In this week’s 2019 NBA Mock Draft, the dust clears from the combine as prospects spread out across the country for workouts, and we start to re-evaluate the top of the class. Players like Nassir Little and Darius Bazley helped themselves over the past few weeks getting the chance to meet with teams and the
It’s funny how life works, isn’t it? For the first month of the playoffs, including two full series and half of the games played in the Eastern Conference Finals, Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet was mired in one of the worst shooting slumps in his NBA career. Aside from the postseason opening loss to the
3:15 AM ET TORONTO — When you are champions, you stick with what got you here. For the Golden State Warriors, the formula in these 2019 playoffs had been fairly transparent: identify the best player on the opposing team — see James Harden and Damian Lillard — and harangue him into a night of frustration
With the 2019 NBA Finals set to tip off Thursday night, here’s a look at the TV schedule for the series. For the first time in almost a decade, we’re about to witness an NBA Finals that does not include LeBron James. And for the first time in four years, the Finals won’t feature the
7:00 AM ET As the Golden State Warriors try to navigate the beginning of the NBA Finals without star Kevin Durant, team leader Draymond Green acknowledged that his role within the framework of the team is dramatically different without Durant on the floor. “It completely changes,” Green told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols in an interview that
The Toronto Raptors are making their first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals. The key to them claiming the title as their own? Defense. For the last few years, there was a LeBron James-sized hump that the Toronto Raptors couldn’t seem to get over. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry revitalized the franchise and former head coach
It’s going to be a busy next few weeks for Kerwin Roach II. The senior point guard from Texas is in the process of preparing for the NBA Draft on June 20. He’s already had a workout with the Charlotte Hornets, attended the Portsmouth Invitational and he took part in the Pro Basketball Combine last
10:05 AM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Duke’s Zion Williamson — one of the most anticipated NBA draft prospects in a generation — has signed with CAA Sports, the agency announced Thursday. CAA basketball agent Austin Brown and CAA executive Lisa Joseph-Metelus will represent Williamson, sources told ESPN. Williamson, 19, has been pursued with great enthusiasm from
Jontay Porter shared details of his recovery from a second ACL tear this summer as well as what he heard from NBA teams heading toward the draft. A weak 2019 NBA Draft class took a hit March 23 when skilled big man Jontay Porter, brother of Denver forward Michael Porter Jr., tore his ACL for
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 21: Chris Paul #3 and James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets stand for the national anthem before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 21, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this
On NBA Draft Lottery Day, New York City religious leaders are praying for the Knicks to win the lottery in order for the team to draft Zion Williamson. It isn’t a secret that the New York Knicks need all the prayers they can get on NBA Draft Lottery Day. Zion Williamson is the biggest prize
11:23 PM ET LeBron James‘ sons will attend Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, in the fall, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN. Bronny James, 14, and Bryce James, 11, are moving from the Crossroads School in Santa Monica to Sierra Canyon, which enrolls students from preschool to 12th grade. A source
5:12 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN TORONTO — After missing the Toronto Raptors‘ playoff run to the NBA Finals after undergoing an emergency appendectomy last month, forward OG Anunoby said Wednesday he has begun taking contact and hopes to return to the court at some point against the Golden State Warriors. “It’s been hard, not being
The NBA Finals start tomorrow. Let’s dig in on the major questions that will define the series and decide which of the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors will be crowned champions. Will Kevin Durant return during this series? If so, when? And in what condition will his game and body be? In some ways,
If he can get on the floor, DeMarcus Cousins could be a game-changer for the Warriors in the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors were already good enough. They had captured back-to-back NBA titles. They had a starting lineup that featured four All-Star players in their prime. Then, a couple of years after signing away
DENVER, CO – APRIL 10: Head Coach Ryan Saunders of the Minnesota Timberwolves look on during the game against the Denver Nuggets on April 10, 2019 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and
12:05 PM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has made his entire roster and future draft picks available in trade talks, a dramatic initiative with hopes of reshaping the team into a championship contender, league sources told ESPN. The possibility of trading All-NBA guard James Harden is believed to be extremely limited,
He won’t be a high lottery pick like three of his former teammates at Duke, but Marques Bolden is staying in the 2019 NBA Draft. The top of the 2019 NBA Draft will be filled with Duke blue, with Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish all set to go within the first 10 picks,
There are a lot of things that Aaron Rodgers is really, really good at. Apparently, chugging beer is not one of them. Aaron Rodgers may have just officially lost his man card. The Green Bay Packers quarterback was sitting courtside at Thursday’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Milwaukee when he was thrown into
TORONTO, CANADA – MAY 21: Rapper, Drake, reacts during a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors during Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 21, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph,
8:30 PM ET Warriors star Kevin Durant traveled on the team’s charter to Toronto on Tuesday ahead of Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals against the Raptors, even though he has been officially ruled out of Game 1 with a strained right calf. Game 1 is Thursday (9 p.m. ET, ABC), but the
By now, everyone knows of the Toronto Raptors, but a superfan dug into the archives of the Toronto Star and explained how the “Raptors” got their name. For the past 24 years, we’ve known Toronto’s NBA basketball team as the “Raptors.” Yes, it is a name that really doesn’t fit the area, but we’ve gotten
5:34 PM ET Warriors star Kevin Durant flew on the team’s charter to Toronto on Tuesday for Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals with the Raptors, even though he has been officially ruled out of Game 1 with a strained right calf. Game 1 is Thursday (9 p.m. ET, ABC), but the Warriors
In the regular season, Pascal Siakam made himself a frontrunner for the Most Improved Player award due to his bursting speed, quick-twitch momentum, nimbleness, skinny-strength and sheer length. “Spicy P” was NBA Twitter’s favorite rising star because of the element of surprise. He was a tornado on drives; a curveball in the post; a shark-attack
Each week, four of Basketball Insiders’ top writers will break down the latest news and notes surrounding the 2019 NBA Draft. With every new version, you’ll see an updated mock draft that reflects how each writer sees the draft landscape based on the latest news, workouts, and information from the pre-draft process as well as
8:59 AM ET Marc J. Spears Amadou Gallo Fall will be named the president of the NBA’s new Basketball Africa League Tuesday, Fall told ESPN’s The Undefeated. Fall is currently the NBA vice president and managing director for Africa. The Senegal native will begin his role as Basketball Africa League (BAL) president immediately while aiding
OAKLAND, CA – MAY 8: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors looks on against the Houston Rockets during Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 8, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using
In his latest interview, former Lakers President of Basketball Operations, Magic Johnson spilled all the details on why he left the organization. When Magic Johnson first became the President of Basketball Operations for the Lakers in 2017, it seemed like the Lakers were bound to win multiple championships. With the ideas of bringing LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers are a picture of dysfunction right now, but Magic Johnson has changed his stories to serve himself. Out of the blue on April 9, Magic Johnson had an impromptu media session and stepped down from his role as Los Angeles Lakers’ president of basketball operations. It took him over a month
9:51 PM ET Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is “awake, responsive and resting comfortably” after suffering a stroke Sunday, according to a Jay Farner, the CEO of Quicken Loans, the company Gilbert founded and chairs. Farner said Gilbert, 57, felt ill on Sunday and a friend took him to a Detroit-area hospital, where he suffered