Welcome back to Basketball Insiders’ “Looking Back” series! We’ve already gone over how the first and second overall pick have fared since 2009, so naturally, the next pick up is the third overall pick. Like with the first two, we categorize these players by if they are hits, misses, in the middle, or role players.
6:52 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The pilot flying Kobe Bryant and seven others to a youth basketball tournament outside Los Angeles did not have alcohol or drugs in his system, and all sustained immediately fatal injuries when their helicopter slammed into a hillside, according to autopsies released Friday. The reports by the
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images 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. Reading a headline without actually reading the article is a bad habit 99.9 percent of us have fallen victim to at some point
8:57 AM ET THE MOVIE THEATER was empty when the Chicago Bulls walked in. It was Nov. 23, 1995, and the Bulls, in Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz the following night, decided to catch the 5 p.m. showing of “Casino” after the team’s Thanksgiving feast. By the time they left the three-hour
Jason Peters workout video confirms former Eagles Pro Bowler has a lot left in the tank by Jake Starr Adam Silver updates NBA players on the latest plans for restarting the season by Ian Levy WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 26: Kobe Bryant arrives for the Premiere Of Showtime’s “Kobe Bryant’s Muse” – Arrivals at
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images The Mamba Sports Academy will no longer use Kobe Bryant’s iconic nickname following a mutual agreement with the Laker legend’s estate. An agreement now takes the “Mamba” out of the Sports Academy. The late Kobe Bryant, known as the “Black Mamba,” will no longer have his nickname synonymous with the
2:59 PM ET A week after NBA commissioner Adam Silver told players to prepare for what could be the “single greatest challenge of all of our lives,” the president of the players’ association, Chris Paul, has affirmed publicly — and adamantly — that players want a return to competition. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard, in
Photo credit should read DAN LIPPITT/AFP via Getty Images ESPN’s “The Last Dance” will conclude with episodes 9 and 10 this Sunday night. Michael Jordan’s ‘competition’ problem has been underlined and the stories continue to come out. Antione Walker had a gambling problem. It was part of the reason he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy
7:00 AM ET Editor’s note: This as-told-to, from Phil Jackson, on Chicago’s historic 1998 playoff run and the end of the Bulls’ dynasty, was originally published in the May 18, June 1 and July 13, 1998, issues of ESPN The Magazine. Watch Episodes 9 & 10 of “The Last Dance” on Sunday at 9 p.m.
7:59 AM ET THE GOLDEN STATE Warriors know how fleeting life atop the basketball world can be. Following five consecutive NBA Finals trips, the team suddenly finds itself out of postseason contention in 2019-20 with a league-worst 15-50 record. Serious injuries to star players and the departure of Kevin Durant, a two-time Finals MVP, will
Mike D’Antoni, Houston Rockets, (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) This Houston Rockets‘ season was more of the same from Mike D’Antoni, always surrounded by dazzling superstars and never quite hitting the peak. All the way back in February, the Rockets seemingly were souring on Mike D’Antoni. Before landing Robert Covington for a full-time small ball
Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets, (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty images) Spencer Dinwiddie said on Twitter that if fans could crowdfund his next NBA contract, he’d let them decide where he plays. Now he’s actually set up a GoFundMe campaign. Spencer Dinwiddie has been focused on bringing cutting-edge financial creativity to the NBA. He’s spent nearly a
8:00 PM ET As the nation reels from the coronavirus pandemic, Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard is mourning the loss of Melissa Rios, the mother of his 6-year-old son David, he told reporters Friday. Rios, 31, died of an epileptic seizure on March 27 at her home in Calabasas, California. “I’ve had some things
4:59 PM ET As the uncertainty grows, and science, economic and competitive elements collide, there’s one constant in the struggle to revive the NBA: Owners and players are delivering Adam Silver full room to operate, govern and make the decision on resuming play amid a pandemic. No power grabs, no factions, no public criticisms on
Dwyane Wade, #3, Chris Bosh, #1, LeBron James, #6, Miami Heat, (Photo by Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images) 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’s Friday, which means mailbag day! Hit us up on Twitter
7:00 AM ET MICHAEL JORDAN MISSED. With 35.8 seconds left in Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz, the greatest player in NBA history actually just bricked what should have been the winning free throw. And now, for roughly 26 seconds, the basketball world is in chaos:
Welcome back to Basketball Insiders’ “Looking Back” series! We’ve already gone over how the first and second overall pick have fared since 2009, so naturally, the next pick up is the third overall pick. Like with the first two, we categorize these players by if they are hits, misses, in the middle, or role players.
