All posts tagged: NBA

Former NBA player Malik Beasley pleads not guilty in gambling scandal

Former NBA player Malik Beasley pleads not guilty in gambling scandal

Published by Sam Flores

Former NBA player Malik Beasley pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from an alleged sports betting scheme in which prosecutors say he manipulated his on-court appearance to benefit bettors. Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscription Get exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading. Beasley, 29, who wore a navy suit during the brief arraignment in Brooklyn, New York, acknowledged that he read the indictment and understood the charges. He spoke very little, allowing his attorney to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf. A magistrate judge released him on a $100,000 bond, with his mother and father co-signing. Beasley is also prohibited from gambling or contacting witnesses and co-defendants. Federal prosecutors alleged that Beasley, while he was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, agreed with another ex-NBA player, Ed Davis, in 2024 to fix his performance in multiple games so Davis and others could place fraudulent wagers on his performance. In exchange, Beasley accepted bribes, which were used to pay off debts that he owed Davis, according to the indictment. Federal prosecutors …

Free Agency Starts Tuesday in NBA, and LeBron James Has All Eyes on Him Once Again

Free Agency Starts Tuesday in NBA, and LeBron James Has All Eyes on Him Once Again

Published by Sam Flores

NBA free agency in 2026: Everyone is waiting again for James to make a decision. James was the biggest domino to fall in the NBA’s offseason player movement period 16 years ago when he decided to join Miami, and he may be the biggest domino to fall — at least in free agency — this summer as well. Free agency opens in the NBA on Tuesday evening, with James’ future atop the list of most intriguing storylines that will be solved over the coming days and weeks. The one thing that seems clear when it comes to James: It seems like retirement isn’t happening yet, which would mean the NBA’s career leader in points scored, minutes played and games played coming back for a record-extending 24th season and potentially — when including playoff contests — appearing in his 2,000th game. His options would figure to include staying with the Los Angeles Lakers, returning to Miami or Cleveland (both would have interest for obvious reasons) or even thinking about moving elsewhere like Golden State and teaming …

Tyrese Haliburton on His Hollywood Plans and Watching the Knicks Win

Tyrese Haliburton on His Hollywood Plans and Watching the Knicks Win

Published by Daniella Wilson

Tyrese Haliburton, the 2024-25 New York Knicks slayer, was forced to sit out this past NBA season following a devastating achilles injury immediately followed by a horrific bout with shingles. The result, in part, was New York sports history. Without their superstar, the Indiana Pacers fell from the second-best team in the league (by virtue of losing the NBA Finals last year after Haliburton went down early in Game 7), to having the second-worst record in 2025-26, beyond only the pathetic Washington Wizards (ironically now led by the prior playoffs’ Knicks killer, Trae Young). It has been about as bad a 12-month stretch as possible for Haliburton and the Pacers organization, but the 6’5″ guard out of Iowa State used his recovery time to officially launch a side hustle: Hollywood producer. In April, The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of Haliburton’s Zero Doubt Creative launch and its partnership with Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse Entertainment. Today, on the day their debut-series (Time Out, produced by Zero Doubt Creative, Wheelhouse Sports and Portal A, which chronicles Haliburton’s grueling …

NBA prepares for 2026 draft

NBA prepares for 2026 draft

Published by Sam Flores

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Cristiano Ronaldo makes history by scoring in six World Cups 03:28 Scotland’s world cup fans, the ‘Tartan Army,’ descend on US cities 01:35 Olympic skier and gold medalist Bode Miller faces drug possession charges 02:24 Now Playing Game on: NBA prepares for 2026 draft 02:49 UP NEXT NBA Champion Jalen Brunson Announces Children’s Book 00:38 Fans cheer on Iran from Tehran during the World Cup 00:50 Japanese Fans and Players Clean World Cup Stadium After Match 04:23 U.S. beats Australia to secure spot in World Cup knockout round 02:42 New York Knicks Ticker-Tape Parade: See All the Highlights! 01:17 Team USA preparing to face Australia in World Cup match in Seattle 04:26 Why fans are going crazy for the collectible World Cup Panini stickers 02:32 Independent baseball league team forfeits game after players refuse to wear Pride Night jerseys 02:58 Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East on why commitment matters more than ever 04:42 Watch highlights from the Knicks championship …

AJ Dybantsa Is the No. 1 Pick on a Big NBA Draft Night for Freshman Stars and Michigan’s Champions

AJ Dybantsa Is the No. 1 Pick on a Big NBA Draft Night for Freshman Stars and Michigan’s Champions

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — AJ Dybantsa is on his way to Washington and ready to start working as soon as he gets there. That’s not until Wednesday. Tuesday was a night for the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick to party. “Obviously this night is just a celebration of all the hard work I’ve done in the past, and so now I’m going to celebrate,” Dybantsa said. So were a record number of one-and-done college stars who followed him, a trio of national champions from Michigan and fans of both New York teams on what sounded like an even more festive NBA draft than usual. The Wizards started it by selecting Dybantsa, a forward who led the nation in scoring in his one season at BYU. He averaged 25.5 points, highlighted by a 43-point effort that broke BYU’s freshman scoring record, and was the first of a record-tying eight straight college freshman taken to begin the draft. That matched the record set last year. Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9 was the first non-freshman. “I think …

