NBA

8:00 AM ET Brian Windhorst and a team of ESPN Insiders sort out life and the news from in and around the NBA world. NBA owners quietly made a move last month that has potentially big ramifications. A few weeks ago, the Board of Governors approved a rule change that allows sovereign wealth funds to

5:04 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN After initially suspending its partnership with Kyrie Irving and scrapping the release of his upcoming Kyrie 8 signature shoe last month, Nike confirmed Monday that it has fully cut ties with the Brooklyn Nets point guard. “Kyrie is no longer a Nike athlete,” a Nike company spokesperson told ESPN. Irving’s

7:03 PM ET ESPN News Services HOUSTON — James Harden struggled through his return from injury Monday night as the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Houston Rockets 132-123 in double overtime. Harden had 21 points but shot 4-for-19 from the field in his first game since Nov. 2. Coach Doc Rivers said Harden, who spent

2:46 PM ET The NBA is loosening rules on scouting high school players, according to a memo to teams obtained by ESPN. Beginning in mid-December, NBA teams will be permitted to attend several key high school events featuring many of the best non-draft eligible players in America, including dozens of future NBA players. The NBA

11:31 PM ET WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the ball fell through the hoop late in the fourth quarter on Sunday — Anthony Davis‘ 20th made field goal, accounting for his 49th and 50th points of the night — the Capital One Arena crowd let the visiting Los Angeles Lakers big man hear their appreciation. “M-V-P!

8:36 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — As the clocked ticked down Sunday afternoon, the chants of “Jose, Jose, Jose” reigned down from all corners of the Smoothie King Center. The New Orleans Pelicans faithful were showing their love for their cult hero, Jose Alvarado. Just minutes before, as the former undrafted player walked

2:24 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cavaliers forward Dean Wade could miss one month with a sprained left shoulder, the latest injury for a Cleveland team that has been dealing with them all season. Wade was injured in the first half of Friday’s win over the Orlando Magic. Wade didn’t score a point in

10:01 PM ET Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was ejected in the first half of the game Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder after he appeared to purposefully trip Kenrich Williams. Gobert contested Williams on a drive to the rim with 9:22 to go in the second quarter, causing Williams to fall to the ground.

4:32 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN NEW YORK — Luka Doncic came into Madison Square Garden today wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jersey — a payment on a lost bet to his former teammate, Jalen Brunson, whom he and the Mavericks faced for the first time here Saturday afternoon since Brunson signed with the Knicks as a

8:00 AM ET At 2:44 p.m. ET on Oct. 27, roughly five hours before the Brooklyn Nets were set to take on the Dallas Mavericks at home, Kyrie Irving hit send on a tweet. The post, without any text, was an Amazon link to a movie called “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” centered

12:52 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN MILWAUKEE — Bucks forward Khris Middleton scored 17 points and collected seven assists in his season debut on Friday night, a 133-129 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Middleton’s first game action since the first round of the NBA playoffs last April. Middleton played 27 minutes and knocked down

10:10 PM ET MILWAUKEE — LeBron James moved past Magic Johnson on the NBA’s all-time assists list while wearing a Los Angeles Lakers uniform Friday, but he knows his place in the pecking order when it comes to Laker lore. “To know that I’m in the conversation or about to get to a point that

1:21 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — Al Horford left the Celtics in free agency once. He had no interest in doing so a second time. That, Horford said, was the biggest reason he agreed to a two-year, $20 million extension Thursday to remain with the Celtics through the 2024-25 season. “For me, I really

8:08 PM ET ESPN News Services Atlanta starting forwards De’Andre Hunter and John Collins will be out for a stretch of games after they were hurt in Wednesday’s 125-108 victory over the Orlando Magic. The Hawks said Hunter will miss at least one week after an MRI revealed a right hip flexor strain. The injury-plagued

9:00 AM ET Boston Celtics center Al Horford has agreed on a two-year, $20 million contract extension that ties him to the franchise through his 39th birthday in 2025, his agent Jason Glushon of Glushon Sports Management told ESPN on Thursday morning. Horford, a five-time All-Star, is completing the final season of a four-year, $109

11:58 AM ET After rehabilitating offseason wrist surgery, Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton plans to make his season debut Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, sources told ESPN. Middleton, who had a procedure in July to repair torn ligaments, returns with the Bucks (15-5) holding onto second place in the Eastern Conference behind the

12:21 AM ET ESPN News Services Devin Booker torched the Chicago Bulls for a season-high 51 points in just three quarters as the Phoenix Suns stretched their winning streak to six games with a 132-113 victory on Wednesday night. Booker scored 25 points in the first half and had 26 more in a sublime third

8:00 AM ET EVAN MOBLEY CROUCHES his thin frame into a defensive stance on the perimeter, a place few 7-footers have ever been as comfortable as the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 21-year-old franchise cornerstone. It’s midway through the first quarter of the Cavs’ season opener, and on this play, Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam gets a step