NBA

5:31 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Alex Rodriguez was standing near his courtside seat, oblivious to a few fans who were snapping a quick photo of him as they walked by. He was watching the Minnesota Timberwolves warm up instead. Rodriguez — currently part of the Timberwolves’ ownership group, with plans in place

10:21 PM ET Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has agreed on a two-year, $30 million extension, his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told ESPN on Wednesday night. The deal, which starts with the 2023-24 season, includes a player option, Paul said. Caldwell-Pope had been entering the final year of his contract, which will pay

5:16 PM ET As Brittney Griner’s wrongful detention in Russia has galvanized the sports world in support of the WNBA star’s return to the United States, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James questioned why Griner would want to return to a country that has taken so much time to aid in a resolution for her.

9:09 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — The NBA has completed the process of changing the transition take foul rule, ending years of discussion about what to do with the long-maligned tactic. And, also as expected, the play-in tournament is going to be around for the foreseeable future. The league’s board of governors finalized

5:48 PM ET After shutting down inquiries about All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, rival teams say the Utah Jazz are now showing a willingness to listen on possible trade scenarios, sources tell ESPN on Tuesday. The asking price appears to be steep, but in the wake of Utah’s recent Rudy Gobert blockbuster deal to Minnesota, the

3:40 PM ET Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Golden State Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams is the winner of this year’s Tex Winter Assistant Coach Lifetime Impact Award, presented by the National Basketball Coaches Association. Adams has spent more than 50 years in coaching and is entering his 30th year in the NBA. He is

7:31 PM ET ESPN News Services LAS VEGAS — Paolo Banchero showed the Orlando Magic plenty in his two Summer League contests. And the Magic decided that was enough. The No. 1 pick is getting the rest of summer league off, after averaging 20 points, six assists and five rebounds in his two games in

5:03 PM ET LAS VEGAS — The NBA board of governors is expected on Tuesday to approve the play-in tournament as a regular part of future league seasons, sources told ESPN. The NBA had been voting on the play-in’s inclusion on a year-to-year basis for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons, but the support exists ahead

8:00 AM ET NBA insiders The first weekend of Las Vegas Summer League is in the books, and the NBA hasn’t disappointed. Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith Jr. kicked things off with a highly anticipated meeting between the lottery draft picks. No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren carried his momentum from Utah into Saturday’s 90-88

5:39 PM ET After clearing waivers, free-agent forward Danilo Gallinari has agreed to a two-year, $13.3 million deal with the Boston Celtics, his agent, Michael Tellem of Excel Sports, told ESPN on Sunday. Gallinari’s deal includes a player option on the second year and will be fully guaranteed, Tellem told ESPN. Gallinari, who’ll join an

11:27 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN LAS VEGAS — As Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga started to attack the hoop, he hooked the ball over his head to find a cutting James Wiseman. In one motion, Wiseman caught the ball in mid-air and threw down a dunk. It was the first possession of the Warriors’

12:53 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAS VEGAS — Oklahoma City Thunder forward-center Chet Holmgren and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. didn’t put on much of an offensive display Saturday night, but both showed the all-around games that made them such attractive choices at the top of last month’s draft. In one of the most

LAS VEGAS — Set to play alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George next season, John Wall said he is delighted to be joining a loaded LA Clippers team that won’t need him to be “Batman every night for us to win.” In his first comments since officially signing a two-year, $13.2 million deal with LA,

11:02 PM ET LAS VEGAS — Damian Lillard has made it clear over the years that he wants to stay with the Portland Trail Blazers throughout his career and will live with it if the organization can’t win a title during his playing career. Lillard, speaking Saturday at a news conference announcing his two-year extension

8:00 AM ET NBA 2K23 Summer League kicked off Thursday night with a matchup between Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr., the No. 1 and No. 3 picks, respectively, in last month’s NBA draft. The Magic won 91-77 in the first meeting between two of the NBA’s most anticipated rookies, with Banchero notching

3:33 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham knows that the team he has now could look significantly different by the time he is coaching games that count in the fall, but he is embracing his current group just the same. “We love everyone on our roster,” Ham told reporters Friday

5:32 PM ET Star point guard Damian Lillard has agreed to a two-year, $122 million contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers that will tie him to the franchise through the 2026-27 season, sources told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears and ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Lillard is expected to sign his deal Saturday in Las Vegas, a

1:53 PM ET Marc J. Spears Former long-time NBA referee Hugh Evans, a member of the 2022 Class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, passed away on Friday morning his wife, Cathy, told ESPN’s Andscape. Evans was officially named to the Hoop Hall on April 2, on his third try. He was an