BOSTON — Celtics coach Ime Udoka used “crude language” in his dialogue with a female staff member prior to his improper workplace relationship with her, which was a key finding by the independent law firm the team hired that led to his season-long suspension, according to a report Friday by ESPN.

ESPN’s report said that the findings ...Read more

James Wiseman was marvelous, fantastic, and dominant in the Warriors’ preseason win over the Wizards Friday in Japan.

Yes, it was an exhibition, but one could argue that it was the young Warriors center’s best game as a professional.

But Friday’s performance wasn’t revelatory.

Wiseman’s 20-point, nine-rebound game was impressive, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A decision on how many preseason games LeBron James will play has yet to be decided.

James was asked after practice Friday how many preseason games he wants to participate in.

“More than I played last year,” James said. “How many did I play last year? More than I played last year.”

Last season, James played in three of...Read more

BOSTON — The Celtics are turning to a past No. 1 overall pick to provide much-needed depth to their suddenly depleted frontcourt.

Blake Griffin — once known for his electrifying highlight-reel dunks — is signing with the C’s on a fully guaranteed one-year deal, according to multiple reports on Friday and first by ESPN. The Celtics have ...Read more

NEW YORK — Nets star Kevin Durant said he returned to Brooklyn after his unfulfilled trade request because the Nets were still “a great option.”

Durant, who requested a trade twice in the offseason and reportedly asked team owner Joe Tsai to fire both general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash, chose to stay put even though ...Read more

It’s hard to remember a time when the NBA had this much quality and this much parity.

Last year, the Warriors won the title despite having 11-to-1 odds to win it all at the start of the season. But right now, six teams have 10-to-1 odds or shorter to win the NBA title at Fanduel sportsbook. There’s another group of five not-so-far-fetched ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The second season of the upstart Overtime Elite (OTE) professional basketball league is set to boast several mouthwatering matchups between some of the best high school basketball players in the country.

In addition to Amen and Ausar Thompson, who are projected top picks in next year’s NBA draft, the OTE league features ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — With the sincerity of a parent, and the conviction of a preacher, Kim Mulkey looked at me and said of her Brittney Griner, “That’s someone’s child. That’s someone’s baby.”

She still is.

Even if you disagree with her.

This exchange happened in 2013, after Baylor beat TCU in Fort Worth when I asked the then ...Read more

Jayson Tatum gets plenty of credit for his basketball ability, now an All-NBA player and considered one of the game’s best after he led the Celtics to the NBA Finals last season.

But the Celtics star may not be getting enough credit for his leadership.

As the C’s marched toward the NBA Finals last spring, Al Horford noticed a shift in ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Clippers have promised in training camp to take a cautious approach with the workload of their over-30 headliners, a process that began Thursday in the team's final day of workouts in Las Vegas.

After practicing without limitations through two days of camp, including five-on-five play, Kawhi Leonard was given the day off ...Read more

CHARLESTON, S.C. — At one point during Thursday’s televised practice at The Citadel, 76ers coach Doc Rivers told his team, “Our spirit is [B.S.]!”

Part of the problem had to do with the Sixers standing around and not feeding Joel Embiid the ball. Later, Rivers, still wearing a live microphone after the NBA TV telecast, chatted with ...Read more

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson puts it in air quotes. “Added pressure.”

It’s not something he’s giving much credence to as he enters his first season with the Knicks, strapped with the type of contract that implies he’ll end the franchise’s long point-guard drought.

“For one, it’s not really pressure to me. I’ve played a long ...Read more

Jon Scheyer is a rarity among college head coaches.

Only three of the 68 head coaches who made the NCAA men’s basketball tournament last season were McDonald’s All-Americans as players.

A 2006 McDonald’s All-American and four-year player at Duke, Scheyer’s ability to relate to the players he recruits and coaches helps him on the job.

...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls are optimistic after Lonzo Ball’s latest knee procedure, but expectations are still tempered as the point guard continues a nine-month rehabilitation.

Ball underwent an arthroscopic debridement in his left knee Wednesday in Los Angeles to assess and remove the previously unidentified source of lingering pain ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — You know P.J. Tucker. If you’ve played any basketball in your life, you’ve played against P.J. Tucker, and you likely hated it. Or you’ve played with P.J. Tucker, and you loved it. P.J. Tucker is 37, which makes him an old man by NBA standards, and more to the point, P.J. Tucker has an old man’s game, in the best and the...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Two of the best defenders of the last two decades of the NBA met Wednesday inside the Lakers’ practice facility, with Ben Wallace and Anthony Davis meeting up to … talk haircuts?

“He told me he liked my hair,” Davis said, pointing to his afro. “A headband, couple of wristbands and maybe I can win defensive player of ...Read more

LOS VEGAS — Perhaps it was force of habit that when Paul George discussed how the Clippers could manage their deep roster's looming crunch for playing time Monday, the star forward called on using "the Team USA approach."

A decade ago when Paul visited UNLV's Mendenhall Center, it was to practice against a loaded USA Basketball roster working...Read more

BOSTON — When Malcolm Brogdon was on the verge of being traded this summer, the Pacers gave the guard a few options to pick from before he ultimately decided on the Celtics.

The choice was relatively easy for Brogdon, who’s made it as far as the conference finals once — in 2019 with the Bucks — in his first six seasons.

“I picked ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kelly Oubre was describing the nuances of drawing contact on drives to the basket when he took a peek to his right and noticed LaMelo Ball waiting nearby.

“I think it’s just that refs see how we look, you know what I mean?” the Charlotte Hornets swingman said with a smile Tuesday while looking slyly in Ball’s ...Read more