NBA

7:37 PM ET Jamal Collier MILWAUKEE — It’s been a little more than two months since the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2020-21 NBA championship, but star Giannis Antetokounmpo still wants to maintain the chip on his shoulder that helped bring them that title. “Are we satisfied? I’m not satisfied. I’m not even close to being

4:25 PM ET Though roughly 90% of NBA players are vaccinated as training camp approaches Tuesday, tension exists between those around the league mandated to be vaccinated and the nearly 40 unvaccinated players, league sources told ESPN. In some instances, vaccinated staffers say they’re concerned about the health risks of being exposed to unvaccinated players.

4:59 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Denver Nuggets and forward Michael Porter Jr. have agreed on a five-year designated maximum extension that could be worth up to $207 million, Porter’s agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Porter will hit that $207 million number if he makes one of the three All-NBA

11:43 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — Zion Williamson suffered a broken right foot during the summer but should be available for the regular season, New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said Monday. During his remarks at media day, Griffin said Williamson injured the foot early in the offseason

11:45 AM ET Associated Press As expected, Ben Simmons will not report to the Philadelphia 76ers when they open training camp on Tuesday. Team president Daryl Morey said there’s still hope Simmons will return to the Sixers at some point. Coach Doc Rivers said no one has defended Simmons more than he has and will

11:41 AM ET ESPN News Services New Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has a breakthrough case of COVID-19 and participated in the team’s media day on Monday through Zoom. Celtics spokesman Christian Megliola said Udoka, who is vaccinated, was asymptomatic and in the last day of his 10-day quarantine. Udoka is expected to be

10:28 AM ET BROOKLYN — Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving will not attend the team’s media day at Barclays Center on Monday because of New York City COVID-19 protocols, sources told ESPN. He is expected to travel with the team to San Diego later Monday and participate in the team’s training camp this week. Last

8:00 AM ET Media days kick off Monday, officially ushering in the start of training camps around the NBA. The dust has finally settled from free agency, and September training camp kickoffs will mark the first normal schedule in two years. The biggest news surrounding training camp comes out of Philadelphia, where Ben Simmons has

4:38 PM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — Suns guard Devin Booker will miss the start of training camp after being placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. The Suns said Sunday that the two-time All-Star won’t participate in Monday’s media day. The team said it would have no further updates until he’s ready for

3:55 PM ET Rui Hachimura will miss the start of Washington Wizards training camp because of personal reasons, the team announced Saturday. The Wizards announced Hachimura’s excused absence and said there will be “further updates when appropriate.” The Wizards have high expectations for the forward, who is projected to start and will be counted on

10:10 PM ET Brianna Williams On Friday, the Utah Jazz and Vivint Arena announced that all home games will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of an event to gain access to the arena. So naturally, local reporters were out on the streets to hear how

8:08 PM ET ESPN News Services GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The NBA has denied Andrew Wiggins‘ request for a vaccination exemption, leaving the Golden State Warriors swingman ineligible to play home games until he meets San Francisco’s vaccination requirement. The ruling was announced Friday hours after the New York Knicks said their entire roster is vaccinated,

6:03 PM ET Lawrence Frank reiterated that Kawhi Leonard has a “significant rehab” from his ACL injury and that “no one knows” the time frame for when the LA Clippers star will return and whether he will play this season. Leonard underwent surgery to repair a partial tear in his right ACL on July 13

2:47 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN GREENBURGH, N.Y. — New York Knicks general manager Scott Perry said Friday afternoon that the organization — including all players, coaches and staff — is fully vaccinated, meaning the Knicks will have no issues with New York City’s vaccine mandate this season. “I think it’s a credit to our players,

2:36 PM ET Associated Press CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams has a severe left ankle sprain that could cause him to miss the start of the season. The news announced Friday is a blow for a team hoping to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference after some major offseason moves. The Bulls

12:16 PM ET Four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili — one of the greatest international players in basketball history — is returning to the San Antonio Spurs as a special advisor to basketball operations, sources told ESPN. Ginobili, 44, will work in a player-centric role focusing on the on-and-off court development of a young Spurs roster,

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders NBArank 2021 has reached its thrilling finish, with Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant edging out the Milwaukee Bucks‘ reigning NBA Finals MVP and champion Giannis Antetokounmpo for the No. 1 spot in Friday’s countdown of the top five NBA players for the upcoming season. Overall, there was a ton of

Sep 23, 2021 Our NBArank countdown is back for its 11th season. And after unveiling players Nos. 100-51, Nos. 50-26 and Nos. 25-6 throughout the week, we’ve finally reached the top five. We’ve already stated the cases for each superstar, but who was voted in as the league’s best player? Will LeBron James retain his