7:30 AM ET Michael Jordan stood under the basket, looking out over the 250 or so campers sitting before him. He needed a volunteer. Nearly everyone in the gym, including me, stretched their arms to the ceiling in hopes of being the one Jordan chose. It was the summer of 1989, long before Jordan’s six
Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat,(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Regression to the mean has the potential to fool everyone, even NBA coaches building systems of positive and negative reinforcement. These are challenging times, but one thing I’ve enjoyed about sheltering-in-place has been having some extra time to read. I find it really satisfying to learn about
7:39 AM ET MICHELE ROBERTS CAN’T remember when she first heard about the “bubble,” the idea of isolating NBA players in a hotel so the league could resume its season amid the coronavirus pandemic. But she remembers her reaction to it vividly. “When that one was first floated,” said Roberts, the executive director of the
8:42 AM ET Let’s lead off our five NBA things with some vintage Michael Jordan greatness: 1. A new generation learning all things Jordan Mark Bartelstein, now one of the most powerful agents in the NBA, was just beginning his career when he walked into the Hyatt in Lincolnwood, just outside Chicago, for his engagement
CHICAGO, IL – FEBRUARY 7: American basketball star Michael Jordan takes batting practice 07 February 1994 with the Chicago White Sox in a bid to play with their baseball team. (Photo credit should read EUGENE GARCIA/AFP via Getty Images) In 1993, Michael Jordan gave up basketball for what seemed like an impossible dream: make it
5:21 PM ET While the first wave of NBA teams prepare to reopen facilities for individual workouts on Friday, several team officials say the psychological effects of returning to organized activities during a global pandemic must be considered for players and staffers around the league — especially those who already have a heightened concern about
In an ongoing attempt to continue to get you your basketball fix, Basketball Insiders is taking a look back at recent draft classes and assessing them relative to the expectations that were in place as of their respect NBA Drafts. We are grading according to the following criteria: The Hits – the players that panned
10:06 AM ET IN “THE LAST DANCE,” Michael Jordan professes his love for Scottie Pippen, anoints him the best teammate he ever had and acknowledges he couldn’t have reached pro basketball’s zenith without him. But Pippen has been notably silent since the documentary began its run last month, and those close to him say he’s
There will be plenty of compelling storylines when the NBA returns from hiatus. The future of the Brooklyn Nets remains as exciting and uncertain as any of them. Whatever transpires when the league returns from its’ COVID-19 induced suspension, the next full season will start with questions. Outside of the obvious ones regarding changes to
Joel Embiid, #21, Philadelphia 76ers, (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) The NBA and NBPA are planning a conference call with every player in the league. Here are some ridiculous things that are definitely, probably going to happen. On Friday, the NBA and the NBA Player’s Association will reportedly hold a conference call with commissioner
11:01 PM ET LOS ANGELES — The Lakers will not be among the first wave of NBA teams that reopen their facilities for individual workouts on May 8, Frank Vogel said, but L.A.’s head coach is just fine with that. “There’s a competitive balance element to this that I personally am not really all that
In the NBA world right now, everybody is doing what they can to stay entertained. We’re tuning into The Last Dance every Sunday. We’re squeezing every detail we can get out of this supposed rift in Utah right now between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. We’re trying to figure out what’s the aptest solution for
6:20 PM ET NBA commissioner Adam Silver and National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts will host a call for all players on Friday, sources told ESPN. That’s the same day the league has permitted teams to reopen practice facilities for voluntary, social-distanced workouts in areas where that has been permitted by local public
Things got real ugly on the court after the 1999 NBA lockout. Can the NBA and its players avoid a similar fate when things return to normal this year? When Michael Jordan walked off the Delta Center court an NBA champion in what we assumed to be his final NBA season, the NBA had just
7:00 AM ET Bottom 10 Inspirational Thought of the Week “And now the matador shall dance with the blind shoemaker!” — Jean Girard, “Talladega Nights” Here at ESPN’s Bottom 10 headquarters, located in the dumpster behind the warehouse where Mike Golic Jr. stores his sneaker collection, we have always been obsessed with footwear. We have
