8:06 AM ET NBA Insiders Can LeBron James catch Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA MVP race? Who is the favorite to win the NBA Finals? Does Zion Williamson have any chance in the Rookie of the Year race against Ja Morant? We polled the ESPN Forecast panel of experts for their predictions now that we

1:19 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN MILWAUKEE – With Lil Wayne’s “Kobe Bryant” song blasting throughout Fiserv Forum, reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo went through an intense pre-game workout, two hours ahead of the tip-off against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Once the sweaty, 6-foot-11 Milwaukee Bucks superstar wrapped up on the court, he hit the locker

4:17 PM ET Stephen Curry on Saturday said he’s optimistic he’ll return to the court on March 1 when the Golden State Warriors host the Washington Wizards. Curry hasn’t played since breaking his hand after a collision with Phoenix Suns center Aron Baynes on Oct. 30. The Warriors had yet to schedule an exact date

3:36 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis went from injured to insurmountable; fragile to a force to be reckoned with in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 117-105 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at Staples Center. And his performance — 28 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocks in only 31 minutes — left his

11:44 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The pilot of a helicopter that crashed into a Southern California hillside, killing Kobe Bryant and eight others, was reprimanded five years ago for flying into airspace that had reduced visibility without permission, according to a Federal Aviation Administration enforcement record. Ara Zobayan was counseled by an

4:32 PM ET The Detroit Pistons announced Friday that they have reached a buyout agreement with forward Markieff Morris. Morris, 30, has appeared in 44 games for the Pistons this season, averaging 11 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Morris had signed a two-year contract with Detroit in July that was to have paid him

2:48 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Houston Rockets star guard Russell Westbrook says he must hold himself to a higher standard after being ejected from Thursday night’s 135-105 win over the Golden State Warriors. Westbrook picked up his first technical foul with 7 minutes, 38 seconds left in the first quarter after arguing a foul

10:45 PM ET ESPN News Services ATLANTA — Trae Young had a career-high 50 points and the Atlanta Hawks scored the last 10 points of the game to beat the Miami Heat 129-124 on Thursday night. Young made 18 of 19 free throws and 8 of 15 3-pointers to set his scoring high in his

4:31 PM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jake Layman was finally cleared Thursday to return to practice, with his absence at 39 straight games and counting because of a sprained left toe. Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, however, does not have that clearance as he continues to sit out with a sprained left

7:50 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — As the Golden State Warriors prepare for Stephen Curry‘s return to the floor next month, they do so emboldened by the fact that they never considered shutting him down for the season after he broke his left hand on Oct. 30. As some critics and fans wonder whether allowing

7:46 PM ET It is a “good assumption” the NBA will use a target score to end next season’s All-Star Game after experimenting with the concept for the first time Sunday, Byron Spruell, the NBA’s president of league operations, told ESPN on Wednesday in New York. That is not set in stone yet, as league

2:08 PM ET A civil lawsuit filed by Charles Oakley against New York Knicks owner James Dolan and Madison Square Garden has been dismissed. Oakley filed the lawsuit in 2017 following a February incident that year in which he had a run-in with security personnel at the Garden. Oakley was arrested and charged with two

1:09 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry still isn’t cleared to take contact in practice as he continues his rehab from a broken left hand. But as he gets closer to returning over the next few weeks, his teammates and coaches dropped a new nickname on him during Tuesday’s

10:02 PM ET After a brief and tumultuous tenure, John Beilein is leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers as coach, league sources tell ESPN. The Cavaliers are promoting associate head coach JB Bickerstaff to become the full-time head coach, and he’ll run his first practice on Wednesday evening, league sources said. Beilein, 67, is expected to say

12:05 PM ET High school prospect Makur Maker will be eligible for the 2020 NBA draft if he applies as an early-entry candidate, according to a memo distributed to NBA teams by the league office. The memo also included a revised agreement to the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players

6:38 PM ET Adrian Wojnarowski Close Senior NBA Insider Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 Tim MacMahon Close ESPN Staff Writer Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009 Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM The Houston Rockets are doubling down on small ball, planning to use

3:54 PM ET Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has been elected as a vice president of the National Basketball Players Association. Irving replaces Pau Gasol on the NBPA executive committee. Gasol’s three-year term expired. “This was the right time for me to run for a leadership position in the NBPA,” Irving said. “I have been

2:59 PM ET Nick DePaulaESPN Over the past 18 months, Kawhi Leonard and New Balance had been quietly targeting the debut of the reigning Finals MVP’s first signature shoe for All-Star Weekend in Chicago. Leonard’s namesake model, simply dubbed The Kawhi, features multiple details specific to the current face of the company. It features his