Sep 23, 2021 Our NBArank countdown is back for its 11th season. And after unveiling players Nos. 100-51, Nos. 50-26 and Nos. 25-6 throughout the week, we’ve finally reached the top five. We’ve already stated the cases for each superstar, but who was voted in as the league’s best player? Will LeBron James retain his
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8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders NBArank 2021 has reached its thrilling finish, with Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant edging out the Milwaukee Bucks‘ reigning NBA Finals MVP and champion Giannis Antetokounmpo for the No. 1 spot in Friday’s countdown of the top five NBA players for the upcoming season. Overall, there was a ton of
8:00 AM ET Our NBArank countdown is back for its 11th season. Which players are beginning their ascent up the league’s hierarchy? Who is on the verge of breaking into the superstar tier? To get the final NBArank prediction, we asked our expert panel to vote on pairs of players: Kevin Durant vs. James Harden,
2:26 PM ET William Ricks Portland Trail Blazers guard, and hip hop artist, Damian Lillard, who performs as Dame D.O.L.L.A. released the new music video for his song “Him Duncan” on Friday. 2 Related The title of this song is a play on NBA legend Tim Duncan’s name but isn’t the only reference he uses.
12:08 PM ET William Ricks In a hot real estate market countrywide, Orlando, Florida, home prices continue to surge. That is unless, apparently, the home was customized for a 7-foot-1 Hall of Fame center, 15-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat — Shaquille O’Neal, whose Orlando-area mansion was
8:15 AM ET LA Clippers chairman Steve Ballmer initially was content to play at Staples Center — in the same building as the Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings — when he bought the franchise for $2 billion in 2014. But within a year, Ballmer said he realized the Clippers needed to
9:28 PM ET Associated Press DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks signed free agent Frank Ntilikina on Thursday, adding the guard picked one spot before their selection of Dennis Smith Jr. in the top 10 of the 2017 draft. Ntilikina spent four years with the New York Knicks, who drafted him eighth overall four years ago.
2:22 PM ET Associated Press ATHENS, Greece — NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo was in Greece for a meeting with the country’s prime minister Thursday and a special ceremony to bestow Greek citizenship on his mother, Veronica, and younger brother Alex. Antetokounmpo, who led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA championship in July, attended the ceremony
9:11 PM ET Brianna Williams Dennis Schroder made headlines when he signed with the Boston Celtics, but it wasn’t about the money he gained. It was for the money he lost. Last season, the guard turned down a four-year, $84 million contract extension offer from the Los Angeles Lakers in order to become an unrestricted
6:40 PM ET ESPN News Services The Milwaukee Bucks have named Lisa Byington as the team’s new television play-by-play announcer on Bally Sports Wisconsin, making her the first woman to handle full-time TV play-by-play duties for a major men’s professional sports team. Byington replaces longtime Bucks announcer Jim Paschke, who retired after the 2020-21 season
5:15 PM ET Eric GomezMexico writer The NBA G League announced its first Latin American expansion team, the Mexico City Capitanes, will debut this November amid a format change to the competition’s schedule. Because of concerns stemming from international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Capitanes will play their home games in Fort Worth, Texas.
2:24 PM ET The Houston Rockets and John Wall have agreed to work together in an attempt to find a trade destination for the veteran point guard, as the franchise is committed to moving forward with Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green as its starting backcourt, sources told ESPN. The commitment to the 20-year-old Porter
4:29 PM ET Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon has agreed to a four-year, $92 million contract extension, his agent, Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports, confirmed to the Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears Tuesday. The deal, which was first reported by The Athletic, includes a player option for the fourth year in 2025-26, his agent told ESPN.
1:37 PM ET Baxter Holmes Close ESPN Senior Writer Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) is a senior writer for ESPN Digital and Print, focusing on the NBA. He has covered the Lakers, the Celtics and previously worked for The Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times. Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined
8:40 PM ET Tory BarronESPN Editor Close Tory Barron is a Bristol-based writer and editor for ESPN.com. After retiring from playing lacrosse at UConn, the DC native decided to try her hand at writing about people playing sports. The Met Gala, which typically happens on the first Monday in May, was canceled in 2020 due
4:50 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Former NBA All-Star and Slam Dunk Contest champion Cedric Ceballos tweeted Monday that he’d been moved out of isolation and was “COVID-19 free” but was still in the intensive care unit and dealing with several things relating to the virus. Thanking those wishing him well in recent days, Ceballos said
11:46 PM ET Associated Press Nine teams passed on Paul Pierce in the 1998 NBA draft, and if you think he doesn’t remember each and every one of them, then you don’t know Paul Pierce. The newly inducted Basketball Hall of Famer called out by name — in order — the teams with the first
3:35 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers agreed to trade Marc Gasol, a 2024 second-round pick and cash to the Memphis Grizzlies, who plan to work on waiver and release to allow Gasol to remain in Spain with his family, sources told ESPN. The Lakers will save approximately $10 million in salary and luxury tax