7:00 AM ET IT’S SATURDAY, SEPT. 8, in Tyler, Texas, and it is officially “Jimmy Butler Day.” The chancellor of Tyler Junior College has just bestowed an honorary degree on its most famous alumnus, followed by the city council handing the key to the city to the Sixers swingman, an honor not even bestowed upon
NBA
4:08 AM ET SALT LAKE CITY — “Determination over negativity” isn’t just a marketing slogan for Donovan Mitchell‘s Adidas signature shoe. It’s a mantra for the young Utah Jazz star. So Mitchell wasn’t thinking about how much he had struggled during this Western Conference playoff series when the fourth quarter of Game 4 began with
3:58 AM ET SALT LAKE CITY — Houston Rockets center Clint Capela, who had perhaps his worst performance of the season in the Rockets’ 107-91 Game 4 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday, told ESPN that he has been battling two respiratory illnesses during the series. Capela, who missed a practice due to illness
2:05 AM ET Adrian WojnarowskiESPN After only one season on the job, Igor Kokoskov was fired as coach of the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. The timing on the dismissal of Kokoskov, the first European-born NBA head coach, was partly rooted in a desire to compete against the Los Angeles Lakers in pursuit of Philadelphia
1:17 AM ET Malika AndrewsESPN DETROIT — The last time the Milwaukee Bucks danced out of the first round of the playoffs, Giannis Antetokounmpo had yet to pick up a basketball. It was 2001, Ray Allen was lighting up the court against the Philadelphia 76ers. Antetokounmpo was 7 years old and half a world away.
11:42 PM ET A new lawsuit alleges that new Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton sexually assaulted a woman sometime before being named coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in April 2016. The lawsuit, first reported by TMZ and confirmed by the Los Angeles Times, alleges that Kelli Tennant, a former host on Spectrum SportsNet LA
9:57 PM ET DENVER — Nikola Jokic remembers feeling helpless on that April night in 2016. The Denver Nuggets center was a rookie facing Tim Duncan, who was in his 19th and final NBA season. Duncan scored a season-high 21 points and left an unforgettable impression on the young Jokic. “He could not move that
8:06 PM ET The NBA fined Brooklyn Nets minority owner Joseph Tsai $35,000 on Monday for making a public statement that was deemed detrimental to the league, commissioner Adam Silver said. On Sunday night, Tsai offered support for Nets GM Sean Marks on Twitter after Marks was suspended one game without pay and fined $25,000
6:29 PM ET Virginia guard Kyle Guy announced Monday he plans to keep his name in the NBA draft and will not return to the Cavaliers for his senior season. Saying goodbye twice is not easy.. Charlottesville I just want to say thank you so much. I’ll never forget this. One day I will have
5:09 PM ET Associated Press Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce has been added as an assistant coach for USA Basketball this summer, when the Americans will compete in the FIBA World Cup in China and try to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Pierce is replacing Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan, who withdrew because of