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With NBA season right around the corner, fans of every team are currently able to bask in the possibilities that an upcoming season holds. Every franchise is still in contention for the championship, and nobody knows who the breakout stars who shape the playoff race will be. It has all the makings of an interesting year, as the 2023-2024 season felt like the beginning of a transition for professional basketball. The NBA introduced its first In-Season Tournament, adding a new wrinkle to the sport that seems primed to become a beloved tradition. And while aging stars like LeBron James and Steph Curry dominated at the Summer Olympics, the emergence of new stars like Tyrese Haliburton proved that the sport’s future is bright — and closer than ever.

Fans looking to re-live last year’s biggest storylines before the regular season starts on October 22nd should look no further than “Clutch: The NBA Playoffs,...

ESPN has picked up the eight-part original series “Clutch: The NBA Playoffs,” which chronicles the most recent 2024 NBA Playoffs via the personal and professional stories of players including Zion Williamson, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, P.J. Washington and Jaylen Brown. The ESPN Original series premieres Oct. 7 on ESPN2 at 11:30 p.m. Et, and then will be available to stream on ESPN+ an hour later.

“The NBA Playoffs are defined by competition and drama, and with ‘Clutch,’ we’re excited to show fans a new side of an unforgettable post-season,” said Lindsay Rovegno, vice president of production for ESPN Originals. “This series provides a unique perspective on some of the most compelling players in the game, showcasing their drive, resilience, and passion as they chase a championship. It’s about more than basketball – it’s about legacy, and we’re proud to tell these stories in a way we know viewers will love.

The 2024 Espy Awards are set to tip off Thursday, July 11 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt in a ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles hosted by Serena Williams.

The ESPN-fronted awards ceremony will be broadcast on ABC and stream on the ESPN app.

ESPN’s YouTube and Facebook pages along with the ESPN app will livestream the red carpet arrivals beginning at 7 p.m. Et/4 p.m. Pt. Christine Williamson, Harry Lyles Jr. and Cam Newton will lead that coverage.

The ESPYs annually gathers sports and entertainment A-listers to commemorate the past year in sports, recognizing major athletic achievements, the best moments and top performers. This year, Caitlin Clark leads all 2024 Espy nominees with three, including a nom in the marquee Best Athlete, Women’s Sports category, where she is joined by U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff, two-time major golf champion Nelly Korda and fellow WNBA star A’ja Wilson.

Basketball star Caitlin Clark, whose stellar year included breaking an NCAA scoring record and becoming the first pick the WNBA draft, leads all athletes with three nominations for the 2024 Espy Awards that were unveiled Wednesday.

Clark is nommed in three categories: Record-Breaking Performance for her NCAA feat, Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports and in the marquee Best Athlete, Women’s Sports, where she is joined by U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff, two-time major golf champion Nelly Korda and WNBA star A’ja Wilson.

In the race for Best Athlete, Men’s Sports, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes returns to defend his 2023 Espy win in the category after leading the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl win in a row this year. Other nominees include the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid and Masters winner Scottie Scheffler.

Mahomes and Ohtani are looking for their second career wins in that category,...

Simone Biles, Jaylen Brown, Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, Patrick Mahomes and Shohei Ohtani are among the top nominees for the 2024 Espy Awards.

The winners will be announced at the July 11 ceremony, which will be hosted by Serena Williams and broadcast live at 8 p.m. Et/Pt on July 11 from Los Angeles.

NFL quarterback Mahomes and MLB star Ohtani will compete for best athlete in men’s sports, along with golfer Scott Scheffler and hockey pro Connor McDavid. If Mahomes or Ohtani win, they’ll join LeBron James, Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods as the only athletes to win the category multiple times.

College basketball star Clark and tennis pro Gauff will vie for best athlete in women’s sports, along with golfer Nelly Korda and WNBA star A’ja Wilson.

The ESPYs will once again hand out a trio of special honors — the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage Award, the Jimmy...

In one year’s time, basketball hall-of-famer and sports broadcasting legend Charles Barkley will retire from television and the women of San Antonio will be able to breathe easy — well, as easy as people of their size ever can.

