MIAMI — From the moment the agreement was reached on June 22 to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks, the singular goal by the Miami Heat has been to create a connection.

The roster was reshuffled. A welcoming gala was staged. Relocation was assisted.

But there also was a constant that the Heat hope will create the type of ...Read more

The news conference Thursday began with Lakers president of operations Rob Pelinka saying he wanted to "express gratitude" to LeBron James for the eight years he spent playing for Los Angeles before departing to Philadelphia as a free agent over the summer.

It didn't take long for Pelinka to pivot into Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, and how ...Read more

Gregg Popovich coached the San Antonio Spurs from 1996 to 2025, winning a league-record 1,390 regular-season games, 170 postseason games and five NBA championships.

For four of those championships and quite a few of the other victories, one of Popovich's assistant coaches was his new wife's ex-husband.

Popovich, 77, married Mary Barth ...Read more

OAKLAND, Calif. — Steph Curry is in no rush to sign a contract extension that would all but guarantee he would finish his career as a Warrior.

But playing in anything but a Golden State uniform? Curry emphatically squashed that notion on Wednesday afternoon.

“This is a very unique situation, and I’ve been pretty straightforward and ...Read more

STORRS, Conn. — The Protect College Sports Act has drawn passionate support, and just as passionate opposition as it works its way through congress. The bipartisan bill is meant to create unified standards for college athletics and end the perceived chaos of recent years.

UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley weighed in after the Huskies�...Read more

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson had a "friendly and casual 'friends with benefits' sexual relationship" with the woman who is accusing him of raping and abusing her multiple times between 2018 and 2023, according to a court filing by the former Duke standout's legal team.

A document submitted to Los Angeles County Superior Court on ...Read more

Tributes accumulated rapidly for Chris Spatola, a popular ESPN college basketball analyst who died Monday. He was 47.

Spatola is the son-in-law of legendary former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and was an assistant coach with the Blue Devils from 2007 to 2012. He married Krzyzewski's daughter, Jamie, and the couple had three children together.

...Read more

The WNBA's rookie scoring record now belongs to Minnesota Lynx point guard Olivia Miles, who moved past Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark for total points scored in a player's first season as the visiting Lynx beat the Connecticut Sun 101-89 on the road.

Miles' first points — a pair of free throws early in the second quarter — put her total at ...Read more

MIAMI — While finishing touches remain for the Heat’s roster, those who will get the most touches are in place and ready to go for the Sept. 29 start of training camp.

So what’s the best-case, worst-case scenarios for each?

In the balance could be — no, will be — how this massive makeover shakes out.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

— Best ...Read more

NEW YORK — Knicks star Jalen Brunson is joining another New York institution.

Brunson will make a guest-starring appearance during the upcoming 28th season of “Law & Order: SVU,” which is set to premiere on NBC on Oct. 8. The network revealed Brunson’s casting this week, confirming that he will show up in the fifth episode of the ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — For Timberwolves fans and perhaps even other NBA organizations, this offseason might have felt like a sudden transformation.

The Wolves dramatically remade their roster around under-26 players by trading away two productive power forwards in Julius Randle and Naz Reid while acquiring LaMelo Ball as part of the four-team deal and...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Mark Walter may be selling the Lakers, but the new owners plan to take a money-making page out of the Dodgers’ playbook nonetheless: Dump the ticket brokers and leverage control over the resale market to drive up the cost of a ticket.

As a result, the average price for a Lakers ticket could rise from $217 to $361 within the ...Read more

DETROIT — At the end of the 2025-26 campaign, basketball operations president Trajan Langdon said the goal was to build around the Detroit Pistons' three core players — Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson — now and in the future.

The Pistons have locked up two of the three players to build sustainable success, with Thompson ...Read more

MIAMI — The Miami Heat made a move ahead of their Sept. 29 start of training camp by reaching an agreement with guard Pelle Larsson on a four-year, $60 million extension, the South Florida Sun Sentinel confirmed Friday.

Larsson, who has been a breakout contributor after being selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft out of Arizona, ...Read more

NEW YORK — In just over a month, Madison Square Garden will host the most expensive regular-season basketball game in NBA history.

A record once held by Staples Center for the night of Kobe Bryant’s final NBA game is now set to belong to the defending champion Knicks, who beat the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the 2026 NBA Finals, and on Oct. 20...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — Jose Fernandez stumbled into revealing something with an innocent answer that explains why the Dallas Wings selected Azzi Fudd with the first pick in the WNBA draft, one slot ahead of a player who may be named MVP.

“She got picked No. 1 because I felt, and our organization felt, that she was going to be the best fit not ...Read more

NEW YORK — Twenty years ago, parts of the NBA went out of its way to disparage KeyArena. The previous owner of the SuperSonics didn’t like it because of the lease. The new owners of the team didn’t like it because it wasn’t in Oklahoma City. The commissioner of the league really didn’t like it, period.

It was outdated the day the ...Read more

NEW YORK — If you’re going to watch the Knicks receive their 2026 NBA championship rings on opening night at Madison Square Garden, you’ll need to bring your checkbook with you.

It’s a $1,000 get-in price for nosebleed seats on Oct. 20, when the defending champions will receive their rings from their 4-1 gentlemen’s sweep of Victor ...Read more