The Raptors have overachieved in a ridiculous way in 2019-20. They were +700 to repeat as NBA champions prior to the 2019 free agency period, according to the Draft Kings. Immediately after Kawhi Leonard fled West, the Raptors’ odds grew to +2200 to repeat – tied with the Celtics, who just lost Kyrie Irving, and
5:15 PM ET Malika Andrews Close ESPN Staff Writer Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2018 Appears regularly on ESPN Chicago 1000 Tim Bontemps Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and Orlando Magic guard Terrence Ross will both change their jersey numbers from No. 8 to honor Kobe Bryant. Dinwiddie announced Tuesday on Twitter that he will
Analyzing a new cache of NBA rebound tracking data can help identify optimal strategies for shot selection and positioning rebounders. It’s been said that the NBA is a ‘make or miss’ league. And that’s true — shot-making is a crucial factor in determining the outcome of every game. But it could also be said that
Jan 26, 2020 We were visiting relatives on a brisk Thanksgiving afternoon on Cape Cod in 2007, and I was balancing a piece of piping-hot apple pie in my hand when my phone pinged to let me know I had a text message. It was from Kobe Bryant. “Hey Jackie, wishing you and your family
Winning in the NBA is not easy by any means — but a victory on the road is almost more valuable than one at home. Maybe not as far as standings are concerned, but road wins are harder to come by in the league. Being able to get victories away from home can shoot your
1:02 AM ET Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward disputes that he intentionally tried to commit a free throw lane violation to ensure that Kobe Bryant would hit 60 points in the final game of his career. Hayward took to Twitter on Monday night after NBC commentator Mike Tirico, who was calling the game for ESPN
Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images With the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline approaching, here’s the one trade each and every NBA team should consider making to improve. NBA trade deadlines are like avalanches. There are rumblings ahead of time. There are rumors, which are basically small booms and cracks that preface the action. There
As long as people continue playing basketball and obsessively pursuing their passions, Kobe Bryant’s spirit will never die. Twenty-three seconds after sitting down at the podium for his pregame press conference, Lloyd Pierce broke the silence. “Well,” he said. “Forgive me for being emotional.” Thus began a moving six-minute eulogy to Kobe Bryant, who died
4:59 PM ET ARDMORE, Pa. — Most of the people didn’t know the man they came to honor — at least not really. Most of those who came to lay down flowers, No. 24 and 33 jerseys, candles, teddy bears and basketballs had never spoken to the man they came to mourn. The news of
Winning in the NBA is not easy by any means — but a victory on the road is almost more valuable than one at home. Maybe not as far as standings are concerned, but road wins are harder to come by in the league. Being able to get victories away from home can shoot your
Zion Williamson and Trae Young, will be the latest case studies in player empowerment encroaching upon NBA stars’ first contracts. Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin made news this summer when he said he was “miserable” during his time building a championship team around LeBron James in Cleveland. After building something “unsustainable”
1:24 AM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Trae Young had to compose himself a couple of times when asked about the death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. It wasn’t easy for Young, who was mentored by Bryant and had a special relationship with the former NBA star’s 13-year-old girl, nicknamed Gigi. “One of
Kobe Bryant calibrated his life’s compass toward a hard-working and excuseless mentality — a legacy that will always remain. News didn’t travel very fast in 2006. My family had dial-up internet and no cable TV. We sure as heck didn’t have League Pass. So I found out about Kobe Bryant’s legendary 81-point performance a day
12:32 AM ET ESPN News Services Basketball fans in Europe and Asia reacted to the sudden death of former Lakers star Kobe Bryant with tributes and praise. Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among several people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Bryant was
Year 2 in the NBA can be just as much of a challenge as a rookie season. On one hand, your expectations rise — individually and team-wise. On the other, 29 teams key-in on tendencies through film study. They’ll make adjustments to ensure you don’t get to your usual spots, forcing you to find a
3:53 PM ET Kobe Bryant and his daughter were among five people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Bryant was 41. Drafted 13th overall in 1996 out of Lower Merion High School, Bryant was a five-time NBA champion, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and
Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell is the latest NBA athlete to suffer the dreaded Achilles tendon rupture. It is a devastating blow for Dallas. It happened as abruptly as Achilles tendon injuries tend to. The Dallas Mavericks had just initiated their offense by sending guard Tim Hardaway Jr. cutting nonchalantly off a mild-mannered screen from
10:13 PM ET SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert can count on Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle’s vote for All-Star reserves. “In my opinion, he is,” Carlisle said of Gobert after the player’s dominant’s performance in the Jazz’s 112-107 win over the Mavs on Saturday. Gobert had 22 points on 8-of-8 shooting
The mind cannot tell the difference between what’s being experienced in real life and what is deliberately being visualized within the constructs of the mind. High-Performers have intuitively known this. Science is now showing this. The brain has the ability to affect physiology and improve motor skill sets without lifting a finger. For example, through
After Kobe Bryant showed up to watch LeBron James and the Lakers earlier this season, James reflected on the two players’ careers. “Two guys that came straight out of high school, a lot of pressure put on both of us at such a young age. … Just use that every single day on trying to
Chicago Bulls’ forward Lauri Markkanen will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a pelvic stress reaction. Sitting out will hopefully prevent the injury from progressing. The findings of the MRI exam were surprising. Two days after scoring 21 points and grabbing six rebounds in a 117-110 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it was announced that
1:51 PM ET Oklahoma City Thunder center Nerlens Noel underwent a procedure to repair a left cheek fracture and will miss Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to the team. The Thunder will also be without forward Danilo Gallinari, who is out with a sore left thumb. Noel, 25, briefly went to the locker
Year 2 in the NBA can be just as much of a challenge as a rookie season. On one hand, your expectations rise — individually and team-wise. On the other, 29 teams key-in on tendencies through film study. They’ll make adjustments to ensure you don’t get to your usual spots, forcing you to find a
12:49 AM ET MIAMI — LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard earned the first triple-double of his career in Friday night’s 122-117 comeback victory over the Miami Heat. Leonard finished the game with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, bringing the Clippers back from a 15-point deficit, while handing the Heat just their second home
The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to trade for Golden State Warriors center Willie Cauley-Stein in an effort to address their frontcourt depth. Here are NBA Trade Grades for both sides. The 2020 NBA Trade Deadline is less than two weeks away, and the action is already starting to heat up. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi initially
T.J. Warren is more or less the same player he’s always been, but the Indiana Pacers are helping him become the best version of himself. Whether by the stat sheet or the most basic eye test, T.J. Warren is more or less the same player he was last season for the Phoenix Suns. He’s still
8:08 PM ET MIAMI — Heat coach Erik Spoelstra responded swiftly to swingman Jimmy Butler not being selected as a starter for next month’s All Star game in Chicago, calling his omission “a joke” and adding that he’s hopeful it will help change the voting process. “I just think it’s ridiculous that we’re still in
The Indiana Pacers have made their two-big lineups work this season. But if they decided to simplify and flip Myles Turner, these deals could make sense. Just before this season began, the Pacers signed Domantas Sabonis to a four-year contract extension, committing to the two-big experiment they’ve been playing with for the past few years.
Year 2 in the NBA can be just as much of a challenge as a rookie season. On one hand, your expectations rise — individually and team-wise. On the other, 29 teams key-in on tendencies through film study. They’ll make adjustments to ensure you don’t get to your usual spots, forcing you to find a
3:59 PM ET ESPN News Services Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen will be out for four to six weeks after an MRI of his right hip revealed an early stress reaction of his right pelvis, the team announced. Markkanen, who is averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, was coming off a 21-point performance