NBA

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The Milwaukee Bucks know what it takes to come back from a 2-0 deficit, having already done so in the second round against the Brooklyn Nets. Now, after falling behind 2-0 in the NBA Finals, the Bucks return to Phoenix with the series level at two games apiece. Can the

1:34 AM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Dennis Murphy, a sports entrepreneur who co-founded professional leagues in basketball, hockey, tennis and roller hockey that featured innovations in marketing, rules and playing style, died Thursday. He was 94. Murphy died of congestive heart failure at an assisted living facility in the Orange County city of

7:30 PM ET Tory BarronESPN Editor Close Tory Barron is a Bristol-based writer and editor for ESPN.com. After retiring from playing lacrosse at UConn, the DC native decided to try her hand at writing about people playing sports. On Friday, the most highly anticipated film of a sports-movie-deprived generation, er — the summer, “Space Jam:

3:40 PM ET DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks hired Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd as head coach in large part because they believe he’s uniquely suited to guide Luka Doncic as the 22-year-old two-time All-NBA selection pursues his championship aspirations. In a news conference Thursday to introduce Kidd and new general manager Nico

2:44 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books LAS VEGAS — Bradley Beal is expected to miss the Tokyo Olympics because of health and

8:07 AM ET Nigeria’s pre-Olympic scrimmages against three of the top four teams in the world, with wins against the USA and Argentina, indicate that D’Tigers winning a medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo is not that far-fetched. They rounded off their pre-Olympic qualification on Tuesday by suffering a 108-69 blowout loss to number

2:52 AM ET MILWAUKEE — The ball was in their veteran leader’s hands, and the Phoenix Suns were trying to pull out a win during the final minutes of Game 4 of the NBA Finals when not once, but twice, Chris Paul turned the ball over late in Wednesday’s 109-103 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

1:55 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN MILWAUKEE — Teams don’t become NBA Finals contenders overnight. The same goes for players developing into All-Stars and league MVPs. Making those kinds of gains, and reaching that kind of rarified air, takes time and pain, sweat and tears. For Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, the past eight years have

2:04 AM ET MILWAUKEE — When are we going to see a Khris Middleton game? From the Deer District to the bluffs of Lake Michigan, this has been the persistent question around town since the Bucks returned to Milwaukee down 2-0 to the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals. Giannis Antetokounmpo will get his

8:41 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal has entered the health and safety protocols at Team USA camp, sources confirmed to ESPN. USA Basketball announced a player had entered the protocol but didn’t name the player. Beal, who played 30 minutes in Team USA’s win over Argentina on Tuesday night, is

3:06 PM ET James Jackson Some suggest never meeting your idols, but Los Angeles Lakers forward and “Space Jam: A New Legacy” star LeBron James remains the exception to a few rules. At the premiere of his new movie Tuesday, James met YouTube personality Mark Phillips, who has established himself with his NBA impersonations and

12:07 PM ET Denver Nuggets assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. and Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham are the front-runners in the Washington Wizards‘ coaching search, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Bucks assistant Charles Lee also has emerged as a finalist for the job, sources said. Unseld, who has served as a Nuggets assistant since

10:16 AM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Candace Parker grew up playing video games, and now she’ll be the first female basketball player on the cover of one. The Chicago Sky star will appear on the NBA 2K22 cover for the WNBA 25th Anniversary special edition when it’s released Sept. 10. “I grew up

8:53 PM ET LA Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard underwent successful surgery to repair a partial tear of the ACL in his right knee, the team announced Tuesday. In their release, the Clippers said there was no timetable for his return. Leonard was injured in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Utah

8:21 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Team USA stabilized itself by putting together its most complete game of its Olympic preparation schedule, beating Argentina 108-80 Tuesday night. After back-to-back losses that saw the Americans struggle with offensive execution and defensive stamina, they showed more traction on both fronts 12 days before their Olympic opener in

7:13 PM ET Ashton Edmunds Kyle Lowry, adds another milestone achievement to his long list of accomplishments. NBA champion and Toronto Raptors’ star point guard has received an honorary doctorate degree in Humanities from Nova Scotia’s Acadia University. Earlier in the year against the Milwaukee Bucks, Lowry eclipsed 10,000 points with the Raptors, joining Chris

4:37 PM ET MILWAUKEE — To start preparing for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the first thing Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker did was stop thinking about his poor performance in Game 3. “Short memory,” Booker said Tuesday of his 10-point showing on 3-for-14 shooting in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. “Just move

6:17 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum sat out Team USA’s game with Argentina Tuesday because of right knee soreness. He’s officially being listed as day-to-day, but the injury is not considered serious. Team USA was playing on a back-to-back and Tatum was being rested as a precaution, sources said. Tatum