NBA

LOS ANGELES — After treating the crowd at Staples Center to a season-high 40 points in his first matchup against star rookie Zion Williamson, LeBron James strolled to the bench in the final moments of his team’s 118-109 win and enjoyed a treat of his own: some Red Vines candy. James snacked away while nearby

Kobe Bryant will get his wish. Baseball superagent Scott Boras told the Los Angeles Times that he will create an internship for the teenage daughter of John Altobelli, the Orange Coast College baseball coach who, along with Bryant and his daughter Gianna, was among the nine people killed in last month’s helicopter crash in Calabasas,

As the Chinese Basketball Association remains indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, former NBA players such as Stanford alum Chasson Randle are in limbo waiting to see if or when play will resume. Players also are waiting to receive concrete information on the status of their contracts, which are often worth in excess of

LOS ANGELES — Paul George hit a fadeaway shot, followed it with a 3-pointer off a pass from Patrick Beverley and then threw down a breakaway dunk all in the first four minutes Monday. The LA Clippers had George and Beverley back from injuries and were at full strength and healthy again. “Can I get

LOS ANGELES — Doc Rivers saw “adversaries” all around him at the Staples Center, all brought together by the power of Kobe Bryant. The LA Clippers coach was one of many NBA legends, All-Stars and coaching luminaries on hand on Monday for the Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant. While the packed Staples

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant’s wife offered a poignant portrait of her NBA superstar husband and their daughter Monday at a sold-out memorial service for the two, who were among nine people killed last month in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles. Speaking at times through tears, Vanessa Bryant praised her husband’s devotion — calling

5:35 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Tim MacMahon Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM The NBA plans to await commissioner Adam Silver’s ruling on a Dallas

The Milwaukee Bucks are the earliest team to clinch a playoff berth in at least 15 years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The postseason is not set to begin for another 55 days. The Bucks clinched Sunday despite not playing because the Wizards lost to the Bulls. Milwaukee is 48-8 as of Sunday night

Can LeBron James catch Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA MVP race? Who is the favorite to win the NBA Finals? Does Zion Williamson have any chance in the Rookie of the Year race against Ja Morant? We polled the ESPN Forecast panel of experts for their predictions now that we are two-thirds of the way

SALT LAKE CITY — The most fascinating matchup in a potential playoff preview Saturday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena pitted the tallest man on the floor against the shortest, a 7-foot-1, two-time reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year guarding a 6-foot-3 recent MVP. The Houston Rockets‘ unprecedented commitment to a small-ball approach forces

LOS ANGELES — If Markieff Morris joins the Los Angeles Lakers as expected, Marcus Morris says he can see the twin brothers not only living together but carpooling to Staples Center if the LA Clippers and Lakers face each other in a seven-game playoff series. “We’re two competitive guys, that’s gonna be like really fun,”

LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis went from injured to insurmountable; fragile to a force to be reckoned with in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 117-105 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at Staples Center. And his performance — 28 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks in only 31 minutes — left his team again stumping

LOS ANGELES — The pilot of a helicopter that crashed into a Southern California hillside and killed Kobe Bryant, himself and seven others was reprimanded five years ago for flying without permission into airspace while he had reduced visibility, according to a Federal Aviation Administration enforcement record. Ara Zobayan was counseled by an FAA investigator

After leaving Memphis in December in the aftermath of an eligibility battle with the NCAA, potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick James Wiseman described the saga as “heartbreaking” and said his NCAA punishment was “unfair.” In his first interview since leaving school to turn professional, Wiseman told ESPN that he cried every night in

Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker had his knee drained and received a Synvisc injection to help with swelling and soreness, coach Brad Stevens said Friday. Stevens said it is not likely to be a long-term issue. “He had another scan,” Stevens told reporters. “Knee looks good structurally. But he’s going to be managing it and

SAN FRANCISCO — Houston Rockets star guard Russell Westbrook says he must hold himself to a higher standard after being ejected from Thursday night’s 135-105 win over the Golden State Warriors. Westbrook picked up his first technical foul with 7 minutes, 38 seconds left in the first quarter after arguing a foul call and then

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors have officially ruled out Klay Thompson for the season as he continues to rehab a torn left ACL suffered in June. “This is what I expected from the beginning given the severity of the injury,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Thursday night’s game against the Houston Rockets.

The media company owned by Lakers All-Star LeBron James is being sued by a Maryland youth group over its use of the “More Than An Athlete” phrase. The suit, filed in federal court on Tuesday, also names ESPN, Nike and the maker of the NBA 2K video game for using the phrase in material produced