NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley honored former Nets center Jason Collins for his courage after the NBA’s first openly gay player died from brain cancer Tuesday.

The outspoken 16-year pro basketball veteran and longtime broadcaster also decried homophobia during Wednesday night’s “Inside the NBA” program.

Collins, who helped lead the ...Read more

NEW YORK — OG Anunoby’s return from a right hamstring strain appears to be near.

The Knicks starting forward was a full participant in practice Friday at the team’s Tarrytown training facility, with head coach Mike Brown calling the defensive anchor’s progress “encouraging” ahead of the Eastern Conference finals.

“He practiced ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — There are lots of potential reasons why Bob Myers and Josh Harris spent 35 minutes of their Thursday afternoon sitting in front of a conference room full of media and dodging any explicit acknowledgment of the only rational explanation for either one of them being there.

The likeliest culprit was professional courtesy …

— ...Read more

SEATTLE — What if the thing you most despise should also serve as your inspiration?

What if your greatest source of hate should be what you emulate?

It seems that at some point rather soon, the Sonics are going to return to Seattle. If the projected timeline holds, the NBA will be back in this town after a two-decades-long absence.

An ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Here’s the difference between the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic: The Magic blew a 3-1 lead in the first-round of the playoffs after their second-best player Franz Wagner missed Games 5, 6 and 7 with a strained calf. The Thunder are 8-0 in the postseason despite their second-best player Jalen ...Read more

CHICAGO — More changes are coming in the Chicago Bulls front office under new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham, who is finalizing two vice president hirings this week.

A source confirmed to the Chicago Tribune that the Bulls will hire Stephen Mervis as senior vice president of basketball operations — a ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Chris Finch seems like a happy guy. After years of coaching in Europe and as an assistant in the NBA, he is the head coach of a very good team. He earns a salary he once could have only dreamed about. The Timberwolves coach lives in Minneapolis, walks to the cool spots with his friends and works in an organization that values him...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Daryl Morey was once the right man for the job.

He was the wrong man for the job now.

Whatever the Philadelphia 76ers’ reasons for parting ways with their chief personnel architect on Tuesday night, they are justified on the above grounds. The only course they can chart is one that Morey has never before captained. They must...Read more

MIAMI — Had the odds been beaten at the NBA draft lottery, had the Miami Heat moved into one of the top four selections, a case could have been made for a claim of malpractice had the team then turned around and agreed to trade such a pick.

Such opportunities come around only so often, with this draft unique in terms of its top-tier talent.

...Read more

DETROIT — Tobias Harris made a mid-range jumper to give the Detroit Pistons a nine-point lead with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. For the second consecutive game, the Pistons appeared to be on the verge of a victory. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers again embarked on a run that ultimately proved detrimental.

The Cavaliers rallied ...Read more

NEW YORK — At No. 6, the Nets’ board could be filled with appealing guards, leaving them to choose the skill set that best reflects their priorities.

Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Arizona’s Brayden Burries, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler and Houston’s Kingston Flemings all sit in the range Brooklyn may have to...Read more

NEW YORK — Jason Collins was an important player on the Brooklyn Nets teams that earned back-to-back NBA Finals berths in 2002 and 2003.

The 7-foot center suited up for six teams over 13 NBA seasons, appeared in 735 games and started 477 of them.

But Collins’ legacy transcends what he accomplished on the basketball court.

As the NBA’s ...Read more

SEATTLE — Desmond Mason, the only SuperSonics player to win the Slam Dunk Contest, was arrested last week on a felony warrant in Oklahoma City. An Oklahoma City news outlet reported the felony warrant is for theft of property out of Texas.

The former NBA player, who was drafted 17th overall by the Sonics in 2000 and played two and a half ...Read more

NEW YORK — OG Anunoby is on the mend.

The New York Knicks forward participated in “some parts” of practice Wednesday, but not in the team scrimmage, as he works his way back from a right hamstring strain, head coach Mike Brown said.

“The stuff that he went through, he looked fine,” Brown said.

Anunoby got some shots up and did what ...Read more

It's never a good time to hear you've been cut from your team — but being told just hours before your season opener might be one of the worst.

That's what happened to former Atlanta Dream guard Holly Winterburn on Saturday. Just two days after being announced as part of the 2026 roster for the Dream, Winterburn was waived so the team could ...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — Of the many stadium/arena projects that have existed in North Texas in the last 40 years, none compares to the eight-part miniseries “suspense thriller” that is the creation of the new home of the Dallas Wings, which is still not done, nor has it even started.

As much excitement as the arrival of Paige Bueckers and Azzi...Read more

In the 10 playoff series of Anthony Edwards era, the Timberwolves have only twice entered Game 5 of a series tied 2-2.

They have lost all three of those games. They added the latest one to the ledger with a 126-97 loss in Game 5 to the Spurs, who took a 3-2 series lead and can close it out Friday in Game 6 at Target Center.

The other two ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers' roster isn't the only thing getting restructured this offseason.

In the first offseason under Mark Walter's ownership, the Lakers will undergo several changes in their front office and with the organization's infrastructure while trying to keep pace in the ever-evolving NBA.

The Lakers plan to hire two ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — So what happens now?

The Lakers left their home court on Monday night swept out of the playoffs for the second time in four seasons, though after getting drilled in the first three games by the Oklahoma City Thunder — and beaten handily in six of the teams’ first seven meetings, including losses of 25, 29, 43 and 36 points �...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Daryl Morey has been fired as the Philadelphia 76ers’ president of basketball operations, a source confirmed to The Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday.

Morey’s dismissal comes after the Sixers pulled off a first-round playoff upset of the Boston Celtics, but were then swept by the New York Knicks over the weekend.

The Sixers...Read more