With the NBA moving to close a massive, $76 billion broadcasting deal with ESPN, NBC and Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery and TNT Sports will likely face the end of their time broadcasting NBA basketball at the end of their current deal with the league following the conclusion of the 2024-2025 NBA season. Basketball fans and industry members alike are now preparing for a basketball world without the most celebrated and culturally significant sports studio show in TV history, Inside the NBA, which has featured the insightful commentary and cutting comedy of the Round Mound of Rebound for 24 glorious years.

This past Friday night, Barkley announced that he will retire from TNT after the next basketball season,...

Hypocrisy, greed, deception, and exploitation of labor have a way of catching up with an organization, as I learned while reporting my new book, Hot Dog Money: Inside the Biggest Scandal in the History of College Sports. The NCAA is no exception to these truisms, despite more than a century of profiteering on the backs of student-athletes and zealously punishing anyone with the temerity to do what everyone knew was so widespread as to be both epidemic and endemic to college sports: cheat.

In March, I wrote an op-ed for...

Call it basket-brawl. In the fourth quarter in New Orleans on Friday night, the Miami Heat and Pelicans got into a huge fight.

Things started when Pelicans star Zion Williamson went up and missed a shot, complaining that he was fouled.

After Miami’s Jimmy Butler rebounded the ball, Williamson stole it back in the paint, going up for a shot near the net before he was fouled hard by Miami’s Kevin Love.

Williamson grabbed Butler’s neck, and both teams ran into a moving scrum of dancing and shouting, as multiple players and coaches from both teams tried to stop the fight.

Naji Marshall and Butler were both ejected from the game as well as the Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado and the Heat’s Thomas Bryant.

The Heat won the game, 106-95. Watch the fight below.

Heat Vs. Pelicans.

The New Orleans Pelicans host the Dallas Mavericks from Smoothie King Center on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. Et. At the time of this writing, the Pelicans currently sit fifth in the Western Conference, with a 4-3 record and are coming off a game against the Houston Rockets. The Mavericks, meanwhile, sit second in the West with a 6-1 record. They’re coming off a game against the LA Clippers.

Odds & Analysis

How to Watch the New Orleans vs. Dallas Game?

At a Glance: Matchup: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Dallas Mavericks Date and Time: Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 at 7 p.m. Et Home Arena Advantage: New Orleans Pelicans Team Records: New Orleans (4-3), Dallas (6-1) Odds: Tbd TV Channel: Bally Sports New Orleans and Bally Sports Southwest Watch Pelicans vs. Mavericks 5 Days Free directv.com/live-sports Directv Stream’s five-day free trial is the cheapest way to watch the NBA. Odds & Analysis...

When the Oklahoma City Thunder host the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, it’s going to mean a little bit more. It’ll be the first time these two teams meet after the Thunder eliminated the Pelicans on a play-in game 123-118. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander exploded for 25 of his 32 points in the second half, sealing the game with four clutch free-throws with 29 seconds left.

In the 2023-24 season, Oklahoma is 3-1, with their only loss coming in a blow-out to the defending champs Denver Nuggets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has started the season strong, averaging 26.0 points per game. Josh Giddey, known for his creative passing, and rookie Chet Holmgren, will need to be on their game to get past the Pelicans. The good news is the Thunder are slightly better historically at home than on the road, averaging 120.8 points for and 115.6 points against at home last year, versus 114.1 and 117.1 respectively on the road.

It’s springtime in America. The flowers are blooming, the sunsets are stunning, the air is filled with the scent of amour. It is now when a young man’s thoughts turn away from the grindset and toward the finer things in life: professional basketball, specifically.

“The Playoffs,” you say? Now, of course one might watch the NBA Conference Finals, where the Denver Nuggets just swept Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, while the 8th-seeded Miami Heat have subjected the dishwater-dull Boston Celtics to a series of indignities engineered...

New Delhi, April 21 (Ians) Chaos prevailed on Twitter on Friday when Elon Musk finally removed all legacy verified accounts with Blue check marks but allowed some celebrities to retain it.

In India, one has to shell out Rs 900 a month to get Blue Verified status.

As more than 4 lakh legacy verified users bid goodbye to the Blue check marks, some celebrities have been offered a complimentary Twitter Blue subscription “on behalf of Musk”.

