NBA

8:36 PM ET Rudy Gobert downplayed apparent friction between him and Utah Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell on Sunday, saying they recently spoke for the first time since Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus and triggered the suspension of the NBA season. “It’s true that we didn’t speak for a while after this, but we spoke

9:34 AM ET The NBA HORSE tournament is finally here (7 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN), but which player has the best chance to bring home the title? Can the active NBA stars reign supreme in this playground shooting exhibition? The WNBA will send Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings and two-time 3-point champion Allie Quigley,

11:51 PM ET The NBA 2K Players Tournament is over and Devin Booker is the best NBA 2K20 player in the league. Booker defeated Deandre Ayton 2-0 in an all-Phoenix Suns final on ESPN on Saturday night, earning bragging rights and a $100,000 donation to a charity of his choice for coronavirus relief. Booker went

7:24 PM ET Associated Press Victor Oladipo is going to be busy on the next few Friday nights. The Indiana Pacers guard is hosting a Friday night Instagram Live concert series called BASE:LINE LIVE. Each week, three independent artists will be featured on the NBA’s Instagram account for the show. It speaks to one of

8:55 AM ET It’s time for the ninth annual Luke Walton All-Stars — a tribute to guys who fight for their NBA lives before landing in a role that suits them. (Read about the origins of the column here.) Erik Spoelstra sat with Robinson before Miami sent him to the G League last season, and

7:05 AM ET While it’s unclear how much time will elapse before play resumes in the 2019-20 NBA season, if it does at all, there are concerns among the league’s general managers and athletic training staffers that games might begin again before players are physically ready. “If you tell us two weeks in advance, and

9:00 PM ET Four players remain in the NBA HORSE Challenge after a first round that saw Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young, 2020 Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings, 2008 NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce and Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Chris Paul knocked out of the tournament. That sets up a final four that will include

12:05 PM ET As information gathering on draft-eligible prospects remains limited during the coronavirus pandemic, many NBA teams are united in hopes of encouraging the league office to push the date of the draft from June 25 to no sooner than Aug. 1, sources told ESPN. Multiple top team executives expressed to ESPN their belief

7:00 AM ET CHRIS MCCULLOUGH GLIDED through the air for a two-handed stuff at the rim. It was Jan. 12, 2017, and the Long Island Nets’ momentum was mounting. Inside Barclays Center — the Brooklyn Nets‘ G League affiliate also called the arena home during its inaugural season — Long Island was amid a fourth-quarter

12:24 AM ET The semifinals for the NBA 2K Players Tournament are set for Saturday and each will feature a player from the Phoenix Suns and the LA Clippers in the two head-to-heads to determine the finalists. After quarterfinal action Thursday on ESPN2, four players came out victorious: Suns guard Devin Booker, Clippers big man

5:18 PM ET Kelly CohenESPN The sports world has been at a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic for roughly a month, and despite the widespread eagerness to restart games, a majority of Americans said in a recent poll they would not attend sporting events in person just yet. A whopping 72% of Americans polled

7:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Luka Doncic could become the best-ever NBA player from Europe. Trae Young has already become one of the NBA’s most dynamic offensive players. Zion Williamson is the most electrifying rookie since LeBron James. Ja Morant has turned the Memphis Grizzlies into must-see TV. But which rising star would NBA decision-makers

8:29 AM ET As we approach the one-month mark since the night the NBA stopped, let’s look back on some of the good and bad of the 2019-20 season so far: 1. The state of the Spurs I found it — the precise moment the Spurs defensive backslide hit its nadir: The Gregg Popovich we

11:36 PM ET After his 17th year in the league — which was shaping up to potentially be an all-timer — came to a screeching halt when pro basketball, like the rest of the world, shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, LeBron James says it would be hard to accept an incomplete ending. “I

7:03 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Doc Rivers says he isn’t sure what shape or form the NBA will take if it can resume this season, but he is certain that Kawhi Leonard will be in “phenomenal” shape if there’s a postseason. As teams try to remain prepared during this unprecedented time, with the season

4:13 PM ET The NBA and ESPN are finalizing plans to televise a H-O-R-S-E shooting competition, with stars Chris Paul of Oklahoma City, Trae Young of Atlanta and Zach LaVine of Chicago among those expected to participate, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The competition will include a couple of WNBA stars and fairly recent NBA

8:21 PM ET ESPN News Services Kevin Garnett was recently selected to be enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame, but he’s “not entertaining” the idea of the Minnesota Timberwolves retiring his No. 21, saying he still hasn’t forgiven team owner Glen Taylor after an acrimonious split in 2016. “Glen knows where I’m at, I’m

3:02 PM ET In an attempt to shield lesser-income employees from being asked to take a pay cut during the uncertain economic times caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Los Angeles Lakers plan to ask the team’s top brass to make a monetary sacrifice, league sources confirmed to ESPN. Lakers ownership, after consulting with the