Category: Basketball

It was an interesting offseason for Dawn Staley.

The three-time national champion head coach of South Carolina was a candidate for the New York Knicks coaching job after Tom Thibodeau was fired in early June. She interviewed with the Knicks front office this summer, but New York decided to hire longtime NBA coach Mike Brown.

At SEC media days Tuesday, Staley was asked whether she expected a woman to be hired as an NBA head coach in her lifetime. She isn’t optimistic.

“I don’t,” Staley said. “And I hope I’m wrong.”

When interviewing for the Knicks position, Staley was appreciative that president Leon Rose and executive vice president William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley acknowledged the complications of hiring a female coach for the position. Unlike a traditional candidate, there would be heightened scrutiny for Staley and other women who find themselves in that position. An organization looking to make this type of hire needs to look at the process differently.

“It’s not just hiring the first female coach,” Staley said. “Because one, if I’m the Knicks coach and you have a five-game losing streak, it’s not going to be about the losing streak. It’s going to be about being a female coach. So you as an organization and a franchise, you have to be prepared about that and strong enough to endure those types of instances when you’re a female coach.”

Staley was also asked about her individual desire to be a trailblazer as a female head coach in men’s basketball spaces.

“Not really a whole lot,” Staley said. “I did the Knicks interview because I’ve known Leon Rose for 30 years. I have a connection to him and Worldwide Wes. I’ve known them all my life. It was a real interview, and I like to see what they’re talking about.”

In her response, Staley urged her colleagues to seek her advice when pursuing coaching opportunities in the NBA and men’s college basketball.

“If there’s somebody that’s interested in knowing and being the first female NBA coach, I got all the information,” Staley said. “Come see me because I’ll get you prepared for the interview. If there are NBA franchises that are interested in hiring a female, I’m here too because you have to be ready to take on that and all the things that come with it.”

Staley now turns her attention to her 18th season at South Carolina. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press preseason poll behind defending champion UConn. The program announced this week that All-America honorable mention Chloe Kitts will miss the entire season with a torn ACL.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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Sixers pick up MarJon Beauchamp on Exhibit 10 contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers announced Tuesday night that they signed MarJon Beauchamp and waived Emoni Bates. 

Beauchamp’s contract is an Exhibit 10 deal, a team source confirmed. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey first reported that news. Exhibit 10 signings are minimum-salary, non-guaranteed deals that can be converted into two-way or standard contracts before the regular season begins. 

Beauchamp, 25, was last with the Blazers on an Exhibit 10 contract. He’s a 6-foot-7 wing with 135 career NBA appearances. In 10.9 minutes per game, Beauchamp has averaged 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds. 

After an unusual path to the NBA that included stints at Yakima Valley Community College and G League Ignite, Beauchamp went 24th overall to the Bucks in the 2022 draft. He had obvious defensive potential and appeared to have some decent role player traits — cutting, rebounding, effort on both ends — but has yet to translate that to much NBA success. 

The other Sixers currently on Exhibit 10 contracts are Kennedy Chandler, Malcolm Hill and Saint Thomas. The Sixers’ preseason finale is Friday vs. the Timberwolves and their regular-season opener is next Wednesday against the Celtics. 

What we learned as Steph Curry, Will Richard shine in Warriors' preseason win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

Just two days after suffering their first preseason loss in two years, the Warriors bounced back for a 118-111 win Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center.

The Warriors made twice as many threes as the Blazers, 18 to nine, but gave up 20 more points in the paint than they scored and had the same number of turnovers (26) as assists.

Steph Curry, to no surprise, was the best player on the floor, scoring a game-high 28 points in three quarters of work. He was a plus-13 with four 3-pointers, six rebounds and five assists. He brought plenty of showmanship to the Pacific Northwest one week before the real games begins.

Steph relocates to the corner and connects 💰 pic.twitter.com/JvoCF4zB4S

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 15, 2025

The biggest surprise of the night was rookie Will Richard joining Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga and Al Horford in the starting lineup. Richard continued to impress, too, scoring 13 points with six rebounds as a plus-12 in 29 minutes. He went 4 of 7 from the field and 3 of 5 on threes.

Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Seth Curry and Gui Santos all were ruled out for the Warriors, as well as De’Anthony Melton and Alex Toohey.

Here are three takeaways from a Warriors win that moves them to 3-1 in the preseason.

Welcome To The Starting Five, Rook

Rest, injuries, and the desire to experiment have led coach Steve Kerr to use a different starting lineup in each of the Warriors’ first four preseason games. The biggest change Tuesday night in Portland was the addition of the Warriors’ rookie second-round draft pick. 

“I feel like it’s a good night to have Will out there for ball handling, decision making and it’s a good night for him to have to guard different guys and play against a really athletic team,” Kerr told reporters in his pregame press conference. “It’ll give us a good look at him, and it gives him a chance to play with Steph and BP and Al and JK. It’ll be a good challenge for him, but a good opportunity too.”

The Warriors’ first two points of the game that weren’t from three Curry free throws came from a cutting Richard. Kuminga was backing down his defender when Richard darted into the paint and caught a pass for two points.

JK dishes to Richard for the easy layup 🤝pic.twitter.com/SmZioAYrBn

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 15, 2025

Richard’s first made outside jumper was with a little more than three minutes remaining in the second quarter. Standing wide-open on the left wing as Curry got into the paint, Richard didn’t hesitate when hit in the chest with a pass from the defense collapsing. Swish. Defense is Richard’s first trait, but that kind of confidence offensively will help him find minutes as a rookie.

He was easily the Warriors’ second-best player in the first half behind Curry, going into halftime with eight points, made both of his threes and was a plus-10, which tied him with Curry as the team leader. Richard then, in the second half, scored another five points and had four more rebounds.

Kuminga Ejected

In the final seconds of the first half, Kuminga was on the wrong end of the rare one-tech ejection. Kuminga went through contact for a layup down the middle of the paint and missed hard off the glass. As he crashed into the stanchion, Kuminga threw his hands up in frustration, looking for a foul call.

Though it wasn’t shown on the broadcast, Blazers commentators claimed Kuminga made contact with a referee’s face as he argued the no-call. Kuminga then immediately was ejected in a bizarre scene. He might have been playing his best half of the preseason, too. 

Kuminga played 18 minutes and stuffed the stat sheet. He scored seven points on 3-of-5 shooting and made his only free throw, and also had six rebounds and four assists, both of which were team highs at the time. His impact was even better than his stats. 

Throughout the preseason, Kuminga consistently has been setting up his teammates for easy looks. That trend continued Tuesday night, even when they didn’t convert. Kuminga now has four or more assists in three of the Warriors’ four preseason games.

JK dishes to Richard for the easy layup 🤝pic.twitter.com/SmZioAYrBn

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 15, 2025

Last season, Kuminga only registered four or more assists in eight games.

Steph’s Ready 

After Deni Avdija made a three at the 8:19 mark of the third quarter to give the Blazers a 10-point lead, neither team scored until Curry went to the free-throw line with 6:56 left in the quarter. He split his free throws, but that was the start to a 13-0 run by the Warriors. Curry scored five points in that span, putting the Warriors up by three points. 

The Blazers and Warriors then traded four straight threes, with the fourth being a 27-footer from Curry that again gave his team a three-point lead. About a minute and a half later, his night was over but Curry had already made a statement. 

Curry’s 28 points in 26 minutes led both teams. The demon from long distance made three 3-pointers all within inches of each other on the right wing, and another from the left corner. His six rebounds were a team high when he took a seat, as were Curry’s five assists. 

How Curry continuously went to the free-throw line stood out most. Curry only once attempted 13 or more free throws last season. He was 12 of 13 in three quarters Tuesday night.

Steph goes behind the back AND finishes through contact 💪pic.twitter.com/SA9x4Jh9qk

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 15, 2025

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Tyrese Haliburton was once a Milwaukee Brewers fan.

Now he's possibly their biggest troll.

On Saturday, the injured Indiana Pacers star sat on his team's bench during a preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder wearing a Chicago Cubs jersey. It just so happened that the Cubs were playing the Brewers that day in Game 5 of their National League Division Series.