“I am paying for a few personally,” said Musk. “Just William Shatner, LeBron James and Stephen King,” he added.

Stephen King tweeted: “My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t. My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t”.

Musk replied: “You’re welcome namaste.”

The Pope got downgraded along with Beyonce, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey.

Rihanna and Taylor Swift still had Blue ticks but it was...

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With the Super Bowl in our rearview, it’s time to turn our attention to basketball for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.

As usual, the 2023 NBA All-Star Game promises a battle between the league’s best players in each conference. This year, the Lakers’ LeBron James will captain the Western Conference team, marking his sixth consecutive year as an All-Star captain. This will also be James’ 19th All-Star Game,...

Alex Kurtzman says making 2017’s The Mummy was the worst decision of his career.

“But alas, the critical and commercial failure of the Tom Cruise-starring The Mummy movie, starring Sofia Boutella as the eponymous sarcophagus-dweller and Russell Crowe as the Nick Fury-Esque Dr. Jekyll, killed the whole thing long before it could even become a disappointingly dull cinematic universe like the other high-profile attempt to do the Avengers thing. Now, Mummy director Alex Kurtzman—who was also one of the architects of the Dark Universe itself—is speaking out about the film, telling the podcast Bingeworthy (via The Hollywood Reporter), ‘[The Mummy] was probably the biggest failure of my life, both personally and professionally.'”

Read more at The A.V. Club

Dreamwork’s latest animated flick, The Bay Guys, made a surprising debut atop the box office this past weekend. At the same time, other original films such...

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Live sports are a major part of a well-rounded entertainment diet, and whether you return to arenas this year or play it safe at home, you can watch baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, college football, and pretty much every other nationally broadcast sport on ESPN+.

Not signed up? A subscription to ESPN+ comes with access to live sports and archival games, sure, but more importantly, the sports network’s trove of deeply fascinating “30 for 30” documentaries. Each film meticulously examines an event, a season, a star, or even a single play in an enlightening 90-minute package that’s engrossing for die-hard sports fans and disinterested novices alike.

You can access the entire archive of...

ESPN and Marvel announced a groundbreaking collaboration today to launch the first-ever Marvel-inspired alternate presentation for the Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans game on Monday, May 3. The exclusive alternate presentation, NBA Special Edition Presented by State Farm: Marvel’s Arena of Heroes, will start at 7:30 p.m. Et on ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes with the traditional game telecast on ESPN. This marks ESPN’s second live NBA game on ESPN+.

The latest development in Marvel and ESPN’s long history of sports content collaboration, the telecast will integrate elements from an original Marvel story and iconic characters including Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Captain America, Black Widow, and Doctor Strange throughout the live game, including 3D virtual characters, custom graphics and animation packages.

After a narrow victory over an invading alien army, the Avengers receive an ominous threat from the enemy who vows to return in greater numbers and force.

ESPN and Marvel, two of Disney’s most high-profile divisions, are teaming to produce an alternative telecast of a May 3 NBA game.

The flagship ESPN network will air the regular telecast of the Golden State Warriors-New Orleans Pelicans matchup. ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and streaming service ESPN+ will carry the Marvel-ized version.

Synergy has long existed between the NBA and Disney, a longtime rights holder. The media company last year created a “bubble” site at its ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando, Fl. The facility allowed the NBA to complete its pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 season.

The alternate broadcast on May 3 will integrate elements from an original Marvel story and characters including Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Captain America, Black Widow and Doctor Strange. Characters will appear throughout the game via 3D technology, custom graphics and animation packages.

Viewers will be encouraged to collect “Marvel Hero Points” based...

“Marvel’s Arena of Heroes” game, which is set for May 3, will feature Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans

ESPN and Marvel are teaming up for a Marvel-inspired special edition NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans that will feature an “Avengers”-themed storyline.

Per ESPN, the telecast will “integrate elements from an original Marvel story and iconic characters including Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Captain America, Black Widow and Doctor Strange throughout the live game, including 3D virtual characters, custom graphics and animation packages.”

Dubbed “NBA Special Edition Presented by State Farm: Marvel’s Arena of Heroes,” the special edition game will be broadcast May 3 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Et on ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes, with the traditional game telecast on ESPN.

