Damian Lillard poured in 51 points and added seven assists to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 124-121 victory over a Philadelphia 76ers’ squad that lost Joel Embiid to injury on Sunday night near Orlando. Carmelo Anthony recorded 20 points and seven rebou... More »
Gordon Hayward scored 31 points and Jayson Tatum added 29 to lift the Boston Celtics to a 122-119 overtime victory over the Magic on Sunday near Orlando. Jaylen Brown collected 19 points and 12 rebounds for the third-place Celtics (47-23), who saw their slim c... More »
DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and the San Antonio Spurs kept their playoff hopes alive with a 122-113 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon near Orlando. The Spurs (31-38) improved to 4-2 during the restart and stayed in the thick of the t... More »
Marc Gasol capped a key third-quarter run with a 3-pointer in his first game against his longtime employer and the Toronto Raptors clinched the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 108-99 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday near Orlando. Gasol ... More »
Russell Westbrook sank four free throws inside the final 28.5 seconds and the Houston Rockets topped the Milwaukee Bucks 120-116 on Sunday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando. Westbrook scored a team-high 31 points while adding eight assists,... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The NBA’s return to regular-season play for the first time in four months averaged 3.4 million viewers for a close contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, the league and AT&T Inc’s TNT cable network said on Frid... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The NBA basketball jersey given to Michael Jordan on the day in 1984 when he first signed with the Chicago Bulls will go up for auction in December, Julien’s Auctions announced on Monday. The red and white jersey emblazoned with Jordan’... More »
Add players’ famed fashion statements when entering the arena to the list of things excluded from the NBA bubble near Orlando. According to an ESPN report Sunday night, players will be required to “be in uniform and warm-ups when they arrive” to the arena for ... More »
League physicians and officials are concerned about the lingering health effects for NBA players who contract the coronavirus, ESPN reported Saturday. “There are unknown effects it has on lung capacity, unknown effects it has on cardiac health,” one general ma... More »
The Milwaukee Bucks closed their practice facility after receiving coronavirus test results, ESPN reported Sunday. It wasn’t immediately clear whether a player — or multiple players — tested positive for COVID-19. ESPN reported the team received the results on... More »
As the NBA begins welcoming teams to ESPN Wide of Sports Complex near Orlando this week for the resumption of the 2019-20 season, the league has reportedly set the protocols for players unable to travel with the rest of their team. Citing a memo sent to teams ... More »
(Reuters) – LA Lakers owner Jeannie Buss said on Friday, the Juneteenth holiday, that she is no longer willing to ignore hate and called on white people to come together and acknowledge the racism that exists in the United States. Juneteenth commemorates the U... More »
Though several NBA players on Friday reportedly voiced their opposition to resuming the season as a protest against racism and social injustice, ESPN reported that the Los Angeles Lakers’ players remain undivided on the resumption of the season. The news came ... More »
GRADISKA, Bosnia (Reuters) – Kobe Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who died in a helicopter crash in January, has been honored with a giant mural commissioned by sports enthusiasts and painted on the side of an elementary school building in northern Bosnia. “K... More »
(Reuters) – California governor Gavin Newsom cleared a path for the potential return of professional sport in the state, saying on Monday that an early June restart was possible under strict guidelines, including no fans. Shuttered for nearly two months by the... More »
The NBA, the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets are collaborating with China’s consul general Huang Ping to donate one million surgical masks to the New York City area, governor Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday. Cuomo announced the news on Twitter, saying, “... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) has denied the struggling Illawarra Hawks club have been sold to teenage NBA prospect LaMelo Ball after the player’s manager said it was a “done deal”. Ball, seen as a potential number one pick... More »
(Reuters) – Beijing-based retired basketball star Stephon Marbury is arranging an urgent shipment of surgical masks from China to New York to fight the coronavirus, he said on social media on Sunday. Marbury, who was born on New York’s Coney Island, said he wa... More »
(Reuters) – The NBA may have been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak but that has not stopped the league from using its massive online reach to good effect by educating its followers, sharing important information and guidelines related to the pandemic.... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Two Los Angeles Lakers players have tested positive for coronavirus, the NBA franchise said on Thursday, and have been quarantined under the care of the basketball team’s doctor. The Lakers did not identify the two infected players but ... More »