Two days later, Haliburton arrived at the Pacers' preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs rocking a Dodgers jersey (reportedly that of L.A. superstar Shohei Ohtani). Again, certainly by pure coincidence, the two-time NBA All-Star was representing a team that was facing the Brewers in a high-stakes postseason game, this time Game 1 of the NL Championship Series.

The Brewers are playing for only the second World Series berth in team history, and a high-profile athlete who grew up less than two hours from Milwaukee in Oshkosh, Wis., is actively rooting against them.

Read more:Dodgers vs. Brewers Game 2: Live updates, how to watch, start time and odds

The reason, it seems, is because of an alleged snub that took place in the summer of 2024. During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" in April, Haliburton said he had been scheduled to throw out a ceremonial first pitch before a Brewers game last summer ... until he and the Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks during the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.

"I was a Brewers fan," he said, "and then I was supposed to throw the first pitch last summer, and they X'ed that after the playoff series. So I said, 'You know what? I'm no longer a Brewers fan.'"

After that, Haliburton said, he became a "free agent" as a baseball fan.

Haliburton must have been thrilled with the result of Game 1 of the NLCS, a 2-1 Dodgers win, but he might want to track down jerseys for the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays just in case — the Brewers are still just four wins away from facing one of those teams in the World Series.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Marcus Smart estimated he’ll be limited to about 20 to 25 minutes in his Lakers preseason debut Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns as he returns from Achilles tendinopathy.

Speaking after the team’s shootaround Tuesday, the 31-year-old guard said the rash of Achilles injuries suffered by NBA stars recently — including three during the playoffs last season — made his initial diagnosis frightening, but he took a cautious approach with the Lakers staff to ensure he was ready for the season.

“It wasn't scary in the fact of understanding that tendinopathy, we all kind of have it playing over the time,” said Smart, who is entering his 12th NBA season. “Just making sure you do everything you need to do, to make sure that you can get back out here, or to be able to say, ‘No, I can't.’ So you got to test it, unfortunately, and you got to see where you’re at. So we've done all the tests on the court, off the court and we're feeling fast, feeling good so we want to give it a shot.”

Guard Luka Doncic is also expected to make his preseason debut after he was on a modified training schedule following a busy summer spent with the Slovenian national team. Coach JJ Redick said Monday after practice that Doncic and the team’s training staff had yet to determine a minutes restriction on Doncic, but expects that the five-time All-Star will see an increased workload by the time he suits up again for his second preseason game.

The Lakers will follow Tuesday’s game in Phoenix with a game against Doncic’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks, in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Because of the back-to-back schedule, it’s likely Doncic will play again Friday at Crypto.com Arena against the Sacramento Kings.

Since they are playing four games in six days, the Lakers ruled out guard Gabe Vincent, forwards Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt and center Jaxson Hayes for Tuesday’s preseason game.

Rookie guard Adou Thiero [knee] has progressed to on-court activities, the team announced Tuesday, after the second-round draft pick was battling swelling in a knee. He will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Warriors star Steph Curry set to join exclusive club in NBA history this season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Another year, another career milestone for Stephen Curry.

When the Warriors tip off the 2025-26 NBA season next Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry will become the 10th player in league history to play at least 17 seasons with one team, joining an esteemed list of fellow franchise icons.

Stephen Curry is set to become the 10th player ever to play 17 or more seasons with one team.

Of the other nine players, six played their entire NBA career with only one team:

▪️ Dirk Nowitzki (21 seasons, DAL)
▪️ Kobe Bryant (20 seasons, LAL)
▪️ Udonis Haslem (20 seasons,… pic.twitter.com/ssMyjrOOr4

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 14, 2025

For Curry, it has been a long but ultimately glorious road. Golden State selected the Davidson guard with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft in hopes that he could help turn a struggling organization around.

Curry, of course, has accomplished much more than that. He turned the Warriors into must-see television while winning two Most Valuable Player awards and delivering four NBA championships to a team that had not won one since 1975. As his 17th season begins, Curry is arguably the most popular figure in Bay Area sports history and is integral to Golden State’s status as the most valuable NBA franchise.

