11:20 AM ET Months before he agreed to purchase the Utah Jazz for $1.66 billion, Ryan Smith, who was formally approved as owner by the NBA’s board of governors Friday, said he was “really close” to making a bid to buy the Minnesota Timberwolves. Smith, who made his fortune as the co-founder of the Utah-based

12:17 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, has denounced a lawsuit from her mother claiming she is owed years of pay for working as an unpaid assistant and support promised by the basketball legend, who was killed in a helicopter crash in January. Bryant issued a statement

10:59 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN A new NBA season will tip off Tuesday, but the league’s mission to support empowerment for the Black community, as demonstrated in the Orlando, Florida, bubble, hasn’t been forgotten. The NBA board of governors in early August announced a $300 million initial contribution to establish the NBA Foundation, dedicated to

Dec 16, 2020 Eric WoodyardESPN It was a normal Tuesday for Giannis Antetokounmpo, outside of his inking a big business deal. He ate dinner with family, visited a Buy Buy Baby store to shop for toys and clothes for his infant son, Liam, and then went home and fell asleep, only to wake up for

4:23 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Gordon Hayward‘s bad luck with injuries appears to have followed him to Charlotte. Hayward, who signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the Hornets last month after spending the past three seasons with the Boston Celtics, suffered an avulsion fracture of the fifth metacarpal on his right (shooting) hand during

3:14 PM ET Houston Rockets star James Harden did not directly answer questions about his desire to be traded during his first media availability since his brief holdout at the beginning of training camp. “Right now, I’m just focused on being here,” Harden said Wednesday, a day after playing 21 minutes in a preseason win

9:35 PM ET Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Grizzlies have a talented young core that they are determined to keep together, and they exercised the 2021-22 options for reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Clarke and Grayson Allen. The Grizzlies announced the moves Wednesday night. The No.

Dec 15, 2020 Luka Doncic has separated himself from Giannis Antetokounmpo and emerged as the consensus favorite to win the NBA regular-season MVP at U.S. sportsbooks, and bettors are flocking to the Dallas Mavericks‘ young superstar. On Nov. 10, Doncic and Antetokounmpo opened as +550 co-favorites at Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill. Since then, Doncic

Dec 14, 2020 Andrew LopezESPN When Zion Williamson told reporters about not having any sort of restrictions on him this season, he was happy. The smile on his face was bright and his happiness shined through on the video call last week. After the New Orleans Pelicans‘ 114-92 win over the Miami Heat in their

3:57 PM ET First-year Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas said he had a “good conversation” with James Harden before the perennial All-Star’s first practice of the season Monday, but they did not discuss Harden’s reported desire to be traded. “You can ask him about his commitment and all that sort of thing,” said Silas, who