Michael Jordan (C) of the Chicago Bulls is guarded by Rik Smits (L) and Reggie Miller (R) of the Indiana Pacers 31 May during the first half of game seven of their NBA Eastern Conference finals game at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The winner of this series will take on the Utah Jazz
Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, (Photo by VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via 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. Like many of you, I spent 10 hours over the last five weeks watching the story of
Credit: Focus on Sport/Getty Images Basketball Hall of Famer Wes Unseld passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of 74. According to a statement from his family, Basketball Hall of Famer Wes Unseld passed away on Tuesday morning. He was 74 years old. “It is with profound sadness that we share that our adored
5:32 PM ET As the NBA models a 22-team format for the season’s proposed resumption beginning July 31 in Orlando, a timeline shared with teams as a last possible date for a Finals Game 7 lands on Oct. 12, sources told ESPN. Commissioner Adam Silver is expected to have a proposal to take to a
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 01: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media before Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 1, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions
There’s a lot going on right now. So much so that it’s overshadowed a positive string of news – the NBA is (hopefully) coming back. We don’t know when that is, and we don’t know how they’re going to approach the rest of the 2019-20 season, but at least we know that pro basketball is
Wes Unseld, who died Tuesday at the age of 74, spent more than three decades in the NBA as a player, coach and executive. He helped lead the then-Washington Bullets to their only NBA championship in 1978, earning Finals MVP honors. He, along with Wilt Chamberlain, is one of two players to win the league’s
HOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 10: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets and Russell Westbrook #0 react on the bench before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Toyota Center on March 10, 2020 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
6:55 AM ET The NBA’s return-to-play plan, which includes a likely 22-team field competing in Orlando, Florida, in regular-season games and a play-in tournament to decide postseason berths, is expected to pass in a Thursday board of governors vote. The Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic were holding the No. 8 seeds in their respective conferences
Basketball is back, baby. Well, sorta. OK, actually, not really. But they’re talking about it. Finally. Beyond that, they’re apparently making true, meaningful progress. And although the NBA is circling through potential scenarios — bubble games, re-seeding, ignoring conferences, etc. — there’s a very real chance that this shindig gets underway by mid-July. To celebrate
8:48 PM ET NBA Insiders Who are the favorites for MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and the other major NBA awards for the 2019-20 season? The league is expected to approve a return-to-play plan on Thursday, with growing support for a 22-team field that likely will play regular-season and play-in
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Kobe Bryant was part of a symbolic NBA protest after Eric Garner’s death more than five years ago. Vanessa Bryant pointed out that the message is as relevant as ever. More than five years ago, Eric Garner was killed by a chokehold administered by an
1:30 PM ET Near the end of the NBA’s board of governors call on Friday, Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett delivered an impassioned soliloquy on why the league and owners needed to consider the competitive and financial plights of smaller-market teams that could be left out of the season’s summer resumption in Orlando, Florida
7:25 AM ET When speaking with players, coaches, executives, referees and even typically skeptical agents in recent weeks, their display of support for Adam Silver reveals a remarkable building of capital in his six years as NBA commissioner. Under his leadership, the league and its partners have gotten richer. Silver has expanded support of players
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA – MAY 31: Demonstrators protest death of George Floyd (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) How is the NFL, MLB and NFL world responding to the George Floyd protests? It’s been a difficult week for America as many of the nation has come together to protest the death of George Floyd at the hands
8:45 PM ET NBA Insiders As the NBA prepares for a possible return to play in the midst of a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, which awards races are still in play? The NBA is expected to approve a return-to-play plan on Thursday, with growing support for a 22-team field that will include regular-season
5:48 PM ET Charlotte Hornets owner and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan joined the chorus of athletes, coaches and executives expressing their grief and outrage over the death of George Floyd. “I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry,” Jordan said in a statement Sunday. “… I stand with those who are calling out
NBA, Adam Silver, (Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for TIME 100 Health Summit ) After a hiatus of more than two months, the NBA has reportedly set July 31 as a target date for resuming their season. On March 11, when Rudy Gobert’s positive coronavirus test was announced and the NBA season was formally suspended,
8:00 AM ET Editor’s note: This piece was originally published on June 1, 2018. Two lead changes. Three ties. A controversial replay reversal. A potentially series-changing blunder. The final minute of regulation in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals featured just about everything. We let the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors tell the
10:11 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown led a peaceful protest march through Atlanta on Saturday night. Brown, who streamed part of the march live via his Instagram account and also posted videos of speeches to his page, said during the livestream that he’d driven 15 hours from Boston in order to
4 UFC fights to look forward to in June and July by Ben Coate Chicago Cubs announcer Len Kasper unsure there will be baseball by Mark Carman Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images Real talk from Damian Lillard: if the NBA regular season has fewer than 82 games and doesn’t expand the playoffs, some players are going
LeBron James, #23, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) LeBron James took to Twitter to salute rapper Killer Mike for his speech about the Atlanta anti-racism protests on Friday night. Anti-racism protests are sweeping the nation following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer earlier this week in
5:24 PM ET Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey lived through desegregation in Kentucky and said he knows what it has felt like to go into a new school unwanted and unwelcome. He’s seen the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky. On Saturday, Casey, who is black,
2:37 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN As the NBA’s board of governors met Friday afternoon to assess options for how to restart the season, the league’s general managers have expressed their preference to go straight to the playoffs. In a survey of all 30 general managers, which was viewed by ESPN, 16 said they would prefer
Stephen Jackson, #5, (Photo by Ron Jenkins/BIG3/Getty Images) Retired NBA veteran Stephen Jackson was a close friend of George Floyd. He’s working to make sure all the officers involved are held accountable. Being an NBA player doesn’t protect anyone from police violence, racial profiling and racial abuse, a fact that has been, unfortunately, made clear
7:17 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Ramona Shelburne Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News The NBA is planning a Thursday vote of the league’s Board of Governors — with owners expected to
2:59 PM ET ESPN News Services Former NBA player Stephen Jackson spoke at a rally Friday afternoon in Minneapolis in remembrance of his friend George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in police custody after pleading that he could not breathe. “I’m here because they’re not gonna demean the character of George Floyd, my
Thabo Sefolosha, #25, Atlanta Hawks, (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/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. The news this morning is consumed with reports about chaotic protests in Minneapolis and around the country,
6:50 AM ET MICHELE ROBERTS HAD just stepped out of an Uber when her phone started buzzing. It was a little after 8 p.m. on March 11, and the National Basketball Players Association executive director had left her New York office after meeting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver to discuss the next steps amid the
Basketball is back, baby. Well, sorta. OK, actually, not really. But they’re talking about it. Finally. Beyond that, they’re apparently making true, meaningful progress. And although the NBA is circling through potential scenarios — bubble games, re-seeding, ignoring conferences, etc. — there’s a very real chance that this shindig gets underway by mid-July. To celebrate