MIAMI — As the Miami Heat face the possibilities of landing in the most punitive tier of the NBA’s new collective-bargaining agreement, there could have been an easy out for almost all of what now stand as impending concerns:

They simply could have retained Kyle Lowry to the end of the just-completed season, allowed his $29.7 million salary...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Complaining that Sixers coach Nick Nurse was eliminated in the first round is like complaining that Gordon Ramsay’s entrée tasted bad when all he had to use was last week’s leftovers.

Nurse did the best he could with what he had.

Joel Embiid, the reigning MVP, missed 32 of the last 40 games of the regular season after ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Looking for a word to describe what she sees when looking at the WNBA, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve chose "satisfaction."

Reeve has been in the WNBA since 2001. She worked as an assistant for two teams that no longer exist. She can still remember sitting down with her family, her parents concerned about her career path. You have two ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — In the second quarter of the Timberwolves' lopsided playoff loss to Denver on Friday night, Nuggets star Jamal Murray walked to the corner to guard Jaden McDaniels, then bent over to hold the seams of his shorts, conjuring the universal symbol of a tired basketball player.

He looked exhausted, and for good reason. Murray spent ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Aces star A’ja Wilson can finally talk about her signature shoe deal.

Nike introduced the two-time WNBA MVP as part of its signature athlete roster Saturday, a move that came ahead of the Aces’ preseason game against the Puerto Rico national team at South Carolina, Wilson’s alma mater.

The idea for the Wilson-centric ...Read more

SEATTLE — It's Jewell's team.

To avoid any awkwardness and to give their budding super team that might emerge in Seattle the best chance of success, Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith — without prompting or coordination — upon their arrival laid out the Storm's pecking order, which starts with Jewell Loyd.

"Sometimes that can become...Read more

CHICAGO — It’s an exciting time in the WNBA.

The much-anticipated 2024 season is mere days away, yet from an organizational standpoint, the league still looks as if it’s playing from behind.

To address player safety concerns, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced Tuesday that the league will launch a charter flight program “as ...Read more

FORT WORTH, Texas — Watching the 6-foot-2 Jalen Brunson and Kyrie Irving torch NBA defenders with a display of old-school basketball moves is now more captivating than ever because they are the ant men on a court full of Godzilla-like creations that don’t look real.

As the game has evolved we are watching giants exhibit skills that ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — From Joel Embiid’s first step down from a dais inside the Wells Fargo Center last week, the clock started ticking on the decision that could define his offseason and maybe his future in basketball.

He has little more than two months to weigh whether he will follow through on his desire and opportunity to play for the U.S. men...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Gordon made the Minnesota Timberwolves respect him, Jamal Murray made them fear him, and the Denver Nuggets made them realize mowing through the Western Conference isn’t meant to be easy.

The Nuggets have made this a series, for now at least. They still must win Sunday at Target Center to avoid facing three consecutive ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — This game never should have been this close.

Not with the injury report the Knicks submitted to the league 30 minutes ahead of tipoff of Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers on Friday.

The Knicks weren’t only without three-time All-Star Julius Randle, backup center Mitchell Robinson and sixth man Bojan Bogdanovic, but they also...Read more

LOS ANGELES — In the pantheon of celebrity feuds, Shaquille O'Neal versus Shannon Sharpe isn't exactly Kendrick Lamar versus Drake.

But it might be getting into that territory. Why? Because Shaq just released a diss track.

And what's a good beef without a rap release to commemorate it?

Here's how we got to this point:

How it started

O'...Read more

NEW YORK — The WNBA‘s expansion continues with the league soon to get its first team outside of the United States.

The league intends to add a team in Toronto that will begin play in the 2026 season, according to reports.

The team will be owned by holding company Kilmer Sports Inc., headed by Toronto billionaire Larry Tanenbaum. The 79-...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Tyrese Maxey elevated his game to new heights this season, winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and setting career highs, even with superstar Joel Embiid sidelined for an extended period.

Maxey was even better in the playoffs, putting the Sixers on his back in a heroic Game 5 win over the Knicks and averaging 29.8 ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — The Knicks? Getting preferential treatment from the officials?

Josh Hart couldn’t believe the premise.

That’s the claim Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle made after his team’s meltdown in their Game 2 loss to the Knicks. A Knicks team that lost Jalen Brunson to a sore foot for close to 16 minutes of game time in ...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Is it just me or do you think Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell was sending a “make me an offer I can’t refuse” message to the Orlando Magic during his post-game interview Sunday after Mitchell and the Cavs rallied from 18 points down to eliminate the Magic in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series?

When ...Read more

CHICAGO — There’s just one week until Teresa Weatherspoon makes her mark on the WNBA — for the second time in her Hall of Fame career.

The Chicago Sky’s new head coach will make her debut at the helm of a professional team next week with the Sky’s season opener against the Dallas Wings. It’s a fresh start for the Sky and for ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Nothing in Daryl Morey’s 32-minute, end-of-season eulogy Monday chilled Sixers fans more than his tribute to everybody’s favorite scapegoat:

“Tobias, for sure, can be a contributing player on a contender. … We have interest in all our free agents.”

Morey cannot be serious.

Tobias Harris scored zero points in the ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — From the time many a Kentucky child is old enough to dribble a basketball, a two-pronged goal animates their dreams.

The first part is to become a statewide hoops star while leading their local high school to a Kentucky state championship at Rupp Arena. The second component of the dream is to parlay that Sweet 16 star turn ...Read more

WASHINGTON — A’ja Wilson doesn’t make the same mistake twice.

She had to abandon her pumps and go barefoot when she visited the White House last year. On Thursday, the 2023 WNBA Finals MVP opted for a pair of white sneakers.

The comfortable choice paid off, as the Aces’ return to the White House was a bigger, better and more expansive ...Read more