(Reuters) – Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, three members of the Philadelphia 76ers organization and two Los Angeles Lakers players have tested positive for COVID-19, Smart and the teams announced on Thursday. The NBA suspended its season last week after Ut... More »
Three members of the Philadelphia 76ers organization have tested positive for coronavirus, the team announced Thursday. The 76ers didn’t disclose which individuals tested positive for COVID-19. The team said the individuals are in self-isolation. The club said... More »
The NBA’s season — on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic — could be suspended for at least three months, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday night. Per the report, owners and executives are bracing for the possibility of mid-to-late June — a time when,... More »
(Reuters) – Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert, whose coronavirus diagnosis last Wednesday was the first domino that effectively shut down American sports, regrets not having taken the threat more seriously, he said in a social media post on Sunday. “I’ve been feeli... More »
LeBron James had a triple-double as the visiting Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absence of All-Star forward Anthony Davis and defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 122-114 on Sunday night. Davis, who averaged 36 points as the Lakers won the first three meetings w... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Team LeBron beat Team Giannis by two points at the 69th NBA All-Star game on Sunday at a packed United Center that fell silent for eight seconds before tip-off as about 21,000 fans joined hands to pay their respects to global sports icon Ko... More »
Bojan Bogdanovic hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Utah Jazz to a 114-113 victory over the host Houston Rockets on Sunday. Bogdanovic had just two field goals and eight points for the night, 13 below his season average. But Utah executed the final inbo... More »
(Reuters) – Webb Simpson stormed from two shots back with two holes to play to win a sudden death playoff with Tony Finau at the Phoenix Open golf tournament on Sunday. Simpson sank clutch birdies on his final three holes, including the first playoff hole, to ... More »
MIAMI (Reuters) – There was a moment of silence in honor of Kobe Bryant at the Super Bowl in Miami on Sunday following the death of the basketball great, his daughter Gianna, and seven other passengers in a helicopter crash in California a week ago. Prior to k... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic led the tennis world in mourning for “mentor” Kobe Bryant on Monday after Melbourne Park awoke to the news that the NBA great had died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter and seven others.... More »
Zion Williamson had his first double-double as an NBA player, and the New Orleans Pelicans won for the first time with him in the lineup, 123-108 over the visiting Boston Celtics on Sunday. Williams, the top pick in the 2019 NBA draft, had 21 points and 11 reb... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Musicians and performers at the Grammy Awards paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on Sunday at his former home arena, the Staples Center in Los Angeles, hours after the NBA great was killed some 40 miles (65 km) away in a helicopter crash. Brya... More »
James Harden scored 41 points en route to his second triple-double of the season and the visiting Houston Rockets beat the Atlanta Hawks 122-115 on a historic night Wednesday. The Hawks’ Trae Young finished with 42 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists — the firs... More »
Kyle Lowry scored 20 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and added 10 assists and eight rebounds as the Toronto Raptors overcame a 30-point third-quarter deficit to post a 110-107 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. The 30-point deficit wa... More »
(Reuters) – Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas had just one word to say to the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the organization announced on Sunday that he had been suspended for two games following a confrontation with a couple of fans. “Bulls... More »
Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas has been suspended two games by the NBA for entering the stands to confront two fans, the league announced Sunday. NBA rules state that any player who deliberately enters the spectator stands during a game will be automat... More »
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 24 points as the Brooklyn Nets capitalized on Joel Embiid’s absence and led most of the way in a 109-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night in New York. The Nets led for the final 41:54 in the first meeting between the ... More »
Paul Millsap scored 23 points and hit all nine of his free throws, Will Barton and Jamal Murray added 22 points each, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 116-104 on Sunday night. Mason Plumlee had 14 points, Monte Morris finished with 10 and Niko... More »
The Miami Heat scored a franchise-record 46 first-quarter points and routed the Houston Rockets 129-100 on Sunday night in Miami. The Heat led by as many as 41 points in the first half. Miami’s 5-1 start is its best since it last won an NBA title in the 2012-2... More »
