NBA

8:00 AM ET The NBA’s Eastern Conference is deeper than it has been in decades, setting up what should be a wild sprint to the playoffs over the final seven weeks of the 2021-22 NBA regular season. With five teams within 2.5 games of first place in the conference, and just six games separating sixth

4:46 PM ET The New York Knicks and guard Kemba Walker have agreed that the four-time All-Star will be sidelined for the remainder of the team’s schedule, allowing him to work out in preparation for the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. In a statement released by the team, Knicks president of basketball operations

11:40 AM ET The Cleveland Cavaliers are promoting assistant general manager Mike Gansey to the GM title in the wake of Koby Altman’s recent ascension to president of basketball operations, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Gansey’s climb completes a remarkable rise in the Cavaliers’ front office: a Cleveland high school player hired an intern in

4:55 PM ET Guard Jevon Carter plans to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks once he clears waivers, agents Mark Bartelstein and Reggie Brown of Priority Sports told ESPN on Tuesday. The Nets waived Carter upon reaching an agreement with free agent guard Goran Dragic on Monday. Carter is the second perimeter player this month to

2:12 PM ET New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has been absent from the court this season due to a foot injury, but according to JJ Redick, Williamson has been absent as a teammate his entire time in the NBA. “There’s a responsibility that you have as an athlete when you play a team sport

8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders ESPN’s ranking of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team has been revealed. What did we get right and what did we get wrong about our countdown of the league’s 76 greatest legends? Michael Jordan tops the list, followed by LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain. The top 10

4:03 PM ET Mechelle VoepelESPN.com Close Mechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996. Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul is the first recipient of the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award, the league announced

8:00 AM ET NBA All-Star Weekend was a showcase of today’s superstars, but it was also a celebration of the best players throughout 75 years of league history. Earlier in the 2021-22 season, the NBA unveiled its 75th Anniversary Team, a squad full of iconic players representing different points in the evolution of basketball. But

12:53 PM ET Free agent guard Goran Dragic is signing for the rest of the season with the Brooklyn Nets, his agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Dragic began the season on the Toronto Raptors before he was sent to the San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline and subsequently had

11:19 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — The two kids from Akron stole the show at Sunday night’s All-Star Game. Stephen Curry put on a shooting clinic all evening, hitting 16 3-pointers and scoring 50 points, while LeBron James hit an absurd, one-legged turnaround jumper to clinch the victory for Team LeBron over Team Durant

8:08 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul will be out for the next six to eight weeks due to an avulsion fracture in his right thumb, a source confirmed to ESPN. The injury is a massive blow to a Suns team with the league’s best record and knocks the All-Star

11:12 PM ET CLEVELAND — Obi Toppin was the top dunker at NBA All-Star weekend. The New York Knicks forward went through the legs, tapped the ball off the backboard and finished with a one-handed slam to score a 47 on his final dunk and win NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He beat the Golden State

11:00 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns demanded an answer as he bounded into the interview room following the 3-point contest at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Saturday night. “Who bet against me?” Towns asked with an ear-to-ear grin. Whoever did, lost. Towns, thanks to a record-setting 29 points in the

8:42 PM ET It’s almost time for the NBA’s midseason showcase. The 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend is set for Feb. 18-20 in Cleveland, and as of Thursday, the starters and captains are now known. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) again will be the captains of the two teams in this

8:00 AM ET ESPN.com staff NBA All-Star Weekend is underway, as Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge and celebrity game kicked off the festivities in Cleveland. But which stars will take home the hardware during All-Star Saturday? The night begins with a revamped skills challenge, as three teams of three — Team Cavs, Team Antetokounmpo and

11:49 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — The Rising Stars Challenge became the latest part of All-Star Weekend to undergo a format change, and it was a success. The event, which features the top first- and second-year NBA players, employed an entirely new format this season. Rather than just being one game involving those players,

7:01 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN CLEVELAND — San Antonio Spurs legend and four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili and WNBA legends Swin Cash and Lindsay Whalen headlined the 11 finalists from the North American and Women’s Committees for the Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2022. The other eight finalists were: former Los Angeles Laker Michael

9:49 AM ET Four months into the season, the odds to win the NBA championship have seen significant change at the top. The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors, considered second-tier contenders to begin the season, enter the All-Star break as the favorites to win the NBA title at sportsbooks around the nation. Meanwhile, the