NBA News

Tanking has become the white whale of the NBA league office. Stamping out tanking has become Adam Silver’s quest, but that obsessive effort has the league missing the big picture. Silver runs a multi-billion-dollar business, and he has business reasons to focus on tanking. While many fans in Utah or Sacramento or Washington — or the other six cities where …

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers starting center Jarrett Allen returned to the lineup on Friday after missing 10 games with a knee injury, giving Cleveland a major boost as it ramps up for the NBA playoffs. Allen has been out since he got hurt on March 3 while playing Detroit. The injury didn’t initially appear serious, but the Cavs reported it …

The 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament is down to its Sweet 16 and we’ll have a Final Four by Sunday evening. For half of the college stars taking the court this weekend, it’s one final opportuniy to impress NBA teams with their play at full game speed when the lights are brightest as this year’s draft class comes into focus. The …

CHICAGO — In the final injury report ahead of the Sweet 16 matchup from the United Center on Friday, March 27, the No. 2-seeded Cyclones listed Jefferson as “questionable” against No. 6-seed Tennessee. The game is set for a 10:10 p.m. ET tipoff. REQUIRED READING: March Madness games today: Analyzing Friday’s Sweet 16 men’s NCAA Tournament matchups Advertisement Jefferson went …

Duke starting guard Caleb Foster will return from injury when the top-seeded Blue Devils face No. 5 St. John’s on Friday, March 27 in the Sweet 16 of the men’s NCAA Tournament. Foster had missed the entire ACC tournament – won by the Blue Devils – and first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament after suffering a foot fracture in …

BOSTON, MA – MARCH 25: The sneakers worn by Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 25, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty …

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — Mauricio Pochettino told American soccer players they can achieve what almost no one thinks is possible: win the World Cup. “Why not us? Why not us? Why not us?” he said Friday. “We need to really believe that we can be there. We need to dream.” Advertisement Ahead of friendlies against Belgium on Saturday and Portugal …

As we get closer to the end of the regular season, it’s only natural that award chatter will perk up. The narrative pendulum has swung quite a few times in the MVP race for example; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Nikola Jokić turned into an SGA unanimous shout, which led to Cade Cunningham and Jaylen Brown shouts, which set the table for …

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Félix Aguirre admits he’s been having trouble sleeping these last few months. On the eve of the reopening of the iconic Azteca Stadium, and with some work still to be done, the stadium director won’t be able to relax until kickoff on Saturday night. After being closed since May 2024 for renovations in preparation for the …

My first question: Is Will Wade bringing the boombox with him to LSU? My second question: Does LSU possess no scruples at all? Never mind, I know the answer to that question. LSU is a kingdom of rebels and renegades. Just win, baby. Advertisement Wade, Lane Kiffin and Kim Mulkey walk into … well, I can’t quite figure the punchline …

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo broke the NCAA’s single-season record for steals after getting seven in the first half of a Sweet 16 game against Vanderbilt on Friday. Hidalgo needed four steals to break Chastadie Barrs’ mark of 192 set with Lamar in 2018-19. The Fighting Irish junior got that in the first quarter of …

JUPITER ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods was involved in a rollover car crash on Friday, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office has told media outlets. Authorities say the rollover crash occurred just after 2 p.m. not far from where Woods lives in Jupiter Island. There were no other details, though CBS 12 cited a source as saying there were no …

Each week during the 2025-26 NBA season, we will take a deeper dive into some of the league’s biggest storylines in an attempt to determine whether trends are based more in fact or fiction moving forward. Last week: The list of NBA title contenders is longer than you think Fact or Fiction: LeBron James is the NBA’s best third option …

In what is projected as one of the deepest and best draft classes in a long time, one of the best stories may come in the middle of the first round. Karim Lopez — projected to be the first Mexican-born player ever taken in the first round — has declared for the NBA draft, reports Jeremy Woo and Shams Charania …

Boston Fleet goalie Aerin Frankel takes a modest and efficient approach to whatever task is before her, be it stopping pucks or rating Caesar salads. Frankel has such a single-minded focus and even-keeled demeanor it’s difficult to judge when she’s happy or excited. Advertisement “Yeah, probably when she’s talking about Caesar salads,” Fleet captain Megan Keller said of Frankel’s hobby …

At the NBA Board of Governors session earlier this week, the league presented three NBA Draft lottery reform concepts to ownership in an ongoing attempt to combat tanking. A person with direct knowledge of the matter told USA TODAY Sports that the session was akin to a brainstorm and that the concepts discussed were not considered formal proposals that would …

The NBA’s process of finding new ways to deter teams from tanking is currently focused around three separate concepts to change the draft lottery, two people with knowledge of the discussions surrounding the issue told The Associated Press on Friday. The concepts — they are not yet finalized proposals — were presented to the league’s board of governors by NBA …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. History will remember the 2025-26 Utah Jazz, even if most of us already want to forget about them. The Denver Nuggets may be guilty of forgetting about Utah, too, as the March grind wears out Nikola Jokic & Co. Advertisement My Jazz vs. …

The element of tanking within the NBA has always been a thorn in the side of the league. Recently, the league distanced itself from the practice, by promising changes to the format. Now, three proposals have seen the light of day. Advertisement Proposal 1: Lottery expansion to 18 teams According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the first proposal would see …

WASHINGTON, DC — The East Region is the gift that keeps on giving. Michigan State and UConn should have a high-intensity feel driven by two of the top coaches and defenses remaining in the tournament. Friday’s Sweet 16 game just might not be aesthetically pleasing. Advertisement According to KenPom, the UConn defense ranks 11th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and …

The ascent of Caleb Williams in his second NFL season was dramatic. It was a rocky beginning, working with new head coach Ben Johnson for the first time, but by the midpoint of the season the two had managed to marry Johnson’s exacting passing demands with Williams’ creativity, giving Chicago something truly special. One way this manifested throughout 2025 was …

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Safety Damar Hamlin is returning to Buffalo for a sixth season after signing a one-year contract with the team on Friday. Hamlin was a free agent after his one-year contract expired. And he’s staying in Buffalo where the 28-year-old has served as an inspiration for perseverance following his remarkable comeback after a near-death experience three …

PRAGUE (AP) — Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France improved their rhythm dance to take a commanding lead in the ice dance at the figure skating world championships on Friday. The crowd in O2 Arena was applauding the Olympic champions before the start of their unrivaled dance to music by Madonna, and they delighted the spectators from the …

Adam Silver loves to to quickly react to public outcry. Sometimes, it works: the 2026 NBA All-Star Game was fun and competitive with shorter games and a USA vs. The World format after years of drab and uncompetitive play. The 65-game rule for award eligibility feels like more of a mixed bag: it does feel like some stars are resting …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The Los Angeles Lakers are finally back in La-La Land after a successful road trip, and waiting for them inside Crypto.com Arena are the lowly Brooklyn Nets. Advertisement That’s a nice “Welcome Home” present. Brooklyn sits near the bottom of the Eastern Conference …