1:51 PM ET New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson has signed a multiyear partnership with NBA 2K that includes appearances at consumer events, social activations and various in-game initiatives. Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, joins a list of elite, active NBA athletes with similar deals, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant,
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4:56 PM ET Anthony Davis already has six All-Star appearances, an NCAA championship and an Olympic gold medal to his name, but the newly minted Los Angeles Lakers forward admits there’s still something missing. “I don’t think I have a failure that I’ve had yet,” Davis told ESPN as a guest on That’s What She
9:56 PM ET The NBA has announced a five-year extension of its deal with Tencent, the league’s digital partner in China. Tencent is the NBA’s largest digital partner outside the United States and has been connected with the league since 2009. The current deal, which now runs through the 2024-25 season, includes live NBA games,
2:44 PM ET More than a billion dollars in contracts were agreed to in the first 24 hours of the NBA’s new league year, but free agency isn’t a feeding frenzy for all players. “Every year it gets harder,” free-agent point guard Jeremy Lin said of his uncertain NBA future. “In English there’s a saying
4:00 PM ET Only a few minutes into his introductory news conference, Russell Westbrook said something Friday that would’ve caused a collective spit take around the NBA just a few weeks ago. “I only care about one team,” Westbrook said, “and that’s the Houston Rockets.” After spending his first 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City
12:48 PM ET New Orleans Pelicans guard JJ Redick told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday that he won’t be able to accept the invitation to join the depleted USA Basketball roster for the FIBA World Cup in September. Redick, who spent the past two seasons in Philadelphia, said Thursday he was eager to be a
9:59 PM ET LOS ANGELES — Steve Ballmer was at his coastal home about two hours outside Seattle when he got the phone call he had been waiting for. Dennis Robertson, Kawhi Leonard‘s trusted uncle and adviser, called the LA Clippers owner around 11 p.m. to inform him that Leonard was joining the Clippers. Ballmer
6:01 PM ET A blockbuster offseason that saw multiple superstars on the move has left the NBA without a consensus title favorite and put some oddsmakers in a conundrum of trying to figure out how the season will unfold. Caesars Sportsbook posted season-win totals for each team Thursday afternoon. Seven teams opened with win totals
2:23 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Speaking publicly for the first time since trading stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti expressed appreciation for both players, but he also disagreed with George’s claim that the decision to deal him was “mutual.” “I think the world of PG. I think
2:16 PM ET Associated Press COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Basketball’s depth is already getting tested, weeks before the FIBA World Cup even starts. The Americans released their updated national team roster Thursday, adding six players and deleting eight who removed themselves from consideration over the past several weeks. It means 17 players — barring