(Reuters) – LeBron James weighed in on the controversy between China and the NBA on Monday, saying that Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey “wasn’t educated” when he sent a tweet in support of protesters in Hong Kong this month. Morey’s tweet of suppor... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The National Basketball Association (NBA) came under fire on Monday for its response to a tweet by a Houston Rockets official in support of Hong Kong protests for democracy, the latest overseas business to run afoul of political issues in ... More »
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Joseph Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets and co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, said that the damage from Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of Hong Kong’s protesters “will take a l... More »
(Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers joined a chorus of criticism of the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the organization distanced itself from a tweet by the manager of the Houston Rockets in support of the Hong Kong protests for democracy. Rockets General ... More »
(Reuters) – The general manager of the Houston Rockets basketball team apologized on Monday for a tweet in support of Hong Kong protests, saying he did not intend to offend fans of the NBA team in China. “I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpre... More »
(Reuters) – Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George will miss the start of the NBA season while recovering from off-season surgery on both shoulders, he told ESPN on Sunday. George said he will be out until “November-ish”, which would see him miss the trainin... More »
The NBA is promoting referee Jason Phillips to lead its replay center as Replay Center Operations Principal. Joe Borgia, the current leader of the replay center, will move into a different role where he will oversee the implementation of coach’s challenges. Th... More »
Minnesota Timberwolves restricted free agent guard Tyus Jones agreed to a three-year, $28 million offer sheet with the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday evening, his agent told ESPN. Per the report, the Grizzlies would use most of their mid-level exception on Jones,... More »
The Brooklyn Nets officially added forward Kevin Durant on Sunday, announcing his arrival as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Golden State Warriors a week after the 10-time All-Star announced his intentions to join Brooklyn. “Kevin is a champion, perenni... More »
(Reuters) – With his decision to join the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant ended an era in Golden State while advancing a trend of the NBA’s elite players forging their own paths with new teams. Durant will now team up with fellow All Star Kyrie Irving, who will de... More »
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and some 2 million other fans cheered the NBA champion Toronto Raptors on Monday in a victory celebration that united the nation, but the party was marred by a shooting that seriously wounded two peopl... More »
Four people sustained non-life-threatening gunshot wounds at Monday’s rally celebrating the Raptors’ championship, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said. Three arrests were made, according to Saunders, who added that the investigation was ongoing. A reported... More »
TORONTO (Reuters) – The Golden State Warriors took out a full-page advert in the Toronto Star on Monday to congratulate a Toronto Raptors team that stopped them claiming a third consecutive NBA championship. The ad appeared on the day of the Raptors victory pa... More »
The New Orleans Pelicans picked up the 2020-21 option for head coach Alvin Gentry on Monday, putting him under contract for the next two seasons. “We couldn’t be happier to extend our relationship with Alvin,” executive vice president of basketball operations ... More »
(Reuters) – The Golden State Warriors on Sunday listed All Star Kevin Durant as questionable for their must-win Game Five of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. Head coach Steve Kerr said Durant would train with the team on Sunday for the first time in... More »
Though the Golden State Warriors have won all three games of the Western Conference finals thus far against Portland, the series is taking its toll on both teams. On Sunday, Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard confirmed that he is playing with separated ri... More »
PORTLAND, Ore., – The Golden State Warriors will go for their second Western Conference finals sweep in the last three seasons Monday night when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers for Game 4 in the best-of-seven series. Having become the first squad in NBA ... More »
PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) – Portland leading scorer Damian Lillard has had a difficult time with a hovering Golden State defense and, with his team facing elimination from the NBA Western Conference finals, the Trail Blazer All-Star has a decision to make. Sh... More »
The Boston Celtics completed a four-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs Sunday afternoon, using key baskets from Marcus Morris and Gordon Hayward to hold on for a 110-106 victory in Indianapolis. The fourth-se... More »
Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks was suspended one game without pay and fined $25,000 on Sunday for entering the officials’ locker room after Saturday’s Game 4 of the first-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers. The announcement by Byron Spruell, pr... More »
Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks has been suspended one game without pay and fined $25,000 for entering the officials’ locker room after Saturday’s Game 4 of the first-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers. Marks will serve the suspension on Tuesday... More »
Stephen Curry returned from a one-game absence to hit five 3-pointers and total a game-high 26 points Sunday night as the Golden State Warriors shook off the embarrassment of a 35-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks one day earlier to turn back the Detroit Pist... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The National Basketball Association will offer fans in China original programming and an easier way to buy league gear through e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, the league announced on Wednesday. For the first time, NBA China wil... More »
James Harden scored 42 points before fouling out, and the visiting Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to five games with a 115-104 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Before being whistled for his sixth foul with 1:44 left to play, Harden sta... More »
Joel Embiid has missed the last five games, but the Philadelphia 76ers star expects to return from a left knee injury sometime next week. The All-Star center also said if he had to play now, he could, but the team preferred he take a cautious approach — someth... More »
Paul George hit a season-high eight 3-pointers and scored 36 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 118-112 home win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. The Thunder have won five consecutive games, sweeping their three-game homestand that also ... More »
Serge Ibaka’s 3-pointer with 15.2 seconds remaining lifted the visiting Toronto Raptors to a 140-138 double-overtime win against the stubborn Washington Wizards on Sunday. Washington rallied from 19 points down in the third quarter to force overtime and took a... More »
Andrew Wiggins scored a season-high 40 points as the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-117 on Tuesday night. It was Minnesota’s first game under interim coach Ryan Saunders, who replaced Tom Thibodeau on the bench. Thibodeau wa... More »
The Portland Trail Blazers stole the ball from Stephen Curry when the Golden State Warriors could have run out the clock, and Damian Lillard nailed a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds remaining Thursday night for a stunning 110-109 overtime victory in Oakland, Calif.... More »
LeBron James will not travel to Sacramento for the Los Angeles Lakers’ game Thursday night against the Kings. James is officially day-to-day after straining his left groin during the Lakers’ victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. An MRI came ... More »
LeBron James, sick enough earlier in the day that his ability to take the court Friday night was in doubt, nonetheless finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists as the host Los Angeles Lakers turned back the New Orleans Pelicans 112-104 on Friday nig... More »
(Reuters) – Three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry on Tuesday signaled that he is willing to take NASA up on its offer to tour its lunar lab in Houston after his pronouncement this week that he does not believe humans ever walked on the Moon. During the “Wingin... More »
Malcom Brogdon made two 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter, including the one for the go-ahead points with 40.7 seconds to play, and the visiting Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Toronto Raptors 104-99 on Sunday night. Brogdon finished with 18 points for the Bu... More »
The Chicago Bulls fired head coach Fred Hoiberg on Monday and promoted Jim Boylen to lead the team. “Decisions like this one are never easy to make, however I felt this was the right choice for our organization at this time,” Bulls Executive Vice President of ... More »
DeAndre Jordan torched his former team for 16 points and a season-high 23 rebounds Sunday, and Dennis Smith Jr., who had a front tooth knocked out in the third quarter, came up with a game-saving block to allow host Dallas Mavericks to earn their seventh conse... More »
Los Angeles can collectively exhale. LeBron James is officially a Laker. The club announced late Monday afternoon that James has put pen to paper on the reported four-year, $154 million deal, just as James’ representation, Klutch Sports Group, confirmed the ne... More »
The Houston Rockets are now determined to sign forward Carmelo Anthony after forward Luc Mbah a Moute joined the Los Angeles Clippers on a one-year, $4.3 million deal on Monday, according to an ESPN report. Anthony is currently a member of the Oklahoma City Th... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – LeBron James made his seismic move to the Los Angeles Lakers official on Monday when the three-time NBA champion posted a photo of himself smiling alongside his freshly-signed four-year, $154 million contact. The news of the contract si... More »
(Reuters) – Three-time NBA champion LeBron James bid farewell to Cleveland on Sunday after agreeing to a four-year $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 33-year-old forward leaves the Cavaliers to join an iconic franchise that has won 16 NBA t... More »
(Reuters) – The two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors have agreed to re-sign Kevin Durant to a one-year contract with a player option for a second year, according to a report on Saturday. Durant, the NBA Finals MVP for the past two seasons, is expe... More »
