NBA

5:42 PM ET ESPN News Services Five-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion Klay Thompson will be available to play for the Golden State Warriors in Sunday night’s game vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Golden State star made it official with his own creative announcement on Instagram as he so loves to do. Thompson has

1:14 AM ET William E. Ricks Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James just entered another all-time top-10 in the NBA, passing Alvin Robertson for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time steals list after notching four steals against the Atlanta Hawks. 2 Related When it comes to defense, James knows a thing or two about stopping

2:14 PM ET The Memphis Grizzlies placed coach Taylor Jenkins in the NBA’s health and safety protocols Saturday, according to the team. Nearly half the league’s head coaches have now entered the protocols at some point this season, with Jenkins becoming the 14th to do so. The Grizzlies play at the LA Clippers on Saturday

8:00 AM ET MAKING HIS WAY through the Golden State Warriors locker room following a preseason win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Zaza Pachulia heard the familiar sound of a ball bouncing on the organization’s practice floor. Pachulia assumed one of the Warriors’ young players was getting some extra shots in. What the longtime NBA

7:49 AM ET Brianna Williams Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson might have less time to entertain his fan base via live broadcasts on social media in the near future. As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Thompson is expected to return to the Warriors’ starting rotation against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. The five-time All-Star

12:16 AM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant said he hasn’t had any extra conversations with teammate Kyrie Irving about getting a COVID-19 vaccination that would allow him to play in every game this season, not just most of the road games. Irving, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, returned to the

8:59 PM ET Brianna Williams Everything is bigger in Texas, including, apparently, the food at Houston Rockets‘ home games. Ahead of Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Rockets announced that the Toyota Center, their home arena, would be selling a hot dog garnished with unconventional toppings at select concession areas. And this is far

6:57 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Julius Randle apologized in a statement on his Instagram account on Friday, saying that his thumbs-down gesture to Knicks fans during Thursday’s win over the Boston Celtics as well as his postgame remarks were “an example of how sometimes you say things you regret to people you

6:21 PM ET About 70% of eligible NBA players have now received COVID-19 booster shots, sources told ESPN, a number that comprises about 350 total players — more than half of a league that has a total player count typically hovering around 500. The NBA has encouraged and incentivized receiving booster shots and, in a

12:57 PM ET Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols after testing positive for COVID-19. Kidd is the 13th NBA head coach to enter the protocols this season. Kidd tested positive Thursday night after the team traveled to Houston for the road game Friday against the Rockets. Assistant coach

8:00 AM ET When the Los Angeles Lakers host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night (10 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App), the team and the NBA will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lakers’ 33-game winning streak in the 1971-72 season, regarded as one of the most unbreakable records in NBA history.

1:38 AM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns have turned into some of the league’s best closers. It’s a big reason they’ve reached 30 wins before any other team in the NBA this season. Paul had a triple-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Suns improved

12:54 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — After the Boston Celtics blew their latest lead of the season in a heartbreaking 108-105 defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, coach Ime Udoka repeatedly called out his team for a lack of mental toughness. “I think it’s a lack

12:44 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Despite helping his team engineer a remarkable comeback from 25 points down against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, star forward Julius Randle wasn’t happy. Midway through the fourth quarter, Randle made a layup and, as he ran back to the other end

11:23 PM ET As the Omicron variant continues to run roughshod, the NBA is requiring non-boosted players to undergo daily COVID testing through the All-Star break in mid-February and is restricting those players’ attendance at large indoor gatherings, bars and clubs, according to a memo obtained by ESPN on Thursday night. Elevated daily testing of

8:55 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The NBA fined Sacramento Kings assistant general manager Wes Wilcox $15,000 and the team $50,000 on Thursday for violating league rules prohibiting team owners and executives from interacting with scorer’s table personnel during game play. The NBA said Wilcox left his seat to confront operations personnel at

5:16 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Washington Wizards announcer Glenn Consor apologized Thursday for a reference to Houston player Kevin Porter Jr.’s father on Wednesday night’s broadcast. Porter made a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to beat the Wizards 114-111. Consor said: “You’ve got to give credit. Kevin Porter Jr., like his dad, pulled

6:01 PM ET Associated Press The first time that Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, the NBA didn’t even have health and safety protocols. It shut down the league instead. This time, the Utah Jazz center might miss just a few days. Gobert has tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed Thursday on the virus-related