4:04 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green does not believe either he or his teammates will stop speaking out on causes they believe in, despite the backlash the NBA has received over the past week in the wake of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet in support of Hong
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2:41 PM ET The NBA said it does not condone stopping a reporter from asking James Harden and Russell Westbrook a question about the recent China controversy. In the news conference following the Rockets-Raptors preseason game in Tokyo, a reporter from CNN asked the pair if they would “feel differently about speaking out” on issues
12:43 PM ET ESPN News Services Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young is soaking up the negativity ahead of what he wants to be his first All-Star season. Young told Yahoo Sports in a story published Thursday that he goes so far as to keep negative tweets on his phone as motivation. Whether it’s shots
8:16 AM ET Kyrie Irving‘s preseason debut was cut short. The Brooklyn Nets guard played just one minute against the Los Angeles Lakers in Shanghai on Thursday after aggravating the facial fracture he suffered in an offseason pickup game before training camp. Irving was wearing a mask for the game and was guarding the Lakers’
7:44 AM ET Associated Press In response to the NBA’s defending Daryl Morey’s freedom of speech, Chinese officials took it away from the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. All of the usual media sessions surrounding the Lakers-Nets preseason game in Shanghai on Thursday — including a scheduled news conference from NBA commissioner Adam Silver
11:57 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN CHICAGO — It was a step forward for New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson on Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls. But it was also a step back for the Pelicans’ defense. Despite a game-high 29 points for Williamson through just the 3:54 mark of the third quarter, New Orleans
5:33 PM ET President Donald Trump, in his first public comments about the NBA’s relationship with China, criticized Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for their response to questions about the controversy. Trump weighed in on the topic Wednesday afternoon, saying the NBA has to “work out their own situation” with China
8:46 AM ET Time for another preseason tradition: our eighth annual League Pass Rankings. These are watchability scores derived from a formula etched into stone tablets unearthed during construction of Bill Simmons’ backyard swimming pool. We reward each team between one and 10 points in five categories: Zeitgeist: Do normal people care about this team?
1:13 PM ET The 76ers said two fans were removed from Tuesday’s preseason game for “their continuing disruption of the fan experience,” with the fans saying they were kicked out for showing support for Hong Kong. The team and the Wells Fargo Center both released statements Wednesday saying they received multiple complaints about the two
1:13 PM ET ESPN News Services Effects of the NBA’s strained relationship with China are being felt in NBA arenas in a pair of games in the United States featuring the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association. After the playing of the Chinese national anthem before Guangzhou’s game against the Wizards on Wednesday