It appears we have seen Steph Curry and LeBron James playing together on the court in meaningful games for the final time.
After the two superstars and longtime rivals joined forces to help secure a gold medal for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, both were asked by James’ co-host, Steve Nash, on the latest episode of the “Mind The Game” podcast if they intend to participate again at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“You already know my answer,” James told Nash. “Don’t even ask. I will be watching from Cabo.”
“It is the opposite answer of what I told him last year,” Curry said. “It was like, God willing, I still have the choice and the physical option to be like, I could actually impact the team. Never say never, but I highly doubt it. Love to be a part of the movement.”
James will be 43 years old and Curry will be 40 at the time of the 2028 Olympics, and it’s fair to assume that both could be retired by then.
Team USA’s gold medal win in Paris last summer was so special, because the league’s iconic elder statesmen, like Curry, James and Kevin Durant, all joined forces to create a super team with other NBA stars that rivaled, and perhaps exceeded, the talent of the famous 1992 “Dream Team.”
Their heroics last summer, specifically Curry’s, made for some of the most memorable moments in basketball history, and James doesn’t believe it could get much better in 2028.
“We can’t top what we just did,” James added. “How are we going to top those last two games?”
Without James, Curry, and perhaps Durant, who also will be 40 in the Summer of 2028, it appears Team USA will need new leadership at the next Olympics as it looks to secure another gold medal.
Luka Dončić is the LA Lakers’ franchise player-in-waiting.Photograph: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
It’s been nine and a half months since the trade that rocked the sports world was broken via a Shams Charania tweet. It was such a shock that the majority of his followers assumed he’d been hacked. Fresh off of a trip to the NBA finals, the young Slovenian superstar Luka Dončić was shipped off in the middle of the night to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, and the NBA as we know it was changed for ever. The fallout from one of the most shocking trades in sports history is still evolving: disgraced Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, who spearheaded the transaction, was let go by the team last week, in a move Mavericks fans have been loudly clamoring for since news broke that their homegrown franchise player was being abruptly cast out to sea. But on the other side of the coin was a mixed blessing and a new beginning: Dončić, who had imagined spending his entire career in Dallas like his mentor Dirk Nowitzki, suddenly found himself recast as the face of the NBA’s most famous franchise under the bright lights of Hollywood. And, as it turns out, the future is now.
While Dončić’s breakup with the Mavericks was both very public and very messy (the Mavs were not shy about vocalizing their reasoning for the move, and painting the 26-year-old in an unflattering light in the process), the silver linings showed themselves quickly. Dončić might not have considered himself suited for the Los Angeles spotlight, but with his flair for the dramatic and a feel for the sport’s theater, playing for such a high-profile franchise has proved an unexpectedly good fit. And it couldn’t have worked out better for the Lakers: the team had been staring at an uncertain future, with the retirement of 40-year-old LeBron James looming, and Davis’s injury history creating a cloud of doubt around his ability to be the No 1 option in the eventual aftermath. Enter Luka stage right: a ticket to franchise salvation, equipped with the newfound motivation that can only be borne from being publicly and mercilessly dragged through the mud.
Of course, James’s retirement has been far less imminent than anyone anticipated; his unprecedented longevity and level of play continue to shatter records and defy logic. So instead of a passing of the torch, the months after Dončić’s arrival looked more like a torch collaboration. But James’s bout with sciatica this summer, which has sidelined him for the first month of the season and caused him to miss the first opening night of his 23-year career, brought about a dress rehearsal for the post-LeBron Lakers era. The roster remains a bit clunky, but Dončić is beginning to lean into his newfound leadership role – and those around him are convinced he’s the man for the job. And not only because his 34.4 points per game lead the NBA by a wide margin. The Lakers are 10–4, fourth in the Western Conference behind only Oklahoma City, Denver and Houston, and the prospect of life after LeBron suddenly looks, well, not so scary after all.
Dončić has always been special, and the brightest minds in the NBA have recognized it from the start. When the Miami Heat visited Los Angeles in early November, I asked Erik Spoelstra what he believes sets Dončić apart. “Just an incredible competitive spirit,” he told me. “I remember the first time I saw him play – I’ll never forget it. I went to watch Goran Dragić at EuroBasket, so I stopped by their training camp. Luka was 18, and everyone in the gym was stunned by how cerebral his game already was. He could make all the rotations, all the reads, just pick you apart. His fundamentals, his footwork, his skill level – all elite. But more than anything, even then, he could rise to the level of competition. That’s what all the great ones do: competition brings out something most players can’t reach.”
