7:16 PM ET NBA Insiders The NBA season is nearly a quarter complete and the contenders for the league’s top awards are coming into focus. Will LeBron James be able to add a fifth MVP award to his trophy room? Or, can a center win the MVP for the first time in over two decades?
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1:00 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is no stranger to trade rumors. He spent an entire season with the Los Angeles Lakers hearing about how he could possibly get dealt before ultimately landing with the Pelicans in the summer of 2019. But as Ball tried to
12:26 PM ET Associated Press Alex Lasry, a 33-year-old Milwaukee Bucks executive and son of a billionaire, received the coronavirus vaccine this week at a senior living center in Milwaukee despite not being part of a group currently eligible for the shots in Wisconsin. Lasry told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he “just got lucky”
1:39 PM ET LA Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George cleared health and safety protocols and are set to return Friday against the Orlando Magic. Leonard and George rejoined the Clippers in Orlando after missing the first two games on this six-game road swing. The Clippers departed on the road trip without their two
1:42 AM ET Mark the calendar: It was nine days into a seven-game road trip before the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers showed any sign of being vulnerable this season, in Thursday’s 107-92 loss to the Detroit Pistons. L.A. mustered just 34 points in the second half — the fewest the Lakers have scored in
3:40 PM ET Anthony Davis will sit out Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons with a bruised right quad, the team announced. Davis was asked about his right leg, which he seemed to be favoring in Wednesday’s 107-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, and downplayed any discomfort he was experiencing. “I had a little brush
12:28 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid said he believed Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James should’ve been assessed a level two flagrant foul and been ejected from Philadelphia’s 107-106 victory over the defending champions Wednesday night. “Well, first of all, I mean you look at it, that’s a very dangerous play,”
12:19 AM ET With the Los Angeles Lakers already down double-digits late in the first quarter on Wednesday, LeBron James put his head down and drove to the cup, looking to salvage a smidgen of momentum heading into the quarter break. Awaiting him at the rim was the Philadelphia 76ers’ hulking Joel Embiid, who swatted
2:05 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The NBA announced that All-Star voting for this season will begin Thursday at noon and will conclude at midnight on Feb. 16. Fans can submit one full ballot each day through either the NBA App or NBA.com throughout the voting period, and they can vote for up to 10 unique
6:59 AM ET In the 1980s, Michael Jordan launched a stylistic revolution in pro basketball. While not the first great wing player in the sport, Jordan was the first one to absolutely dominate the association. His epic battles versus the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz weren’t just battles for the
Kanye West dropped a reference to the No. 24 jersey in his lyrics, rapping on Jay-Z and T.I.’s “Swagga Like Us,” “Tryin’ to get that Kobe number, one over Jordan.” From the moment he came into the league, Bryant paid homage to the greats who came before him. Now it’s current NBA players who pay
7:05 AM ET This story was originally published on Feb. 24, 2020. Jan. 26 is the one-year anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others. THE WEARY GROUP trudged across the tarmac and onto the team plane at Philadelphia International Airport. Awaiting the Los Angeles Lakers at the
6:48 AM ET While Los Angeles and Philadelphia will mourn the one-year anniversary of the death of native son Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Tuesday, another one of Bryant’s hometowns halfway across the globe will be doing the same. Reggio Emilia, located about an hour’s drive east from Bologna in northern Italy, will
3:01 AM ET It had been more than two years since LeBron James played a game in Cleveland, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Los Angeles Lakers star certainly made up for lost time on Monday, turning in perhaps his greatest performance against his former team. James scored a season-high 46 points in the Lakers’
5:33 PM ET The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are discussing the possibility of still holding an All-Star Game in early March — possibly in Atlanta, sources tell ESPN. The traditional All-Star Weekend — originally set for Indianapolis in February — was canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but sources tell ESPN there
6:57 AM ET Kobe Bryant liked to tell people he didn’t have time for friends. Not in the conventional way most people have friends in which they talk regularly or grab a meal when they’re in the same part of town. Ever on brand, Bryant even trademarked the slogan, “Friends hang sometimes, Banners hang forever.”
10:54 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN ANTONIO — Russell Westbrook had nine points, eight rebounds and six assists in 25 minutes in his first game in more than two weeks due to a left quadriceps injury. His return came in the Washington Wizards‘ 121-101 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night. The
7:34 PM ET Wednesday’s game between the Bulls and Grizzlies at FedExForum in Memphis has been postponed due to the NBA’s health and safety’s protocols. It will be the Grizzlies’ fifth straight game postponed under the policy. The NBA said the game is being postponed due to contact tracing with the Grizzlies and the fact