9:25 AM ET Auburn freshman Sharife Cooper will declare for the 2021 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility by hiring an agent, he told ESPN. “This season was a roller coaster filled with many ups and some downs,” Cooper said. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything, even through the bad times I
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7:00 AM ET NICOLAS BATUM FELT the doubt creeping in. He hadn’t played a minute of NBA basketball since Jan. 24, 2020, when the Charlotte Hornets decided to embrace a youth movement and send their 31-year-old, $120 million veteran permanently to the bench. That March, he publicly apologized to Hornets fans for not being able
9:00 PM ET NEW YORK — Kevin Durant, as part of his first public comments since injuring his hamstring in February, on Thursday addressed a feud between himself and actor Michael Rapaport that had been made public this week. Rapaport posted private messages that he said Durant had sent him — which included threatening language
1:16 AM ET Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green says that he is not motivated by the NBA’s new play-in games, despite the fact that his team currently sits in 9th place in the Western Conference — squarely on the fringe of the league’s reformatted playoff system. “To be honest with you I don’t go
2:34 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Paul George said the toe injury he has in his right foot has flared up again and that the LA Clippers are trying to figure out if it will linger the remainder of the season. George returned on Thursday after missing two games with what was listed as right
7:28 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Dave McMenamin Close ESPN Staff Writer Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. There is optimism
2:42 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN The New Orleans Pelicans have ruled out Zion Williamson and Lonzo Ball from Thursday’s game against the Orlando Magic and could be without Brandon Ingram as well. Williamson was listed as questionable heading into Thursday’s matchup with a sprained right thumb. He injured the thumb on Monday against the Boston
3:46 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Hawks forward John Collins will be out at least a week with a sprained left ankle, another blow to the injury-plagued team. Collins was injured during Tuesday night’s loss at Phoenix. He underwent an MRI that showed a lateral ankle sprain and associated bone bruise. He has started
6:56 PM ET Associated Press JJ Redick doesn’t have an ideal number of games in mind to get ready for the playoffs with the Dallas Mavericks, who were thinking postseason when they acquired the shooting guard with an expiring contract. “The ideal number is the most amount of games possible,” said Redick, who is recovering
11:28 AM ET ESPN News Services Cade Cunningham announced Thursday that he will enter the 2021 NBA draft after a dynamic freshman season that saw him named a first-team AP All-American. The 6-foot-8 Oklahoma State point guard is expected to be a high pick — possibly No. 1 overall, as he is ranked as ESPN’s