NBA

Tim Bontemps, ESPNSep 27, 2023, 11:00 AM ET In just about every way, Ryan Smith is the antithesis of the typical NBA owner. He frequently sports a backward baseball cap, including in a recent Zoom interview with ESPN. At 45, he’s young enough to still get on the court and play basketball, as he did

Sep 26, 2023, 04:54 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Council voted Tuesday to set a Dec. 12 citywide vote on a proposed 1% sales tax for six years that would fund a new $900 million downtown arena and keep the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder in the city through at least 2050. The

Sep 26, 2023, 06:04 PM ET NEW YORK — Magic Johnson’s love for his Los Angeles Lakers has kept him from considering ownership of any other NBA team. The New York Knicks would be the one franchise that could make him have second thoughts. “I think it would be intriguing,” Johnson said Tuesday. “The only

Tim Bontemps, ESPNSep 26, 2023, 12:48 PM ET When the Brooklyn Nets open training camp next week, Ben Simmons is expected to be a full participant. That was the message from Nets coach Jacque Vaughn and general manager Sean Marks to reporters Tuesday morning in Brooklyn, where they said Simmons is fully participating in 5-on-5

Kendra Andrews, ESPNSep 25, 2023, 07:01 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — About a year ago, the Golden State Warriors were entering training camp while navigating what coach Steve Kerr then called the biggest crisis during his tenure in San Francisco. That incident was never fully resolved, fracturing the camaraderie within the locker room and ultimately

Sep 25, 2023, 06:30 PM ET The Toronto Raptors enter this week as the front-runners to trade for Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, two high-ranking NBA team executives told ESPN’s Andscape. While the Raptors have had recent conversations with the Blazers about Lillard, no pact was close to being imminent as of Monday morning,

Anthony Gharib, ESPNSep 22, 2023, 03:19 PM ET With the NBA just over a month away, teams are slowly releasing their special uniforms for this season. Throwback jerseys are always a hot topic for fans and it won’t be any different this year. Editor’s Picks Here are all of the throwback threads unveiled for the

Sep 21, 2023, 08:00 AM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes eligible to sign a contract extension on Friday, his first chance to recommit to the franchise since he signed a supermax extension before the 2020-21 season. Antetokounmpo still has two years remaining on his contract, plus a player option for a third year,

Tim Bontemps, ESPNSep 21, 2023, 12:34 PM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton has heard the comments Giannis Antetokounmpo has made over the past several weeks. But unlike the rest of the NBA universe, which has been caught off guard by Antetokounmpo’s open acknowledgement of uncertainty about his future, Middleton said it was simply an

Sep 20, 2023, 03:51 PM ET CLEVELAND — Body camera footage of Cavaliers executive Koby Altman undergoing field sobriety tests shows him being told by officers that he nearly caused an accident last week before he was arrested and charged with driving while impaired. On Wednesday, the Cavaliers issued a new statement about their president

Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff WriterSep 20, 2023, 09:05 AM ET Close Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. MINUTES AFTER THE congregation of basketball players ranging from NBA All-Stars to pro prospects to gym

Andre Snellings, ESPNSep 19, 2023, 01:59 PM ET Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to a NBA championship and Victor Wembanyama has the San Antonio Spurs dreaming about their next one. But why should they have all the fun? You too can build a championship roster around Jokic, Wembanyama or any player you want! That’s

Andrew Lopez Kevin Pelton Close Kevin Pelton ESPN Senior Writer Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE system Sep 19, 2023, 07:00 AM ET The San Antonio Spurs have been here before. In 1987, after finishing 28-54, they won the draft lottery and the right

Sep 19, 2023, 06:17 AM ET PARIS — Victor Wembanyama will be aiming for the gold medal with France at the Paris Olympics. The San Antonio Spurs rookie on Tuesday reaffirmed his commitment to France’s national squad at the Summer Games next year in his home country. “Performing well at the Olympics would be a

Sep 18, 2023, 06:57 PM ET Free agent guard/forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Oubre could get significant opportunity on the wing with the uncertainty around James Harden, who has requested a trade out of Philadelphia. The Sixers lost Georges Niang,

Sep 18, 2023, 08:00 AM ET All eyes will be on this season’s NBA rookie class — headed by No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama — but don’t sleep on a whole list of second-year players to watch. Before we get to them, let’s acknowledge the sophomores who already proved their star power. Orlando Magic forward

Sep 16, 2023, 12:04 PM ET Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman was arrested Friday night and charged with operating a vehicle while impaired. Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers stopped Altman just before 9 p.m. in Cleveland. He was charged with “committing a marked lanes violation and OVI.” “Troopers initiated a traffic stop

Sep 15, 2023, 08:51 AM ET USA Basketball is back atop the FIBA men’s world rankings, even after failing to medal at the World Cup. The Americans flipped spots with Spain for No. 1 in the world in the updated rankings that were released Friday, reclaiming the top spot that they lost late last year.