2:44 PM ET K.C. Jones, who personified winning as a hard-nosed point guard and then coach of the Boston Celtics during a Hall of Fame career has died, the Celtics confirmed Friday. He was 88. K.C. was Jones’ given name, although some joked the “C” stood for championships. It was easy to see why. He
NBA
6:56 PM ET The NBA delivered a warning to teams on Thursday that franchises are forbidden from pursuing and administering newly released coronavirus vaccines on a team-wide basis ahead of public health guidelines for prioritization, according to a memo obtained by ESPN. In informing teams that medical experts advising the NBA are in agreement with
5:39 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers rookie forward Dylan Windler broke his left hand in the season opener, another unlucky medical setback for the promising player. The team said Thursday that Windler suffered a fourth metacarpal fracture (on his ring finger) when he took a hard fall in the third quarter against the
5:11 PM ET After undergoing surgery for a fractured left hand on Thursday, Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller is expected to miss four to six weeks, sources told ESPN. Zeller, who suffered the injury in Wednesday’s season-opening loss to Cleveland, had the surgery performed by Dr. Michelle Carlsson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in
2:48 PM ET The NBA is eliminating restrictions on recruiting and acquiring veteran free agents for G League rosters, according to a memo to teams obtained by ESPN. Eliminating these restrictions will ease the process for NBA free agents with five years of service or more to join G League teams and be part of
1:40 PM ET LeBron James said he’ll be “ready to go” for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ game against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday despite rolling his left ankle in the season opener. “I’ll be ready to go tomorrow on Christmas Day,” James told reporters Thursday. “I’ve never missed a Christmas Day game, and I don’t
11:15 AM ET Houston Rockets star James Harden will be required to isolate until Friday and continue to test negative for the coronavirus before being cleared to return to play, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Harden should be available to play against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. Harden was fined $50,000 by the NBA
9:12 AM ET Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green will miss his second straight game to start the season Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks because of a foot injury. Green was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice after missing Tuesday’s season-opening blowout loss to the Brooklyn Nets, but coach Steve Kerr said the three-time
7:00 AM ET Since Rudy Gobert entered the NBA in 2013 as the 27th overall pick of the Utah Jazz, he has been known as an affable French import, a 7-foot-1 “Stifle Tower” — with a remarkable 7-foot-9 wingspan — who won consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards anchoring his team’s elite defense. But
1:10 AM ET Playing his first official game since his mother died in April due to complications from COVID-19, an emotional, reflective Karl-Anthony Towns walked off the court following the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ season-opening win with the game ball tucked under his arm. “It meant a lot,” Towns said Wednesday night after the Wolves beat the
12:15 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 18 points in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s season opener between his Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. But for the NBA’s two-time reigning MVP, all he was thinking about after the game was the point he didn’t score, as his
11:43 PM ET Russell Westbrook needed only three quarters to get his first triple-double as a Washington Wizard, but he will have to wait a bit longer to get his first victory. The All-Star point guard made his Washington debut in typical Westbrook fashion with 21 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds. But it wasn’t
11:01 PM ET ESPN News Services Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller suffered a fractured left hand in Wednesday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team said. He was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game, but it is too soon to tell how much time Zeller will miss, a source told ESPN’s
6:38 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN One day after the 2020-21 regular season tipped off, the NBA has postponed its first game. Late Wednesday afternoon, the NBA announced that the matchup between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder scheduled for 8 p.m. ET had been postponed because the Rockets did not have eight players available.
5:29 PM ET The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder game for Wednesday night has been postponed as the Rockets do not have the league-required eight available players needed to proceed with the game, the NBA announced. The NBA said three Rockets players have returned tests that were either positive or inconclusive for coronavirus under
11:59 AM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — – Simone Jelks was one of three referees promoted to full-time status by the NBA on Wednesday, making her the fifth woman on the current lineup of officials. Jelks joins the group of female NBA referees that also includes Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Natalie Sago and Jenna
1:15 PM ET Houston Rockets guard John Wall has tested negative for the coronavirus, but he is among a group of players sent home Wednesday afternoon because of a positive test of another teammate, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. That other player is getting tested again to confirm he has contracted the coronavirus, sources said.
10:40 AM ET The Houston Rockets and NBA are reviewing video of James Harden partying maskless at a strip club to determine if he violated the league’s COVID-19 protocols, putting the perennial All-Star’s availability for Houston’s season opener Wednesday night in question, sources told ESPN. The video, which was published by Black Sports Online and