“Quiet” was the word Lakers guard Marcus Smart used to describe Dončić’s leadership style in the early days of the season, shortly after the former Defensive Player of the Year had logged his first few games with his new team. “He leads by example,” Smart said. But something is starting to shift for Dončić, whose career-long approach to leadership has largely been, as Smart suggests, to be brilliant without saying much.
There’s a newfound maturity and commitment in Dončić’s approach this year, even if he still shows more youthful exuberance than almost anyone in the league. It became apparent as early as the summer, when rumblings spread that he’d undertaken a drastic overhaul of his diet – followed soon after by a striking Men’s Health feature revealing a noticeably leaner, more sculpted Dončić. The transformation (and the PR push around it) was almost certainly fueled by the Mavericks’ smear campaign in the wake of Dončić’s exit, which sought to question everything from his work ethic to his relationship with alcohol.
Off the court, Dončić is soft-spoken and even-keeled, happiest laying low with his wife, his baby daughter and his video games. On the court he’s a demon: one of the league’s fiercest competitors, a player who seems to take genuine delight in tormenting opponents. For all his gifts, that almost manic competitiveness may be his defining trait. And seeing it up close makes something obvious: there was never a version of reality in which being cast off the way he was in February led to anything other than this, the moment he turned into the Terminator.
Dončić acknowledges that his approach has shifted. He’s been noticeably more vocal this season, and when asked whether that’s intentional, he doesn’t hesitate. “Definitely [more vocal], just trying to help the guys,” he says. But he credits the change partly to improved chemistry, stressing that he still wants leadership to feel shared. “I think leadership shouldn’t be just one player – it should be more players, and I think we have that. Everyone talks a lot. It feels like everyone is on the same page.”
Those around him have noticed the growth. Lakers head coach JJ Redick says he’s seen a real shift from last season: “I think he’s letting his teammates in right now,” he says. Austin Reaves – the Lakers guard who has developed an easy, teasing rapport with Dončić in the months since his arrival – sees it too, and isn’t surprised it took some time. “It’s human nature when things like last year happen. Nobody ever thought that was gonna happen … I’m sure he was in a state of shock,” Reaves says. “Having to move, move his family – it was tough. But now I think he’s just getting comfortable, having a good time.”
When James returns to make his season debut, which could happen as soon as Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz, the soft opening of the Lakers’ Luka Era will come to a temporary close. But the forward momentum won’t halt: the progress Dončić has made with the keys to the franchise in hand are palpable, and likely here to stay. He knows the future is his, and he seems more comfortable with that fact than ever.
Draymond Green received a slap on the wrist for his encounter with a fan in the Golden State Warriors’ 124-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at Smoothie King Center.
With 2:02 remaining in the second quarter, Green was seen interacting with a fan sitting courtside, who the Warriors forward later revealed was taunting him by repeatedly referring to him as Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese after he failed to tip in a missed layup several times, among other things.
Well, the NBA did not approve of Green’s heated interaction with the fan, and issued him a warning, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday, citing a source.
The NBA has issued a warning to Golden State's Draymond Green for his interaction with a vocal fan in New Orleans on Sunday night, source tells ESPN. No fine. The fan was chanting "Angel Reese" toward Green, who responded face-to-face as taunts continued.
The fan was not ejected from Sunday’s game, but similarly to Green, was issued a warning by arena security.
In the end, both sides were warned, and it’s safe to assume that when Golden State returns to New Orleans on Feb. 24, everyone will be on their best behavior.
It has been nearly 15 years since Kentucky, Michigan State, Duke and Kansas first played in the Champions Classic. What if one of college basketball's marquee programs suddenly began to struggle? It will be No. 17 Michigan State against No. 12 Kentucky in the opener and No. 5 Duke against No. 24 Kansas in the nightcap in New York.
IOWA STATE 96, STONEHILL 57 AMES, Iowa (AP) — Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey scored 23 points apiece and Iowa State pulled away late in the first half of a win over Stonehill. Jefferson added nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals in a terrific all-around performance that helped the Cyclones (4-0) to another lopsided victory. Their average winning margin is 33.3 points per game.
