11:00 AM ET Lisa Leslie has won coach of the year honors in the BIG3 after leading Triplets to Saturday’s title game, the league announced Tuesday. Leslie, the Hall of Famer and WNBA legend, is the second woman to win the award, which is voted on by players and coaches in the league. Last year,
When Dwight Howard agreed to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, it was just fitting. It’s not fitting because Dwight fits with the Lakers’ needs. It’s fitting because it’s yet another in what’s been a longline of bizarre storylines this offseason. Seriously, it’s been one after the next. No, it’s not bizarre only because of
7:22 AM ET Which players should be the favorites for NBA MVP in 2019-20? In the latest edition of the ESPN summer forecast, our panel predicted 2018-19 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo as having the best chance to win the award. Two-time MVP Stephen Curry finished second, with Curry and Giannis getting more than half of the
When Dwight Howard agreed to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, it was just fitting. It’s not fitting because Dwight fits with the Lakers’ needs. It’s fitting because it’s yet another in what’s been a longline of bizarre storylines this offseason. Seriously, it’s been one after the next. No, it’s not bizarre only because of
The Sterling Affairs, ESPN’s new podcast series, uncovers a whole new layer of depth on the Donald Sterling story, making for truly compelling listen. “It was like being inside of a movie…you couldn’t write these characters any better than they already were.” When Ramona Shelburne was reflecting on the events that formed the basis for
7:49 PM ET ESPN News Services Dwight Howard has officially rejoined the Los Angeles Lakers six years after his acrimonious departure. The eight-time All-Star center and 15-year NBA veteran agreed to a contract with the Lakers on Monday. The non-guaranteed deal comes with a stern caveat from the Lakers that if Howard disrupts the team,
MILWAUKEE – 1982: Bill Walton #32 of the Portland Trailblazers looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks circa 1982 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory
8:26 AM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — Order restored. After losing for the first time in nearly 13 years two days earlier, the United States rebounded to outclass Canada 84-68 in a pre-World Cup exhibition basketball game Monday. At the same arena where the Americans won Olympic gold at the Sydney 2000 Games the U.S.
When comparing the loss of a star player to the loss of a glue player, there’s no question which one is worse. Losing a star can set back a franchise for years, with so many questions surrounding what they should do next in light of his departure. Losing a glue player doesn’t make as much
10:55 PM ET Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert has agreed to a three-year, $52.5 million contract extension, league sources told ESPN. LeVert, who turned 25 on Sunday, was eligible for his rookie extension as a member of the NBA’s draft class of 2016. His new deal will begin with the 2020-21 season. No better feeling
Every level of the Washington Mystics franchise is contributing to the best offense in WNBA history. Last year, after Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, Kristi Tolliver and Ellena Delle Donne stood in a dark corner underneath the stands of Seattle’s Key Arena. They were up next as their head coach, Mike Thibault, was finishing
7:28 PM ET At five home games this year, the Portland Trail Blazers will wear red jerseys with “blazers” in lowercase letters written vertically down the chest. The jerseys resemble those the team wore during the 1976-77 season, when they won the NBA title. Bill Walton, the center on that team, helped the Blazers unveil
Midway through leading the Sacramento Kings to their best record in over 10 years, then-head coach Dave Joerger compared De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III to this generation’s gold-standard tandem of homegrown superstars. “…We have the next Durant-Westbrook,” he said in December. “That’s how good they’re gonna be.” Joerger is gone a few months later,
2:45 PM ET Investigators for the Sacramento Kings and NBA determined that, based on available evidence, there was “not a sufficient basis to support” the sexual assault allegations made against Kings head coach Luke Walton. According to a Friday statement from the Kings and NBA, Kelli Tennant, who alleged that Walton sexually assaulted her in
Introducing triple-threat charts, which visualize a team’s propensity for dribbling, shooting and passing from different locations. Earlier this week Nylon Calculus contributor Senthil Natarajan had a fantastic idea for a new basketball chart. He suggested mapping players’ dribble-pass-shoot tendencies by court location, something we might call a triple-threat chart. I had some fun experimenting with
5:21 PM ET After completing a contract buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies, Dwight Howard will sign a non-guaranteed contract with the Los Angeles Lakers that comes with a clear message, league sources told ESPN: Disrupt this team — and you’ll be gone. In meetings with Lakers management, coaches and teammates — including Anthony Davis —
When comparing the loss of a star player to the loss of a glue player, there’s no question which one is worse. Losing a star can set back a franchise for years, with so many questions surrounding what they should do next in light of his departure. Losing a glue player doesn’t make as much
6:22 PM ET HOUSTON — James Harden isn’t just playing around in pickup games when he launches the one-legged, stepback 3-pointers seen in viral videos shot during open runs this summer. Harden, the Houston Rockets‘ superstar who led the NBA in scoring the last two seasons, is searching for ways he can continue to improve
Team Australia just put the world on notice. They are coming for the gold medal after beating Team USA and ending a 78-game win streak. Anybody who thought Team USA would cruise to a gold medal in the 2019 FIBA World Cup wasn’t paying close enough attention. The first red flag was obvious when one
10:41 AM ET Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers will not play for Team USA in the upcoming FIBA World Cup after it was determined that his left ankle injury would prevent him from participating, USA Basketball announced Saturday. With the loss of Kuzma, the USA Basketball roster is now finalized with 12 players.
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