NBA

12:29 AM ET The NBA is back! The 2022-23 season tipped off with a doubleheader. First up, the Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in an early clash of Eastern Conference contenders. The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who scored 35 points each in the win. Out West, the defending champion

When LeBron James passed Karl Malone for second on the NBA’s career regular-season points list, he set his sights firmly on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s current all-time leading scorer. James enters the 2022-23 season, his 20th in the NBA, needing only 1,326 points to surpass Abdul-Jabbar’s career total of 38,387. Given that James has scored

8:27 PM ET Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter has agreed to a four-year, $95 million contract extension, his agents Thad Foucher and Joe Smith of Wasserman told ESPN on Monday night. The deal, agreed to ahead of the 6 p.m. ET deadline for rookie scale extensions, allows Hunter to avoid restricted free agency next summer.

5:24 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers will be limited at point guard for their opener against the Golden State Warriors, but that didn’t stop Anthony Davis from planning a statement performance to start the regular season. “Our first two games are against two title contenders,” Davis said Monday, referring to

8:00 AM ET What will the 2022-23 NBA season be remembered for? Some teams will look very similar, but the landscape of the league is never exactly the same two years in a row. An offseason full of big trades and a handful of star players returning from injury is bound to shake up the

7:08 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — For the past two years, the Golden State Warriors have been vocal about their desire to bridge their current success with future success. And over the weekend, they put that into action, signing Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins to contract extensions. The Warriors signed Poole to a

11:43 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton will miss at least three weeks with a right calf strain, the team announced Sunday. Connaughton missed the final two preseason games with a sore right calf that the team initially hoped wasn’t serious, before an MRI on Friday revealed the injury. Bucks coach Mike

8:00 AM ET When we last saw the Los Angeles Lakers, they were careening out of the playoff picture, losing eight straight games from late March through early April as a fetid topper to a rotten season. L.A. went from the oddsmakers’ NBA Finals favorite to missing the play-in tournament, as injuries and an ill-conceived

5:47 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Kendra Andrews Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins has agreed to a four-year, $109 million contract extension, his agents, Drew Morrison and Steven Heumann of CAA Sports, told ESPN. The deal, which includes a player option

11:57 AM ET The Golden State Warriors and guard Jordan Poole have agreed to a four-year, $140 million contract extension, his agents, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown of CAA Sports, told ESPN on Saturday. The extension comes ahead of Monday’s deadline for members of the 2019 NBA draft class. It also comes in the aftermath

8:00 AM ET The vibes are good right now in Kyrie Irving‘s world. As he stands inside the Brooklyn Nets‘ locker room following Wednesday night’s preseason win against the Milwaukee Bucks, Irving lights up some sage from the side of the room and discusses his team and what he feels is the positive direction it

11:30 PM ET ESPN News Services Lakers guard Russell Westbrook will be reevaluated Saturday after exiting Los Angeles’ 133-86 loss to the host Sacramento Kings on Friday night with a left hamstring injury. Westbrook exited the court in the first quarter, but it was unclear how he suffered the injury. Coach Darvin Ham said after

11:29 AM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Dave McMenamin Close ESPN Staff Writer Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. The Los Angeles

8:00 AM ET Ben Simmons looks and sounds like he’s in a very good place with the Brooklyn Nets. Sitting in the padded courtside seats of Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum during shootaround on Wednesday, the 26-year-old swingman says, after nearly a year and a half away from an NBA floor, he is embracing his new role

8:51 PM ET Kendra AndrewsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green returned to practice on Thursday following a week away from the team after the fallout from punching Jordan Poole last Wednesday. The Warriors opted not to suspend Green for the incident, and instead fined him. He will play in the Warriors’

9:50 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — After several videos went viral making it appear Russell Westbrook was intentionally distancing himself from teammates during the Los Angeles Lakers‘ preseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, the veteran guard offered context to debunk any signs of discord. In one video, shot on a phone by

8:00 AM ET Here we go: The top 10 in our 2022-2023 League Pass Rankings! We revealed Nos. 30-11 on Tuesday, and you can read about the rankings formula there. 10. DALLAS MAVERICKS (35) Look at this soul-snatcher: That is the smile of someone who knows he has you. The Mavs’ offense is one-dimensional —

11:22 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN MIAMI — New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson understands the microscope he’s under when it comes to injuries. It’s why when he left Wednesday night’s 120-103 preseason loss to the Miami Heat with left ankle soreness, he knew what to expect on social media before he even looked at his