basketball Page 207 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
![Brandon Ingram Shoves James Harden; Rajon Rondo Brawls With Chris Paul [UPDATES]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/zb1htznf5zqg1zt5kazl.jpg)
Brandon Ingram Shoves James Harden; Rajon Rondo Brawls With Chris Paul [UPDATES]
Somehow, the events that led to this fistfight started out with wayward bozo Lance Stephenson as one of the players trying to keep the peace. When Houston’s 124-115 win was still a one-point game Saturday night, Lakers forward Brandon Ingram shoved Rockets guard James Harden in the back after a foul...

It'll Be Fun To Watch LeBron And The Lakers Become Instant Oatmeal
Here’s what LeBron James had to say after his first taste of loss with the Lakers, a 128-119 season opener against the Blazers:...

Nik Stauskas? Nik Stauskas!
The Blazers spoiled LeBron James’s Lakers debut last night thanks to a big night from, uh, hmm, sorry, it says here that it was “Nik Stauskas,” which can’t be right?...

Markelle Fultz Is Still Struggling, But He Finally Made A Three
The Sixers didn’t really need Markelle Fultz to play well in tonight’s 127-108 blowout of the Bulls, which was good, because something’s clearly still affecting him. He finally made his first career three-pointer, though, and it made for a nice little moment. The Philly crowd celebrated like they’d...

Animation Festival Drops Kobe Bryant After Protest Over 2003 Rape Allegation
Oscar-winning cartoon maker Kobe Bryant was set to be a jury member on this weekend’s second annual Animation Is Film, a Los Angeles-based film festival, but organizers rescinded his invitation after the animation community protested the inclusion of “accused rapist and sexual predator Kobe Bryant.”...

DeAndre Ayton Is Good
The sorry-ass Mavericks lost to the sorry-ass Suns in Phoenix last night, thanks mostly to a fourth-quarter explosion from Devin Booker. These two teams will most likely be headed south sometime around the all-star break, so the only reason to tune in would have been to check out the NBA debuts of L...

Elfrid Payton Has Neat New Hair And Neat New Teammates
Some of the uncertainty coming into this season, for the New Orleans Pelicans, concerned the departure of Rajon Rondo, who played an important role in the team’s strong finish last season and then left in free agency, and his replacement, Elfrid Payton. If, like mine, your brain has been turned to s...

Kevin Durant Laughs Off Joe Lacob's Plea To Re-Sign With Warriors
Kudos to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater for inspecting a deeply unholy NBA rite closely enough to spot something wonderful. Had you watched the Warriors ring presentation as carefully as The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, you would’ve seen Kevin Durant walk over to Warriors owner Joe Lacob, only for the...

NBA Developmental League To Offer $125,000 Contracts To Top High School Prospects
The NBA’s developmental league has unveiled a program that could greatly loosen the NCAA’s grip on top high school basketball prospects. The league will begin offering what it calls “Select Contracts” that pay $125,000 for one year to just-graduated high school players who would rather forgo a one-a...

Blake Griffin Had A Bad Start To His Season Thanks To Jarrett Allen
We all wondered what the high-flying Blake Griffin would look in the latter stages of his career when he could no longer consistently rely on his athleticism for buckets like he once used to. Thankfully, Jarrett Allen was there to answer that question for us tonight....

Knicks Fan Scores From Half-Court Before His Team Makes A Field Goal<em></em>
The NBA’s schedule-makers were kind to the New York Knicks, giving them an evenly-matched opponent for their home opener: the Atlanta Hawks. As expected, almost two minutes of game time passed before either team scored, but the Hawks soon took early control of the game. They went up 10-2 on the Knic...

Kevin Durant's Brother's Instagram Comment Definitely Means That Kevin Won't Re-Sign With The Warriors
Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors yawned through their win in Wednesday’s season opener against the Thunder. Durant had 27 points, eight boards, and six assists, and he seemed to have a nice, chill time playing with his buddies after everyone received their championship rings. Fittingly, he...

Jayson Tatum Is Already Good At Everything
A full-strength Celtics team probably wants to run their offense something like this: Kyrie Irving penetrates or somehow initiates the action, then a Gordon Hayward–led cast of slashers takes advantage of whatever chaos Irving stirs up to knock down an open jumper or exploit a mismatch. However, th...

The NCAA Is Gaslighting You
In last month’s antitrust case in Oakland challenging the artificial caps on athlete compensation, the NCAA’s defense included the restatement of an imaginary economic principle that is fundamental to its existence: College athletes shouldn’t make money, the NCAA argued, because if players were paid...

After All That, Jimmy Butler Is Ready To Play For The Timberwolves Tonight
Jimmy Butler went about trying to launch himself off the team he no longer wants to play for about as loudly and obnoxiously as possible. There was the trade demand, followed by the staged and vindictive practice, followed by post-practice shit-talking on national TV. Despite all that, the Minnesota...

Whatever The Hell Jaylen Brown Did To Joel Embiid Here, It Ruled<em></em><em></em>
Dear lord, Jaylen Brown is unwell in the best possible way. Every neuron in his big smart brain must have been hollering at him not to do what he did. Joel Embiid made opponents shoot 12 percent worse at the rim last season. He has made a living by—among many other things—scaring opponents out of e...

Kristi Toliver Becomes First Active WNBA Player To Join NBA Coaching Staff
The Washington Wizards announced Tuesday that Washington Mystics guard Kristi Toliver would join the team’s staff as an assistant coach for player development....

A Timely Preview Of The 2018-19 NBA Season, Which, Ah, Hm, Appears To Have Begun Already
Well hello there, fellow basketball enthusiast! It’s that time again: Time for the NBA season to have begun literally over two hours ago, when the Celtics and Sixers tipped off in Boston. There could be no better time than this to look ahead to what the 2018-19 season has in store for us, except may...

Contract The Timberwolves
Today, we’re talking about pajamas, Nathan Peterman, liquor runs, and more....

Text Messages Show Bill Self Working With Shady Adidas Consultant To Recruit Player
The federal government’s wire fraud case against Christian Dawkins, Merl Code, and James Gatto for allegedly using Adidas’ money to pay college basketball recruits is nearing its conclusion, as the District Court judge in charge of the case reportedly told the jury today that deliberations could beg...