NBA Players Union Launches New Brand Designed to Reach Fans

NBA Players Union Launches New Brand Designed to Reach Fans

Published by Daniella Wilson

The National Basketball Players Association, which is the union representing current professional basketball players in the NBA, on Monday announced a new commercial brand campaign in collaboration with Kendrick Lamar’s creative agency, Project 3, featuring NBA stars. The new brand, PLYRS UNTD, “transforms the collective influence of NBA players into products, partnerships, and global business opportunities,” according to the NBPA. It will operate as a consumer-facing brand that markets and commercializes the collective name, image and likeness rights of NBA players. PLYRS UNTD will work with brands and industry leaders to create opportunities new fan experiences, global licensing opportunities, merchandise, content, player/brand collaborations, strategic investments and more.  As part of the launch, the short film Own the Game, produced by Lamar’s Project 3 Agency, debuted at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Kyrie Irving narrates the campaign, which features 22 NBA players, including Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray and Karl-Anthony Towns. “I am excited to be a part of an organization that’s truly aligned with the vision and values …

Sotheby’s Is Offering Knicks Star OG Anunoby’s NBA Finals Game 4-Winning Basketball

Sotheby’s Is Offering Knicks Star OG Anunoby’s NBA Finals Game 4-Winning Basketball

Published by Jenni Sidey

For most New Yorkers looking to savor the Knicks’ first NBA championship in 53 years, a commemorative T-shirt—perhaps purchased bootleg outside Madison Square Garden—will have to do. But for the lucky few superfans with a few million to spare, a far more rarefied piece of Knicks history is about to hit the auction block. Starting June 30, Sotheby’s will offer the game-winning basketball from the Knicks’ improbable Game 4 comeback against the San Antonio Spurs, in which the team erased an unprecedented 29-point deficit at MSG. The ball was used on the game’s second-to-last play, when star forward OG Anunoby tipped in point guard Jalen Brunson’s missed three-pointer, securing a 107–106 victory. The tip-in sealed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history and set up the team’s clinching Game 5 in San Antonio two days later. Related Articles Sotheby’s has not announced an estimate, though sports business analyst Darren Rovell has predicted the ball will sell for $3 million. The auction house has dubbed it “The Hand of OG,” and it is being offered via …

NBA Draft Prospect AJ Dybantsa Already Knows He’s a Star

NBA Draft Prospect AJ Dybantsa Already Knows He’s a Star

Published by Jenni Sidey

Earlier that day, I first met up with Dybantsa in Santa Monica as a trainer put him through a morning circuit. As a Red Bull athlete, Dybantsa has all-inclusive access to the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center, a standalone building at the energy-drink company’s LA headquarters. The aspirational grooves of Rod Wave and 21 Savage’s “Turks & Caicos” rattled the speakers. The tricked-out gym boasts all the high-end amenities one might expect of a health-and-fitness palace funded by Red Bull, where snowboarders and cliff divers train alongside the potential first pick in the NBA Draft. There’s a biomechanics lab and a mental health performance center, an area where athletes can receive shockwave therapy, and a section where they can transition between an infrared sauna and a cold plunge. Immediately upon entering, visitors are greeted by a dark accent wall with “F*** THE LIMITS” painted on it in bold, defiant letters. I am told that the Peter Drucker quote, “What is measured, improves,” serves as a guiding principle for everything that happens here, which is why …

World Cup, NBA, NHL Ride a Huge TV Ratings Wave

World Cup, NBA, NHL Ride a Huge TV Ratings Wave

Published by Daniella Wilson

The close of the NBA and NHL seasons usually signals a relatively quiet time in the U.S. sports landscape. Baseball, the WNBA, NASCAR and the domestic soccer leagues roll on, but the noise dies down through the summer. Not this year. With the NBA Finals and NHL’s Stanley Cup Final both hitting multi-year ratings highs, and the men’s World Cup off to a huge start (in both English and Spanish), the summer lull for sports on TV will be postponed for at least a month. In fact, not including Olympic years, June and July are setting up to be the biggest sports summer in more than a decade. The Stanley Cup Final, won by the Carolina Hurricanes in six games, had its largest TV audience since 2019. The NBA Finals, which saw the New York Knicks take their first title since 1973, drew the most viewers since the end of the Michael Jordan era in Chicago. And the World Cup? It appears to be off to its best start ever in the United States. It’s …

How the Knicks’ Bedazzled Nike NBA Champions T-Shirts Got Made

How the Knicks’ Bedazzled Nike NBA Champions T-Shirts Got Made

Published by Jenni Sidey

Nike’s championship tee design process began with looking at athlete and consumer insights. Interestingly, the brand said this research was “specifically tuned to the 14-17-year-old athlete as the muse.” The company has “spent years studying” this teenage demographic, finding that “they gravitate toward [the] new, modern, different,” and that their “fearless, edgy attitude is what’s driving the design language now.” For this New York Knicks design, Nike also cited the viral, old-school-style warm-up suits worn by the NBA All-Star team in February as a “first proof point” of this bolder, younger graphic approach. Of course, what’s new is often based on what is now old, hence Gen Z and Alpha’s embrace of the aforementioned Ed Hardy, as well its ongoing obsession with the LA luxe-biker-ready brand Chrome Hearts (echoes of which can also be seen in the Knicks tee). There is an aesthetic daringness, or at least flashiness, in the crystals especially—some social-media pundits have discussed the return of rhinestones in men’s streetwear of late. Jalen Brunson, mid-celebration. Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images With a layout …