Braden Huff scored 22 points on 11-for-13 shooting and Davis Fogle had a career-high 19 points as No. 13 Gonzaga beat Southern Utah 122-50 on Monday night. Mario Saint-Supery added 16 points, seven assists and six steals in his first career start for the Bulldogs (5-0), who secured the second-largest scoring output and margin of victory in program history. Graham Ike and Adam Miller had 13 points apiece for Gonzaga.
Felix Okpara had 20 points and eight rebounds, Nate Ament added 19 points and 10 boards, and No. Tennessee cruised to a 91-66 victory over Rice on Monday night despite an injury to forward J.P. Estrella. The 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore went down in a scrum of bodies in the first half and appeared to hurt his left knee.
The Knicks lost to the Miami Heat, 115-113, on Monday night despite an exciting comeback late in the fourth quarter and are still in search of their first road win this season.
Here are the key takeaways...
-- Without starters OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, New York went with a starting five of Landry Shamet, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. That unit struggled to get things going offensively from the jump as the Knicks managed to score just 20 points in the opening quarter.
In fact, only McBride, Bridges and Josh Hart were able to hit a shot in the first 12 minutes in which New York shot 3-for-9 from deep and 7-for-21 overall. But thanks to an equally poor offensive showing from Miami (25 points on 9-for-25 from the field), the Knicks trailed the Heat by only five points heading to the second quarter.
-- New York changed its tune in the first few minutes of the second quarter and took the lead on a 7-0 run with Jordan Clarkson and Shamet getting in on the action. Things went back and forth from there as both teams exchanged buckets which lead to multiple ties and lead changes.
The Knicks' last lead in the quarter came on Hart's two-pointer with 2:33 left in the half that gave his team a 46-44 advantage. From there, the Heat went on an 11-5 run, including Davion Mitchell's 25-foot three-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining, to enter halftime with a four-point lead.
-- Out of the break, Towns took over offensively for New York, which needed someone to step up without two of its starters. Towns scored eight of the team's first 10 points of the second half, making his presence felt underneath the rim. Along with Towns were Robinson, Bridges and Hart, who all scored their points inside the paint.
-- Amazingly, the Knicks scored 31 points in the third quarter without making a single three-pointer after they finished the quarter 0-for-5 from deep. As for Miami, it went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, but the team missed multiple mid-range shots to allow New York to climb back with its patient but effective offensive approach.
-- Down one headed to the fourth quarter, the Knicks took multiple leads in the first few minutes. They even hit a three-pointer when McBride drilled a deep one to untie the game with 10:44 left in the game. It would be the only triple made by either team for nearly eight minutes as both offenses leaned on attacking the rim.
-- During that time, the Heat went on a 14-3 run to take the lead and separate themselves by 10 points with 3:10 to play. However, McBride would hit two threes to cut Miami's lead to four points and after Towns drilled two free throws with 1:10 left the Knicks were down by just two points.
After a Norman Powell two-pointer upped the Heat's lead back to four, Towns buried one from deep to make it a one-point game with 22.4 seconds left. New York immediately fouled on Miami's next possession and had a chance to tie or take the lead on its next possession after Mitchell made one of two free throws.
-- It appeared as though the Knicks did tie it after Kel'el Ware was called for goaltending on Towns' two-point shot with 13.2 seconds remaining, but after a ref-initiated review the goaltending call was overturned. New York had another chance to tie it or win the game, but McBride missed a shot from four feet out and the game was over.
-- McBride finished with a game-high 25 points on 10-for-23 shooting (5-for-12 from deep), but came up short on the biggest shot of the night.
-- The Knicks are now 0-4 away from MSG this season.
Game MVP: Kel'el Ware
Not only did his controversial block (one of three on the night) at the end serve as the game-winning play, he also had a double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds).
Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey scored 23 points apiece and No. 16 Iowa State pulled away late in the first half of a 96-57 win over Stonehill on Monday night. Jefferson added nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals in a terrific all-around performance that helped the Cyclones (4-0) to another lopsided victory. Iowa State missed all seven of its 3-point attempts in the first half but went 5 of 8 to start the second and put away the game.
