National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

Entering the offseason, Beasley was expected to cash in on the open market after putting together a career-year in Detroit. The sharpshooting guard was one of the top candidates to win the Sixth Man of the Year award and was a huge reason for the Pistons' impressive regular season. Beasley averaged 16.3 points, while shooting 43% from field goal range and an extremely efficient 41.6% from beyond the arc.

ON AUG. 18, 2014, Steve Ballmer shouted, chest-bumped and high-fived his way through a frenzied crowd of 4,500 fans inside Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. Eminem's "Lose Yourself" thumped overhead. The former Microsoft CEO had just paid a then-record $2 billion for the LA Clippers, at once rescuing the team, the city of Los Angeles and the NBA from one of its darkest eras.

Assuming that the Heat will want to stagger Norman Powell and Tyler Herro, probably bringing the former off the bench, that will naturally open up a spot for Mitchell to emerge as the starting point guard. If he shows enough in training camp and pre-season, it's going to be difficult for Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra not to give Mitchell a fair shake to be the full-time starter next to Herro this season.

Bufkin, the 15th pick in the 2023 draft out of Michigan, has seen his first two seasons derailed by injuries - a fractured thumb, a sprained toe and recurring shoulder trouble. The 6-4, 195-pound guard played only 27 games for Atlanta, averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 38.3% from the field, 21.1% from 3-point range and 72.2% at the free throw line.

The off-season is usually thought of as downtime for athletes who have been working hard all season, but for NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown, it is anything but idle. He sees the summer as a time to focus on intentional preparation as well as recovery, setting the tone for the taxing season ahead. Jaylen Brown understands the importance of seeing recovery as both mental and physical.

When I interviewed her two weeks ago, ahead of her induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Moore ruminated over a different "what if"—one that she had never considered and that occurred to her mid-thought, as she was reflecting on her brilliant career. Would Moore still be playing if she'd been able to make more money in the WNBA?

McCaw might be one of the oddest NBA players to record a three-peat, being part of the Golden State Warriors' championship squads in 2017 and 2018, and striking gold once again in 2019 as a late addition to the Toronto Raptors after a failed stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers that same year. The ex-UNLV product was not a standout contributor to the Raptors' title campaign, but he was okay in limited minutes, averaging 44% field goal shooting

Opportunity is a big thing, and it's a big factor in this league and I've been grateful to have an opportunity to play and compete, Burton told the Bay Area News Group earlier this season. I've had a coaching staff and teammates that instill a lot of confidence in me, and that goes a long way in terms of success on court, and so just a lot of work and repetition. But also just opportunity and trust as well.

The Washington Wizards future rides on the development of the team's young core. Washington has taken several swings on potential over the last few years and up to this point, none of those swings have resulted in the team finding the cornerstone player they've been looking for. At least, not yet. However, Washington has yet to let discouraging results limit their rebuilding strategy and with general manager Will Dawkins continuously looking for ways to improve the roster.

Jovic finds himself in a similar situation to Moody last summer. The hope was that Moody was going to take another leap in his individual game, and the Warriors believed so much in that, they wanted to lock him up before forcing him into a contract season. That's exactly what they managed to do with the team-friendly extension. The Heat should feel the same about Jovic.

RIGA, Latvia -- Germany has added a EuroBasket title to its World Cup crown. Dennis Schroder had the game's final six points, Isaac Bonga scored a team-best 20 points and Germany topped Turkey 88-83 on Sunday in the gold medal game at the European championship. It was Germany's first EuroBasket title since 1993. Franz Wagner scored 18 points and Schroder finished with 16 points and 12 assists for Germany, which finished the tournament 9-0.

The Harlem Globetrotters have always been more than a basketball team. For nearly 100 years, they have combined athletic excellence, comedy, and cultural influence to create a one-of-a-kind global experience. As the team prepares for its historic 100th anniversary, the Globetrotters have revealed a new set of uniforms that will debut during their 2026 World Tour. Designed in collaboration with Los Angeles-based fashion designer Jeff Hamilton, the three-uniform collection honors the team's rich past while pointing toward a bold future.

Hamby grounded her. "Hey, I won eight games last year," Hamby responded. "So this looks different to me." Despite finishing under .500 for the fifth consecutive season and falling just short of making the playoffs, the Sparks easily more than doubled last year's win total. Hampered by a slew of injuries that stunted momentum, they greatly improved with the league's fourth-best record after the All-Star break.

LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the team are under investigation by the NBA following a report that Kawhi Leonard allegedly accepted a $28 million endorsement from a company called Aspiration as a way to circumvent the league's salary cap. Ballmer, who had previously invested $50 million in Aspiration, has denied he had knowledge of the deal or that he directed the company to strike one.

Magic president Jeff Weltman was adamant this summer about wanting to win now, and he struck early by acquiring Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane in the summer's first big blockbuster. Bane is a significantly improved ballhandler and decision-maker while also averaging 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals on 40.7 percent shooting from 3-point range over the last four seasons. In translation: He's very good at basketball.