After a five-year run that saw two regular-season MVPs, a 73-win campaign and three NBA championships, Kevin Durant’s departure and Klay Thompson’s torn ACL has Golden State on the outside looking in. The Warriors will still make a playoff push, and should likely succeed, as a healthy Stephen Curry and reinvigorated Draymond Green can do
2:47 AM ET Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia — The U.S. men’s basketball team lost for the first time in nearly 13 years, falling to Australia 98-94 in a pre-World Cup exhibition game Saturday. Patty Mills scored 30 points for Australia, which rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half. It was the first loss
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 23: Dwight Howard #21 of the Washington Wizards speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at the Capital One Arena on July 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and
7:48 PM ET Dwight Howard is on his way back to the Los Angeles Lakers, after agreeing to a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies. While the move wasn’t a surprise given recent developments — specifically the Lakers losing DeMarcus Cousins to a torn ACL and the Grizzlies having little interest in keeping Howard on the
One does not simply spell the name Giannis Antetokounmpo without at least looking it up first. Sure, you could get lucky the first time, but you’re lying to yourself if you think you won’t at least head over to Google to double-check. Admittedly, a big thanks on our end will be sent towards our friends
4:33 AM ET ESPN.com Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print The 2019-20 edition of ESPN’s NBA summer forecast is here. Which will be the best and worst teams this season? Which superstar players will win the major awards? What surprises are on the way? We polled ESPN’s panel of basketball experts for their predictions
NBA champion Steve Smith is going with the Los Angeles Clippers to win it all next season. Despite LeBron James poised to come back well-rested and armed with a new co-star in Anthony Davis, former NBA All-Star Steve Smith doesn’t think it’s enough to overpower the new-look Clippers for NBA supremacy. “I’m going by what
10:27 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has been home for nearly a week in Detroit as he continues to recover from a stroke suffered in May. Gilbert, 57, had spent the past two months in a rehabilitation center in Chicago. On Thursday, Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner provided a brief
One does not simply spell the name Giannis Antetokounmpo without at least looking it up first. Sure, you could get lucky the first time, but you’re lying to yourself if you think you won’t at least head over to Google to double-check. Admittedly, a big thanks on our end will be sent towards our friends
6:35 PM ET Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants to temper expectations. Maybe that is understandable. He is preparing to step into the point guard position Russell Westbrook held for 11 years for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 10.8 points and 3.3 assists as a rookie for the Los Angeles Clippers last
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 05: Mitchell Robinson #26 of the New York Knicks reacts during the fourth quarter of the game against the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden on February 05, 2019 in New York City. The Detroit Pistons defeat the New York Knicks 105-92. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
7:32 AM ET MELBOURNE, Australia — You could just about hear the collective groan reverberating around Melbourne as one by one, they started falling like dominoes. When Team USA’s superstars began withdrawing from the FIBA World Cup squad, it meant they would no longer be taking part in the two highly anticipated friendlies against the
The NBA is a fickle beast, success a fleeting one. And, right now, no one may know that better than the Toronto Raptors. After the first title in their team’s history, the Raptors are left without Kawhi Leonard, the former Spur, Raptor and now Clipper that carried the franchise to its greatest heights. Toronto and
9:38 AM ET Former NBA first-round pick Royce White believes Carmelo Anthony has been “blackballed” by the league and he thinks LeBron James is partly to blame. “‘Melo is absolutely being blackballed,” White, who plays in the BIG3 league, told Fanatics View on Saturday. “He’s one of the realest in [the league]. … He’s given
As teams circle toward them on Chris Paul, the Oklahoma City Thunder are apparently hoping patience will be a prosperous virtue. Paul George’s push to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers and team up with Kawhi Leonard put the Oklahoma City Thunder in a tough position. A subsequent deal sending Russell Westbrook to the
6:41 PM ET The attorneys for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson filed additional amendments to a lawsuit that is attempting to enforce the termination of a signed agreement with a Florida marketing company. The amendments, filed in the U.S. District Court in North Carolina by Williamson’s New York-based lawyer Jeffrey Klein on Wednesday, include
With 2019 NBA free agency all but over, most players have found their homes for next season. However, there are still 10 players who should be on an NBA roster in 2019-20. The 2019 NBA free agency period has been nothing short of chaotic. The second it turned to July, players like Kevin Durant and
The NBA is a fickle beast, success a fleeting one. And, right now, no one may know that better than the Toronto Raptors. After the first title in their team’s history, the Raptors are left without Kawhi Leonard, the former Spur, Raptor and now Clipper that carried the franchise to its greatest heights. Toronto and
10:25 AM ET Hall of Fame middle linebacker Ray Lewis will prove whether he has more moves than his signature pregame dance. Lewis will be among the 12 celebrities competing on the 28th season of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” it was announced Wednesday. The only other professional athlete on this season’s show is Lamar
A former NBA player bashed the Los Angles Lakers’ decision to sign Jared Dudley over Carmelo Anthony, but the Lakers made the right call. Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers came quite close to signing Carmelo Anthony to team up with his good friend, LeBron James. A playoff-crushing losing streak in March put an end
10:57 PM ET Ty Lue has agreed to a deal with the LA Clippers to become a top assistant coach on Doc Rivers’ staff, a source told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Lue was a leading candidate to become the Los Angeles Lakers head coach until negotiations broke down earlier this summer. Lue wanted to coach LeBron
Let’s play a game. See if you can answer the following question. You were the best team in 2015-16 (and mostly the previous two seasons, as well). You broke the NBA record with 73 regular-season wins. A top-three player THEN joins your team, making an already elite unit double-elite. You enjoy prosperity and championships for
7:30 AM ET The Sterling Affairs is a story of power and scandal in Los Angeles. When an audio recording of a racist rant by former Clippers owner Donald Sterling was leaked online in 2014, it caused an uproar that changed the NBA forever. But Sterling had been a problem for decades — in basketball,
OAKLAND, CA – MAY 03: Baron Davis #5 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2007 NBA Playoffs on May 3, 2007 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
12:25 PM ET In the aftermath of DeMarcus Cousins‘ knee injury, the Los Angeles Lakers are bringing in two former All-Star centers — Joakim Noah and Dwight Howard — to evaluate in individual workouts in Los Angeles, league sources told ESPN on Tuesday. The workouts will also include veteran Mo Speights, league sources said. Another
Over the course of July and August, Basketball Insiders embarked on grading all 30 NBA teams for their offseasons — additions, subtractions, draft picks, trades, etc — and their potential headed into the 2019-20 campaign. Between today and autumn, franchises will be tasked with figuring out how their roster pieces, both new and old, might
10:00 AM ET Associated Press PIRAEUS, Greece — Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt says he has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Blatt, 60, says he was diagnosed with condition, which attacks the central nervous system, “a few months ago” and has experienced fatigue, weakness in his legs and balance problems. In a statement via
Howard University is launching Division I level golf with Stephen Curry stepping up as a significant sponsor. Stephen Curry visited Howard University in January for a screening of his documentary, Emanuel. He met and hit the golf course with Otis Ferguson, then a junior who had passed up chances to play golf in school to attend
3:59 PM ET Zion Williamson has been hailed as the next big thing in the NBA, but his colleagues in the incoming rookie class aren’t sold on the idea that the No. 1 overall pick will have a great NBA career. In the league’s annual survey of rookies, asked which member of the 2019 class
Over the course of July and August, Basketball Insiders embarked on grading all 30 NBA teams for their offseasons — additions, subtractions, draft picks, trades, etc — and their potential headed into the 2019-20 campaign. Between today and autumn, franchises will be tasked with figuring out how their roster pieces, both new and old, might