Also Read:

Here’s When ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Is Set in the MCU Timeline

Here...

If you’re a sports fan, you love this time of year. The football season is coming down to the wire, with teams angling for playoff spots. Talk around the NHL’s new season is starting to heat up. And though LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers cohorts seemingly just hoisted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, another NBA campaign tips off on December 22.

What all of this means is that it’s probably time to freshen up your closet with some new shirts for your favorite collegiate and pro teams.

Presented by:

April 2020 in the United States was pretty terrible for almost everyone and everything. We all know why. No need to rehash it.

Unless, that is, you sunk your time and money into collecting and selling basketball cards. If you did, you were one of the beneficiaries of the strongest surge for the hobby in its history.

“The month of April was the busiest month that … the basketball card industry has ever seen, and by double,” says Geoff Wilson, founder of Sports Card Investor, which offers advice on investing in the hobby and a data analytics platform. He noted that the previous bests date back to the late 1980s and early ’90s.

Plenty of millennials collected cards as kids back then, when the likes of Topps, Upper Deck, and Fleer were among the dominant brands in NBA licensed trading cards. But, if they were hoping to score cards that...

Every game in the decades-old NBA 2K series has hit consoles between September and November in time for the leadup to the next NBA season. Makes sense, right? But what happens when, come early September, the pros are still trying to complete the previous campaign because of, oh, I don’t know, a global pandemic that has disrupted just about everything in the world in one way or another? You get NBA 2K21, a game that feels too much like last year’s model.

The game actually makes for a great metaphor for the 2019-20 NBA season. The on-court action is as good as ever, both in the league’s bubble at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida and in 2K21. The virtual basketball is just as smooth as the real thing. Quality simulation gameplay has always been the hallmark of the franchise, and that’s no different this year.

Kobe Bryant has been honored by NBA 2K21 with the Mamba Forever Edition. The late Los Angeles Lakers star will appear on two different covers of the iconic video game. Bryant is the third cover star to be announced this week following Trail Blazers player Damian Lillard, who is considered the current-gen, and Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson, who represents the next-gen. There is not a release date set for the game at this time, though that should be announced in the coming weeks.

Mamba Forever...

Kobe Bryant, arguably one of the greatest NBA players of all time, is being honored in NBA 2K21. After it was announced that Portland Trail Blazers 5-Time All Star Point Guard Damian Lillard would be the face of the current-gen version of NBA 2K21, with New Orleans Pelicans rookie sensation Zion Williamson gracing next-gen covers, […]

The post Kobe Bryant Joins Zion Williamson and Damian Lillard as NBA 2K21 Cover Athletes with the Mamba Forever Edition appeared first on Cinelinx | Movies. Games. Geek Culture..

2K Sports is gearing up for the launch of NBA 2K21 this September. The sports title already announced the two basketball stars that will be gracing the covers: Damian Lillard on current-gen consoles and Zion Williamson on PS5 and Xbox Series X titles. But today, 2K Sports revealed a special edition that honors and celebrates the life and career of the late, great Kobe Bryant. The "Mamba Forever Edition", which is available now to pre-order and will set you back about $100, honors Bryant with unique artwork that's quite different from the standard photoshoot. (This edition, though …...

TNT will not have its lead broadcaster when the NBA resumes its season next month in Orlando.

Marv Albert, who is 79, will not be part of the network’s coverage over concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic, which has roared back to life in recent weeks, particularly in Florida. Albert told The New York Post, “I had second thoughts.” Turner also confirmed to TheWrap that Albert will not be going down to Orlando.

Kevin Harlan, Ian Eagle or Brian Anderson will likely take over Albert’s spot in the network’s top broadcast team.

Also Read: NBA Sets TV Schedule for Season Restart at Disney World

The NBA is set to resume its season on July 30 in a bubble environment at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health reported more than 6,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus, upping the state’s total...

The NBA is moving forward with its plan of resuming its 2019-20 season amid the coronavirus pandemic. The NBA’s “re-opening” night will feature a double-header July 30 that will air on TNT.

