National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 21-1 and the prohibitive favorite to repeat as NBA champions this year; they also might improve dramatically this offseason. That is because the Thunder own outright the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round pick in the 2026 draft. The dark provenance of that pick is a 2019 trade between these teams in which the Thunder shed Paul George and acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the rare "future podcaster" to "future MVP" upgrade.

The iconic Harlem Globetrotters are asking New York to add one more on Dec. 14 their centennial season tipoff. When you think about the historic and seismic things that people still talk about that happened at the world's most famous arena, there aren't many brands able to say they've made it to 100 years touring the world, impacting people's lives, bringing joy, hope and laughter everywhere they go, Globetrotters President Keith Dawkins told amNY.

I'm going to be honest: I don't know if I ever thought about (retiring my jersey), said Williams, who became the eighth alum to have his jersey retired. I want to say it was more just trying to get better every day. I remember when I first got here, I was just really happy to be a Division I player. My mindset was, How much better can I get every day?' and let the chips fall where they fall.

"I just remember his demeanor. That's why we nicknamed him 'Easy E,' " Scott told The Times. "He was just so cool, nothing speeding him up. He was going to take his time. He was just easy. He was such a good dude. I loved Easy, man."

I was pretty taken aback at how old he looked on the court and he didn't look like you ever ran at any point in the game. Look, he was mostly just jogging, and I thought the moment of the night, frankly, was Dillon Brooks goes up for a layup, LeBron loads up to come flying in and do his patented block off the backboard and it looked like he had a parachute attached to the back of him and he just didn't get there in time.

Coming out of UNC after a freshman season where he displayed all the traits needed to become an elite NBA-level defender, rookie Drake Powell brought plenty of upside and intrigue to the Brooklyn Nets. His offensive game was, and still is, a project, but the impact he's already made on the defensive end is blatant-and his head coach is noticing. Following Brooklyn's first win at the Barclays Center of the 2025-26 campaign, a 116-103 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, Head Coach Jordi Fernandez praised the 20-year-old's knack for making the plays that don't show up on a stat sheet.

Alone in Santa Clara's practice gym, Thierry Darlan reaches up and grabs onto the bottom of the net with two left fingers. He crosses his left leg over the right and stands with right hand on hip, looking comfortable and beaming as he ponders all he has endured to reach this very place. A place where he feels at home, across the world from family but with people who have provided that same comfort and support.

Melton suffered a partially torn ACL early last season after a misstep against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 11. He said he knew something was wrong at halftime of the game, but he played through it. After tests revealed the partial tear, Melton spent several weeks consulting with doctors before ultimately deciding on season-ending surgery. He had the procedure on Dec. 4, 2024. His season debut on Thursday night will be exactly one year after the surgery.

Pull out your Los Angeles Clippers bingo cards. Anyone have the square marked owner and star player accused of skirting the salary cap through improper means? Go ahead and stamp that one. How about losing 14 of 16 after a hopeful 3-2 start? Mark it. And yes, you can fill in other star averaging nearly 27 a night at age 36 including a 50-piece against the Detroit Pistons, one of the league's best teams.

Davion Mitchell finished with 16 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting - with four threes - while dishing 12 assists. The 6-foot-1 guard didn't have just any double-double, either. Mitchell, 27, had the most efficient double-double in NBA History (min. 5 TSA), posting a 133.3 true-shooting percentage, 2.5 percentage points greater than Jalen Smith's 130.8 mark he recorded earlier this season.

Doncic, who will miss Thursday's game for personal reasons, leads the league with 35.3 points per game. Reaves, who is setting himself up for a hefty pay day this offseason, is averaging a career-best 28.1 points and 6.6 assists per game. The Lakers are first in field goal percentage (51.3%) and rank eighth in offensive rating, averaging 118.3 points per 100 possessions.

This season, NBC is broadcasting the NBA for the first time since 2002, which has led the network to try and capture a very specific sort of Gen-X nostalgia for the mid-'90s.

Our colleague Ray Ratto possesses a bounteous and largely unpublicized trove of knowledge about NBA officials.