Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. With the Los Angeles Lakers already down double-digits late in the first quarter on Wednesday, LeBron James put his head down and drove to the cup, looking to salvage a smidgen of […]

Bradley Beal nearly hit a breaking point Tuesday. That much was evident as cameras showed Beal sitting on the bench in the closing minutes of the Wizards’ 107-88 road loss to the Rockets — a game in which he played a team-high 35 minutes, scored a game-high 33 points and brought in five rebounds and four assists. (He and teammate […]

Longtime NBA writer Sekou Smith, known for his basketball insight and friendly demeanor, died Tuesday of COVID-19. He was 48 years old. Smith began covering the NBA and the Indiana Pacers in 2001 for The Indianapolis Star and moved south to cover the Atlanta Hawks for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 2005-2009. Turner Sports hired him in 2009, and he wrote about the […]

Nick Friedell is the Chicago Bulls beat reporter for ESPN Chicago. Friedell is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and joined ESPNChicago.com for its launch in April 2009. SAN FRANCISCO — Andrew Wiggins spent six years playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he believes he has found a much better basketball home playing […]

LeBron James looked upset. Not only did the Los Angeles Lakers’ star seem irked that he missed a shot toward the end of the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. He also looked irritated at someone on the sideline. “I know who he is. He’s part of the front office group,” James said. “He was really excited about that […]

The sound rarely bothered him before 2020. It has bothered him plenty since then. Gary Vitti, the Los Angeles Lakers’ former longtime head athletic trainer, often heard helicopters and airplanes fly over his home in Manhattan Beach, Calif. because of its proximity to the city’s airports. He never thought much about it. And now? Different story. When Vitti has heard […]

Nick Friedell is the Chicago Bulls beat reporter for ESPN Chicago. Friedell is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and joined ESPNChicago.com for its launch in April 2009. Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has decided to insert veteran Kevon Looney into the team’s starting lineup in place of rookie center James Wiseman. […]

Host of The Woj Pod Joined ESPN in 2017 The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are discussing the possibility of still holding an All-Star Game in early March — possibly in Atlanta, sources tell ESPN. The traditional All-Star Weekend — originally set for Indianapolis in February — was canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but sources tell […]

Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University. Follow him on Twitter »  Ohm’s chat archive » Kawhi Leonard […]

The Utah Jazz have won eight straight games and sit a half-game behind the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers for the best record in the league. It’s early, but the Jazz — backed by quality wins against the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors during the run — have the look of a contender in the West. […]