CHICAGO — Rickea Jackson was looking for a clean slate.

By the end of her second season in Los Angeles, the 6-foot-2 forward felt it was time for a change. The Sparks won only 29 games over those two years. Jackson, the No. 4 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, averaged nearly 15 points last season yet still felt uncertain of her role in the team’...Read more

HOUSTON — Marcus Smart had not been in the playoffs since 2023, having languished with Memphis and Washington, two teams unlike a Los Angeles Lakers franchise that views the playoffs as a birthright.

Now that Smart is back in the postseason with the Lakers, he has made up for that lost time, playing with zest, smarts and energy.

Smart’s ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Jayson Tatum played the role of closer Friday night, drilling two clutch 3-pointers in the final two minutes to help the Boston Celtics win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

Boston committed 17 turnovers and struggled to hold leads throughout the night, but it left Xfinity Mobile Arena ...Read more

DETROIT — For the third time this offseason, Michigan coach Dusty May and the Wolverines have dipped into the transfer portal. This time, they made a massive addition by landing one of the top centers.

After taking a visit to Ann Arbor earlier this week, Cincinnati big man Moustapha Thiam shared news of his commitment to Michigan on his ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It was pretty much a formality, at this point, but Kansas Jayhawks freshman guard Darryn Peterson on Friday declared himself eligible for the 2026 NBA draft.

The 6-foot-6 men’s basketball star from Canton, Ohio, announced his decision on social media Friday morning. Peterson spent his freshman season at KU.

“After much...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The only thing that would make the job JJ Redick is doing better is if he were wearing a suit.

If the Los Angeles Lakers' coach looked the part.

The part of a lawyer, walking down his opposition in the open court. He delivered an airtight opening argument that was stunning for how much stronger it was than opposing Houston ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant trading cards aren't particularly rare. And because rarity equates to value, standard issue 1997 cards featuring the late Los Angeles Lakers great retail for a pedestrian $100 to $300.

Then there are 1997 Kobe Bryant Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green cards, which just by typing that highfalutin name can give ...Read more

MIAMI — The Miami Heat enter an important offseason that could bring a lot of change to the roster in the wake of another disappointing season.

The Heat needed to take part in the NBA’s play-in tournament for the fourth straight year, but they lost and were eliminated in the play-in tourney for the first time before getting to the playoffs....Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — They didn’t retreat to the locker room so much as they stumbled into it, dazed by an onslaught and an environment they should have been much more familiar with.

Minnesota shook. And the Denver Nuggets looked shaken. They were a no-show for most of Game 3 of their first-round playoff series Thursday, never leading in a 113-96 ...Read more

ATLANTA — James Dolan has risen to his feet. He’s been through a roller-coaster ride of emotions watching his Knicks — who he gave an NBA Finals mandate in January — cough up Game 2 against the Hawks at Madison Square Garden on Monday, then fall behind by as many as 15 points from his court side seat at State Farm Arena on Thursday.

...Read more

LOS ANGELES — As many as a dozen letters — including one from the NBA — were submitted by the attorney for Aspiration Partners co-founder Joe Sanberg ahead of his sentencing Monday in an effort to persuade the judge to trim the 17 years prosecutors have requested for each of the two counts of fraud.

Sanberg pleaded guilty in October to ...Read more

NEW YORK — Sean Marks has asked a lot of Brooklyn. He’s asked it to live with the losses, to stare at the standings without flinching and to trust that all the patience, all the picks and all the flexibility were building toward something better.

That’s an easier sell when the losing still feels like part of the setup. It gets harder when...Read more

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A crushing loss, deep friendships, timely advice and NIL opportunity brought All-SEC forward Thomas Haugh back to Florida.

This combination delivered an offseason windfall for men’s basketball coach Todd Golden’s Gators.

Haugh announced Tuesday he will return for a fourth season rather than enter the NBA draft, where ...Read more

SEATTLE — What’s one word to describe Dominique Malonga’s soon-to-be second season with the Seattle Storm?

Some obvious options:

Potential. Improvement. Ascendance. Expectations.

The 20-year-old center has her own answer.

But first, I’ll take a crack:

Positionless.

That word has been bouncing around Seattle’s training camp, as ...Read more

CHICAGO — Courtney Vandersloot didn’t think it would be this hard to sit on the sidelines.

At this stage of her career, the Chicago Sky point guard is used to missing training camp. Vandersloot spent years logging winter seasons in Europe, flying back to Chicago with just enough time to reintegrate into the roster before diving into the ...Read more

DETROIT — Midway through the first quarter, Goga Bitadze held the ball and attempted to establish a triple-threat position, but he struggled because of the intense defensive pressure from Isaiah Stewart. As a result, Bitadze switched his pivot foot.

The fans inside Little Caesars Arena erupted in cheers as Stewart celebrated the defensive ...Read more

NEW YORK — Stephon Marbury is asking for a pen and paper. The waitress brings him an envelope.

To Marbury, the envelope, like many things in his life, has become a basketball court. On this court, constructed with a few strokes of a pen, Jalen Brunson sits at the center. And he’s on an island defending C.J. McCollum, the Atlanta Hawks guard...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls must do this on their own.

For six years, Billy Donovan was the team’s central source of clarity. While the front office run by Artūras Karnišovas struggled with communication and decisiveness, Donovan shouldered the main responsibility of setting the culture in Chicago.

It made sense — in a sort of lopsided...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Towering superstar Victor Wembanyama toppled onto his face Tuesday night — timberrr!!! — and the NBA playoff scenario immediately became as scrambled as the San Antonio Spurs' 7-foot-4 center's thoughts must have been moments after he suffered a concussion.

Without Wembanyama for nearly three quarters, the Spurs fell to the ...Read more