On Monday night in Las Vegas, the 2019 NBA Summer League champions will be crowned. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies are set to square off at the Thomas & Mack Center as the last teams standing over the course of the 10-day period. Once that winner is determined, the world will be without NBA
Adding Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers means Landry Shamet is going to see a lot of open shots next season. Like, A LOT of open shots. A solitary figure stands on the wing, feet set, hands at the ready. It has been four games since he last saw a defender. In the
10:52 PM ET Kelly CohenESPN If you ever wanted to know what some of your favorite athletes will look like in 50 years, look no further than Twitter and Instagram today. By using FaceApp’s old age feature, anyone can see what they’ll look like decades from now, and everyone from Steph Curry to Dwyane Wade
The Indiana Pacers have lost in the first round of the playoffs four years in a row. Looking for a higher ceiling, they gave up some of the continuity they had previously placed a premium on. Getting to know the Indiana Pacers isn’t a daunting vetting process. Monitor them for a season or two and
8:48 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN As Zion Williamson continues to delay his expected landmark shoe-deal decision, the rest of the 2019 NBA rookie class has been stalled. A majority of the 2019 first-round picks entered summer league without having inked a shoe deal, allowing for a variety of lesser-known players to unexpectedly make their mark
Jarrell Brantley was Utah Jazz’s first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. No, he wasn’t selected in the first round, as the team forfeited that pick to the Memphis Grizzlies via trade in exchange for the services of Mike Conley Jr. Brantley was selected 50th overall in the second round by the Indiana Pacers, but
The Houston Rockets came into the season with high expectations, and that led to some understandable frustration after an early playoff exit. Chris Paul and James Harden are both All-Star level players who haven’t won a championship, and with that comes pressure as they both grow older and their window to claim a title closes.
To maximize their talents together, James Harden and Russell Westbrook must evolve in Houston. Just two years ago, the Houston Rockets traded for Chris Paul and launched into a full-scale championship pursuit. They came incredibly close in 2018 before Paul’s right hamstring gave out in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, leaving James Harden
7:23 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons confirmed on Tuesday that he will not play for Australia in the upcoming FIBA World Cup. Simmons’ agent, Rich Paul, had told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski last week that his client was unlikely to play in the event. “I will still be heading back home to Australia to
It’s been a pretty weird last three years for Jayson Tatum, particularly with regards to his career trajectory, and how people feel about his shot-taking and his shot-making. In his lone collegiate season at Duke, Tatum demonstrated a proclivity for — and in fairness, something of a knack for — operating in isolation. Per Synergy
11:03 AM ET Free agent forward Reggie Bullock has signed a two-year, $8.2 million deal with the New York Knicks, his agent David Bauman told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday. The second year of the deal is a team option, according to Wojnarowski. Bullock and the Knicks reworked the deal after his medical issues forced
On Monday night in Las Vegas, the 2019 NBA Summer League champions will be crowned. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies are set to square off at the Thomas & Mack Center as the last teams standing over the course of the 10-day period. Once that winner is determined, the world will be without NBA
11:12 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Brandon Clarke had 15 points and 16 rebounds to lead the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies to a 95-92 victory over the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the championship game of the NBA Summer League on Monday. Clarke, who was named overall MVP for the summer league, also had three
CLEVELAND, CA – JUN 8: JR Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors in Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals won 108-85 by the Golden State Warriors over the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Quicken Loans Arena on June 6, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User
6:51 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers said Monday that his team did not acquire new guard D’Angelo Russell just to flip him in a different deal. Speaking for the first time since acquiring Russell in a sign-and-trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets, Myers said the
The Summer League is a time for many things. It’s a time for young players to get a taste of what professional basketball is like. It’s a time for teams to evaluate what young talent they have their roster. Most importantly of all, it’s a time for growth. The Summer League, whether it be in
8:44 AM ET Amar Sylla, ranked No. 23 in the ESPN 2020 mock draft, has signed a three-year contract with NBA out clauses with Belgian league champions BC Oostende, his agent Arturo Ortega told ESPN. “I think this is the best step for me at this stage of my career,” Sylla told ESPN. “I’ve been
Lonzo Ball once wanted nothing more than to play for the Lakers, but now he sounds excited for a fresh start in New Orleans. The fit was clear, even as his father LaVar attempted to “speak it into existence”, so it was a no-brainer for the Los Angeles Lakers to take Lonzo Ball No. 2
11:01 PM ET Rachel Nichols Is it title or bust for Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers? How will the All-NBA big man adjust to sharing the court with LeBron James? What would Davis have changed about his public and prolonged exit from the New Orleans Pelicans? Following his introductory news conference, we sat
1:00 AM ET LOS ANGELES — After a dominant MVP season in which he led the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA-best 60 wins, Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’s only at “60 percent” of what he can fully become. Antetokounmpo said one of the biggest takeaways he took from the Bucks’ run to the Eastern Conference finals
PORTLAND, OR – APRIL 23: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on against the Portland Trail Blazers during Game Five of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 23, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or
10:09 AM ET July has settled in, and the league is still as wild as it was when the month arrived. Summer league in Las Vegas has started to wind down, but the chatter is still piping hot. As of Sunday morning, there are only four teams still active in the tournament — and the
1:20 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Lonzo Ball was in a car on his way to watch his brother, LaMelo, play in the Drew League when he learned he had been traded to the New Orleans Pelicans from Twitter. After the Los Angeles Lakers drafted the point guard second overall in 2017 amid incredible hype
After trading for Russell Westbrook, the Houston Rockets and James Harden are going to have their work cut out for them on defense. In the wake of the shocking, seismic trade that saw the Oklahoma City Thunder send Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul, two first-round picks, and two pick
Jaylen Brown seems to live his life slightly off-axis. Nine players on the basketball court, bodies perpendicular to the floor. And then there is one more, with a slight bend at the waist, torso at 76 degrees, out-racing his man to the other end of the floor and somehow appearing to do it in a
5:55 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is “doubtful” to play for Australia in the FIBA World Cup this summer, his agent Rich Paul tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Simmons, who debuted for the national team as a teenager and won gold at the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, initially said he was “looking forward to
7:35 PM ET Russell Westbrook thanked Oklahoma City fans Friday night in a heartfelt Instagram post, saying he was “eternally grateful” for the 11 years he spent in a Thunder uniform. The Thunder agreed Thursday night to a blockbuster trade to send Westbrook to Houston, reuniting him with former Oklahoma City teammate James Harden. The
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 8: Jaxson Hayes #10 of the New Orleans Pelicans dunks the ball against the Chicago Bulls on July 8, 2019 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the
9:20 PM ET LeBron James won’t be giving up his No. 23 to new teammate Anthony Davis after all. The planned jersey swap for the 2019-20 season has been postponed due to potential production and financial issues with manufacturer Nike, a source told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, confirming a Yahoo! Sports report. James wore No. 23
Chris Paul won’t be on the Oklahoma City Thunder for long, and he could be headed for one of these five teams. On Thursday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder sent Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, two first-round picks (2024, 2026) and pick swaps in 2021 and 2025. The deal will reunite