11:25 PM ET ESPN News Services MIAMI — The Houston Rockets‘ final preseason game Friday night didn’t go as smoothly as hoped. Russell Westbrook — who has been dealing with some dislocated fingers on his right hand — left the team’s game against the Miami Heat in the fourth quarter in obvious discomfort. The star
NBA
10:07 AM ET It’s time for our last preseason column: 35 random predictions for the season. Not all of these are bold. Any prediction roundup has to include major awards and a championship pick, and there is no way to go totally out of the box on those. But others are designed to be a
8:00 AM ET Mark Fainaru-Wada Close ESPN Staff Writer Investigative reporter for ESPN’s Enterprise and Investigative Unit since 2007 Co-author of New York Times best-selling books “League of Denial” and “Game of Shadows” Co-winner, 2004 George Polk Award Tonya Malinowski Close E:60 Tonya Malinowski is an Emmy- and Edward R. Murrow-award-winning associate producer for ESPN.
1:30 PM ET Associated Press DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Dennis Rodman is pleading not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of slapping a man who was celebrating the former NBA star’s birthday at a Florida bar in May. Rodman’s attorney Lorne Berkeley denied the accusation and said an investigation will exonerate the retired player. Delray Beach
11:44 AM ET A severe injury has been ruled out for Zion Williamson‘s right knee, but he is expected to miss a period of weeks to start regular season, league sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pelicans traveled to New York to take on the Knicks on Friday, but Williamson did not make the trip.
8:34 AM ET ESPN News Services Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has donated a home to an Atlanta woman whose 12-year-old son was shot at a football game and paralyzed from the chest down. O’Neal told WXIA-TV that Isaiah Payton’s family was living in a one-bedroom apartment that wasn’t accessible for people with disabilities,
8:28 AM ET Associated Press The rift between the NBA and China appeared to widen again Friday, as the fallout continued over Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. A day after NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Chinese officials wanted Morey fired, a spokesman for China’s foreign
12:11 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN MILWAUKEE — Two things stood out to Giannis Antetokounmpo as he glanced at the stat sheet while addressing media members Thursday night following the completion of the Milwaukee Bucks‘ first undefeated preseason since 1997: 3-pointers and turnovers. Despite the Bucks committing 21 turnovers and going 11-for-40 (27.5%) from 3 in
5:28 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN The New Orleans Pelicans announced that rookie Zion Williamson will miss the team’s final preseason game because of right knee soreness. The Pelicans traveled to New York to take on the Knicks on Friday, but Williamson did not make the trip. The team said Williamson will stay in New Orleans
4:04 PM ET NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday that the league is already dealing with “fairly dramatic” financial consequences from Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s support of Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters. “The losses have already been substantial,” Silver said at the Time 100 Summit, in his first public comments about the NBA’s relationship with