John Blackwell scored 24 points, Nick Boyd added 22 and No. 23 Wisconsin closed a four-game, season-opening homestand by defeating SIU Edwardsville 94-69 on Monday night. Wisconsin has scored at least 85 points in each of its first four games for the first time since the 1975-76 season. Wisconsin plays its next three games away from Kohl Center as its schedule gets tougher.
Darrion Williams scored 28 points, Tre Holloman added 25 and No. North Carolina State marked its first appearance in the national rankings this season by beating VCU 85-79 on Monday night. Matt Able had 12 points off the bench and Ven-Allen Lubin provided 11 points and nine rebounds for the Wolfpack (4-0), who overcame 17 turnovers.
Milwaukee Bucks' All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo injured his groin just three minutes before halftime in the Milwaukee Bucks' game on Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The nine-time All-Star appeared to tweak something earlier in the game but had played through it. Then, with 3:16 left in the second half, he attempted a layup through contact and missed. As soon as he landed, he winced in pain but was able to get down the court to commit a foul on defense. He immediately walked off the court and into the locker room and was later ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo started grabbing at his groin as soon as he went down on that last attempt at the rim.
He hobbled down the floor, committed a quick foul and immediately walked off the floor and into the locker room.
It's too early to have any firm timeline on how long Antetokounmpo could be out, but the way that he was unable to run and the quickness with which he left the court and headed to the locker room are not positive signs. Even groin injuries that don't appear significant at first, like the one suffered by Magic forward Paolo Banchero last week, can lead to at least a week's absence. Teams also tend to be more cautious with stars like Antetokounmpo, especially this early in the season, as we saw with the Spurs deciding to hold Victor Wembanyama out for 2-3 weeks with a calf strain.
Antetokounmpo was in the middle of another solid performance on Monday, posting 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 13 minutes on 6-10 shooting from the field. On the season, the 30-year-old is 2nd in the NBA in points per game with 32.6, while also averaging 11.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks for the Bucks.
Milwaukee started the second half with Jericho Sims in the lineup for Antetokounmpo. That was the first time Sims had entered the game on Monday, and the 27-year-old came into the game averaging 1.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 6.8 minutes per game on the season. If Antetokounmpo were to miss an extended period of time, it remains to be seen how Milwaukee would try to plug the hole in their lineup, but his loss would be close to an insurmountable one.
Victor Wembanyama missed his first game of the season on Sunday due to a sore calf, a condition the Spurs had been playing down (he was wearing a sleeve over his calf postgame, but no walking boot), and the team went out and earned a win over Sacramento without him. San Antonio will need more of that in the next couple of weeks.
An MRI determined that Wembanyama has a strained left calf and the team has listed him as out. Multiple reports have said he is expected to be re-evaluated in 2-3 weeks.
Wembanyama has been a force this season on both ends of the court, playing at a level that gets him mentioned in the early MVP conversation. Wembanyama is averaging 26.2 points a game while shooting 34.5% from beyond the arc (but he has lowered his number of attempted 3s and is getting closer to the basket), plus grabbing 12.9 rebounds and dishing out four assists a night. His 3.6 blocked shots a night leads the league.
When Wembanyama is off the court, the Spurs' defense is 10.8 points per 100 possessions worse. Still, thanks to strong guard play, the Spurs still outscore teams by 1.5 per 100 without him.
Expect just returned De'Aaron Fox to have a couple of big weeks carrying the San Antonio offense, he had 28 points and 11 assists on Sunday. Luke Kornet will move into the starting center slot (he had a solid game against the Kings Sunday with 13 points and 11 boards), and veteran big man Kelly Olynyk also should see more run off the bench.
Wembanyama joins No. 2 pick Dylan Harper in street clothes for the Spurs due to a calf strain. In the wake of what happened with Tyrese Haliburton in the Finals last season — when he tried to play through a sore calf and tore his Achilles — and similar injuries, teams are being far more cautious this season with calf strains.
LeBron James went through his first full practice with the Lakers, coming off a couple of practices with the franchise's G-League team, but his status for the Lakers' game Tuesday against the Utah Jazz remains "TBD," as Lakers coach J.J. Redick put it.
"Just trying to get back to where I feel like myself again," LeBron said after practice, via the Associated Press. "Got to see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus."
The Lakers have the front end of a home-and-home with the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. After that, the Lakers are off until Sunday, when they face the Jazz in Salt Lake City, before returning home to face the Clippers in a critical West Group B NBA Cup game, which you can watch on Nov. 25 on NBC and Peacock.
