NBA

8:00 AM ET With one week to go in the NBA’s regular season, only three postseason seeds are locked in: The Phoenix Suns will have the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies will have the second and the LA Clippers are locked into eighth. The other 17 seeds remain up for

10:23 PM ET LOS ANGELES — After the Lakers continued their free fall from play-in tournament contention with a sixth straight loss on Sunday, Anthony Davis looked back at a season gone awry and reflected on what “could have been.” “I think the biggest thing that I think about personally is what we could have

4:34 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar publicly criticized LeBron James once again Sunday, with the Los Angeles Lakers legend saying he believes the current Lakers star has a greater responsibility in how he conducts himself given his elevated platform. “Some of the things he’s done and said are really beneath him, as far

12:15 AM ET ATLANTA — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant scored a career-high 55 points that included a career-high eight 3-pointers on Saturday night — but those weren’t the numbers he was focused on after a disappointing 122-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Durant said he was frustrated that his team was “undisciplined” defensively, and

1:02 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors have been coy about how much they’ve been watching the Western Conference standings. Some have admitted to monitoring them. Others have said they’re an afterthought. But, heading into Saturday’s game against the Utah Jazz, there was not one person in Golden State’s locker

2:18 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili, five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, three-time WNBA champion and two-time gold medalist Swin Cash, and five-time WNBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion Lindsay Whalen highlighted the 13-member Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 that was announced Saturday. Other honorees included two-time NCAA

8:57 AM ET Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons has filed a grievance to challenge the nearly $20 million of salary withheld to him by the Philadelphia 76ers this season, setting up a potentially significant showdown, sources told ESPN on Saturday. The grievance — which will now go to an arbitration process — could have larger

10:19 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis will return to the lineup for the Lakers‘ crucial game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, the team announced. James missed the past two games with a sprained left ankle and was cleared to play after undergoing an on-court workout about an

4:01 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Kendra Andrews Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will have his left foot sprain re-evaluated in a week, but both he and the team are confident that the recovery timeline will allow for him to be back

8:00 AM ET New Los Angeles Lakers are typically brought to owner Jeanie Buss’ second-floor office overlooking the practice floor at the team’s training facility. And with good reason: On a specially designed credenza under a wide window sit 11 Larry O’Brien trophies — the centerpieces of the building and the sources of constant motivation

1:28 AM ET NEW YORK — Giannis Antetokounmpo became the Milwaukee Bucks‘ all-time leading scorer on Thursday night by delivering the type of unbelievable performance that has defined his star-studded career. Antetokounmpo broke Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s franchise mark of 14,211 points, scoring 44 points on Thursday to move his total to 14,216. As

4:34 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN When asked directly within the past 24 hours if their teams are fully vaccinated, both the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers declined to comment to ESPN — opening the possibility that both teams could potentially be missing players in road games of a first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors.

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, the leading defender on the NBA’s leading defense, believes he is the Defensive Player of the Year. So, too, does Mikal Bridges, the Phoenix Suns‘ fourth-year wing and the franchise’s top NBA All-Defensive candidate. But, based on the award’s history, it’s unlikely either of the

12:07 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The top of the NBA’s Eastern Conference couldn’t be much more compact. Entering Tuesday’s action, four teams — the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers — were within a single loss of one another. And, in serendipitous timing, all four were set to face off, with the

5:02 PM ET ESPN Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print The Los Angeles Lakers have listed LeBron James as out and Anthony Davis as doubtful for Thursday’s game at the Utah Jazz. Both didn’t play in Tuesday’s 128-110 blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks. James has been dealing with a left ankle sprain since

8:27 AM ET After undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee Wednesday morning, Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III is expected to return within four to six weeks — a timetable that could land him back in the lineup as soon as the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, sources told

12:33 AM ET DALLAS — For the first time since the first week of the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves on the outside of the play-in tournament looking in after Tuesday night’s 128-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Playing without LeBron James (left ankle sprain) and Anthony Davis (right mid-foot sprain), the

6:01 PM ET After missing three months with an elbow injury, LA Clippers All-Star guard Paul George is expected to return to the lineup against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, sources told ESPN. George, who hasn’t played since Dec. 22, completed rehab on a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, was upgraded