alds Page 3 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The NBA dunk contest is crapshoot that lacks star power
NBA All-Star Saturday was a hit once again, but one of the main events may have missed the mark. The slam dunk contest at one time was the highlight of the entire weekend. Now it’s hit or miss, year-to-year, whether we’ll be talking about it for weeks or if it’ll be forgotten by Monday afternoon. Th...

Caitlin Clark wasn't the only women's basketball player making history last night
Caitlin Clark wasn’t the only person who broke women’s basketball records last night. The Iowa Hawkeyes star scored 49 points as she overtook the record for most points in NCAA women’s basketball history. But another record fell, too....

Remember that time Michael Jordan wore No. 12?
Michael Jordan is synonymous with the No. 23. Sure, he wore 45 when he returned with the Washington Wizards, but he always had the same jersey number with the Chicago Bulls — except for a lone game against the Orlando Magic 34 years ago today. ...

Warriors unsuccessfully tried to pair LeBron and Steph Curry
A dreary deadline almost saw a seismic transfer of power in the West, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported that the Golden State Warriors unsuccessfully tried to trade with the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire LeBron James. ...

The Dallas Mavericks did not just go all-in for PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford
The NBA trade deadline was unsurprisingly mundane except for one team: the Dallas Mavericks. Sitting at 29-23, good for eighth in the West, GM Nico Harrison jettisoned Richaun Holmes, Seth Curry, Grant Williams and draft picks in two separate trades for PJ Washington from the Charlotte Hornets, and ...

From Paige Bueckers to JuJu Watkins, it would be great if women could go one-and-done
The men had Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, and Anthony Davis. The women should have had Paige Bueckers then, and JuJu Watkins now. But, according to the rules, they can’t....

Tyrese Maxey is learning that life as Trae Young is harder than it looks
Life as Tyrese Maxey has been an auspicious existence. He entered an ideal scenario as an ancillary piece in Philadelphia behind Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and James Harden. He’s been able to grow into his role as the second option, and this season has become Robin to Joel Embiid’s Batman. ...

It's time for the Mavericks to fire Jason Kidd and Nico Harrison
No team in recent memory has failed to build around a generational superstar more than the Dallas Mavericks have with Luka Dončić. We are not talking about Anthony Davis in New Orleans. Dončić is a consistent top-five MVP candidate and First-Team All-NBA every season, one of a handful of players of ...

The Knicks and Ryan Arcidiacono are the cure to the NBA’s scoring surge
Somehow, the New York Knicks are MacGyvering their way to the top of the East in a super soldier league in a manner we haven’t seen since the ‘04 Pistons. OG Anunoby’s arrival has fortified Tom Thibodeau’s defense into the NBA’s Fort Knox, and once Mitchell Robinson returns, the paint in Madison Squ...

Sorry, Knicks fans. LeBron James is just not that into you
LeBron James sure does love stringing Knicks fans along. It wouldn’t be a pre-agency year for the all-time scoring champ if he weren’t using the Knicks as leverage. In 2010, the Knicks thought they had him. Donnie Walsh had Mike D’Antoni installed as head coach, the cap room to Carmelo Anthony, the ...

Kawhi Leonard has entered the chat in the NBA MVP conversation
For fans who tend to skip over much of the NBA regular season, you’ve probably missed the recent uprising in talk about Kawhi Leonard having a claim in the MVP conversation. Most years, Leonard’s numbers are great. But since he blossomed into a star toward the end of his run in San Antonio, “The Cla...

These are the current and former NBA players who need their own podcast
A decade ago, who would have thought that current and former players would be the best analysts and commentators in the NBA? A novel idea, eh? Former players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson’s “All The Smoke” and Gilbert Arenas were early purveyors of player-run podcasts. It’s since evolved to includ...

Jalen Brunson is the best point guard in the NBA
At his introductory press conference on Sept. 22, 2022, Jalen Brunson sat at a podium, decked out in a crisp number 11 New York Knick jersey, and said the following, “I’m not a savior in any way, shape, or form. I just want to be able to contribute to the team.”...

Ben Simmons is the hero the NBA Players Association didn’t know it needed
Ben Simmons shows up to work, posts up on the bench in vibrant fits, shades, and quietly monitors the Nets from afar. The Nets’ well-compensated point forward has one of the best desk jobs in the NBA. Simmons being back on the shelf to rest another affliction once made him a maligned figure, but he ...

Caitlin Clark is the NCAA's all-time scoring leader. Who did she pass?
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark surpassed Pete Maravich as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in college basketball — and continues to add to her legacy in her final collegiate season before entering the WNBA Draft. ...

LeBron James has played with or against these 10 father-son duos
Love him or hate him, you have to marvel at the sheer longevity of LeBron James’ career. A Jan. 17 chyron from an ESPN on ABC broadcast revealed that the Washed King has played against 35 percent of all players to ever play in the NBA. As of Jan. 27, that massive pool of opponents now includes 10 di...

The case for — and against — Joel Embiid for MVP
Joel Embiid, the world’s best regular-season player, is closing in on his second consecutive MVP if he remains upright. When active, Embiid is a force of nature, bending defenses to his whim and simultaneously wielding an unduly influence over Philadelphia’s defense....

The longest championship droughts in NBA history
With teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Philadelphia 76ers among the best teams in the league the season, we could see some of the longest current NBA championship droughts snap in 2024. To honor the potential for history, here are the longest active title droughts. ...

Magic's return and the NBA All-Star Game's most memorable moments
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game tips off in Indianapolis in just a few weeks, with starters being named tonight. Whoever makes it, they’ll have some big shoes to fill. The All-Star Game is full of some of the most iconic moments in NBA history. Here are some of the performances that make the weekend so s...

Draymond Green's days in Golden State may also be numbered
Years of incidents both on and off the basketball court have finally caught up with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green. It was announced Tuesday that Green would not be part of Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Green’s suspension history played a role in the decision according to...