LeBron said he's feeling good.
"My lungs feel like a newborn baby," LeBron said. "That's the most important thing: I've got to get my lungs back up to a grown man. My voice is already gone (from) one day back barking out calls and assignments and stuff. Got to get my voice working again. Be a lot of tea and rest tonight. Feels good to be out here with the guys. Missed them."
Whenever he does set foot on an NBA court this season, LeBron will set a record as the first player ever to reach 23 seasons in the league. Even without LeBron, the Lakers are 10-4 to start the season, led by a top-10 offense sparked by Luka Doncic playing at an MVP level.
Lakers star Lebron James sits on the bench during a preseason game against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 17. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
LeBron James said his lungs felt like those of a “newborn baby” and his voice was “already gone” after his first Lakers practice Monday as he moved a step closer toward making his season debut after being sidelined by sciatica.
The Lakers listed James as questionable for Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena, and he sounded as if he was close to playing in his NBA-record 23rd season.
"We got a long time,” said James as he wiped sweat from his face while speaking to reporters. “I mean, we've been taking literally one minute, one hour, one step at a time throughout this whole process. So, see how I feel this afternoon, see how I feel tonight. When I wake up in the morning. ... We'll probably have [a] shootaround [Tuesday]. So, just gotta see how the body responds over the next 24 hours-plus."
LeBron James on how he’s feeling: “My lungs feel like a newborn baby.”
Says he’s trying to get his conditioning back up and his voice is already shot from yelling at practice, but he was happy to be back. pic.twitter.com/rl6WMAuYmw
James, who will turn 41 next month, was asked how long it took him to become pain-free.
“I wouldn’t take it that far,” James said. “Like I said, if you ever had it, you go about it and you wake up one day and you hope that when you step down from the bed that you don’t feel it. You go to bed at night, and you hope that when you’re in the bed that you don’t feel it. So I’ve been doing pretty good with it as of late. There’s a lot of exercises and a lot of mobility things and a lot of things you can do to help it. So I’m just keeping a positive mindset.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick said it was like having a new player in practice with James on the court.
James agreed, saying, “Definitely feels new, for sure.”
The Lakers have four days off after Tuesday's game against Utah — including three practice days — before playing the Jazz in Salt Lake City on Sunday.
"One day back, barking out calls and assignments and stuff, getting my voice working again," said James about his first day at practice. "Be a lot of tea and rest tonight."
James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer (42,184 points), admitted he had to mentally adjust to missing the start of a season for the first time in his career.
"It sucks. It definitely sucks,” James said. “Never in my life since I started playing the game of basketball have I ever not started the season — in my life. It's been a mind test, but I'm built for it and it's been putting in the work, both mentally and physically trying to get myself ready to rejoin the team.
"It's just been kind of the same revolving door. Just repetition, repetition, repetition; rehabbing, rehabbing, rehabbing. Just trying to get back where I can feel like myself again. It's great to be out here today."
James said this wasn’t the first time in his career that he had sciatica.
“I had it two years ago,” he said. “You had it, then you know what the hell it’s about. If you ain’t never had it and people are making jokes about it, I pray you never get it. It’s not fun.”
James practiced with the Lakers’ G League team, the South Bay Lakers, twice last week, getting in some five-on-five work.
"It was great,” James said. “I got cleared to play some five-on-five for the first time since ... hurting my MCL versus Minnesota. And that was the blessing."
The Lakers have gone 10-4 without James. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have led the way as one of the most potent two-way tandems in the early part of the NBA season.
Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (34.4 points per game) and Reaves is ninth (28.3). Doncic is fifth in assists (8.9) and Reaves is seventh (8.2).
James, who is 50 games away from breaking Robert Parish’s all-time record of most games played in NBA history (1,611), knows he'll have to adjust things when he returns.
“I have to work my way back into it,” James said. “The guys have been going on road trips, shootarounds, flights. So it’s kind of like a kid going to a new school again. Got to learn the guys and everything. So they got some great chemistry. Feeling my way back in and do it organically. It shouldn’t be hard. But it’s definitely a feel-out process.”
Etc.
Redick said all 14 players practiced for the first time this season and that Rui Hachimura (left call soreness) and Marcus Smart (viral illness) will be available to play against the Jazz after sitting out against Milwaukee on Saturday.
