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Sue Bird says Caitlin Clark backlash may have started with Diana Taurasi's 'reality is coming' comment

Sports / Basketball /

Caitlin Clark’s rookie season in the WNBA has come to a close, and it’s safe to say that few athletes have experienced the intensity of both adulation and criticism that she did in her first year as a pro.

Former UConn star and WNBA legend Sue Bird spoke about Clark, and the various narratives that have emerged surrounding her on both ...Read more

Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Joel Embiid hasn't scrimmaged at Sixers training camp as he continues 'slowly building back up'

Sports / Basketball /

NASSAU, Bahamas — Joel Embiid has yet to scrimmage at 76ers training camp.

The 2022-23 NBA MVP reiterated that he’ll be more proactive in managing his health this season after he was asked about playing with Paul George.

“I haven’t played,” Embiid said Thursday after the morning practice at Atlantis Paradise Island. “I’ve just ...Read more

Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Warriors coach Steve Kerr 'not worried' as Andrew Wiggins ruled out for preseason opener

Sports / Basketball /

LAIE, Hawaii — Andrew Wiggins missed his third straight day of training camp with an illness and won’t play in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Clippers in Honolulu.

“Still sick, unfortunately,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said of Wiggins. “I’m not worried about Wiggs because he’s been here the past couple of weeks and...Read more

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Homecoming: Karl-Anthony Towns hopes to amplify Knicks' title hopes

Sports / Basketball /

CHARLESTON, S.C. — This was the day the Knicks had been waiting for. The next chapter of their ambitious blueprint had finally begun.

Karl-Anthony Towns, the crown jewel of their blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was on the floor. After nearly a week of delays and salary-cap hurdles, Towns was finally donning a Knicks ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell isn't taking shots when talking about JJ Redick's 'high IQ'

Sports / Basketball /

LOS ANGELES — D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers’ repentant point guard who has vowed to be more engaged this season, answered some questions Thursday as drama-free as possible.

“The main goal is basketball. I think I do that,” he said. “Obviously a lot of people get distracted from that and everything else matters but basketball. For me,...Read more

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New Timberwolves Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and Keita Bates-Diop eager to play in Minnesota

Sports / Basketball /

MINNEAPOLIS — If there was a theme to emerge from the Timberwolves’ official introductions of their new players, it was just how much Julius Randle enjoyed playing for Wolves coach Chris Finch.

That was six years ago, and it was only for one season while Randle was in New Orleans when Finch was an assistant for the Pelicans.

But at a ...Read more

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Bulls sign Josh Primo -- who was suspended by the NBA in 2023 -- to an Exhibit 10 contract

Sports / Basketball /

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls are signing Josh Primo to an Exhibit 10 contract, paving the way for the 21-year-old guard to join the Windy City Bulls.

Primo was drafted No. 12 in the 2021 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs, becoming the youngest player in the league when he debuted in October 2021. The guard has logged only two games in the ...Read more

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'My job is to develop these guys.' How Overtime Elite is preparing Jasper Johnson for Kentucky.

Sports / Basketball /

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Corey Frazier is back in a familiar spot at Overtime Elite, the Atlanta-based program that has emerged as a lucrative prep basketball pathway for future college and professional players.

As the head coach of OTE’s RWE team during the 2023-24 season, Frazier — a former pro-skills trainer at OTE who played college ...Read more

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Mirjam Swanson: Can the Clippers cash in on the benefit of no expectations?

Sports / Basketball /

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The best thing going for the Clippers this season – besides finally having a home to call their own – might be that no one outside of the Intuit Dome expects much from them.

Kawhi Leonard is, generally speaking, questionable.

James Harden is 35.

Paul George is in Philadelphia.

The Clippers’ otherwise younger and ...Read more

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From NCAA champions to New York's hope: Villanova trio reunites to rewrite Knicks legacy

Sports / Basketball /

CHARLESTON, S.C. — “Damn. We really got my dog over here.”

It’s Day 2 of training camp at McAlister Field House on The Citadel’s campus, and as head coach Tom Thibodeau runs through offensive and defensive philosophies, Josh Hart can’t help but get nostalgic.

