Thursday was the first day the Lakers and LeBron James could talk contract extension beyond this coming season. The Lakers can offer up to $97.1 million over two years to keep LeBron playing his home games at Staples Center through his age 40 season. The sides talked and LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, told Dave McMenamin of ESPN that the discussions …

The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James met to discuss their future together on Thursday ahead of a possible contract extension, his agent told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. While the talks between James and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and coach Darvin Ham were described as “productive,” no new deal has been reached. It’s unclear when such an extension will be …

When Rollins’ NBA future became clear to Warriors rookie originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea LAS VEGAS — The Warriors have three future Hall of Famers on their hands in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Debate that on your own time. All three were far from sure things as high school prospects. None earned the prestigious five-star label. …

At this point, everybody knows about Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey and his maniacal work ethic. The rising star is constantly staying in the gym and working on parts of his game in order to improve as an overall player. His hard work has paid off as he is one of Philadelphia’s top players and he’s coming off a second …

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James became eligible to ink an extension with the team on Thursday, but there is no agreement imminent between the two sides, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, via an appearance on NBA Today. There is technically no rush for James, who has one year remaining on his current contract, to sign an extension, as he …

As the offseason has become quiet, most teams have their roster for the upcoming season. For the Chicago Bulls, bringing back All-Star Zach LaVine and adding veteran depth in Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic sets the team up for a hopeful longer playoff run this coming season. John Schuhmann of NBA.com put together an Offseason Power Rankings for the Eastern …

RUSSIA-US-DIPLOMACY-BASKET-COURT On Thursday, a Russian judge sentenced WNBA and Team USA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for drug possession and smuggling. In what quickly became a very politically loaded case, Griner was “wrongfully detained” according to American diplomats after police at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. This amount …

Known best as “Mad Max,” retired shooting guard Vernon Maxwell played with the Houston Rockets over parts of six seasons from 1989 to 1995. That run included a starting role on the franchise’s first championship team in 1993-94 alongside legendary center Hakeem Olajuwon. But in the early years, there was apparently at least one night in which their partnership could …

Celtics player spotlight: How Grant Williams can build on strong Year 3 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston It wasn’t long ago that people were debating whether Grant Williams could be a useful player for the Boston Celtics. The 2019 first-round draft pick had an underwhelming 2020-21 season in which he averaged just 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, …

Donovan Mitchell is beloved in Utah — the Jazz drafted him, developed him, he was the leading scorer on a team with the best record in the NBA, and is involved in the community. He has never asked for a trade. Yet Danny Ainge and the Jazz are trying to trade him (in the wake of trading Rudy Gobert, Royce …

Celtics players show support for Brittney Griner on day of sentencing originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner was sentenced by the Russian government to nine years in prison on Thursday. The NBA and Celtics players have been calling for her release for months now. The C’s wore “WE ARE BG” shirts during media availability ahead of …

Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Seth Curry was just listed within the top 20 shooting guards in the league after an impressive season in the Nets’ starting lineup. Curry averaged 15 points per game, shooting an efficient 42 percent from behind the perimeter. In the playoffs Curry shot 52 percent, making him one of the top three three-point shooters in the playoffs. …

So far, the Houston Rockets haven’t made big moves in 2022 free agency. But led by the pick of Jabari Smith Jr. at No. 3 overall in the first round, they appear to have had another strong draft, and that’s enough for many NBA experts to give them a high offseason grade. Earlier in June, the Rockets traded veteran center …

Get to know Danilo Gallinari: Stats, contract and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston Danilo Gallinari, aka “The Rooster,” came into the NBA in 2008 when he was selected sixth overall by the New York Knicks. He spent two-and-half seasons with the Knicks, playing in only 157 games before being dealt to the Denver Nuggets. Gallinari was a part …

The Oklahoma City Thunder made the Mike Muscala contract official on Thursday. This announcement comes 35 days after the Thunder reportedly signed Muscala. The Thunder originally agreed to a one-year, veterans minimum deal with Muscala on June 30. This move happened a day after the team declined Muscala’s $3.5 million team option for the 2022-23 season. Muscala signed for $2.6 …

Where is Beal showing up on NBA player rankings lists? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington It’s offseason player rankings season! Cue the confetti and pyrotechnics. Each year, when the NBA calendar slows down to a halt after free agency, outlets all over rank the top players in the league. While some may argue it’s a pointless exercise, these types …

The 2022-23 season continues to approach for the Philadelphia 76ers and they will soon receive their opportunity to rebound from a Round 2 ouster from the 2022 playoffs. The preseason schedule continues to be released in bits and pieces before the grind of 82 games. The Sixers will face the Brooklyn Nets in a preseason matchup on Oct. 3 and …

Shareef O’Neal, the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, responded to recent feedback from seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry about his recent play with the Los Angeles Lakers. Horry, who won three titles with Shaquille in Los Angeles, recalled watching Shareef in a workout with the Lakers on the “Big Shot Bob” podcast. He wasn’t impressed by what he …

With the busiest days of free agency behind us, ESPN decided to hand out offseason grades for all 30 NBA teams. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was a quiet summer as the only additions to the roster came in the 2022 NBA draft with four rookies in Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams. The team also …

Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 — and eventually to 68 in 2011 — just two programs have won back-to-back national championships: Duke in 1991 and 1992 and Florida in 2006 and 2007. As the 2022-23 season approaches, Kansas has some significant holes to fill from last season’s roster if it wants to join that elite …

Chicago Bulls have 20th-highest Twitter following in the world originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago The Chicago Bulls are a team that gets around. Dating back to the Jordan era that delivered the franchise’s only six championships in its history, the Bulls are a popular franchise. As the team’s popularity grew, Derrick Rose took over the media attention as the …

usatsi Former NBA player Iman Shumpert was arrested for cannabis possession on Saturday afternoon at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. He had six ounces of cannabis in a bag when he tried to pass through airport security for his flight to Los Angeles, according to the DFW Airport Department of Public Safety, via the Associated Press. In Texas, possession of …

DALLAS (AP) Former NBA player Iman Shumpert was arrested at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday for allegedly trying to bring six ounces of cannabis through security. The police report from the DFW Airport Department of Public Safety shows police were called to a TSA checkpoint at about 3:40 p.m. on July 30 and told there was a …

Doc Rivers doesn’t sound too concerned with the NBA’s tampering investigation into the Philadelphia 76ers. He said the league’s allegations that the 76ers had early contact before they signed P.J. Tucker, Danuel House and re-signed James Harden were “not true” because Rivers and team president of basketball operations Daryl Morey had “no idea” Harden would opted out of his contract …

When John Calipari and Mark Few announced their agreement to a home-and-home series, there was a small — but significant — distinction in the lingo used by the two legendary coaches. Few said he was excited to take his Gonzaga team to Rupp Arena, the Kentucky’s home court, whereas Calipari notably stopped short of committing to take his Cats to …