The early game will feature star rookie Zion Williamson leading the New Orleans Pelicans against the Utah Jazz. It was Jazz player Rudy Gobert’s positive test in March that led the NBA suspending its season in mid-March. The back end of the doubleheader will pit the Los Angeles Lakers against its inner city rival Clippers — though the game, like all during the NBA’s restart, will be played in Orlando.

From a TV perspective, the resumption of the season is following the broadcast pattern used for the league’s Opening Week in October, which typically tips off with a double-header on TNT. ESPN will air two games on July 31 — the Boston Celtics vs the Milwaukee Bucks and...

CAA has announced a multi-pronged approach to deepen its commitment to diversity and inclusion within the company and in Hollywood at large, as protests over the killing of George Floyd consume the country.

As corporations speak out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in social media posts, the agency rolled out some immediate steps to contribute to larger discussions of systemic racism. This includes participation in the Blackout Tuesday demonstration on June 2, a music industry initiative encouraging creative businesses to go offline in recognition of the national conversation around racial inequality.

CAA Sports executive Lisa Joseph Metelus has also been appointed to CAA’s executive board, which manages day-to-day operations under president Richard Lovett and managing partners Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane.

“It is critical that our Board better reflects the real world,” Lovett said in a statement. “Lisa is a force. Beyond being a proven leader in...

During a time where people of color — specifically Black people — and members of marginalized communities are being treated with injustice, CAA is looking to push the needle with new efforts that aim to foster the agency’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

CAA has taken action and appointed Lisa Joseph Metelus to the CAA Board, the agency’s new leadership structure, formed in January and underscoring the company’s continued growth and next-generation strategy. CAA employees worldwide will also participate in “Blackout Tuesday” on June 2 which marks a day of reflection, disconnecting from work, to provoke accountability, change, and meaningful action. Finally, the agency is set to host its fourth annual Amplify conference, convening diverse leading artists and executives from the most impactful organizations in entertainment, sports, media, brands, technology, and social justice to accelerate the growth, value, and visibility of diversity in business.

“The events over the past couple...

One of the last people to find out about the coronavirus was actor Jared Leto. The Oscar winner was away on a 12 day meditation in the desert without any technology or outside communication, which is the most Jared Leto thing ever, by the way.

Of course, once he came back to civilization, Leto was met with countless texts from friends and family about the pandemic. And now that he’s caught up, the actor is starting his own quarantine cinema club. With health experts recommending people stay in their homes and practice social distancing, there’s no better time to catch up on some movies, right?

He tweeted last week that the “Jared Leto Cinema Club” would start on Sunday with the John Hughes classic Ferris Buller’s Day Off being the inaugural film. Leto then tweeted several screenshots of the movie as well as various popcorn-eating selfies. He’s...

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, People is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on Covid-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from Cdc, Who, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are doing their part to help those who have been “brutally impacted” by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

In a post shared on Reynolds’ Twitter and Instagram on Monday, the Deadpool star announced that he and his wife will...

A Zion Williamson salary pledge for Smooth King Center employees during the NBA’s suspended season is showing an incredible amount of generosity on behalf of the rookie. On Friday, the New Orleans Pelicans’ No. 1 draft pick promised to help out all of those people who normally work at the team’s arena because they’ll be out of work for the...

In terms of NBA Rising Stars Challenge 2020 highlights, the top two draft picks brought an amazing aerial display to the Windy City on Friday night. Through the first half, many of the league’s bright young stars scored, but Ja Morant and Zion Williamson provided some of the memorable moments sure to be on replay. One of the moments saw […]...

The NBA Rising Stars Challenge 2020 rosters will include a who’s who of the brightest young talents in the league today. Among them is the reigning Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic, who has since become an NBA All-Star. On the opposing side will be the newest sensation Zion Williamson, although one of his teammates has been the frontrunner for […]...

Exclusive: On Point, a 10-part docuseries about Aau basketball featuring appearances by NBA stars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Zion Williamson, will premiere on Crackle Plus in February.

Screen Media said it has acquired North American rights to the show, which is produced by Peter Berg and Film 45 as well as by Complex Networks. Like Crackle Plus, which runs streaming platforms including Crackle and Popcornflix, Screen Media is a unit of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. Sony remains a partner in the Crackle joint venture, but Csse controls the day-to-day operations of the ad-supported platform.

