3:34 AM ET SACRAMENTO — A day later and 380 miles up the I-5 North from Los Angeles, the Lakers were a part of a Kobe Bryant tribute once again. The Sacramento Kings, coached by a former Bryant teammate in Luke Walton and run by vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac, the man the

10:49 PM ET Brooklyn Nets star guard Kyrie Irving will undergo an MRI on his sprained right knee Sunday, a source told ESPN. Irving left Saturday night’s 113-107 loss to Washington in the fourth quarter, after getting tangled with the Wizards’ Bradley Beal and falling awkwardly back on the knee. Irving said he underwent X-rays,

1:04 AM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jaxson Hayes issued an apology late Friday night after a video circulated on social media of Hayes directing a derogatory comment at the NBA. Hayes took to social media to voice his frustration with the voting process after he wasn’t named to the

8:58 AM ET Here are 11 things — all “likes.” This is a week to appreciate the beauty and ruggedness of the game. 1. The magic and malleability of the reigning MVP The power of Giannis Antetokounmpo: He can morph into any player type depending on what Milwaukee wants, and perform each at an All-Star

10:28 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 54 points, making all 10 shots in the first half and 19 of 23 for the game, to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 133-118 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday. Irving’s previous season high was 50 against the Minnesota

2:50 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers are set to play a game for the first time since Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter accident on Sunday. The Lakers’ scheduled game against the Clippers on Tuesday night was postponed in the aftermath of the tragedy. The Lakers will hold

10:47 PM ET LOS ANGELES — The LA Clippers honored Kobe Bryant in a variety of moving ways Thursday night in the first basketball game played at Staples Center since the former Lakers great died. But coach Doc Rivers and the team agreed there is one ultimate way to pay tribute to him. “The best

8:19 PM ET In her first public comments since the death of husband Kobe and daughter Gianna on Sunday, Vanessa Bryant thanked the millions of fans who have shown support during what she called a “horrific” time. “There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now,” Bryant said in an Instagram post accompanied by

2:09 PM ET Associated Press Kobe Bryant’s final jersey number will be something this year’s NBA All-Stars play to reach. The NBA announced major changes to the All-Star format on Thursday, turning every quarter into a mini-game for charity before an untimed final quarter with a target score that will decide which team wins. Scores

12:59 AM ET The NBA has alerted teams to the impending release of adjusted 2020-2021 salary and luxury tax projections, signaling the likelihood that a decline in revenue will cause a drop in the figures, league sources tell ESPN. The league office is expected to deliver revised projections as soon as Thursday, an accommodation that