3:52 PM ET CLEVELAND — LeBron James used a question about Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Josh Giddey as an opportunity to heap praise on Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti at a news conference Saturday following his team’s practice for the NBA All-Star Game. “The MVP over there is Sam Presti. He’s
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2:41 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid declared “the way I’ve been playing speaks for itself” when asked why he should be the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this season. “I don’t want to push for the whole thing, but the way I’ve been playing speaks for itself,” Embiid said Saturday
1:49 PM ET CLEVELAND — Chris Paul indicated he could miss some time with a hand injury suffered in the Phoenix Suns‘ final game before the All-Star break. Paul, who has a history of hand injuries and has required four hand/wrist surgeries, smashed his right hand on the arm of Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate
2:23 PM ET CLEVELAND — Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine said he had platelet-rich plasma therapy, a cortisone injection and fluid drained from his ailing left knee last week and is hoping the treatment will help him get through the season. LaVine missed the past three games before the All-Star Break to see specialists in
3:27 PM ET Associated Press STORRS, Conn. — Former UConn star James Bouknight of the Charlotte Hornets was tossed from his courtside seat by a game official in the second half as the No. 24 Huskies held off Xavier 72-61. Bouknight, who played two seasons for Connecticut and is in his NBA rookie season, was
7:51 AM ET Brianna Williams The 2022 NBA All-Star Game is the 71st edition of the midseason showcase. While hosting the league’s biggest stars on one court has been a constant for several decades, save for 1999, due to the NBA lockout, much has transformed since the game’s beginning in 1951. One change that easily
8:00 AM ET ESPN.com staff NBA All-Star Weekend is underway, as Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge and celebrity game kicked off the festivities in Cleveland. But which stars will take home the hardware during All-Star Saturday? The night begins with a revamped skills challenge, as three teams of three — Team Cavs, Team Antetokounmpo and
7:01 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — San Antonio Spurs legend and four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili and WNBA legends Swin Cash and Lindsay Whalen headlined the 11 finalists from the North American and Women’s Committees for the Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2022. The other eight finalists were: former Los Angeles Laker Michael
11:49 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — The Rising Stars Challenge became the latest part of All-Star Weekend to undergo a format change, and it was a success. The event, which features the top first- and second-year NBA players, employed an entirely new format this season. Rather than just being one game involving those players,
8:23 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel, Hall of Famer and longtime New York Knicks broadcaster Walt “Clyde” Frazier and longtime NBC executive Dick Ebersol were named the Naismith Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Media Award winners Friday afternoon here during All-Star Weekend. Voepel, who was given the print version of the