2:03 PM ET The University of Florida is open to hosting events involving professional sports teams looking for a way to play during the coronavirus pandemic, athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement Thursday. After Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Wednesday all professional sports teams are welcome in the state for practicing and playing,
Enes Kanter, #11, Boston Celtics, (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) Enes Kanter is spending his quarantine planning for a career after basketball. Apparently that career is going to be as a professional wrestler with WWE. The world around us is changing rapidly and it’s forcing everyone to think deeply about their present and their future.
8:54 AM ET A COUPLE OF years ago, Jud Buechler’s daughter Reily was walking through Los Angeles International Airport when she spotted one of Buechler’s longtime teammates: Scottie Pippen. She texted her father about her celebrity sighting. Her phone rang. “Reily,” Buechler implored his daughter, “turn around right now and introduce yourself. Tell him how
10:05 AM ET Bobby Marks NBA teams will withhold more than $30 million from player paychecks on Friday, as players receive their first salary reduction since the league and the union agreed to a plan to temporarily cut pay by 25%. But five of the NBA’s top-10 earners this season — LeBron James, Stephen Curry,
Michael Jordan, Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, Chicago Bulls, Mandatory Credit: John Gichigi /Allsport Episodes 7 and 8 of “The Last Dance” were filled with memorable quotes giving the world a glimpse into Michael Jordan’s psyche and how he motivated his Chicago Bulls teammates. The Last Dance has been quite an entertaining watch for fans of
Episodes 7-8 of “The Last Dance” may have been the best ones yet. Here’s what we learned about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls this week. From Michael Jordan‘s first NBA retirement to his father’s murder to his turbulent relationship with teammates born of his insanely competitive nature, Episodes 7-8 of The Last Dance provided the
Dwight Howard, #12, Orlando Magic, (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Was Dwight Howard robbed of an MVP Award? Is he a Hall-of-Famer? How big is his sweet tooth? Our Dwight Howard FAQ has all your answers. Dwight Howard’s long, slow slide out of his prime has cast his career in a different light. He’s
7:56 PM ET The NCAA announced Wednesday that it has extended indefinitely the deadline for college basketball players to withdraw from the NBA draft and retain their college eligibility amid the coronavirus pandemic. The deadline was June 3, but Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball, said in a statement that it will
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images As the most memorable face of a now defunct Charlotte Bobcats franchise, Gerald Wallace doesn’t get as much love as he probably deserves. There’s no beating around the bush: The Charlotte Bobcats were mostly a terrible, miserable, unwatchable basketball team during their 10 years of existence. They made the playoffs
Welcome back to Basketball Insiders’ “Looking Back” series! We’ve already gone over how the first and second overall pick have fared since 2009, so naturally, the next pick up is the third overall pick. Like with the first two, we categorize these players by if they are hits, misses, in the middle, or role players.
7:00 AM ET With the season on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, ESPN polled its NBA experts to rank the greatest players in the league’s 74-year history. It’s no surprise that Michael Jordan ended up on top, but there were close calls and heated debates throughout the rankings — and outside of them. We
Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images While the NBA season is halted, there’s still plenty to think about in this time away from the game. Today we’ll be focusing on players that would be awesome to watch if they donned the same uniforms. The summer of 2019 turned the NBA from a league of trios to
7:00 AM ET LeBron James or Michael Jordan? Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain? Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant? Old school or new school? These debates rage on endlessly in every corner of NBA fandom, and our experts have done their best to answer them, ranking the greatest players in the league’s 74-year history. ESPN’s NBA