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'He was so awkward': How Alex Karaban went from shy freshman to UConn's all-time winningest player

Sports / Basketball /

STORRS, Conn. – Dan Hurley didn’t have much confidence in Alex Karaban when he enrolled early and moved into his dorm at UConn in the middle of the 2021-22 season.

A four-star prospect from Southborough, Mass. ranked outside of the top 100 nationally, he was ineligible to play that spring semester after accelerating his graduation from IMG ...Read more

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Mirjam Swanson: In a tanking world, NBA investigating Clippers for trying too hard

Sports / Basketball /

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — A third of the NBA has called tank, but the Clippers are accused of calling the bank – alleged to have circumvented the salary cap to overpay in their recruiting and re-signing of star Kawhi Leonard.

That’s all being looked into offstage by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, the NBA’s go-to investigative law firm, as ...Read more

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Kristian Winfield: 2026 NBA All-Star Game was a success -- right until it wasn't

Sports / Basketball /

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game was a wild success — up until it wasn’t.

The NBA’s new World vs USA vs USA format gave birth to one of the most competitive All-Star Games in the last decade, right up until the undefeated, aging USA Stripes team ran out of gas in their third game of the night, a 20-point loss to a younger, seemingly hungrier ...Read more

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Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James shine at All-Star Game in LA, but young legs prevail

Sports / Basketball /

LOS ANGELES — When Kawhi Leonard was growing up in Moreno Valley, Calif., he used to come to the NBA's All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles at the arena then known as Staples Center and mingle around the Los Angeles Convention Center during the festivities.

So, when he took the floor for the All-Star Game on his Clippers home court Sunday at ...Read more

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Kansas State parting ways with Jerome Tang midway through nightmare hoops season

Sports / Basketball /

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Jerome Tang era has come to an abrupt end at Kansas State.

On Sunday, the Wildcats decided to part ways with Tang even though six games remain in the regular season

The move comes as a surprise, if only because of its timing. K-State athletic director Gene Taylor is not usually one to part with a coach in the middle of ...Read more

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Warriors star Curry plans return to three-point contest at All-Star 2027

Sports / Basketball /

Steph Curry did not compete in the All-Star festivities this weekend at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., due to a knee injury, but he expects to return to the NBA’s showcase weekend next year — and not just for the game.

The Golden State Warriors star told NBC on Sunday as he joined the network’s broadcast of the All-Star Game that he is...Read more

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Tyrese Maxey eager to 'try again' after first All-Star three-point contest

Sports / Basketball /

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Minutes after he left the Intuit Dome court Saturday afternoon, Tyrese Maxey rattled off everything he would do differently in the All-Star three-point contest.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ guard would start on the opposite corner, so he could take his “money ball” rack balls from his right side. He also would squeeze in ...Read more

'I don't know' – Lakers star LeBron James remains unsure of retirement

Sports / Basketball /

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — LeBron James doesn’t know what his future holds. He just wants to live.

Simple as that, James answered the question, one that comes with the gaggle of press assembled on All-Star Sunday. James may have been more sentimental and visibly emotional while traversing his 23rd season. But no, James said, he hasn’t made a ...Read more

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UConn men survive scare from Georgetown, 79-75, as Alex Karaban becomes Huskies' all-time winner

Sports / Basketball /

STORRS, Conn. – The UConn men’s basketball team survived a major scare late and held on for a 79-75 win over Georgetown on a milestone Saturday night at Gampel Pavilion.

The Huskies led by seven with 33 seconds left when KJ Lewis rose up for a 3-pointer and Tarris Reed Jr. made contact with his arm, fouling out of the game as the four-...Read more

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Heat's Keshad 'Showtime' Johnson wins 2026 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

Sports / Basketball /

Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson lived up to his nickname.

