A Texas officer encounters former NBA champion J.R. Smith and immediately identifies LeBron James as the man responsible for Dallas losing Luka Dončić, proving some Mavericks fans are nowhere near the acceptance stage.
STATUS: INVESTIGATION OPENRead the damage →
After attempting just six shots in Houston's 16-point win over Boston, the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history demands to know why a basketball reporter spent so much time observing his basketball performance.
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After six consecutive losses, Sacramento accidentally wins 115–100 in Dallas, ending its pursuit of an unprecedented 0–82 season behind 25 points from rookie Darius Acuff Jr.
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The commissioner reportedly favors cutting NBA games from 48 to 40 minutes, with early indications suggesting the league intends to eliminate eight minutes of basketball without disturbing a single second of advertising.
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Toronto announces its two-time Finals MVP has successfully completed treatment for knee swelling and is now officially beginning the process of preparing to eventually play his third game of the season.
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Eighteen years after losing their NBA franchise, Seattle fans receive another promising statement from Adam Silver, bringing them closer than ever to hearing the league is still considering bringing basketball back.
Open file →Five NBA statements. Some actually happened.
Choose winners before tip. Come back after the game to see whether your confidence survived.
100 means the group chat has become the primary news source.
The stories currently receiving unnecessary attention.
After months of negotiations, Detroit and Jalen Duren finally found common ground at the extremely modest figure of $200 million guaranteed.
New York’s trip to Saturday Night Live reportedly became another group project with Brunson directing traffic by the second rehearsal.
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The Bulls say both incoming assets will have a chance to earn rotation time, though Cash may already have the cleaner positional fit.
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Luka made one thing clear: he does not want to be the GM. Rob Pelinka has reluctantly returned to being the GM.
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The league says its new viewing experience is simpler than ever, assuming you have six subscriptions, three logins and a cooperative relative.
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Golden State has secured two more years of its long-running strategy of having Stephen Curry and seeing what happens.
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Cleveland’s camp in Málaga has Harden enjoying the food, weather and increasingly optional idea of returning home.
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New Orleans has discovered that winning enough regular-season games may result in additional basketball.
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Father Time remains undefeated. LeBron has requested a rematch.
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Ty Jerome scores 40 and single-handedly forces overtime, only for Jeremiah Fears to end Memphis' perfect season at the free-throw line before both teams resume the competition at midcourt.
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Oklahoma City will raise Westbrook's jersey to the rafters on February 7, though officials remain concerned it might attempt one final fast break on the way up.
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The three-time All-Star reportedly wants out, and the Kings are willing to listen. Unfortunately, Sacramento has introduced an unfamiliar requirement: the trade must actually make sense.
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Lakers superstar produces a statistical performance never before seen in NBA history, then watches his teammates turn a 26-point lead into another emergency.
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New league initiative gives basketball fans a chance to say goodbye to actual basketball before the final two minutes become a nationally televised officiating seminar.
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The six-time All-Star trades defensive intensity for a flawless commitment to his Halloween character, even addressing Dirk Nowitzki as Peter Griffin.
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Six games into their NBA title defense, the Knicks are 2–4, their offense is broken, and their head coach has apparently decided to switch sports.
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Charlotte coach Charles Lee insists his players must meet the organization's standards, declining to explain what they are, where they're written, or how anyone is supposed to meet them.
Open file →Real NBA concepts, explained clearly and then unnecessarily.
All explainers →A clear, funny explanation of the NBA second apron and why expensive teams suddenly talk like accountants.
REAL BASKETBALL EXPLAINERBird RightsWhat NBA Bird Rights are, why they matter, and why teams can sometimes re-sign their own players above the salary cap.
REAL BASKETBALL EXPLAINERTrade ExceptionsA plain-English guide to NBA trade exceptions and why they are useful without being free cap space.
REAL BASKETBALL EXPLAINERThe Stepien RuleWhy NBA teams cannot simply trade away every future first-round pick in consecutive drafts.
The archive will check again tomorrow.
Open desk note →Tomorrow will also be a day.
Open desk note →The box score needed a larger font.
Open desk note →The first guest is his own former coach.
Open desk note →Fans will immediately disagree about the angle.
Open desk note →Unscientific reader questions with choices designed to make every answer slightly embarrassing.
Open →Media Day, trade deadline, playoffs and free-agency clichés arranged into a highly predictable game.
Open →League memos, scouting reports, whiteboards, expense sheets and other documents that should probably remain internal.
Open →Weekly recognition for basketball achievements the league forgot to honor.
Open →One current file from every corner of the newsroom.
Recurring shows from a newsroom that should probably have fewer departments.
Adam Silver calmly explains whatever basketball has become this week.
Adam Silver Confirms NBA Has Zero Tolerance for Gambling Scandals Unless There's a Partnership AgreementAdam Silver Announces Fifth Referee Will Be Added to Games to Watch Other Four RefereesJimmy Butler Vows Not to Be Bum-Ass Player, NBA Demands Similar Commitment From Rest of LeagueTune in, unfortunately →Podcasts, vacations, fashion and everything players do once nobody is keeping score.
Kevin Durant and Matt Ishbia Publicly Argue Over Who Ruined Phoenix, Dillon Brooks Declares Himself the SolutionDraymond Warns Deni Avdija an Elbow Is Coming, Declines to Provide Exact DateJulius Randle Watches Nets Golf Outing, Realizes He Has Accidentally Become Team DadEnter the offseason →Rumors, unnamed executives and conversations that may or may not have happened near a phone.
Pistons Offer Jalen Duren One-Fifth of a Billion Dollars, Duren Asks What Else They GotNets Believe Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. Could Accelerate Rebuild to Slightly Faster RebuildNBA Insider Reports 23 Teams Have “Interest” In Player Nobody Has Actually Called AboutOpen the rumor desk →Memes, screenshots, agendas and the basketball internet behaving with its usual restraint.
“One Last Thing,” Says Bill Simmons With 83 Minutes Remaining in Podcast“I'm Slytherin, Bro,” Says Jaylen Brown, Becoming First Person to Explain Harry Potter to Harry Potter“I'm Just Asking Questions,” Says Kendrick Perkins After Making 17 Accusations and Asking Zero QuestionsEnter the timeline →Pick a team, a player, or a basketball rabbit hole. We already opened the folder.