Hart’s relentless pursuit of Mikal Bridges — clowning him from across...Read more

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Liberty 'scars' from WNBA Finals loss the difference in current series vs. Aces

Sports / Basketball /

NEW YORK — The Las Vegas Aces aren’t washed. They aren’t even a vastly diminished version of their 2023 champion selves.

The 2024 Liberty team is just a squad destined to avenge a heartbreaking 2023 WNBA Finals loss with pieces put together by a proficient front office.

The “scars” — head coach Sandy Brondello mentioned during ...Read more

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Timberwolves-Knicks trade is finally official, and Karl-Anthony Towns says his goodbyes

Sports / Basketball /

MINNEAPOLIS — Just after 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Timberwolves, Knicks and Hornets made official a multi-faceted trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York and netted the Wolves Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop and a protected 2025 first-round pick via Detroit.

For the past five days, the respective social media teams had...Read more

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Lakers coach JJ Redick tries to find balance between analytics and instinct

Sports / Basketball /

LOS ANGELES — JJ Redick, the Lakers new head coach, looked down at one set of the numbers to discover that one of his rookies, Bronny James had done more moving in the team's first practice than anyone else on the roster.

"I went over to Bronny before practice and I was like, 'Dude, you ran six miles.' And he was like, 'Yeah, I know.' So ...Read more

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As Alyssa Thomas dominates, Sun need supporting cast consistency to overcome Lynx

Sports / Basketball /

In Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals between the Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx, the intensity between the two veteran squads was palpable from the start at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier got into a spat with Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey early in the game while fighting for a loose ball, and the chippy energy ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Jim Alexander: Are there any meaningful games left for LeBron James?

Sports / Basketball /

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James, speaking at the Lakers’ preseason media day on Monday, positively gushed when asked about the opportunity to play games that truly mattered this summer in Paris with “USA” on his jersey.

“It felt great to play meaningful basketball, like literally play (at) the highest level,” he said of the ...Read more

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Lynx block out Sun 77-70, even WNBA semifinal series at a game apiece

Sports / Basketball /

MINNEAPOLIS — Before this WNBA semifinal playoff series began, given the way both teams play defense, people said it would be a slugfest.

There were moments Tuesday at Target Center where it seemed that might actually happen. There was pushing and shoving. A good bit of jawing, a technical ...

… and a Lynx win.

Playing shut-down defense ...Read more

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Liberty one step closer to revenge as they put Aces on brink of elimination with Game 2 victory

Sports / Basketball /

NEW YORK — The Liberty are close to getting revenge.

They’ve put the Aces in the same position they were in during last year’s WNBA Finals: an 0-2 hole.

A deficit that’s nearly impossible to come out of.

A deficit that could require a miracle to come out of to continue the chase for an Aces three-peat.

And with the way the Liberty ...Read more

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Hawks turn up intensity in opening training-camp practice

Sports / Basketball /

ATHENS, Ga. — The Hawks took a step away from the familiar Tuesday when they opened their training camp on the campus of the University of Georgia instead of their practice facility in Brookhaven. For the first time since 2017, the Hawks made the approximately 70-minute trek to Georgia’s campus for their first three days of training camp.

�...Read more

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Steph Curry eager to put 'all the pieces together' as Warriors open camp

Sports / Basketball /

SAN FRANCISCO — Steph Curry’s summer included an iconic performance at the Paris Olympics and a one-year contract extension that keeps him with the Warriors through the 2026-27 season.

His summer also featured his first scripted television show (and acting performance), his annual Curry Cup tour for equity in golf, an endorsement of Vice ...Read more

Paul George has grown to realize strength in numbers leads to NBA titles

Sports / Basketball /

PHILADELPHIA — Paul George realized that he alone isn’t enough.

As an Indiana Pacer, George was the unquestioned Alpha Dog, taking the bulk of the shots. And that was just fine — so he thought.

“In a selfish way of pushing myself to be great, I wanted the team to be mine,” he said. “I wanted to be compared to guys that [were the No...Read more