9:38 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James‘ attempt to trademark the term “Taco Tuesday” has been denied. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday refused the application filed by James’ company LBJ Trademarks, explaining that “Taco Tuesday” is “a commonplace term.” “The applied-for mark is a commonplace term, message, or expression widely
Sometime in July, the internet unanimously crowned the Atlanta Hawks as basketball’s newest darlings — everybody’s favorite upstart, League Pass-worthy, fun-as-heck roster that could shock the world and make a postseason bid through high-tempo and athletically electric hoops. Although such claims may, in truth, be premature — at heart, the sport does love a good
3:29 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Twenty-eight counterfeit NBA championship rings have been seized by federal authorities at Los Angeles International Airport. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says Wednesday that the rings were in a wooden box shipped from China with a final destination in Arizona. Investigators suspect the intent was to sell
Why do NBA Draft prospects fail? Our four-part series looks at the 2011-2015 NBA Drafts and why they didn’t make it. Part one looked at functional strength. Part two looked at skill development. Part three focuses on the mental game: awareness and decision-making. In parts one and two of this series, we addressed tangible reasons for
Kia Nurse and Napheesa Collier, both All-Stars for the first time in 2019, are leading a new generation of UConn greats in the WNBA. For former University of Connecticut stars in the WNBA, college was about the pursuit of perfection. Most Huskies began their professional careers as leaders, their success as amateurs shocking even to
10:47 AM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hornets owner and six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan is pledging $1 million to organizations assisting with Hurricane Dorian relief efforts in the Bahamas. Jordan said in a statement Tuesday on Twitter through his spokeswoman Estee Portnoy that he’s “devastated” at the destruction in the Bahamas, adding “my
The Phoenix Suns have had a bad go of it. In five years, the Suns have managed just 126 wins, tied with the Knicks for the fewest in the NBA over that span. With the exit of Steve Nash in 2012, the team found themselves in a pit that they have yet to dig themselves
12:02 AM ET DONGGUAN, China — Jayson Tatum took part in Team USA’s shootaround and has been upgraded to a game-time decision ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup quarterfinal against France (7 a.m. ET, ESPN2), coach Gregg Popovich said. Tatum has missed the past three games after rolling an ankle against Turkey last week. He has
Check out our awards picks for WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Sixth Woman of the Year, All-WNBA teams and more. Another WNBA season is in the books, and before the playoffs start Wednesday night with a double-header on ESPN, let’s say goodbye to the 2019 season with the rest of
5:41 PM ET Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer took one step closer to building a new arena for the team by investing $100 million in the city of Inglewood. Ballmer’s $100 million community benefits plan was negotiated with city officials from Inglewood as part of their arena development agreement and is set to be
Why do modern NBA Draft prospects not stick around in the league? Our four-part series on the 2011-15 NBA Drafts attempts to answer this question. Part one looked at functional strength. Today, we tackle skill development. Skill level can be tough to evaluate with NBA Draft prospects. A player may show the ability to perform
When it was announced that LeBron James was planning on joining the Los Angeles Lakers last year, many thought that he was taking the circus with him. Any team with LeBron on it usually has a media circus from his brand alone, but the other Lakers additions that came with him were laughed at. Lance
9:33 AM ET Associated Press DONGGUAN, China — Luis Scola scored 20 points, Facundo Campazzo finished with 18 points and 12 assists and Argentina earned its first trip to the World Cup semifinals in 13 years by ousting Serbia 97-87 in a quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday. Patricio Garino added 15 for Argentina (6-0), which will
What will Jimmy Butler’s role in Miami look like now that he’s back as an offensive centerpiece? Over the offseason, Jimmy Butler signed a four-year, $142 million max deal with the Miami Heat. This included a sign-and-trade that sent Josh Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers. Combine that with Dwyane Wade’s retirement and Butler is the
9:42 AM ET SHENZHEN, China – In the Rio Olympics three years ago, Team USA averaged 101 points a game with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony leading an electric offense. In the 2014 World Cup in Spain the Americans averaged 105 points with Irving, James Harden, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combining to
The New York Knicks enter 2019-20 hoping for development and cohesion. As recently as this time last year, the Knicks expected to enter the season with at least one cornerstone piece in Kristaps Porzingis, a free agent superstar and a lottery pick added to the roster. Instead, the team experienced tremendous turnover, returning only six
4:34 PM ET The NBA won’t allow players to wear “ninja-style headwear” this season. Several players — including the Miami Heat‘s Jimmy Butler, the New Orleans Pelicans‘ Jrue Holiday, the LA Clippers‘ Montrezl Harrell, the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ Karl-Anthony Towns and the Brooklyn Nets‘ Jarrett Allen — regularly wore the headgear a season ago. The NBA
Why do modern NBA Draft prospects not stick around in the league? Our four-part series, looking back at the 2011-2015 NBA Drafts attempts to answer this question. Part one focuses on strength, and what exactly that means. Over the past few years, it’s become vogue in the draft scouting sphere to not just attempt to
If you remember one thing about Adam Morrison, it’s probably that he cried. If you remember two things about him, remember that he was a baller. Do you remember Adam Morrison crying after Gonzaga lost to UCLA in the 2006 NCAA Tournament? Of course you do. How else could you get those jokes off at his
8:52 AM ET Brittni Donaldson is joining Nick Nurse’s staff to become the 10th current female coach in the NBA. Courtesy Toronto Raptors Brittni Donaldson was almost literally born into basketball in Iowa, but even she could never have imagined her improbable path to becoming the league’s 10th current female assistant coach, and the youngest at
When it was announced that LeBron James was planning on joining the Los Angeles Lakers last year, many thought that he was taking the circus with him. Any team with LeBron on it usually has a media circus from his brand alone, but the other Lakers additions that came with him were laughed at. Lance
12:25 AM ET SHENZHEN, China — Jayson Tatum returned to Team USA practice after an ankle injury but will miss a third consecutive World Cup game Monday when the team faces Brazil (8:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+). Kemba Walker missed Monday’s shootaround with illness but was listed as probable to play in the final second-round game.
John Stockton’s short shorts were not with the times, but much like Stockton’s career itself, their length never wavered throughout the 1990s. I attended elementary school in the early to mid-1990s, and I still remember being made fun of for a pair of jean shorts that, despite touching the top of my knee caps, was
3:08 PM ET ESPN News Services PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia 76ers forward Mike Scott was involved in a fight with Eagles fans outside Lincoln Financial Field after wearing a Redskins jersey and hat at a tailgate party before the Eagles’ game against Washington. Scott didn’t appear to get injured in the video of the fight. He
It was a foregone conclusion that LeBron James would be drafted first overall in 2003, even before the draft lottery rewarded his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick. James was already a national phenomenon before stepping foot on an NBA court. James immediately bore a tremendous burden, with pressure to grow into potentially
10:29 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN NEW YORK — New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson made his first public appearance as the newest face of Jordan Brand on Saturday morning, when he helped unveil the upcoming Air Jordan 34 sneaker at a community event in Harlem. The newest annual Air Jordan model will officially release on
Stephen Curry is infamous for chewing his mouthguard incessantly throughout games. Why does he do it and why are we so intrigued by it? It’s like an extra limb, it is so omnipresent — an additional body part that is removable but still essential to his image and persona. It feels certain that this mouthpiece
11:48 PM ET Dwyane Wade may have recently retired from his NBA playing career, but he plans to be on the court with Lakers star LeBron James at Staples Center often in the coming season. Wade, who is now living in suburban Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times that he plans to work out
Stars are king in the NBA. Every offseason, destinations for these stars are speculated on, and the teams who do land one or multiple are vaulted to the forefront of the conversation. It is true that a team’s title chances are virtually non-existent when they do not possess one of the NBA’s elites. The 2004
2:20 PM ET SHENZHEN, China – Before each game at the FIBA World Cup the entire teams are announced to the crowd, culminating with the head coach. Without fail as Team USA has progressed from Shanghai and now to Southern China, Gregg Popovich has gotten the loudest ovation. Popovich, for better or worse, is maybe