NBA

6:18 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Charlotte Hornets signed guard LiAngelo Ball to a non-guaranteed contract Thursday, paving the way for him to eventually sign with their G League team, a source confirmed to ESPN. Ball, who averaged 9.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 17.4 minutes across five games for the Hornets’ entry

4:27 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will miss the start of the regular season because of a right foot injury that required offseason surgery, Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said on Thursday. Williamson received scans on Wednesday, and after reviewing the scans with Dr.

2:33 PM ET The Boston Celtics have suspended Marcus Smart for Friday’s final preseason game against the Miami Heat, with a source telling ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the guard was punished for missing the team flight. Smart, who has since joined the team on the trip, declined to address his suspension with reporters Thursday, saying

12:50 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — At Miami’s first NBA preseason game of the year, something caught Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s attention as he stood in his customary spot between his team’s bench and the scorer’s table. Fans, he noticed, were just a couple of feet away again. “Front-row seats that were filled,” Spoelstra

12:44 PM ET The Houston Rockets signed guard Armoni Brooks to a multi-year contract Thursday. Terms were not announced, but sources told ESPN’s Wojnarowski that Brooks signed a four-year deal that includes a guaranteed first year, plus trigger dates on guarantees for successive years. Brooks, 23, has been one of Houston’s top perimeter shooters this

10:02 AM ET Given the league’s high vaccination rate, the NBA’s primary form of COVID-19 detection this season will center on designated team officials — largely members of the medical staff — using small, at-home testing devices that can return results in 20 minutes. The NBA will still rely on lab-based testing in many instances,

8:00 AM ET FIFTY-FIVE MINUTES before tipoff at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook take the court for a joint workout that Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy guides. “We’ve been tied at the hip, pretty much, since we made the acquisition,” James says of Westbrook at media day. “We’re

1:10 AM ET Kyrie Irving said Wednesday night he still hopes to return and play for the Brooklyn Nets but that “this is about my life and what I am choosing to do,” as he explained his decision to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Irving, speaking on Instagram Live, said he is neither pro-vaccine nor

4:44 PM ET Calling it a “difficult” but “sound” decision, Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash addressed the team Wednesday and began the process of moving forward without Kyrie Irving. A day after the Nets decided not to allow their starting point guard to practice or play with them until he complies with New York City’s

3:33 PM ET Associated Press CAMDEN, N.J. — This much is known: Ben Simmons is back in Philadelphia. But there’s no clear sign yet the All-Star guard is set to rescind his trade request and actually play for the 76ers. Even coach Doc Rivers — publicly, at least — says he’s unsure of the status

11:45 AM ET Overtime Elite unveiled its complete game schedule and three rosters for its inaugural season, which tips off Oct. 29. As part of the schedule, OTE’s group of 16-to-20-year-olds, including several four- and five-star recruits and top international prospects, will be split into three teams and compete against prep and postgraduate opponents including

12:56 PM ET Fanbo Zeng, previously the No. 33 prospect in the ESPN class of 2022, told ESPN on Wednesday that he has signed with the NBA’s G League Ignite program and will declare for the 2022 NBA draft. “This is the best and fastest way to become a pro, and also get better every

11:36 AM ET Nick DePaulaESPN As part of the league’s 75th anniversary celebration, the NBA has unveiled a season-long calendar, showing a detailed uniform schedule for all 30 teams, on its Locker Vision website. In total, 123 different uniforms will be worn leaguewide during the 2021-22 regular season, with teams each receiving four jersey editions:

8:00 AM ET Behold, the top 10 NBA teams in our 10th annual League Pass Rankings. Reminder: These are watchability scores, not power rankings! We score teams, 1-10, in five categories: ZEITGEIST: Do actual humans care about this team? STAR/HIGHLIGHT POTENTIAL: Do you stick around games, at the expense of sleep and loved ones, because

3:45 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The Lakers‘ brand-new Big Three made its preseason debut in a 111-99 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. And while the result of Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis‘ first court time together was another defeat to drop L.A.’s record to 0-5 in its exhibition schedule,

2:52 AM ET Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Ben Simmons passed his physical and held a meeting with the team’s front office on Tuesday but remains ineligible to participate in team-related activities until Friday at the earliest due to NBA health and safety protocols, sources told ESPN. Simmons met with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl

7:04 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — The Boston Celtics say center Al Horford has tested positive for COVID-19. Horford is currently in isolation and didn’t travel with the team for its two-game exhibition road trip to Florida, which includes games in Orlando on Wednesday and Miami on Friday. He is the second Celtics player

7:35 PM ET Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks will miss the start of the season to ensure he fully recovers from a broken left hand. The Grizzlies announced Tuesday that the decision for Brooks to receive additional treatment was made after reviewing imaging in checking Brooks as part of the team’s