6:46 AM ET The NBA’s second half is here. Which stars, storylines and matchups are we watching down the stretch? Can LeBron James and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers wrestle the Western Conference lead from the Utah Jazz? Can Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors stay in the hunt? Can the New York
NBA
6:47 AM ET When the Minnesota Timberwolves fired head coach Ryan Saunders last month and made the rare in-season move to hire Toronto Raptors assistant coach Chris Finch — bypassing Wolves associate head coach David Vanterpool, who is Black — it renewed the conversation about the NBA’s hiring practices for coaches. “It’s discouraging,” one Black
11:06 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Portland‘s Anfernee Simons was all smiles as he became the first Trail Blazers player to win the NBA dunk contest, which took place during halftime of Sunday night’s All-Star Game. Simons bested rookies Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks and Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers to bring home
11:24 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Thanks to a perfect 16-for-16 performance from the field — including banking in multiple jump shots — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo won his first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, as Team LeBron cruised to a 170-150 victory over Team Durant on Sunday night in Atlanta. “You know
5:19 PM ET The 2021 NBA All-Star Game festivities are tonight in Atlanta. Due to COVID-19, it’s all happening Sunday. That’s right, all the skills, all the scoring, all the 3s and all the dunks in one night. It’s Team LeBron vs. Team Durant with LeBron James and Kevin Durant serving as captains. They drafted
8:26 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry won his second 3-point contest, while Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis outdueled Orlando‘s Nikola Vucevic in the final round of the skills challenge prior to Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. Curry scored 28 points in the final round of the 3-point contest, nailing his last
7:09 PM ET Six-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin has agreed to a deal to join the Brooklyn Nets for the rest of the season, his agent Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports told ESPN on Sunday night. The Nets are using one of their veteran minimum contract slots to sign Griffin, sources said. Griffin informed Nets
7:03 PM ET Seventeen pairs of unique Air Jordan sneakers were auctioned off Sunday, with proceeds of more than half a million dollars going to benefit a children’s hospital in Portland, Oregon. The annual event at Oregon Health and Science University Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, in partnership with Nike designers, provides patients an opportunity to create
3:04 PM ET Associated Press Kawhi Leonard is planning to play for Gregg Popovich again and chase a gold medal. Leonard said Sunday at the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta that he is planning to compete with USA Basketball this summer at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics — which would reunite him with Popovich. Leonard spent
11:31 AM ET Philadelphia 76ers teammates Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are uncertain for Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta after contact with a barber, who potentially has contracted the coronavirus, sources told ESPN. The barber, located in the Philadelphia area, is undergoing additional testing Sunday because of an inconclusive positive test, sources said. The
9:53 AM ET Kelly CohenESPN A Kobe Bryant rookie card sold for $1.795 million late Saturday on Goldin Auctions, an online auction house and repository for sports memorabilia, making it one of the most expensive basketball cards ever sold. The “1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors #138 Kobe Bryant Rookie Card — BGS PRISTINE/Black Label 10” is
5:34 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Saturday said the NBA will not require anyone to get a COVID-19 vaccine, however he believes “most players” will ultimately choose to do so. “We’re seeing this now, both in the actual numbers of people getting vaccinated in the United States and opinion polls, that
12:17 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has committed to giving his winnings from Sunday’s All-Star Game in Atlanta to several Philadelphia homeless shelters, meaning $100,000 will go to the various organizations. “So many have fallen on such hard times during the pandemic,” Embiid said in a statement released by the team
6:51 AM ET NBA All-Star Sunday is nearly here, and the schedule is jam-packed. Due to COVID-19, an entire weekend of festivities has been condensed into one star-studded night. It all starts with the skills and 3-point contests at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by tipoff of the 70th NBA All-Star Game at 8 p.m. ET.
8:47 PM ET Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley will replace Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker on Team Durant in Sunday’s All-Star Game, the NBA announced on Friday. Booker is unable to play in the game or participate in the 3-point contest because of a left knee sprain. Conley, 33, becomes a first-time All-Star in
5:00 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter has stepped up his rehabilitation from right knee surgery, but it will be another two weeks before the team knows how close he is to returning. The Hawks announced Friday that Hunter has been cleared to do unrestricted weight room work and progressive on-court
3:35 PM ET Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and center Rudy Gobert on Friday were both fined by the NBA for being critical of the officiating in Wednesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Mitchell, who was also reprimanded for his conduct while exiting the court, was docked $25,000 in the statement by NBA executive vice
12:04 PM ET Six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin has agreed to a contract buyout with the Detroit Pistons and will become an unrestricted free agent, sources tell ESPN. Griffin, 31, has interest from most of the NBA’s top playoff contenders and is expected to make a decision on his next team after conversations with prospective