NEW YORK —The 2025-26 NBA schedule has dropped, delivering a thrilling lineup of must-see games filled with high stakes, emotional reunions and budding rivalries.

From Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City homecoming on opening night to a star-packed Christmas Day clash between the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, here are 10 standout matchups to ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — First Joel Embiid, then Nick Nurse, signaled that Embiid won’t be ready for the start of the 76ers’ season after undergoing a delayed, unspecified, third surgery on the left knee that cost him most of last season.

“We don’t have a timeline,” Embiid told ESPN in a sympathy piece last month. “If I come back early ...Read more

SEATTLE — Two years ago, the Storm retired Sue Bird’s No. 10 jersey, which hangs in the Climate Pledge Arena rafters, and last year Seattle city officials renamed a Lower Queen Anne street in her honor.

And on Sunday morning, Bird will soar to even loftier legendary heights, becoming the rare sports superstar to garner a trifecta of ...Read more

Brady Pettigrew isn't a collector of sports cards or memorabilia. The Indiana Fever fan just wanted to have some fun with Sophie Cunningham, one of his favorite players.

At a fan event in Indianapolis last weekend, Pettigrew waited in line with many others to get the star WNBA guard's autograph. When his turn came, the 39-year-old resident of ...Read more

MIAMI — In a move that takes the team below the punitive NBA luxury tax, the Miami Heat have traded forward Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second-round draft choice to the Brooklyn Nets.

With the Nets currently operating $22.5 million below the 2025-26 NBA salary cap and able to take on salary, the Heat in return received only a conditional ...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — The hallmarks of Philadelphia hoops culture are famous for a reason.

And before their time coaching the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, the Koclanes siblings lived it. Chris Koclanes is in his first year as Wings head coach, and Belle is an assistant.

Early in Belle’s career, she was an assistant coach at Penn from 2004 to 2008. ...Read more

Veronica Burton is not a flashy player. She doesn’t have a varied repertoire of ankle-breakers or fancy moves.

But the Valkyries point guard who has started all 32 of the team’s games does have a complete mastery of Golden State’s offense, a skill set she showed in the team’s 88-83 victory in Washington as the visitors secured their ...Read more

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The last time Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley was ejected from a game against the Los Angeles Sparks in late July, the rest of the team immediately collapsed and lost by 15 in a matchup that looked winnable most of the way.

On Wednesday the Sun proved how far they’ve come in just a few weeks with a 71-62 win over the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Shaquille O'Neal was never suspended for drug use of any kind during his decorated 19-year NBA career. The rugged 7-foot-1, 325-pound Hall of Fame center freely acknowledged playing through pain and openly worried about damage to his kidneys and liver from his prolonged use of legal anti-inflammatory medications.

He also ...Read more

DENVER — Drake Solomon, who performed as Rocky, the Denver Nuggets mascot, is suing the franchise’s parent company for alleged wrongful termination and disability-based discrimination.

Solomon took over as Rocky when his father, Kenn Solomon, retired in 2021. He alleges in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) ...Read more

CHICAGO — Angel Reese will miss a sixth consecutive game Wednesday night for the Chicago Sky — and the All-Star forward is still struggling to return to the court after suffering a lower back injury that could put the remainder of her season in jeopardy.

Reese has not been cleared for basketball activities. She did not travel for the road ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid is usually the one doing the trolling, but in the new "Naked Gun" movie, he’s the target.

Buried deep in the film’s joke-filled end credits is a not-so-subtle jab at the Sixers star, who played just 19 games last season due to a host of injuries.

Appearing just under craft services is the film’s Netflix ...Read more

CHICAGO — After years of apathy, NBA owners suddenly are clamoring to get in on the booming business of the WNBA.

The owners of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers were awarded expansion franchises that will enter the league over the next five years. Houston Rockets ownership is preparing a second bid to bring back...Read more

THOUSAND OAKS, California — Jaime Jaquez Jr., who is preparing for his third season in the NBA with the Miami Heat, and his sister Gabriela Jaquez, a standout player for the UCLA Bruins and the Mexican national basketball team, set aside their own workouts to lead others through some familiar drills.

The siblings recently hosted a summer ...Read more

BOSTON — Wyc Grousbeck will have a smaller role than expected when the Celtics’ new ownership group takes control, according to a new report.

ESPN’s Shams Charania and Ramona Shelburne on Tuesday reported that Grousbeck “will no longer stay on as governor” of Boston’s NBA franchise despite initial plans for him to do so.

When a ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Kevin Durant is debuting for the Houston Rockets at his old stomping grounds against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Golden State Warriors are taking on LeBron James and Luka Dončić, the new face of the Los Angeles Lakers. The future of the East — the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks — ignites ...Read more

MIAMI — Unlike Jimmy Butler a year ago, when July meant go time with his extension window, there is considerably more breathing room for the Miami Heat this offseason when it comes to Tyler Herro, whose extension window does not open until Oct. 1 (and closes on Oct. 20).

On one hand, that allows for comparative analysis.

On the other hand, ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s time for me to get into the cryptocurrency game. My coin will be called smokeyscribe. I will promote it by throwing cigars and disrupting play at sporting events throughout the country.

What could go wrong? If it hits a fan, he or she can light it up. If it hits a young fan, hey, it will be his or her introduction to ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Tucked toward the back of “Memorial Coliseum: 75 Years as Monument, Stage, and Arena” — a new book chronicling the history of the Lexington landmark — a series of memories from Kentucky basketball greats can be found.

There’s UK’s all-time leading scorer, Dan Issel, recalling the inside of the locker room and the ...Read more