NBA

7:00 AM ET The NBA returns to regular-season action on Dec. 22 following an abbreviated offseason — one that saw the draft and the start of free agency compressed into the same week — with some uncertainty. With the coronavirus pandemic ongoing, the league is facing decisions about how to undertake a campaign outside the

8:45 PM ET The NBA’s Christmas Day schedule is set, and all five matchups are packed with star power. Zion Williamson makes his Christmas Day debut as the New Orleans Pelicans face the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. Stephen Curry, back from a broken left hand, leads the Golden State Warriors against reigning two-time

7:30 PM ET The 2020-21 NBA season is fast approaching, with play scheduled to begin on Dec. 22. As teams prepare for the upcoming campaign, many will be wearing new threads on the court. Nike and Jordan Brand have been unveiling their new looks across the league throughout the offseason, as various franchises will see

8:10 AM ET Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker received a stem cell injection in his left knee and is out until at least the first week of January, the team said Tuesday. Walker received the injection after consultation with multiple specialists in early October and was put on a 12-week strengthening program. The Celtics said

6:18 PM ET Olgun Uluc Andrew Bogut has announced his retirement from professional basketball. Widely regarded as one the greatest and most successful players in Australian basketball history, Bogut made the announcement on his Rogues Bogues podcast on Tuesday morning, choosing to put an end to a professional career that spanned 15 years. It was

6:33 PM ET LOS ANGELES — LeBron James could be one and done playing the 1 for the Los Angeles Lakers. The newly acquired Dennis Schroder says he intends to start at point guard for the defending champions. “I did this off the bench stuff already in two years with OKC,” Schroder, the reigning Sixth

6:18 AM ET Who are the NBA free agents to watch in 2021 and 2022? The 2020 free-agent class featured less star power than normal, as the league blitzed through a condensed transaction period featuring the draft and free agency in the same week. The 2021 class has more hype, potentially featuring names such as

3:53 PM ET The Boston Celtics have traded Gordon Hayward and second-round draft picks in 2023 and 2024 to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for a conditional 2022 second-round draft pick. The sign-and-trade agreement creates a $27.9 million trade exception for the Celtics, the largest in NBA history. Hayward, 30, declined his $34.2 million player

7:33 PM ET Associated Press SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett will finally enter the Basketball Hall of Fame in May 2021. The NBA said Saturday that the delayed Hall of Fame weekend — it was to have taken place in Springfield, Massachusetts, in August before being pushed back because of

12:38 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Ahead of training camps opening up across the NBA next week, the league has compiled a comprehensive health and safety protocol for the 2020-21 NBA season and sent it to its teams. The document, which was obtained by ESPN, is 134 pages long, and is similar to the one the

8:06 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN This class of NBA rookies is facing an unprecedented transition to the league. Most of them haven’t played an organized game since March, and now they are set to begin their first NBA training camp on Dec. 1, less than two weeks after being drafted. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic deprived

10:50 AM ET Veteran point guard J.J. Barea has agreed to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks on a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum of $2.6 million, sources told ESPN. With Barea’s return, the Mavericks anticipate entering training camp with 16 players on guaranteed contracts, one over the regular-season roster limit. Dallas plans to have

4:45 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN As the NBA continues to move toward starting its 2020-21 season on Dec. 22, a slate of 49 preseason games will be played from Dec. 11 through Dec. 19 to allow teams to prepare for the upcoming campaign. Each NBA team will play at least two preseason games — one

4:57 PM ET Associated Press BOLOGNA, Italy — Marco Belinelli is going back to Italy, announcing Thursday that he has signed a three-year contract to play for Virtus Bologna. The 34-year-old guard spent 13 seasons in the NBA, playing for nine different teams — Golden State, Toronto, New Orleans, Chicago, Charlotte, Sacramento, Atlanta, Philadelphia and,

4:50 PM ET Free-agent big man Frank Kaminsky has agreed to a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, his agent, Kevin Bradbury of BDA Sports, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Phoenix Suns declined Kaminsky’s $5.2 million team option last week. Kaminsky, 27, helps to shore up the Kings’ frontcourt rotation, which took a hit with

5:58 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Fresh off winning his first NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard said Wednesday that he’s willing to do whatever he’s asked to do in order to win another with his new team, the Philadelphia 76ers. “Winning the championship was everything, and it made me realize I could

5:56 PM ET Free-agent center Hassan Whiteside has agreed to a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Whiteside, while averaging 30.0 minutes, led the NBA with 2.9 blocks per game and finished third with 13.5 rebounds last season while with the Portland Trail Blazers. His 25.07 PER was eighth best

1:31 PM ET ESPN News Services Indianapolis will host the NBA All-Star Weekend in 2024, the league said Wednesday, formally rescheduling the plans for that city to be the site of the league’s midseason showcase this season. Cleveland will host in 2022 and Salt Lake City will do so in 2023, both of those sites