10:52 AM ET The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed to a reduction in pay of 1/91.6 of a player’s salary for each game an unvaccinated player misses because of local COVID-19 vaccine mandates, sources told ESPN, a decision that stands to impact Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving. The decision on a

Oct 1, 2021 EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Nineteen seasons into his NBA career and with a slew of accomplishments to show for his tenure, Carmelo Anthony‘s résumé would suggest an automatic featured role for this season’s Los Angeles Lakers. However, Anthony, 37, is open to whatever his new team asks of him as he continues

Oct 1, 2021 Tim Bontemps Brian Windhorst Close ESPN Senior Writer ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books The Philadelphia 76ers did not pay Ben Simmons the $8.25 million — 25% of his contract — that he was owed Friday and placed that money into an escrow

Sep 30, 2021 SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said Thursday that he does not feel like it’s his place to push the COVID-19 vaccine on teammate Andrew Wiggins. Speaking for the first time since training camp began, Green made it clear that even as a leader of the Warriors, he is

Oct 1, 2021 EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — As exhausted as LeBron James appeared after the Los Angeles Lakers‘ second day of training camp — plopped down on a chair in the interview room, sneakers unlaced and sweat dripping from his forehead — the Lakers star explained Thursday that it actually was a sign of fire

Sep 30, 2021 The NBA has reached a 95% vaccination threshold of its players, reflecting a steady rise since the opening of training camps this week, league sources told ESPN on Thursday. That uptick — which includes players who’ve minimally received one vaccination shot, sources said — comes as unvaccinated players prepare for losses of

Sep 30, 2021 SAN DIEGO — Kevin Durant celebrated his 33rd birthday on Wednesday in San Diego complete with birthday cake and the Brooklyn Nets‘ rookies serenading the star. Now in his 15th season, Durant says he is “growing every single day” and understands the game more as he adapts and evolves to the changes

Sep 30, 2021 METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson and team officials revealed the teams’ long-term succession plans in detail for the first time on Wednesday, telling The Times-Picayune and WVUE-TV that they would be sold with the goal of keeping the teams in New Orleans and distributing the proceeds

Sep 29, 2021 Associated Press NEW YORK — Instant replay of out-of-bounds violations in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime of NBA games this season will be initiated by a coach’s challenge rather than by referees. The NBA’s Board of Governors approved the change Wednesday on a one-year trial basis. Under the previous

6:29 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid called the situation with his disgruntled co-star Ben Simmons “disappointing” and “borderline kind of disrespectful” to the rest of the team. The comments came Thursday following a report by The Athletic that Simmons feels his partnership with Embiid has “run its course.” Simmons has yet to report