In the NBA world right now, everybody is doing what they can to stay entertained. We’re tuning into The Last Dance every Sunday. We’re squeezing every detail we can get out of this supposed rift in Utah right now between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. We’re trying to figure out what’s the aptest solution for
7:00 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN From overly built high-tops to space-age heat-molded constructions to the phone-syncing sneakers of today, NBA players have laced up more collective design, technology and innovation than any other association. The league has long fueled the footwear industry throughout its history, with iconic on-court moments giving life to off-court trends, all
The Step Back becomes The Chef Back, as the WNBA’s Briann January talks with us about quarantine cooking, her favorite restaurants and the perfect meal. If this time of quarantining and social distancing has fostered a growing obsession with food, you’re certainly not alone. The Step Back staff has been spending plenty of time swapping
10:00 PM ET Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley admits he’s still “really, really sad” about the fact that his longtime friendship with Michael Jordan deteriorated years ago because of critical comments Barkley made about the way Jordan ran the then Charlotte Bobcats franchise. But Barkley doesn’t sound optimistic about a reconciliation. “The guy was
In the NBA world right now, everybody is doing what they can to stay entertained. We’re tuning into The Last Dance every Sunday. We’re squeezing every detail we can get out of this supposed rift in Utah right now between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. We’re trying to figure out what’s the aptest solution for
7:00 AM ET Bottom 10 Inspirational Thought of the Week As we got on the floor, was embarrassing, trust meThe saleswoman walk me straight over to HuskyI still got stonewashed denim, Bobby Brown patent leatherMembers Only jacket, ain’t nobody fresher than me I said I got on my good clothes — “Good Clothes” by Little
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. Basketball can be a beautiful game, precise and flowing, intentionality guiding actions and the movement of space, possessions unfolding like a flower revealing themselves to the players fractions
7:00 AM ET “You’re actually rooting for the clothes, when you get right down to it.” This famous line from “Seinfeld” might have been intended to mock sports fandom, but when it comes to uniform appreciation, it’s actually appropriate. In this case, we are rooting for the clothes — the best clothes in NBA history,
In the NBA world right now, everybody is doing what they can to stay entertained. We’re tuning into The Last Dance every Sunday. We’re squeezing every detail we can get out of this supposed rift in Utah right now between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. We’re trying to figure out what’s the aptest solution for
12:37 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Michael Jordan addressed one of the most famous quotes of his career — “Republicans buy sneakers, too” — in the fifth episode of ESPN’s “The Last Dance” on Sunday. Jordan, who has largely stayed away from any political commentary throughout his public life, didn’t back away from the statement —
Even if the NBA regular season is canceled, we’ve seen enough to start assessing the first seasons of notable rookies. What did the Charlotte Hornets see from P.J. Washington? P.J. Washington announced his arrival in the Charlotte Hornets’ first game of the season. The No. 12 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft played 37 minutes
7:00 AM ET FOR YEARS, MICHAEL JORDAN and Kobe Bryant had been protective of their relationship. Jordan would call Bryant his “little brother,” Bryant would call Jordan his “big brother,” and they’d praise each other’s work ethic and accomplishments. But rarely would either volunteer much more, each man knowing all too well that any glimpse
7:00 AM ET When the NBA hands out its awards, it keeps the regular season separate from the postseason, issuing one MVP for the first 82 games and a second for the final four to seven (depending on how long it takes for the champion to finish off its last opponent). There’s no award at
Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images Episodes 5-6 of “The Last Dance” shed light on a few more stories we thought we knew. Here are five things we learned about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls this week. The Last Dance didn’t bring a ton of new stories to the table in
May 2, 2020 ESPN’s 10-part documentary series “The Last Dance,” which chronicles Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, continued on Sunday with Episodes 5 and 6. Jordan and the Bulls allowed NBA Entertainment to follow them throughout the season and document their final championship together. The series features never-before-seen footage, as well as interviews