NBA

Jul 14, 2020 If the sixth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers play up to their potential, they are a legitimate title contender in the NBA’s 2019-20 restart. This team has the talent to beat any of the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers in a seven-game series. But these mysterious dudes also face a gargantuan amount

7:51 PM ET In the first NBA game played in more than four months, LA Clippers guard Lou Williams sat in the team’s socially-distanced bench area Wednesday and noticed the new atmosphere all around him. The 2019-20 season was on again as the Clippers and Magic got the season restart underway with the first scrimmage

6:17 AM ET The restart of the 2019-20 NBA season is almost here, as all 22 teams ramp up practices inside the bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World. With scrimmages tipping off Wednesday, here’s our breakdown of every team in Orlando, Florida, including: current seed and most likely

10:04 PM ET The Wilf family that owns the Minnesota Vikings has emerged as a serious candidate to buy the Minnesota Timberwolves, league sources told ESPN. Only recently did the Wilfs emerge as one of the groups bidding to buy the NBA team in their city from billionaire Glen Taylor, sources said. There are several

6:52 AM ET NBA Insiders In his 17th season, LeBron James faces a major new challenge along with his Los Angeles Lakers teammates: heading into the Orlando bubble for the NBA restart after a hiatus of almost five months and taking the legendary franchise to its 17th championship. How will James look in Florida? Can

6:42 AM ET NBA Insiders How many championships will Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James finish his career with? Can he catch Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time? James and the Lakers enter the NBA restart in Orlando, Florida, as one of the top title contenders, though this will be unlike

6:11 PM ET Days after receiving a warning for not wearing a face covering in common areas at the NBA campus, Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard continued to question the need for a mask inside the league’s so-called “bubble” in Orlando, Florida. “They sanitize everything,” Howard said on an Instagram Live video he posted

6:52 AM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Chirp, chirp, chirp! “Is that me ringing?” New Orleans Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry wondered aloud, looking down at the proximity monitor clipped to his credential as he walked from the practice facility inside Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to conduct his virtual news conference on

7:07 AM ET The NBA told teams Friday that none of the seeding games inside the Orlando, Florida, bubble will count toward individual regular-season honors. That means Zion Williamson won’t get the chance to beat the odds and challenge front-runner Ja Morant for the Rookie of the Year crown, and LeBron James won’t get to

1:37 PM ET A 2003-04 LeBron James Upper Deck rookie Patch Parallel card sold at auction for $1.845 million on Sunday at Goldin Auctions to Lob.com CEO Leore Avidar. The price tag on the rare card sets a record for modern-day cards (recognized as cards produced in 1980 or later) and is the most any

5:51 PM ET The Denver Nuggets are finally getting closer to becoming whole as Gary Harris and Torrey Craig are expected to arrive to Orlando on Sunday, a source confirmed to ESPN. Upon arrival, Harris and Craig will go through the two-day quarantine process per protocol on the NBA campus in Orlando, Florida. The Athletic

10:23 PM ET A week and a half into life in the bubble, Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard has received attention for his escapades rather than for what’s most important to him as the NBA nears its restart: helping his teammates on the court and helping create positive change in the United States. He

3:13 PM ET If the NBA is going to determine its awards for the 2019-20 season based on games played up to when it went on hiatus March 11, Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel thinks L.A.’s final weekend before the break should be seriously considered. The Lakers beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks,

12:27 PM ET Doc Rivers was fortunate to meet Rep. John Lewis several times and the LA Clippers coach hopes to continue Lewis’ fight for equality and liberty. As the NBA mourned the death of the civil rights icon and longtime U.S. congressman on Saturday morning, Rivers reflected on Lewis’ life spent fighting for civil

6:29 PM ET Associated Press LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The NBA’s MVP race is over. So is the battle for every other individual regular-season trophy. The league told teams Friday that none of the seeding games will be taken into consideration for any postseason award, and that voting for those honors — such as

9:24 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN In Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer‘s mind, the pick for NBA MVP is an easy choice: Giannis Antetokounmpo. When the league told teams on Friday that the races for MVP and other regular-season individual awards are over — ahead of the NBA restart in Orlando, Florida — the decision came

7:25 AM ET We left the NBA just after trade and buyout season. Top teams were incorporating new players and adjusting after injuries. Here are 13 new or newish lineups I’m excited to watch when the games start. Shake Milton (!), Josh Richardson, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid: 0 minutes. Just when I think

6:43 AM ET THE LENGTH OF time is nearly five weeks. “Say that again?” CJ McCollum asked, just to be clear. Forty days is roughly how long, at a minimum, each of the 22 NBA teams in Orlando, Florida, will reside in the Walt Disney World Resort bubble. In a late June call to discuss