LOS ANGELES — Shaquille O'Neal has an issue with a recent ranking of the all-time best NBA players.

On Monday, Bleacher Report released its list of the "top 100 NBA players ever," based on a compilation of rankings from a "legion of B/R NBA experts, writers and editors."

O'Neal finished just outside the top five. He didn't seem to have an ...Read more

DENVER — Michael Porter Jr. might be your Lex Luthor, but he’s Ashley Salvador’s Superman.

“I knew that it was probably coming because (the Nuggets) needed to kind of shake things up,” Salvado told me last Friday. “I was still sad when they announced it.”

MPJ officially became a member of the Nets last week. While you cheered, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES —The news seemed routine.

The ramifications could be resounding.

Late last month, LeBron James exercised his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers for next season. It was an expected transaction that, at first weary glance, appeared to be no big deal.

Of course he would take the guaranteed money, more than anyone else in ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — It was a bit of worlds colliding for the Heat as June turned into July, with Duncan Robinson dealt to the Detroit Pistons and Miami’s summer roster moving into action.

In each case, it was a reminder of the possibilities of the Heat’s developmental wing, how undrafted does not necessarily mean untalented, unwanted or ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Atlanta Hawks moved to 2-0 in Summer League play after downing the Phoenix Suns, 98-80, Sunday afternoon at Cox Pavilion.

First-round pick Asa Newell found his bearings and handled the pace of NBA play. He had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while remaining engaged and active on the defensive end.

“It’s just competitive nature...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — A year ago, when the Sixers signed Paul George to a four-year, $211 million free-agent contract, team executives were realistic.

They knew it would take at least a season for their new star to mesh with their old ones, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. They had no idea whether their first-round pick, Jared McCain, would contribute ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — In the moment, the package received by the Miami Heat in the Feb. 6 Jimmy Butler trade to the Golden State Warriors at the NBA trading deadline felt … meh.

When the first-round pick acquired from the Warriors in that trade last month turned into Kasparas Jakucionis, in his fall from lottery prospect to No. 20 Heat selection, the...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — There’s a shortage of perfect sporting events in the world. Would be a pity to damage one.

Never underestimate the NCAA, though. Its men’s and women’s basketball committees are kicking around the terrible idea of expanding the NCAA tournaments, and while the committees tabled those discussions during their meetings ...Read more

NEW YORK — Knicks head coach Mike Brown may have dropped a subtle clue about the identity of his first team at Madison Square Garden.

Brown’s basketball philosophy has evolved alongside the sport itself — from his early days on the bench with the Washington Bullets at the Cap Centre in Landover, Md., to championship runs with the Golden ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — A’ja Wilson scored 25 of her game-high 34 points in the first half and the Aces beat the Golden State Valkyries, 104-102, on Saturday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd finished with 30 and 15 points, respectively, and took over for the Aces in third quarter.

Wilson, who added 16 rebounds, was listed as ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — I called Jerry Colangelo’s office on Wednesday. I was not certain he would call me back, and I did not intend to talk to him about his son, Bryan, and the 76ers’ and social-media burner accounts.

There were a couple of other topics I wanted to discuss with him, primarily this year’s induction of the 2008 U.S. Olympic men�...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Miami Heat’s opening game at the Las Vegas NBA Summer League was decided in the first quarter.

Technically the 105-98 loss Friday to the Atlanta Hawks at Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus played out for the full 40 minutes.

But the Heat saw what they wanted to see, what they needed to see in that opening 10-minute ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Tucked away in a separate space at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV is a large conference room. If you walked in there Friday afternoon, a podium with a large screen in the background greeted you with highlights of the Timberwolves and Lynx. A DJ was playing music on several speakers that dotted the room, and ...Read more

The Las Vegas Aces lost, 70-68, to the Washington Mystics at EagleBank Arena on Thursday with the reigning WNBA MVP watching from the bench with a right wrist sprain.

The Mystics ended the game on a 12-2 run to erase the Aces’ 15-point lead in the fourth quarter. Guard Jackie Young missed a layup with 1.2 seconds left that would have tied the...Read more

STATELINE, Nev. — Steph Curry stepped onto the No. 7 tee box, spread his arms wide, and mimicked his hole-in-one celebration here two years ago.

Curry looks as comfortable and confident as ever. It’s not the first time he has tried repeating a championship effort, of course. He has won four NBA titles for the Warriors, after all.

After ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson will miss the Aces' road game against the Washington Mystics on Thursday with a right wrist injury.

Wilson was seen wearing a black wrist brace as she participated in her team’s shootaround Thursday morning at EagleBank Arena. She was ruled out soon after.

Wilson, 28, was hurt after going down ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — By the time you read this, the Division I men’s basketball committee may have announced an expansion of the NCAA tournament fields for future renewals of March Madness for both men’s and women’s basketball.

It is widely expected that the current 68 team NCAA tourney bracket will be expanded moving forward to either 72 ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The announcement had been made and the applause had subsided and it was official that Philadelphia would have a WNBA franchise in 2030, and now it was time for Josh Harris to do his thing — to get everyone wincing at his words and hoping he’d stop talking and wondering how this billionaire businessman who is such a killer ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — Jon Scheyer waited less than 24 hours to relive the worst 74-second sequence of his coaching career. On the flight home from San Antonio, the Duke coach opened up his laptop to rewatch the video of his team’s shocking collapse the evening before against Houston.

“I wasn’t going to be able to sleep, anyway,” Scheyer said...Read more