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Storm unveil Sue Bird statue, first for WNBA player

Sports / Basketball /

SEATTLE — A pair of point guards, Lenny and Sue, now guard the entrance of Climate Pledge Arena.

A statue honoring WNBA legend and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Sue Bird was unveiled on Sunday. Her 8-foot, 650-pound statue took its place next to the likeness of former Supersonics player-coach Lenny Wilkens, added to the arena grounds in June.

Her...Read more

Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Mike Bianchi: On opening night, Magic and Heat need to resurrect the hate!

Sports / Basketball /

ORLANDO, Fla. — The NBA dropped its schedule earlier this week, and buried in the long list of 1,230 regular-season games was a juicy nugget that should make every Orlando Magic fan sit up and start sharpening their social media barbs:

The Magic will open the 2025-26 NBA season against the Miami Heat.

Yes, you read that correctly.

The ...Read more

Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images North America/TNS

La Velle E. Neal III: Through daunting part of schedule, Lynx just keep on winning

Sports / Basketball /

MINNEAPOLIS — Alanna Smith entered the Lynx media room Saturday and assured everyone that Courtney Williams was right behind her. A couple moments later, Williams entered, walking like she had aged 30 years over her grueling 35 minutes of game action.

Williams smiled and greeted the room before exhaling and saying, “Man, we had to work for ...Read more

D.A. Varela/Miami Herald/TNS

Ira Winderman: Dates with destiny? Heat will have plenty in 2025-26.

Sports / Basketball /

MIAMI — To go through the Miami Heat’s just-released 2025-26 regular-season schedule and select the most meaningful or important games is to miss the point.

When you are coming off a 37-45 season and third consecutive trip to the play-in round, every game is meaningful, every game is important. To think otherwise is to lose sight of a team ...Read more

Sam Hodde/Getty Images North America/TNS

10 must-see NBA games for 2025-26: Kevin Durant's OKC return, Spurs' rising stars clash with Mavs and more

Sports / Basketball /

NEW YORK —The 2025-26 NBA schedule has dropped, delivering a thrilling lineup of must-see games filled with high stakes, emotional reunions and budding rivalries.

From Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City homecoming on opening night to a star-packed Christmas Day clash between the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, here are 10 standout matchups to ...Read more

Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Marcus Hayes: Scheduled losses, load management: Sixers must coddle Joel Embiid and Paul George to have a chance

Sports / Basketball /

PHILADELPHIA — First Joel Embiid, then Nick Nurse, signaled that Embiid won’t be ready for the start of the 76ers’ season after undergoing a delayed, unspecified, third surgery on the left knee that cost him most of last season.

“We don’t have a timeline,” Embiid told ESPN in a sympathy piece last month. “If I come back early ...Read more

Steph Chambers/Getty Images North America/TNS

Storm's Sue Bird to become WNBA's first player with a statue: 'It's a little bit surreal'

Sports / Basketball /

SEATTLE — Two years ago, the Storm retired Sue Bird’s No. 10 jersey, which hangs in the Climate Pledge Arena rafters, and last year Seattle city officials renamed a Lower Queen Anne street in her honor.

And on Sunday morning, Bird will soar to even loftier legendary heights, becoming the rare sports superstar to garner a trifecta of ...Read more

Dylan Buell/Getty Images North America/TNS

'Property of Sophie Cunningham': How a fan got Fever star to troll a rival player with her autograph

Sports / Basketball /

Brady Pettigrew isn't a collector of sports cards or memorabilia. The Indiana Fever fan just wanted to have some fun with Sophie Cunningham, one of his favorite players.

At a fan event in Indianapolis last weekend, Pettigrew waited in line with many others to get the star WNBA guard's autograph. When his turn came, the 39-year-old resident of ...Read more

John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS

Heat trade Haywood Highsmith to Nets (likely for nothing in return) to move below luxury tax

Sports / Basketball /

MIAMI — In a move that takes the team below the punitive NBA luxury tax, the Miami Heat have traded forward Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second-round draft choice to the Brooklyn Nets.

With the Nets currently operating $22.5 million below the 2025-26 NBA salary cap and able to take on salary, the Heat in return received only a conditional ...Read more

Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

'It's just an incredible tradition': How Philly hoops shaped this WNBA coaching staff

Sports / Basketball /

ARLINGTON, Texas — The hallmarks of Philadelphia hoops culture are famous for a reason.

And before their time coaching the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, the Koclanes siblings lived it. Chris Koclanes is in his first year as Wings head coach, and Belle is an assistant.