The first three episodes of On Point will premiere Monday, February 3, exclusively on Amazon FireTV devices before a wider rollout across Crackle Plus services on February 13.

The Amateur Athletic Union for decades has been a proving ground for top NBA players, who typically play Aau ball in the summer before their senior year. The...

With ratings in a slump so far this season, the NBA has needed someone to come off the bench and ball out. Cue the New Orleans Pelicans debut of Zion Williamson.

The much-heralded number 1 pick from the 2019 draft had sat out the first 44 games of the Pelicans’ season with a knee injury, but last night, he announced himself on basketball’s biggest stage in style, and viewers tuned in to watch.

Wednesday’s game may have ended in a narrow 121-117 defeat for the Pelicans against the San Antonio Spurs, but the victory really went to ESPN, as it delivered its highest-rated non-Christmas game so far this season (tied with the Lakers vs. Mavericks encounter from Nov. 1) with a cable-topping 1.0 rating among adults 18-49.

Williamson’s dominant presence propelled the game to 2.36 million total viewers, which represents an 88% increase in viewership versus last year’s comparable game, peaking at around 2.8 million viewers.

It’s been a long time coming, but the official Zion Williamson debut is approaching. The 2019 No. 1 draft pick for the New Orleans Pelicans has been sidelined since the preseason. However, the rookie is finally set to return for his team to try to show the world why he is such a special basketball star. Williamson to debut against Spurs Mark those calendars for January 22, as that’s when Zion Williamson will step foot on the court, this time to actually play in a game. According to Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin, Zion will debut when New Orleans takes on the San Antonio […]...

The NBA’s TV ratings so far this season have been far from all-star level.

Viewership across ESPN, TNT and NBA TV is down 15% year-to-year overall, according to Nielsen figures. TNT’s coverage is averaging 1.3 million viewers through 14 telecasts, down 21% versus last year’s comparable coverage, while on ESPN the picture isn’t much prettier. The Disney-owned network is down 19%, averaging 1.5 million viewers versus just under 1.9 million viewers at the same stage last year.

But why have the numbers been stuffed? And do the NBA, TNT and ESPN have cause to be deflated by the drop? According to sources at all three organizations, injuries have played the biggest part.

So far this season, 63% of games on ESPN and TNT (or 22 games out of 35) were missing one or more stars missing due to injury. Eleven of the 14 games broadcast on TNT have had one or more stars missing due to injury,...

The NBA is throwing up ratings airballs on national television. Thus far this season, viewers are rejecting the National Basketball Association’s key TV offerings, with the league’s two national cable partners, ESPN and TNT, both down around the 20% mark versus this time last year. ESPN has seen its total-viewer averages drop 19% this fall; the Turner cable channel’s decline is 4% worse than that. At first blush, this subtracting viewership might not seem to add up. Basketball, after all, is supposed to be the young, hip sport that’s steadily gaining traction in comparison to football and baseball — with Gallup showing it is the second-most popular sport in the U.S. for all key demos last year. So what gives? And can the NBA expect to bounce back from its early struggles? J.A. Adande, director of sports journalism at Northwestern University, said above all else, a “loss of stars...

The first-ever Time 100 Next list is here.  Among Time magazine's honorees are Camila Cabello, Awkwafina, Bad Bunny, Beanie Feldstein, Keke Palmer, Lil Nas X and Aly Raisman, who all represent the future of their respective industries. Piggybacking off the publication's annual Time 100 list, which recognizes the most influential public figures of the year, the Time 100 Next list highlights the 100 individuals shaping the worlds of entertainment, politics, business, human rights and more. Camila and Awkwafina are joined by sexual assault survivor and activist Chanel Miller, NBA star Zion Williamson, Glossier...

The 2019 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards was filled with incredible athletes, inspiring moments and — of course — a massive amount of slime.

“I love the kids. I love the slime. I loved the games. I love seeing celebrities and athletes like become kids again. And it’s like my favorite thing,” Michael Strahan told Variety walking the orange carpet at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica with his own kids, twin daughters Isabella and Sophia, before the show.

