LOS ANGELES — Ben Howland planned it like this. Of course he did.

This was a coach so engrossed in details that he would grumble about the room temperature at news conferences and call a timeout when his team was in the middle of a big run just so that he could set up his defense.

So it should come as no surprise that before his 10-year run ...Read more

NEW YORK — Kevin Durant is headed to Houston.

In a blockbuster NBA shakeup, the Houston Rockets are acquiring the 15-time All-Star forward from the Phoenix Suns for a package that includes Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the No. 10 pick in Wednesday’s draft, according to ESPN.

Five second-round picks are also headed to Phoenix in the trade....Read more

Following the bombshell news that Los Angeles Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter had purchased the majority share of the Lakers, with a $10 billion valuation, I was reminded of a text I’d received from a longtime friend a few months ago regarding the Dodgers’ team-building methods (and I’m reprinting it with his permission):

“I think...Read more

SEATTLE — “As far as having a chip on my shoulder,” Danny Sprinkle said, “it’s kind of always who I’ve been. If I have to make stuff up in my own mind to put that chip there, that’s what I do.”

In this case, UW’s men’s basketball coach doesn’t need to make up any extra motivation.

Not when Sprinkle’s team finished last ...Read more

NEW YORK — Jonquel Jones avoided a long-term injury diagnosis, but the Liberty will still be without her for at least a month.

The team confirmed that Saturday after announcing the star suffered a right ankle sprain in the second quarter of Thursday’s loss to the Phoenix Mercury. The team expects Jones to return to action in 4-6 weeks.

...Read more

NEW YORK — Obi Toppin is everything the Knicks bet against.

Twenty points on 50% shooting. Four of seven from deep. Two steals, six rebounds, and a plus-eight in 23 minutes off the bench — in the NBA Finals.

The former eighth-overall pick is not just playing on basketball’s biggest stage. He’s excelling — and doing so in the exact ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — How dare he. How dare he. Who does this kid think he is? Refusing to work out for certain teams? Trying to dictate terms to an entire league? Doesn’t he understand his place in the pecking order? He’s not even 19 yet, and he and his agent somehow believe that he has some power here, some leverage, some standing to say, I don...Read more

CHICAGO — Hailey Van Lith doesn’t want to worry about her role.

The Sky rookie arrived in Chicago with simple expectations of spending her debut season learning the point guard position behind veteran Courtney Vandersloot. But those plans fell apart within weeks when Vandersloot suffered a season-ending torn ACL on June 7 that disrupted the...Read more

CHICAGO — Midway through the third quarter of Tuesday’s collapse against the Washington Mystics, the Chicago Sky barely could get the ball over the half-court line without committing an error.

Rachel Banham failed to step forward into a pass from Ariel Atkins, allowing Sonia Citron to snag the ball from midair. Kamilla Cardoso bobbled an ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — If the college hoops talking heads are right, there are five SEC men’s basketball teams that will be the league’s creme de la creme in 2025-26.

That quintet of Southeastern Conference squads — Arkansas, Auburn, defending NCAA champion Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee — are the only league teams to be included in all ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Second-round picks have a reputation for being afterthoughts in the NBA draft, just pointless time-fillers announced by deputy commissioner Mark Tatum on the TV broadcast.

The Warriors have the No. 41 overall pick in the 2025 draft, which is far from the top of anyone’s list of places Golden State could find a contributor to...Read more

NEW YORK — The Liberty lost their second game of the season Thursday night after a fourth-quarter surge by the Phoenix Mercury.

But the loss of the Liberty’s star center before the defeat is far more important for a team looking to defend the franchise’s first title.

The Mercury managed to hold off Breanna Stewart’s 35-point ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO – Steve Kerr’s son is the newest member of the Golden State Warriors’ NBA coaching staff.

Nicholas Kerr is joining the NBA team’s coaching staff after spending the past two seasons as the head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League.

Santa Cruz went 20-14 in each of his two seasons in charge, making the ...Read more

NEW YORK — The odds are overwhelmingly in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s favor.

In the previous 31 NBA Finals in which the series was tied 2-2, the team that won Game 5 went on to win the championship in 74% of them.

And in the previous 49 Finals to go at least six games, the team that went up 3-2 won the title 82% of the time.

Both apply to...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls aren’t making major changes anytime soon.

The roster might see some mild overturn this summer as the Bulls add a rookie with the No. 12 draft pick next Wednesday and shop several players in potential trades. But team leadership is expected to stay the same from top to bottom as the Bulls prepare to rebuild — ...Read more

DENVER — It better be a cleanser, not a Tenzer.

A franchise with peak Nikola Jokic deserves a Jokic-level general manager. ESPN analyst Bob Myers, who built a dynasty at Golden State. Miami’s Andy Elisburg. Monte McNair. David Griffin. Heck, even a Tim Connelly reunion would feel like a shot in the arm right about now.

Lord help Josh ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Ace Bailey failed to lead his team to the NCAA tournament.

The Rutgers star makes the game more complicated than it needs to be, the type of player who will wow you one play and frustrate you the next.

Sources even say he interviewed poorly with NBA executives at last month’s draft combine.

He has the potential to become a ...Read more

Really, when you think about it, the Lakers and the Dodgers – or, if you prefer, Dodgers and Lakers – maybe should have been corporate siblings all along.

They are the dominant teams in North America’s most diverse sports market, the biggest dogs in an awfully competitive kennel. And this might not be 100% accurate, but it would be my ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — For 46 years it’s been a wonderful ride, the sweetest of sagas, the Buss family treating the Lakers like their precocious child, nurturing, embracing, empowering, transforming them into arguably this country’s most celebrated sports franchise.

But it’s time.

It’s time to give their baby to somebody who won’t be ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers, a family-run business since Jerry Buss purchased the franchise in 1979, will be sold to Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter and TWG Global, according to multiple people briefed on the deal.

The deal is expected to occur with the Lakers' valuation being about $10 billion — a record for a professional ...Read more