The NBA Board of Governors unanimously voted to increase the debt limit of owners to $325 million, according to a report from ESPN. The vote, which reportedly took place Friday, raises the debt limit $75 million. The decision comes ahead of higher team payroll... More »
LeBron James is unlikely to visit other teams or take an audience with suitors as he did in past free agent circuits, according to an ESPN report on Monday. Per the report, James might not even speak with top team officials before making a decision on his dest... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – (The writer is a Reuters contributor. The opinions expressed are his own.) What is a fitting follow-up to Steve Ballmer’s career at Microsoft, where he was one of the tech giant’s first employees and longtime CEO? How about becoming co-own... More »
Potentially following the lead of the NFL and Major League Baseball, the NBA is pondering a system in which coaches may challenge officials’ rulings. NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe said Sunday on Sirius XM NBA Radio that ... More »
OAKLAND (Reuters) – Golden State’s high-powered offense was too much for the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Warriors claimed a 122-103 victory in Game Two of the NBA Finals on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant co... More »
Behind another extraordinary third quarter from Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors erased a 15-point deficit and claimed Game 7 of the Western Conference finals with a 101-92 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday at Toyota Center in Houston. Curry s... More »
Top NBA prospect Luka Doncic led Real Madrid over defending Euroleague champions Fenerbahce 85-80 to claim the league title on Sunday in Belgrade, Serbia, earning Final Four MVP honors in the process. The triumph capped the Euroleague season, quickly turning a... More »
The Boston Celtics are embarrassed despite leading the Eastern Conference finals. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers want to remain in desperation mode. Cleveland will seek to tie the series on Monday when it hosts the Celtics. Boston leads the best-of-seven s... More »
The Phoenix Suns own the best chance to win the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft when ping-pong balls are sorted out Tuesday night at the Palmer House in Chicago. The Memphis Grizzlies hold the next-best odds to land the top spot. The top 14 selections... More »
Kevin Durant poured in a team-high 37 points and Klay Thompson chipped in 28 as the Golden State Warriors claimed the opener of the Western Conference finals and snatched home-court advantage with a frenetic 119-106 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday at To... More »
TORONTO (Reuters) – Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James delivered a masterclass on Thursday that left the dispirited Toronto Raptors wondering if there was anything they could do to slow down the game’s greatest player. So dominant was the three-times NBA... More »
(Reuters) – Australian Ben Simmons and Serbian Nikola Jokic were announced as the NBA Players of the Week on Monday, the first time two international players have swept the awards in four years. The 21-year-old Philadelphia 76ers forward Simmons averaged 18.5 ... More »
90th Academy Awards – Oscars Backstage – Hollywood, California, U.S., 04/03/2018 – Best animated short film – Kobe Bryant reacts while being directed to the photo stage with Glen Keane after winning the Best Short Film (Animated) Award for “Dear Basketball”. R... More »
Feb 13, 2018- Toronto, Ontario, CAN- Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) talks to the media during the warm up before a game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports (Reuters) – Slovenia’s Goran Dragic c... More »
Dec 23, 2017- Indianapolis, IN, USA- Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo (4) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Allen Crabbe (33) during the first quarter at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports (Reuters) – B... More »
Dec 4, 2017- New Orleans, LA, USA- Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives past New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik (3) during the second quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports (Reuters) – The l... More »
Dec 17, 2017- Washington, DC, USA- Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) wears Equality shoes against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports (Reuters) – LeBron James used a visit... More »
(The Sports Xchange) - For the second time in three days, it took until the mid-fourth quarter for Madison Square Garden to come alive.Once it did, t More »
Singer Justine Skye dropped to a knee toward the end of her rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner prior to the Brooklyn Nets home opener against the Orlando Magic on Friday. More »
Chinese internet conglomerate Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N) denied on Thursday that its vice chairman, Joseph Tsai, is in advanced talks to buy a stake in the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. More »
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on Thursday he expects players to stand during the U.S. national anthem, which has long been a league rule, rather than follow the lead of NFL players who have been kneeling in protest. More »
