Basketball

Michigan freshman guard Jett Howard will declare for the 2023 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Thursday. “This was a great learning year for me,” Howard told ESPN. “It’s what…

2:10 PM ET Dave McMenamin Close Dave McMenamin ESPN Staff Writer Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18…

2:37 PM ET Eric MoodyESPN Close Former manager at a Fortune 100 financial services company, now living my dream creating fantasy and sports betting content about the NFL, NBA, and…

Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams gave just one answer before leaving his postgame news conference Wednesday night, his team furious with the large free throw disparity that favored the Lakers…

7:51 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MIAMI HEAT CENTER Bam Adebayo came flying in from behind for a rebound late in the fourth quarter of their March 10 game against the…

Center Nick Richards has agreed to terms on a multiyear extension with the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced. The Hornets did not disclose terms of the deal, but his agents…

LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach Darvin Ham sat down in front of reporters following his team’s 122-111 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday and, before fielding any questions, couldn’t…

MINNEAPOLIS — Trailing by a point with 7.2 seconds left, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch looked at Karl-Anthony Towns in the huddle and told him he’d get the ball with a…

2:55 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has returned to on-court activities but will still be reevaluated in two weeks from his right…

In the NBA’s Western Conference, where just three games separate the No. 4 and No. 12 seeds, every game counts. For the Dallas Mavericks — and team governor Mark Cuban…

The Dallas Mavericks will file a protest of their 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in Dallas, team governor Mark Cuban told ESPN. The protest is…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — All-Star point guard Ja Morant came off the bench for the first time in his career Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets, something he suggested to the…

8:04 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden sat out Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls with Achilles soreness, but coach Doc Rivers said he did…

The artist responsible for Zion Williamson‘s first tattoo showed the process behind the body art, which carries familial and biblical significance. The New Orleans Pelicans star received a large back…

5:35 PM ET Andre SnellingsESPN After making an improbable run to the NBA Championship last season, the Golden State Warriors are battling to even make the playoffs and avoid the…

After missing nearly four months with a Grade 3 calf strain, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns plans to return for Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, he told ESPN. Towns…

UCF freshman Taylor Hendricks will forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2023 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Wednesday. Hendricks says he has signed with attorney Raymond Brothers,…

The fantasy basketball playoffs are in full swing and every roster decision matters more than ever. For fantasy managers, this is crunch time. So which players on the waiver wire…

The Memphis Grizzlies are hopeful to get Ja Morant back on the floor Wednesday against the Houston Rockets. Morant’s recent eight-game suspension shook some of the momentum the Grizzlies were…

LOS ANGELES — LA Clippers star Paul George left Tuesday night’s 101-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder late in the fourth quarter with an apparent right leg injury. As…

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, the first time the big man’s status has changed since he suffered a…

MEMPHIS — All-Star point guard Ja Morant, who participated Tuesday in his first practice with the Memphis Grizzlies following an eight-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the NBA, described his…

3:06 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Willis Reed, the legendary captain and star center for the New York Knicks who led the franchise to its only two championships and was the…

MEMPHIS — For the second time this month, Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks faces an automatic one-game suspension due to his technical fouls total for the season. In yet another…

12:21 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN HOUSTON — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he couldn’t even remember the last time his team won a road game before Monday night….

NEW YORK — Julius Randle scored a career-high 57 points, but that wasn’t enough to save the New York Knicks from a disappointing 140-134 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Grizzlies anticipate that All-Star point guard Ja Morant, who rejoined the team Monday after serving an eight-game suspension, will play in Wednesday night’s home game against…

Earvin “Magic” Johnson has joined a group led by Josh Harris bidding to own the Washington Commanders, sources told ESPN on Monday, confirming reports. Johnson, the Basketball Hall of Famer…

7:05 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball underwent cartilage transplant surgery on his left knee earlier Monday, a procedure coach Billy Donovan said gives Ball…

Pepperdine sophomore Maxwell Lewis will enter the 2023 NBA draft, he told ESPN on Monday. “I’m going all-in and forgoing my college eligibility,” Lewis said. “This is the right time…

CHARLOTTE, N.C — Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball said he anticipates being ready for training camp in September after suffering through an injury-plagued 2022-23 season in which he sprained his…

LOS ANGELES — Starting the day out of the playoff picture with only 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers got a jolt from a player…

Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we’ll need to source stats…

7:37 AM ET Ohm Youngmisuk Close Ohm Youngmisuk ESPN Staff Writer Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets,…

LOS ANGELES — Three weeks to the day since LeBron James suffered a tendon injury in his right foot, and with exactly three weeks remaining in the regular season, Los…

SAN ANTONIO — Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell had 29 points each, and the San Antonio Spurs rallied from a 24-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Hawks 126-118 on Sunday,…

LOS ANGELES — Russell Westbrook took the blame for the LA Clippers‘ four-game winning streak coming to a halt against the Orlando Magic and was already looking forward to redeeming…

LOS ANGELES — Russell Westbrook took the blame for the LA Clippers‘ four-game winning streak coming to a halt against the Orlando Magic and was already looking forward to redeeming…

5:17 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — After the Denver Nuggets struggled down the stretch of a 116-110 loss to the New York Knicks on Saturday afternoon, giving the…

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards will miss his first game of the season Saturday against the Toronto Raptors as he continues to deal with a right ankle sprain. Edwards…

