5:27 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Brandon Williams scored 22 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to an 85-77 victory over the New York Knicks in the NBA summer league championship on Sunday. It marked the third time Portland played in the championship game since 2017, and its second title since. The
NBA
4:31 PM ET The Utah Jazz have agreed to a two-year, $6.25 million guaranteed deal with Italian forward Simone Fontecchio, his agent, Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports, told ESPN on Sunday. Fontecchio, 26, is considered the best available international small forward prospect. He averaged 11.9 points for Baskonia of the Spanish ACB last season and
8:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN After 10 days of play in the desert, the NBA 2K23 Summer League championship game will take place Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas (3 p.m. ET on ESPN). This year saw the debut of several lottery picks for the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets, and the return of the Golden
10:52 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James scored 42 points in a successful return to the Drew League while teaming up with DeMar DeRozan for a 104-102 win in L.A.’s famed pro-am basketball league Saturday. Longtime Drew League commissioner Dino Smiley told ESPN he expected Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving to play in the
1:31 AM ET The San Antonio Spurs and forward Keldon Johnson have agreed to a four-year, $80 million extension, his representative Klutch Sports Agency announced Friday night. Johnson, 22, started 74 games for the Spurs in his third season, averaging a career-high 17.1 points while shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point range. Friday’s agreement comes two
10:25 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook and his longtime agent, Thad Foucher of Wasserman, have parted ways, Foucher told ESPN on Friday night. In a statement to ESPN, Foucher, one of the league’s prominent player representatives, cited “irreconcilable differences” and suggested that there was no longer full alignment with Westbrook about whether
12:51 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The G League Ignite said Friday that the team has struck a multiyear deal to relocate to Henderson, Nevada. The Ignite had been training in Walnut Creek, California, since their inception and played home games this past season in Las Vegas, about 15 miles from their new
8:00 AM ET NBA insiders The 2022 Las Vegas summer league has officially been underway for a week, with plenty of highlights. Several members of the 2022 rookie class debuted in the desert, including No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero and No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. The top picks have battled it out,
10:00 PM ET Free agent guard Austin Rivers has agreed on a one-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, his agents, Dave Spahn and Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, told ESPN on Thursday. Rivers joins the Timberwolves after playing 67 games for the Denver Nuggets a season ago. New Minnesota president of basketball operations Tim Connelly
8:31 PM ET The Phoenix Suns matched the Indiana Pacers‘ four-year, $133 million offer sheet for restricted free agent center Deandre Ayton, clearing the way for him to return to the franchise, his agents Bill Duffy and Nima Namakian told ESPN on Thursday night. The Suns had until 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday to match
5:31 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Alex Rodriguez was standing near his courtside seat, oblivious to a few fans who were snapping a quick photo of him as they walked by. He was watching the Minnesota Timberwolves warm up instead. Rodriguez — currently part of the Timberwolves’ ownership group, with plans in place
10:21 PM ET Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has agreed on a two-year, $30 million extension, his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told ESPN on Wednesday night. The deal, which starts with the 2023-24 season, includes a player option, Paul said. Caldwell-Pope had been entering the final year of his contract, which will pay
12:26 AM ET Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton has agreed on a three-year, $28.5 million extension with a player option, his agents, Jeff Schwartz and Jordan Gertler of Excel Basketball, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday. Connaughton’s total deal is now four years and $34 million. He had previously exercised his option to return for
9:09 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — The NBA has completed the process of changing the transition take foul rule, ending years of discussion about what to do with the long-maligned tactic. And, also as expected, the play-in tournament is going to be around for the foreseeable future. The league’s board of governors finalized
5:16 PM ET As Brittney Griner’s wrongful detention in Russia has galvanized the sports world in support of the WNBA star’s return to the United States, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James questioned why Griner would want to return to a country that has taken so much time to aid in a resolution for her.
5:48 PM ET After shutting down inquiries about All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, rival teams say the Utah Jazz are now showing a willingness to listen on possible trade scenarios, sources tell ESPN on Tuesday. The asking price appears to be steep, but in the wake of Utah’s recent Rudy Gobert blockbuster deal to Minnesota, the
7:42 PM ET Jamal CollierESPN CHICAGO — Although Zach LaVine said he went into NBA free agency this summer with an “open mind,” his decision to return to the Chicago Bulls turned out to be an easy one, especially once the team offered him a five-year max contract extension with a player option for the
7:31 PM ET ESPN News Services LAS VEGAS — Paolo Banchero showed the Orlando Magic plenty in his two Summer League contests. And the Magic decided that was enough. The No. 1 pick is getting the rest of summer league off, after averaging 20 points, six assists and five rebounds in his two games in