Early in Belle’s career, she was an assistant coach at Penn from 2004 to 2008. ...Read more

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images North America/TNS

Valkyries takeaways: Veronica Burton sets franchise record in victory vs. Mystics

Sports / Basketball /

Veronica Burton is not a flashy player. She doesn’t have a varied repertoire of ankle-breakers or fancy moves.

But the Valkyries point guard who has started all 32 of the team’s games does have a complete mastery of Golden State’s offense, a skill set she showed in the team’s 88-83 victory in Washington as the visitors secured their ...Read more

Sean D. Elliot/Getty Images North America/TNS

Sun overcome Bria Hartley ejection to beat Sky, 71-62

Sports / Basketball /

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The last time Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley was ejected from a game against the Los Angeles Sparks in late July, the rest of the team immediately collapsed and lost by 15 in a matchup that looked winnable most of the way.

On Wednesday the Sun proved how far they’ve come in just a few weeks with a 71-62 win over the ...Read more

Celtics sale to Bill Chisholm officially approved by NBA Board of Governors

Sports / Basketball /

BOSTON — The NBA officially has signed off on the sale of the Boston Celtics to Bill Chisholm and his partners.

The league announced Wednesday that its Board of Governors “unanimously approved the sale of the controlling interests in the Boston Celtics to an investor group led by Bill Chisholm.”

“The transaction is expected to close ...Read more

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images North America/TNS

Shaquille O'Neal talks about abusing painkillers, his regrets and his fragile kidneys

Sports / Basketball /

LOS ANGELES — Shaquille O'Neal was never suspended for drug use of any kind during his decorated 19-year NBA career. The rugged 7-foot-1, 325-pound Hall of Fame center freely acknowledged playing through pain and openly worried about damage to his kidneys and liver from his prolonged use of legal anti-inflammatory medications.

He also ...Read more

AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post/TNS

Former Rocky mascot sues Nuggets for discrimination, wrongful termination after hip replacement

Sports / Basketball /

DENVER — Drake Solomon, who performed as Rocky, the Denver Nuggets mascot, is suing the franchise’s parent company for alleged wrongful termination and disability-based discrimination.

Solomon took over as Rocky when his father, Kenn Solomon, retired in 2021. He alleges in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) ...Read more

Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Angel Reese is sidelined for a 6th consecutive game. Will the Sky star play again this season?

Sports / Basketball /

CHICAGO — Angel Reese will miss a sixth consecutive game Wednesday night for the Chicago Sky — and the All-Star forward is still struggling to return to the court after suffering a lower back injury that could put the remainder of her season in jeopardy.

Reese has not been cleared for basketball activities. She did not travel for the road ...Read more

Photo Credit: Frank Masi/PARAMOUNT/TNS

Philadelphia screenwriter didn't know his Joel Embiid joke made it into 'Naked Gun'

Sports / Basketball /

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid is usually the one doing the trolling, but in the new "Naked Gun" movie, he’s the target.

Buried deep in the film’s joke-filled end credits is a not-so-subtle jab at the Sixers star, who played just 19 games last season due to a host of injuries.

Appearing just under craft services is the film’s Netflix ...Read more

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS

WNBA is attracting more NBA owners. Would the Reinsdorfs -- or another Bulls owner -- have interest in Sky?

Sports / Basketball /

CHICAGO — After years of apathy, NBA owners suddenly are clamoring to get in on the booming business of the WNBA.

The owners of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers were awarded expansion franchises that will enter the league over the next five years. Houston Rockets ownership is preparing a second bid to bring back...Read more

Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America/TNS

UCLA stars Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Gabriela Jaquez share lessons with kids close to home

Sports / Basketball /

THOUSAND OAKS, California — Jaime Jaquez Jr., who is preparing for his third season in the NBA with the Miami Heat, and his sister Gabriela Jaquez, a standout player for the UCLA Bruins and the Mexican national basketball team, set aside their own workouts to lead others through some familiar drills.

The siblings recently hosted a summer ...Read more

Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald/TNS

Wyc Grousbeck reportedly out as Celtics governor; Bill Chisholm to take control

Sports / Basketball /

BOSTON — Wyc Grousbeck will have a smaller role than expected when the Celtics’ new ownership group takes control, according to a new report.

ESPN’s Shams Charania and Ramona Shelburne on Tuesday reported that Grousbeck “will no longer stay on as governor” of Boston’s NBA franchise despite initial plans for him to do so.

When a ...Read more