6:26 PM ET The NBA has reached a 95% vaccination threshold of its players, reflecting a steady rise since the opening of training camps this week, league sources told ESPN on Thursday. That uptick — which includes players who’ve minimally received one vaccination shot, sources said — comes as unvaccinated players prepare for losses of
NBA
6:43 PM ET SAN DIEGO — Kevin Durant celebrated his 33rd birthday on Wednesday in San Diego complete with birthday cake and the Brooklyn Nets‘ rookies serenading the star. Now in his 15th season, Durant says he is “growing every single day” and understands the game more as he adapts and evolves to the changes
3:40 PM ET Tim Bontemps Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books The Philadelphia 76ers did not pay Ben Simmons the $8.25 million — 25% of his contract — that he was owed Friday and placed that money into an escrow
7:36 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Nineteen seasons into his NBA career and with a slew of accomplishments to show for his tenure, Carmelo Anthony‘s résumé would suggest an automatic featured role for this season’s Los Angeles Lakers. However, Anthony, 37, is open to whatever his new team asks of him as he continues
8:12 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said Thursday that he does not feel like it’s his place to push the COVID-19 vaccine on teammate Andrew Wiggins. Speaking for the first time since training camp began, Green made it clear that even as a leader of the Warriors, he is
12:25 AM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — As exhausted as LeBron James appeared after the Los Angeles Lakers‘ second day of training camp — plopped down on a chair in the interview room, sneakers unlaced and sweat dripping from his forehead — the Lakers star explained Thursday that it actually was a sign of fire
6:29 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid called the situation with his disgruntled co-star Ben Simmons “disappointing” and “borderline kind of disrespectful” to the rest of the team. The comments came following a report by The Athletic that Simmons feels his partnership with Embiid has “run its course.” Simmons has yet to report to
7:52 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Instant replay of out-of-bounds violations in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime of NBA games this season will be initiated by a coach’s challenge rather than by referees. The NBA’s Board of Governors approved the change Wednesday on a one-year trial basis. Under the previous
1:06 AM ET METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson and team officials revealed the teams’ long-term succession plans in detail for the first time on Wednesday, telling The Times-Picayune and WVUE-TV that they would be sold with the goal of keeping the teams in New Orleans and distributing the proceeds
6:49 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Following their first official practice together as teammates, Russell Westbrook dubbed Anthony Davis as “the ultimate weapon” and vowed to maximize the big man’s impact for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. “He’s one of a kind,” Westbrook said of Davis on Wednesday. “There’s nobody like him who
11:39 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN Players who are forced to miss games due to the executive orders governing vaccination requirements in both New York and San Francisco will not be paid for any games they miss. “Any player who elects not to comply with local vaccination mandates will not be paid for games that he
7:17 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors swingman Klay Thompson is starting to look more like his old basketball self amid his rehabilitation from a torn right Achilles injury. Participating in his first official team practice since suffering the injury in an offseason workout Nov. 18, 2020, Thompson knocked down shots from all
3:56 PM ET EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James said he initially felt “skepticism” regarding the COVID-19 vaccine but ultimately decided to get it for the well-being of himself, his family and his team. “You’re always trying to figure out ways that you can just be available and protect one another and put yourself in
9:51 AM ET Indiana Pacers guard Caris LeVert has a stress fracture in his back, but there’s optimism that it could only be a minor setback and he could return sometime around the start of the season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday. LeVert, who was traded to Indiana from Brooklyn as part of
4:59 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN The Denver Nuggets and forward Michael Porter Jr. have agreed on a five-year designated maximum extension that could be worth up to $207 million, Porter’s agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Porter will hit that $207 million number if he makes one of the three All-NBA
7:37 PM ET Jamal Collier MILWAUKEE — It’s been a little more than two months since the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2020-21 NBA championship, but star Giannis Antetokounmpo still wants to maintain the chip on his shoulder that helped bring them that title. “Are we satisfied? I’m not satisfied. I’m not even close to being
8:00 AM ET Media days kick off Monday, officially ushering in the start of training camps around the NBA. The dust has finally settled from free agency, and September training camp kickoffs will mark the first normal schedule in two years. The biggest news surrounding training camp comes out of Philadelphia, where Ben Simmons has
12:16 PM ET Four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili — one of the greatest international players in basketball history — is returning to the San Antonio Spurs as a special advisor to basketball operations, sources told ESPN. Ginobili, 44, will work in a player-centric role focusing on the on-and-off court development of a young Spurs roster,