was a story in the Wall Street Journal on April 13 about Stephon Marbury and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The unlikely duo was at the center of basketball’s
Stephen Curry, #30, Golden State Warriors , (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) Yu Darvish is finally the pitcher the Cubs thought they signed by Brad Berreman If you ever wanted to discuss books with one of your favorite NBA stars, you’re going to be very excited about this Stephen Curry news. Advances in technology and
Steph Curry changes things up and rocks cornrows. Stephen Curry hasn’t had this much time on his hands during the NBA Playoffs in quite some time, and he is now rocking a new hairdo. The three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP is now rocking cornrows. In a video that has surfaced on social media, Curry
7:20 AM ET As the Denver Nuggets flew back from Minnesota after losing a win-or-go-home regular-season finale to the Timberwolves for the West’s No. 8 seed in 2018, Nikola Jokic rose from his seat and strode from row to row. Jokic thanked every player, coach, and staff member for helping the Nuggets win 46 games
The New York Knicks legend gives his perspective on the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debate in an exclusive interview with FanSided. The NBA Playoffs are beginning to dwindle down, and the Los Angeles Lakers have clinched a spot in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2010 after defeating the Houston Rockets
12:01 PM ET In a three-hour lunch meeting Friday in Milwaukee, Bucks co-owner and governor Marc Lasry made it clear to reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo that the franchise is willing to spend into the luxury tax to deliver him a championship supporting cast, sources told ESPN. The Bucks’ payroll will be close to the proposed
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 01: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz hugs Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Justin Herbert’s quote on Hard Knocks has to be concerning for Chargers by Brad Berreman Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray had nothing but respect for each other after
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 19: Michael Porter Jr. #1 of the Denver Nuggets (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) PJ Washington lays out how the Hornets can make the playoffs in 2021 by Scott Rogust Damian Lillard was having none of Michael Porter Jr.’s demands. The Denver Nuggets are on the brink of elimination
7:22 AM ET The next chapter of the Boston Celtics–Miami Heat rivalry starts Tuesday — with new stars, new storylines and plenty of drama. Miami already knocked out reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks, while Boston overcame a seven-game fight with the defending champion Toronto Raptors. What’s in store with a trip
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. It took a somewhat miraculous 19-point comeback for the Denver Nuggets to even force a Game 7 but all that would be just preamble to what they hope
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 28: Pau Gasol #16 of the Los Angeles Lakers is consoled by Kobe Bryant after coming out of the game in the second half against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on April 28, 2013 in
Luka Doncic carried the Dallas Mavericks to an eye-opening win over the LA Clippers in Game 4. The LA Clippers led by as many as 21 points in Game 4 on Sunday, but even that massive lead wasn’t enough to stop Luka Doncic. Thanks to the second-year superstar’s efforts and game-winning 3-pointer over Reggie Jackson
Luka Doncic isn’t a fan of Marcus Morris’ words or actions in this series. The Dallas Mavericks had a rough game on Tuesday night. They were blown out by the Los Angeles Clippers 154-111 in a pivotal Game 5. Luka Doncic had a less than stellar follow up to his magical Game 4. Doncic finished
Sep 11, 2020 NBA Insiders The 2020 NBA playoffs pick up again Tuesday with the Eastern Conference finals, featuring a thrilling matchup of two teams that pulled upsets in the previous round: the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. (The East finals can be seen on ESPN and the ESPN App, including Game 1 on