NBA

2:44 PM ET K.C. Jones, who personified winning as a hard-nosed point guard and then coach of the Boston Celtics during a Hall of Fame career has died, the Celtics confirmed Friday. He was 88. K.C. was Jones’ given name, although some joked the “C” stood for championships. It was easy to see why. He

6:56 PM ET The NBA delivered a warning to teams on Thursday that franchises are forbidden from pursuing and administering newly released coronavirus vaccines on a team-wide basis ahead of public health guidelines for prioritization, according to a memo obtained by ESPN. In informing teams that medical experts advising the NBA are in agreement with

5:11 PM ET After undergoing surgery for a fractured left hand on Thursday, Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller is expected to miss four to six weeks, sources told ESPN. Zeller, who suffered the injury in Wednesday’s season-opening loss to Cleveland, had the surgery performed by Dr. Michelle Carlsson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in

11:15 AM ET Houston Rockets star James Harden will be required to isolate until Friday and continue to test negative for the coronavirus before being cleared to return to play, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Harden should be available to play against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. Harden was fined $50,000 by the NBA

1:10 AM ET Playing his first official game since his mother died in April due to complications from COVID-19, an emotional, reflective Karl-Anthony Towns walked off the court following the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ season-opening win with the game ball tucked under his arm. “It meant a lot,” Towns said Wednesday night after the Wolves beat the

7:00 AM ET Since Rudy Gobert entered the NBA in 2013 as the 27th overall pick of the Utah Jazz, he has been known as an affable French import, a 7-foot-1 “Stifle Tower” — with a remarkable 7-foot-9 wingspan — who won consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards anchoring his team’s elite defense. But

11:43 PM ET Russell Westbrook needed only three quarters to get his first triple-double as a Washington Wizard, but he will have to wait a bit longer to get his first victory. The All-Star point guard made his Washington debut in typical Westbrook fashion with 21 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds. But it wasn’t

10:40 AM ET The Houston Rockets and NBA are reviewing video of James Harden partying maskless at a strip club to determine if he violated the league’s COVID-19 protocols, putting the perennial All-Star’s availability for Houston’s season opener Wednesday night in question, sources told ESPN. The video, which was published by Black Sports Online and

7:32 AM ET New Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey shared concern that his career in the NBA might have been over after sharing a post on social media that expressed support for a protest group in Hong Kong. “In the last 12 months, I had moments where I thought I might never

9:22 PM ET NEW YORK — Ahead of the Nets’ season opener against the Warriors, Golden State coach Steve Kerr sat down to watch some film of his former player, Kevin Durant. He pulled up Brooklyn’s preseason game against Boston and took in Durant’s first competitive games since tearing his Achilles in June of 2019.

7:00 AM ET It seems like only 2½ months ago, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy as champions inside the Orlando bubble. Oh, wait. That’s exactly what happened. Yes, after only 72 days away, NBA basketball is back! Are the Lakers a lock for another title, or could

6:56 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN In a change from his past statements on the topic of expansion, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Monday afternoon that the league has looked at some of its analysis of the ramifications of expanding beyond the league’s 30 teams. “I think I’ve always said that it’s sort of the manifest

8:41 PM ET Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Malik Beasley has pleaded guilty to a felony charge of threats of violence related to a September incident in which he was arrested, his attorney, Steven Haney, confirmed to ESPN on Monday. Haney said Beasley, 24, won’t have to serve jail time or home confinement until after the

9:00 AM ET With the NBA season tipping off this week, here’s a look at the betting market around the country — including the teams attracting the most and least action, the biggest bets and some of the odds that have been on the move. Lots of Lakers love • The defending champion Los Angeles

5:11 PM ET Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has agreed to a three-year, $40 million extension, including a player option prior to the 2023-24 season, sources tell ESPN. Kuzma, 25, finalized talks on his rookie extension on Sunday, sources said. In a rare non-max contract rookie extension that includes a player option, the deal

4:09 PM ET Ty Lue plans on utilizing Kawhi Leonard like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant by employing some triangle sets for the LA Clippers. The new Clippers coach said on Sunday that Leonard will have opportunities to emulate Jordan and Bryant — two players Leonard has spent a lot of time studying and patterning

9:55 AM ET All-NBA big man Rudy Gobert will sign a five-year, $205 million contract extension with the Utah Jazz, he told ESPN after agreeing to the largest deal for a center in league history. “It means that they believe in me,” Gobert told ESPN. “They believe in what we’ve been building over the years

12:04 AM ET Russell Westbrook drove the lane, found Thomas Bryant open for an easy dunk while the Washington Wizards‘ big man was fouled and then immediately ran to Bryant to scream his approval. In his first game with the Wizards, Westbrook only logged 17 first-half minutes in Washington’s 99-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons.