Category: NBA

Kobe Bryant’s Widow Says Crash Photos Turned Grief to Horror

LOS ANGELES—Vanessa Bryant testified Friday that she was only beginning to grieve the loss of her husband, basketball star Kobe Bryant, and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna when she was faced with the fresh horror of learning that sheriff’s deputies and firefighters had shot and shared photos of their bodies at the site of the helicopter…


Lakers to Retire Pau Gasol’s No. 16 Jersey

Nearly a full year after retiring from basketball after 18 NBA seasons, which included back-to-back championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team announced Wednesday, August 17, that it will retire Pau Gasol’s No. 16 in March. Gasol, who turned 42 last month, will have his number raised to the rafters at Crypto.com Arena in…


G Jalen Harris Reinstated to NBA After Season-Long Suspension

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association reinstated guard Jalen Harris to the league on Tuesday following a season-long suspension. Harris, 24, was suspended on July 1, 2021, for testing positive for a prohibited substance under the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. He needed to apply for reinstatement. The Toronto Raptors selected Harris with the No. 59…


Reports: LeBron James Agrees to 2-year Extension With Lakers

LOS ANGELES—LeBron James has agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension through the 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent told ESPN and The Athletic. The league-maximum deal includes a player option that would keep the second-leading scorer in NBA history with the Lakers past his 40th birthday in December 2024, Klutch…


NBA Schedule Won’t Have Games on Election Day This Year

The NBA will be off on Election Day. The league’s schedule for the coming season will have all 30 teams playing on Nov. 7, the night before the midterm elections. The NBA is hoping teams use that night as an opportunity to encourage fans to get out and vote, plus amplify the need for civic…


Cambage to ‘Step Away’ From WNBA Following Sparks Departure

LOS ANGELES—Four-time WNBA All-Star Liz Cambage is taking a step back from the league “for the time being” and wished her departure from the Los Angeles Sparks last month had ended on a different note. “I’ve decided to step away from the league for the time being and I’m hopeful that the WNBA will do…


Russell’s No. 6 Being Retired Across NBA, a League First

Bill Russell’s No. 6 jersey is being retired across the NBA, a first for the league. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced Thursday that the number worn by the 11-time champion, civil rights activist and person good enough to have been enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player…


Kobe Bryant Crash Photos Lawsuit to Be Heard by LA Jury

LOS ANGELES—Kobe Bryant was one of the most photogenic sports figures in Los Angeles and images of him seen by millions around the world—smiling in victory, grimacing in agony—keep his memory alive. But some photos of him should never be seen, his widow says, and she’s seeking unspecified millions in compensation for snapshots taken of…


Lawyer: Photos of Kobe Bryant’s Remains Shared ‘For a Laugh’

LOS ANGELES—An institutional “culture of callousness” led Los Angeles County deputies and firefighters to shoot and share photos of the remains of Kobe Bryant and other victims of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed the Lakers star, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven others, a lawyer for Bryant’s widow told a jury Wednesday. Vanessa Bryant’s attorney…


Iman Shumpert Arrested at Texas Airport for Pot Possession

DALLAS—Former NBA player Iman Shumpert was arrested at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport last weekend for allegedly trying to bring six ounces of cannabis through security. The police report from the DFW Airport Department of Public Safety shows police were called to a TSA checkpoint at about 3:40 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 and…