8:02 PM ET Jamal Collier MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks handed out their championship rings and unveiled the banner for the franchise’s first championship in 50 years ahead of Tuesday night’s season-opening 127-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. “Milwaukee, we did it,” Bucks forward Khris Middleton said to the crowd at Fiserv Forum during the
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8:17 PM ET The high-powered agent who represents Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley issued a rare public rebuke Tuesday of the team’s treatment of his client on the eve of his final season under contract. “Sacramento has informed Marvin Bagley he is not in the opening night rotation, which is completely baffling,” Jeff Schwartz said
12:24 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers announced Tuesday afternoon that Ben Simmons has been suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team, which will cause him to miss the team’s season-opening game in New Orleans against the Pelicans. The statement was released late in the team’s practice Tuesday — after, sources
3:35 PM ET Talks between the Phoenix Suns and Deandre Ayton on an extension to his rookie contract have ended without a deal, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. Ayton expected a maximum contract and owner Robert Sarver hasn’t offered it yet for the 2018 No. 1 overall pick. Ayton, a key part of
6:22 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Monday that he would have “preferred” that the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association come to an agreement on a vaccine mandate, in part to avoid it becoming an “adversarial” issue for the league’s players, as it has for Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving.
11:40 AM ET Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $105 million rookie contract extension, his agent, Austin Brown of CAA Sports, told ESPN on Monday. Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman and Brown finalized details on the agreement ahead of a 6 p.m. ET deadline for the 2018 draft class. Jackson
1:58 PM ET Associated Press CAMDEN, N.J. — Ben Simmons practiced with the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time this season Sunday, though no decision was made on his status for the season opener. “He was just one of the players,” coach Doc Rivers said. Simmons was a holdout for training camp and the early
3:33 PM ET Phoenix Suns guard/forward Mikal Bridges has agreed to a four-year, $90 million rookie contract extension, his agents, Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler of Excel Sports, told ESPN on Sunday. Bridges’ deal — averaging $22.5 million per season — is fully guaranteed, the agents said, and starts with the 2022-23 season. Goldfeder and
6:18 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Charlotte Hornets signed guard LiAngelo Ball to a non-guaranteed contract Thursday, paving the way for him to eventually sign with their G League team, a source confirmed to ESPN. Ball, who averaged 9.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 17.4 minutes across five games for the Hornets’ entry
4:45 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN THIBODAUX, La. — For roughly an hour, the New Orleans Pelicans mostly rode in silence as they traveled to Nicholls State University for an open practice. The drive from the practice facility in the suburb of Metairie out to the campus is among one of the hardest-hit areas of the
5:15 PM ET ESPN News Services The Sacramento Kings are exercising the third-year option on guard Tyrese Haliburton, a source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday. Haliburton averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 58 games last season and was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team. He suffered a season-ending knee injury
2:21 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry looks primed for another run at the third MVP award of his career. The 33-year-old guard scored 41 points during Friday’s 119-97 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the final preseason game before Tuesday’s regular season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers at
10:58 AM ET After architecting the franchise’s first NBA championship in 50 years, Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst has agreed to a long-term contract extension, he told ESPN on Friday. Horst had one year left on his contract, and his new deal — finalized Friday morning with his agent, Brian Elfus, and team officials
3:04 PM ET ESPN News Services Ben Simmons, who has cleared health and safety protocols and is eligible to rejoin the Philadelphia 76ers, will not play in Friday night’s preseason finale, the team announced. Simmons’ absence is listed by the team as “reconditioning” and he did not travel with the team to Detroit for the
2:33 PM ET The Boston Celtics have suspended Marcus Smart for Friday’s final preseason game against the Miami Heat, with a source telling ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the guard was punished for missing the team flight. Smart, who has since joined the team on the trip, declined to address his suspension with reporters Thursday, saying
11:48 PM ET Kevin Durant said he wishes “none of this stuff would happen” but he isn’t upset that Kyrie Irving is not with the Brooklyn Nets. Durant said he has not spoken to Irving since the Nets decided on Tuesday that their starting point guard will not practice or play with the team until
4:27 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will miss the start of the regular season because of a right foot injury that required offseason surgery, Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said on Thursday. Williamson received scans on Wednesday, and after reviewing the scans with Dr.
8:00 AM ET FIFTY-FIVE MINUTES before tipoff at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook take the court for a joint workout that Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy guides. “We’ve been tied at the hip, pretty much, since we made the acquisition,” James says of Westbrook at media day. “We’re