3:59 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Responding to recent critical comments made by Kevin Durant about the Oklahoma City Thunder organization, general manager Sam Presti pushed back against the idea there’s lingering animosity between the sides. “If there is anything that Kevin Durant ever, ever needed from me or from anyone here, it would be

8:44 AM ET LeBron James has been the No. 1 player in ESPN’s NBArank since the beginning. He had just disappointed and somewhat disappeared in the 2011 NBA Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks, yet he was still recognized as the game’s greatest all-around performer later that year. For eight seasons we asked ESPN’s basketball

6:17 PM ET Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — Videos of Ben Simmons making jumpers flooded social media over the summer, and the All-Star point guard said he is ready to take his game to another level when the Philadelphia 76ers open camp next week. “I feel like this summer I fell in love with the game

3:21 PM ET Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — It was time for the last jump shot of Markelle Fultz‘s workout on the Orlando Magic practice court on Wednesday. He let a 3-pointer fly from the left corner, and spun around in celebration even before the ball swished through the net. After two years of problems,

7:11 PM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — Strong starts to the preseason by American 18-year-olds LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton have ramped up the interest in the Australian National Basketball League among NBA scouts. Local media said more than two dozen scouts watched preseason games in Hobart, Tasmania, this weekend, where Ball and Hampton impressed

6:49 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Wizards forward Troy Brown Jr. has injured his left calf and is expected to miss about a month, the latest in a series of injuries the team is dealing with as the NBA season approaches. The Wizards said Tuesday that Brown strained his calf a day earlier during

2:07 PM ET ESPN News Services Nets point guard Kyrie Irving caught an inadvertent elbow during a pick-up game at Brooklyn’s practice facility Tuesday and was sent to the hospital to be evaluated, but general manager Sean Marks said the team was just being cautious. “I wouldn’t even want to speculate at all but I

8:46 PM ET The Memphis Grizzlies and Andre Iguodala have mutually agreed to let him stay away from the team, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Memphis has no plans to negotiate a contract buyout and continues to expect that it will find a trade for Iguodala prior to the Feb. 6 deadline, sources said.

10:06 AM ET ESPN.com staff It takes a special breed to know what season it is right now. Fall? Nope. Football season? Nope. Baseball postseason? Nope. C’mon! If you’re reading this, you are the right breed. The kind of person who knows it is … fantasy basketball season! NBA training camps and preseason games will

8:10 AM ET The 2019 version of NBArank debuted on Monday with players Nos. 100 to 51, including hyped rookies (the Memphis Grizzlies‘ Ja Morant), established veterans (the Denver Nuggets‘ Paul Millsap) and intriguing players on new squads (the New Orleans Pelicans‘ Lonzo Ball). Who didn’t make the cut but should have? Which players are