Johnson, nicknamed “Showtime,” put on a show to win the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend on Saturday at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

All four competitors got two dunks in the first round, and the two players with the highest composite score for their two dunks (...Read more

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3 takeaways from Kansas State's basketball loss against Houston

Sports / Basketball /

HOUSTON — For a few minutes, the Kansas State men’s basketball team punched above its weight class on Saturday at Fertitta Center.

The Wildcats responded after head coach Jerome Tang said his players didn’t deserve to wear K-State uniforms following a dreadful loss to Cincinnati earlier in the week. They played with maximum effort and ...Read more

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'I always had a mission': How LeBron James has maintained peak performance

Sports / Basketball /

LOS ANGELES — Slowly, LeBron James put on a pair of ice bath toe booties and dipped his left foot and then his right foot into a bucket that had been prepared for him following a Lakers game at Crypto.com Arena. His longtime personal trainer and athletic performance coach, Mike Mancias, next wrapped both of James' knees and his back in ice.

...Read more

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Lakers' Luka Doncic plans to play in NBA All-Star Game

Sports / Basketball /

LOS ANGELES — Lakers star Luka Doncic missed their last four games because of a strained left hamstring, but he plans to play in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday at the Intuit Dome.

Doncic, who was injured when the Lakers played the Philadelphia 76ers 1 1/2 weeks ago, worked out before L.A. played the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday at Crypto.com...Read more

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Kentucky fights back but falls to Florida, 92-83

Sports / Basketball /

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s recent run of dominance over SEC basketball opponents continued Saturday.

This time, it was the Kentucky Wildcats on the wrong side of the score.

The Cats fell into another early hole, but they dug out of it and actually made things interesting in the second half before dropping a 92-83 decision to the Gators ...Read more

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Duke basketball blitzes Clemson, 67-54

Sports / Basketball /

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke and Clemson played 40 minutes of basketball Saturday disguised as hand-to-hand combat.

The ACC’s two best defensive teams went at it and there would be a lot of banging bodies and flesh-pressing and players crashing to the hardwood at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It wasn’t pretty basketball but it was big-boy basketball as ...Read more

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Kansas basketball's eight-game win streak ends in loss to Iowa State

Sports / Basketball /

AMES, Iowa — One look at the faces of the Kansas men’s basketball players sitting on the bench in Hilton Coliseum told the story.

In a word, they looked despondent.

A number of players wore blank expressions. Others stared straight down. There was none of the usual jovial energy of this KU team, which entered Saturday riding an eight-game ...Read more

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Fight, ejections underscore testy St. John's win over Providence

Sports / Basketball /

There was no love lost between St. John’s and Providence on Valentine’s Day.

A fight broke out during the second half of the Red Storm’s 79-69 win over the Friars during a tense Saturday afternoon at Amica Mutual Pavilion, where seven players were ejected.

Providence’s Duncan Powell committed a hard, flagrant foul on St. John’s star ...Read more

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Missing two starters, UNC basketball rolls over Pitt anyway

Sports / Basketball /

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— UNC star freshman Caleb Wilson was as animated as ever on Saturday afternoon. He played dribbling games with his teammates in warmups. He signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans before the game and, after tipoff, could be seen flexing after dunks and debuting a number of other celebrations in coordination with his...Read more

No. 2 Michigan shows no mercy, pulls away for 30-point win over UCLA

Sports / Basketball /

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Michigan Wolverines celebrated Valentine’s Day with a sweet sweep.

For the second straight year, they beat all four of the Big Ten’s West coast teams during the regular season.

After topping Oregon, USC and Washington last month, No. 2 Michigan completed the quadfecta by downing UCLA, 86-56, Saturday at Crisler ...Read more

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Analysis: Will the collective weight on the Timberwolves be lifted with another playoff run?

Sports / Basketball /

MINNEAPOLIS — In eight years of covering the Timberwolves, I don’t think there has been a season with as much collective weight on all levels of the organization as this one.

The team bottomed out in some seasons, and the games meant nothing on a night-to-night basis.

Some Wolves teams defied expectations, and the vibes were great all ...Read more