NBA

3:20 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. Wednesday, June 16 saw Wednesday, June 2 and said hold my beer. If you don’t fully recollect

4:49 PM ET Joe DeMartinoESPN Editor Close General Editor Joined ESPN in 2006 Massachusetts native, Northwestern graduate LaMelo Ball. Anthony Edwards. The former is one of the most exciting young point guards in the NBA, averaging 15.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 6.1 APG for the Charlotte Hornets. The latter looks to be one of the

2:53 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, capping a stellar first season that came on the heels of him spanning the globe to begin his professional career. Ball, who was announced as a finalist for the award alongside Sacramento Kings

2:22 PM ET Longtime Dallas Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson is out after 24 seasons with the franchise, the team announced Wednesday. Nelson’s departure comes after internal friction due to the increasing decision-making influence of Mavericks director of quantitative research and development Haralabos Voulgaris, sources told ESPN. Voulgaris, a former professional gambler hired

1:17 PM ET Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley Jr. will remain sidelined for Wednesday’s Game 5 against the LA Clippers because of the right hamstring strain that has sidelined him for all of the Western Conference semifinals so far. Conley hasn’t played since suffering the injury during the first half of the Jazz’s series-ending

11:34 AM ET ESPN News Services Scott Brooks is out as Washington Wizards coach after the two sides failed to come to an agreement on a new deal, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Brooks had just led the Wizards to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. His contract expired after Washington’s first-round

11:02 AM ET Stan Van Gundy is out as the coach of the New Orleans Pelicans after just one season with the franchise, sources told ESPN on Wednesday morning. Van Gundy and Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin have been engaged in talks for weeks according to sources. New Orleans finished a

9:12 AM ET Ramona Shelburne Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard is expected to miss Wednesday’s Game 5

9:10 AM ET ESPN News Services Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and is out indefinitely, jeopardizing the star’s availability for the Western Conference finals, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Malika Andrews. The NBA’s rules for coronavirus-related isolation periods have evolved throughout the season in correlation with

1:43 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Brooklyn Nets signed Kevin Durant two years ago, fresh off the torn Achilles he suffered in the NBA finals, because they believed he could lead them there. Tuesday night, with Brooklyn’s season on the line in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, Durant proved

2:15 AM ET Malika Andrews Close ESPN Staff Writer Staff Writer Joined ESPN in 2018 Appears regularly on ESPN Chicago 1000 Tim Bontemps BROOKLYN, N.Y. — On Monday evening, the Brooklyn Nets announced that Kyrie Irving and James Harden would both be sitting out Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks.

1:30 AM ET When an all-time great player is having an all-time great game, especially in the NBA playoffs, there’s a feeling that starts to envelop an arena as people start to realize this is a time-and-place moment. The collective adrenaline forces perspective on the spectators — and it can include the players and coaches

11:55 PM ET Kevin Durant showed out in Game 5 for the Brooklyn Nets. He played all 48 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks, and he looked unstoppable in the 114-108 win. Durant finished with 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, and Twitter couldn’t do anything but respect what he accomplished. From LeBron James and

8:47 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, the NBA’s MVP, and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, the league’s scoring leader, highlighted the announcement of the 2020-21 All-NBA teams on Tuesday night. Jokic and Curry were two of the five players named to the first team, where they were joined by Dallas

7:46 PM ET NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets star James Harden will play in Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The decision was made after he tested his right hamstring on the court before tipoff Tuesday night at Barclays Center. It will be the first time Harden has been available

1:47 PM ET Brooklyn Nets star James Harden is hopeful to play Game 5 against Milwaukee and will test his right hamstring before tipoff Tuesday night, sources told ESPN. Harden, pushing for a chance to play, participated in the Nets’ shootaround Tuesday morning with improvement in his right hamstring, and that prompted the team to

10:29 AM ET The Brooklyn Nets have upgraded James Harden to doubtful for Tuesday night’s Game 5 against the Milwaukee Bucks. Harden is expected to test his injured hamstring in shootaround and has been determined to find a way to get cleared to play in Game 5, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Nets initially

7:00 AM ET NBA Insiders While the Phoenix Suns put their feet up after an impressive sweep of MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, six teams continue to fight for the three remaining spots in the NBA conference finals. No matchup has more storylines than Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks, which is locked at