10:30 AM ET RJ Hampton, the No. 5 prospect in the ESPN 100 class of 2019, has signed a contract with the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League, he announced on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday. Hampton becomes the first American player to willingly forgo college for playing international basketball, unlike players
NBA
11:55 AM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — By the time the Golden State Warriors tip off their fifth consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals, they’ll have had nine days of rest. Nine full days off between sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals and taking on the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of
7:07 AM ET How likely are the Toronto Raptors to take down the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals? Heading into Game 1 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night (9 p.m. ET, ABC), the ESPN Forecast panel has made its predictions for the series. How much of a favorite should the Warriors be?
8:07 PM ET IN THE WEEKS after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2016-17 season ended in mid-April, with the franchise failing to reach the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, more than 30 Lakers staffers — largely from basketball operations — gathered at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo, California. Before them were Rob Pelinka
8:28 AM ET The number hovers over these NBA Finals: 31-1 — the Golden State Warriors‘ record in their past 32 games with Stephen Curry and without Kevin Durant. That is the version of Golden State that begins this final chase for a three-peat, and the team’s fourth title in five seasons. If Durant returns,
9:51 PM ET Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is “awake, responsive and resting comfortably” after suffering a stroke Sunday, according to a Jay Farner, the CEO of Quicken Loans, the company Gilbert founded and chairs. Farner said Gilbert, 57, felt ill on Sunday and a friend took him to a Detroit-area hospital, where he suffered
8:24 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors star forward Kevin Durant has been officially ruled out of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors as he continues to rehab a strained right calf. “KD’s not playing Game 1,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after Monday’s practice. “I think we
5:18 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN TORONTO — The Raptors‘ Danny Green is well aware of how much he struggled in the Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. The problem for Green is that everyone else is aware of it, too. “Just keep shooting,” Green said Monday, when asked how he gets himself out of
5:05 PM ET Malika AndrewsESPN MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t slept well since the Bucks‘ Game 6 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Neither has Khris Middleton or George Hill. There is too much to replay for their whirring minds to stand still: the missed shots; the lack of late defensive hustle; the turnovers. Milwaukee’s disappointment
2:57 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN Murray State’s Ja Morant, the most sought-after guard of the 2019 NBA draft class, wanted to sign a shoe deal with Nike, and he got his wish. After turning pro in early April, Morant insisted on not even meeting or engaging with any other brands during the negotiation process, before