The retired football player-turned TV personality has served as the executive producer for the awards since 2014 and returned to host for the second year in a row. Onstage, the Super Bowl winner kept the show light, mixing a good helping of comedy with a series of challenges including a dance battle, obstacle courses, and an extreme pillow fight — which divided up athletes and celebrities into competing teams led by retired NFL star Rob Gronkowski...

The ESPYs’ television broadcast only paints so much of the picture of what went down at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles from sports’ biggest award ceremony. Viewers at home saw Tracy Morgan host, celebrities like Sandra Bullock present and athletes including Drew Brees, Alex Morgan and Giannis Antetokounmpo receive awards, but they didn’t quite catch all the exciting moments left off TV. Here’s what they missed:

“Fresh Prince” Dwyane Wade: During a commercial break karaoke challenge, Wade showed his skills on the mic as he rapped along to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme song. The retired basketball superstar laid down the rhymes from the comfort of his own seat, next to his wife, Gabrielle Union. “In West Philadelphia born and raised…” Wade rapped, filling in the remainder of the song with perfect memory as the lyrics cut out.

U.S. Women’s Soccer Pandemonium: The U.

Just days after their second straight World Cup victory, the U.S. women’s national soccer team won Best Team at the 2019 Espys Awards hosted by Tracy Morgan on Wednesday night.

Other winners included Zion Williamson (Best College Athlete), soccer star Alex Morgan (Best Female Athlete), and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Though the night’s nominees included luminaries like Serena Williams (who won for Best Female Tennis Player) and Kevin Durant, the biggest stars of the show were members of the women’s national soccer team, who arrived in L.A. from their World Cup Finals victory parade in New York City earlier Wednesday.

Also Read: Chris Long, Chicago Fire Soccer Club, NHL Among Winners at ESPN Sports Humanitarian Awards

Among other highlights, the St. Louis Blues’ Stanley Cup victory nabbed the team Best Comeback. And for the first time ever, all the nominees for Best Male Athlete — Patrick Mahomes, Mookie Betts,...

The 2019 Espys brought out the stars in force to celebrate the best in sports as voted by the fans. Tracy Morgan hosted, quipping that it was one of the few rooms where everyone knew how the guests made their money. Watch his monologue above.

This year’s award winners:

Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Rob Mendez

Pat Tillman Award for Service: Kirstie Ennis

Arthur Ashe Award for Courage: Bill Russell

Best Coach: Jim Calhoun

Best NFL Player: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Best NBA Player: Giannis Antetounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Best Wnba Player: Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm

Best Female Action Sports Athlete: Chloe Kim

Best Male Action Sports Athlete: Nyjah Huston

Best Female Athlete with a Disability: Allysa Seely

Best Male Athlete with a Disability: Mark Barr

Best Boxer: Canelo Álvarez

Best Mma Fighter: Daniel Cormier

Best Male Golfer: Brooks Koepka

Best Esports Moment: Timothy “oLARRY” Anselimo returns to 2K League...

The 2019 ESPY Awards were handed out Wednesday night.

Tracy Morgan hosted the ceremony, which aired live at 8 p.m. Et (tape-delayed on the West Coast) on ABC from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant, Simone Biles, Alexander Ovechkin, Chloe Kim, Drew Brees and Mookie Betts were among this year's Espy Award nominees. Included in the winners, Williams was awarded best female tennis player, Lionel Messi won the soccer trophy and basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo emerged triumphant in the basketball category.

Among those who appeared at the 2019 Espy Awards were the ...

Serena Williams is currently playing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, but her much-talked-about exit from last year’s U.S. Open that was the topic of a personal essay that she wrote in August’s issue of Harper’s Bazaar that was published on Tuesday.

Williams was fined $17,000 after she lost to Naomi Osaka in straight sets following a game penalty in the second set of the final, then called umpire Carlos Ramos a “thief,” and accused him of sexism and demanding an apology.

The tennis icon, who holds the record for 23 Grand Slam singles titles, went on to become the target of media outcry — with some attacking her for “being a sore loser” and unprofessional, and others pledging their support and saying she was “robbed.”

Also Read: Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, Zion Williamson Among 2019 Espys Nominees

Williams also struggled to move on from the incident. “Every night, as I...