10:45 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN PHILADELPHIA — Less than five weeks since being acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a stunning blockbuster of a trade to cap a frenetic offseason in the NBA, Donovan Mitchell made his debut for the Cavaliers Wednesday in Cleveland’s preseason opener. And, after finishing with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting,
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9:17 PM ET LAS VEGAS — As soon as he had told reporters that he and his father, basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, “bump heads” over his decision to leave college and enter the NBA draft, Shareef O’Neal said he knew he’d made a mistake. The younger O’Neal, who had just signed an NBA summer league
2:57 AM ET LAS VEGAS — After wowing the crowd at T-Mobile Arena, scoring 23 points in 17 minutes in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 119-115 preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns, LeBron James saved his biggest play for the postgame news conference Wednesday night. When asked a question about the NBA hosting the exhibition game
3:46 PM ET As NBA executives consider the transformative impact 7-foot-4 French prospect Victor Wembanyama’s performance on Tuesday could impose on the NBA’s tanking and trade market this season, his agent insists that there’s no plan to listen to some team executives who suggest shutting down the projected No. 1 pick until the 2023 NBA
2:47 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Corey Kispert is expected to miss four to six weeks because of a sprained left ankle, the Wizards announced Wednesday. Kispert stepped on an opponent’s foot during Sunday’s preseason game in Japan against the Golden State Warriors. The Wizards open the regular season Oct. 19 at Indiana, so
12:25 PM ET Andre SnellingsESPN What do you want your team to look like? This is a question that you should really ask yourself before your draft, and you should enter the draft with an answer in mind. Because the reality is, most of the people in your leagues aren’t going to really go into
8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The NBA was without its full slate of stars for much of last season, as a number of the league’s best players missed extensive time. But the start of the 2022-23 season marks a fresh start and return to the court for those stars. Marquee veterans such as Kawhi Leonard
2:43 AM ET HENDERSON, Nevada — With Chris Paul and A’ja Wilson watching courtside, French basketball star Victor Wembanyama, the uncanny 7-foot-5 center and projected No. 1 NBA draft pick, put on a show in a 37-point performance Tuesday night at the Dollar Loan Center against the G League Ignite and Scoot Henderson, the projected
1:54 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN CHICAGO — The Zion Williamson show is officially back. Even if it was just for a preseason viewing. The New Orleans Pelicans forward returned to the court Tuesday night, scoring 13 points in a 15-minute performance at the United Center in a 129-125 win over the Chicago Bulls. Earlier on
5:30 PM ET As Robert Sarver prepares to sell the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, investment bank officials who have managed the sales of professional sports franchises told ESPN that they expect the transaction’s final price to set a record. “It’ll be the highest price ever paid for an NBA team,” one