NBA

8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Donovan Mitchell, the focus was anything but instant success. Suddenly, Cleveland had a roster sporting three young All-Stars — Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. That trio, plus NBA Rookie of the Year runner-up and burgeoning star Evan Mobley, all were under

7:39 PM ET Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball‘s season is officially over. The Charlotte Hornets announced that the third-year point guard underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a fracture in his right ankle and will miss the remainder of the season. Ball was injured in Charlotte’s victory Monday night over the Detroit Pistons. The

9:33 PM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was in Charlotte over All-Star Weekend in 2019 that Kevin Durant solidified his decision to partner with Kyrie Irving when both became free agents the following summer. Four years later, a new partnership was unveiled in the same arena, this one with hope for a better outcome. Playing

7:13 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN JAYSON TATUM‘S NBA FINALS debut did not go as planned. Not only did the Boston Celtics fall to the Golden State Warriors in six games last season, watching Stephen Curry and the Warriors claim a fourth championship in the past eight years on the floor at TD Garden, but Tatum

10:37 PM ET Vanessa Bryant settled her remaining claims with Los Angeles County for $28.85 million over photos that deputies shared after a 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband, former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant; their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna; and seven others. The settlement included the $15 million a jury already awarded Vanessa

1:51 PM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kevin Durant will make his debut with the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced Tuesday. Durant has been out with an MCL sprain since Jan. 8 but has been working out with his new teammates for the past two weeks. He was able to

12:33 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers expect to reassess LeBron James‘ injured right foot in two weeks to see how much progress he has made, but the timeline for his return is expected to extend beyond that checkpoint, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Lakers entered Tuesday night’s games at 29-32 and are 0.5

6:30 PM ET LeBron James is feared to be out several weeks with a right foot injury, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. James is undergoing further testing and conversations to learn the full extent of the injury, which he suffered in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ victory at the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. The

8:46 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry has reached an agreement to sell his portion of the Bucks to Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam at a $3.5 billion valuation, sources told ESPN. The deal, which sources said is still pending league approval, would be the second-highest valuation ever for an

7:34 AM ET Nearly 15 minutes into an All-Star interview session, the Denver Nuggets‘ back-to-back MVP was starting to get a little punchy. “Do you care about winning the MVP?” a reporter asked. “Yes,” Nikola Jokic answered, with a hint of exasperation in his voice. Why? “Because the last seven times, I said no,” Jokic

12:48 AM ET Brianna Williams The Houston Rockets didn’t have an answer for Damian Lillard in the Portland Trail Blazers‘ 131-114 win. Editor’s Picks Lillard set franchise and career highs with 71 points and 13 3-pointers. As evidenced by LeBron James‘ tweet, it was simply Dame Time on Sunday night. ⌚️ — LeBron James (@KingJames)

6:57 PM ET Quin Snyder has agreed to a five-year contract to become the Atlanta Hawks‘ coach and is expected to make his debut as soon Tuesday at home against the Washington Wizards, sources told ESPN on Sunday. The Hawks announced Snyder’s hiring on Sunday but did not disclose terms of his contract. The Hawks

11:36 AM ET Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play Sunday against the Phoenix Suns because of a quad injury, coach Mike Budenholzer said. He will be replaced in the lineup by Bobby Portis. Antetokounmpo sustained the injury Friday night in the first quarter of the Bucks’ 128-99 victory over the Miami Heat. He

7:43 AM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN NEARING THE END of the NBA offseason this past September and over 5,000 miles from his adopted home of Denver, Nikola Jokic was playing alongside his Serbian national teammates in the EuroBasket tournament when a familiar face took a seat in the O2 Arena in Prague. Jokic thought he was

Feb 24, 2023 Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a right knee injury and exited with 1:13 remaining in the first quarter of Friday night’s 128-99 victory over the Miami Heat. Antetokounmpo was hurt when he knocked knees with a Heat player, and the team announced during the second quarter that he

Feb 25, 2023 Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson doesn’t like to think there are two versions of himself or his game — pre-injuries versus post-injuries — nor does he follow the mindset that he’s “getting back” to who he was. He has found that it doesn’t do him any favors and results in

2:19 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Russell Westbrook received a rousing ovation when he started and finished his LA Clippers debut. Westbrook had as impressive a start as any point guard playing in his first game with the franchise. But the Clippers and Sacramento Kings weren’t done playing when Westbrook picked up his sixth personal

1:07 PM ET The Atlanta Hawks and Quin Snyder are progressing in talks on a deal to make him the franchise’s next coach and a resolution could be reached within days, sources told ESPN on Friday. Since firing coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday, the Hawks have made Snyder the full focus of the coaching search,