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson is back for the New York Knicks against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday after missing five of the past six games with a sore left…

The Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies bring out the best, or sometimes the worst, in each other. It’s a rivalry that’s often one-sided but still robust in starpower with…

LOS ANGELES — Over and over again, sitting in front of his locker after the game, Lakers star Anthony Davis repeated how tough it was to stomach Friday night’s 111-110…

SAN ANTONIO — Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 28 points and the Memphis Grizzlies completed the largest comeback in the NBA this season, rallying from a 29-point deficit in the third…

9:40 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards was helped off the court after suffering a right ankle injury during the first quarter of Friday’s game against…

Kyrie Irving returned to the lineup Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers following a three-game absence because of right foot soreness, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “That will…

CHICAGO — Bulls coach Billy Donovan wasn’t sure when or even if Lonzo Ball will play again for Chicago, with the point guard set to have yet another surgery on…

The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers combined to pay more than $88 million in revenue sharing receipts to smaller-market teams for the 2021-2022 season, according to a memo…

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — The LA Clippers will have to wait before they are whole again as sixth man Norman Powell remains out with a shoulder injury. Powell will miss…

NEW YORK — The NBA fined Memphis Grizzlies guard-forward Dillon Brooks $35,000 on Friday for shoving a cameraperson on the sideline after chasing a loose ball in a loss in…

This week’s Risers and Fallers column lands during the first round of March Madness, when the attention of many a basketball fan is focused on the college game. Still, we…

Stephen Curry pays his respects — and then doesn’t — and more from our NBA quotes of the week. “One thing about Russ … no matter what people say about…

7:42 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — Tuesday night was another head-scratcher in the Crescent City. The New Orleans Pelicans went into one of their biggest games of the…

12:15 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — As the final seconds ebbed away in the Sacramento Kings‘ 101-96 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Thursday night,…

7:22 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said there have been “zero” discussions about shutting down Ben Simmons for the rest of the season….

Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will undergo a third surgical procedure on his left knee in 14 months, the team announced, and concerns persist about his eventual ability to resume…

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan is engaged in serious talks to sell a majority stake in the franchise to a group led by Hornets minority owner Gabe Plotkin and Atlanta…

7:17 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN The NBA will not rescind Draymond Green‘s 16th technical foul of the season, the league announced Thursday, meaning Green will be suspended for one game…

Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic has agreed to a four-year, $68 million contract extension, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Bogdanovic declined his $18 million player option for the 2023-24 season…

4:43 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Exactly one month ago, ESPN released its second of three straw polls tracking the NBA’s Most Valuable Player race for the 2022-23 season, and it…

2:08 PM ET Eric MoodyESPN Close Former manager at a Fortune 100 financial services company, now living my dream creating fantasy and sports betting content about the NFL, NBA, and…

The betting odds to win MVP of the NBA regular season moved dramatically this week at sportsbooks, with 76ers star Joel Embiid catching Denver‘s Nikola Jokic, the longtime favorite, in…

11:42 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN LOS ANGELES — Draymond Green is facing a one-game suspension after picking up his 16th technical foul of the season. The tech came with 40…

CLEVELAND — Joel Embiid went from fouling out to staying in. And the Cleveland Cavaliers were none too happy about it. Philadelphia’s All-Star had 36 points and 18 rebounds and…

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets came into Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers tied with the Detroit Pistons for fewest wins in the NBA this season with 16….

11:42 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN LOS ANGELES — Draymond Green is facing a one-game suspension after picking up his 16th technical foul of the season. The tech came with 40…

Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant, in an interview Wednesday, said he realized how much he is risking with his pattern of poor off-court decisions during the week and a half…

7:37 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN LOS ANGELES — Andre Iguodala will undergo surgery next week after fracturing his left wrist in a game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, the…

MINNEAPOLIS — Injured star Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to return to action “in the coming weeks,” the Minnesota Timberwolves announced Wednesday. Minnesota’s game against Boston on Wednesday night marks the…

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been suspended eight games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league, the NBA announced Wednesday. The suspension covers the six games he’ll miss,…

NEW YORK — Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles was suspended one game without pay and Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez was fined $25,000 for their involvement in an altercation at…

The fantasy basketball playoffs started this week for most fantasy managers, but what about those who have Kevin Durant and/or Ja Morant on their roster? Is it worth holding out…

It’s crunch time in the NBA regular season, as players on contenders fight through late-season fatigue to put their teams in the best position possible for the playoffs. The Eastern…

AS THE LA CLIPPERS‘ charter plane took off from the Los Angeles International Airport runway on a cloudy afternoon on Feb. 25, several players were napping when the Denver-bound flight…

TORONTO — Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was critical of his team’s effort following Tuesday night’s 125-110 loss to the Toronto Raptors, saying that being in first place for so…

NEW ORLEANS — After a massive performance in a must-have 123-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, Los Angeles Lakers star big man Anthony Davis will sit out…

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic will miss his third consecutive game because of a left thigh strain, having been ruled out Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs. Fellow All-Star guard…

Meyers Leonard is signing with the Milwaukee Bucks for the rest of the season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday. Leonard’s second 10-day deal with the Bucks expired on…

Scoot Henderson, the projected No. 2 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, will not play the final five games of G League Ignite’s season, a league official told ESPN. The…

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown wasn’t exactly sure what happened in a skirmish between both teams toward the end of a 133-124 loss to the visiting Milwaukee…