Even in an era when team mainstays are largely a thing of the past, perhaps it shouldn’t shock us that Curry and the Warriors have chosen to stick by each other’s side.

It doesn’t appear as though that will change anytime soon, either. Curry is signed through an 18th season in 2026-27 and has publicly acknowledged in the past his desire to remain with Golden State for the entirety of his career.

If things transpire the way Curry, the organization and its fans hope they do, the Warriors’ leader will join an even more exclusive club. Of the nine other players to tally 17 years with one franchise, only six did it while spending their entire career in one jersey.

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Mike Brown on Monday said the Knicks are facing an ‘extremely tough’ decision at the end of their roster. They have three veteran contributors vying for one open roster spot.

Here are few things to know about the extremely tough decision facing the Knicks:

VETS BATTLE

Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, and Garrison Mathews are currently battling for one available roster spot. The Knicks have *14 players on standard deals. They can carry a maximum of 15 players on standard contracts. So they have enough room on the roster to keep one of the three veterans.  

Also, due to CBA rules, the Knicks’ team salary cannot exceed $207.8 million. The Knicks only have enough money to keep one of Shamet, Brogdon or Matthews.

In order to keep two of the three veterans, the Knicks would need to trade one of their players currently signed to a traditional contract.

WHAT ABOUT THE TRADE

If the Knicks want to keep two of those three, trades involving Miles McBride, Pacome Dadiet, or Tyler Kolek are the most direct paths to do so.

If the Knicks traded one of those three players to a team with cap space (Utah, Brooklyn), the club would have enough room under the second apron to keep two of Shamet, Brogdon, and Mathews.

Before these players agreed to join the Knicks, the club told agents that there would be a true competition for the one open roster spot.

“That’s what they said,” Mathews said on Monday night. “It’s a tough roster; let’s see what happens.”

The Knicks also want to compete for an NBA championship this season. So every roster spot – and the decisions made around those spots – is crucial. Does New York value veterans over one of their young players like Dadiet (drafted with the 25^th pick in 2024 NBA Draft) or Kolek (selected with the 34^th overall pick in 2024)?  If so, they will probably trade one of them to make room for two of Shamet, Brogdon or Mathews.

As noted Monday, the Knicks have had dialogue with opposing teams as this decision approaches.

New York would obviously need an incredibly high return to even consider moving McBride. McBride is one of their most important rotation players. He is also eligible for an extension at the end of the calendar year (Between Mitchell Robinson’s pending free agency and McBride’s pending extension, the Knicks will have to commit significant money to keep both players in the coming seasons).

Trading Kolek to a team with cap space would give the Knicks enough space to keep two veterans. But the Knicks would not have enough space to add a veteran during the season. Last season, they added PJ Tucker midseason, fitting the veteran just under the second apron. They would like the flexibility to do the same thing (adding a veteran during the season) in 2025-26.

WHEN WILL WE FIND OUT?

You will know what the Knicks decide by 5pm on Saturday. That is the deadline to waive a player on a nonguaranteed deal without taking on any salary. So the Knicks will need to make a decision on Shamet, Brogdon, and Mathews by Saturday evening.

Regular season rosters then need to be set by Oct. 20.

The Knicks can choose to waive all three veterans and enter the season with 14 players on the roster. Teams can dip under the 14-player minimum for two consecutive weeks and 28 days in total.

But that seems unlikely. The Knicks, again, communicated that these veterans were competing for a spot. So the Knicks will probably keep at least one of the veteran players.

BROWN GIVING ASSISTANTS OPPORUNITY TO GROW

During timeouts, Brown has allowed multiple assistants to address the Knicks huddle. You’d expect Brendan O’Connor and Chris Jent to address the group. They are the defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively, for New York this season. But other coaches have had the chance to address the team in a huddle during the preseason. Brown sees it as an opportunity for his coaches to grow.

“I’ve done it quite a bit. Did it with Sacramento. Actually, I got it from Steve (Kerr). When I was with Steve in Golden State, I led the huddle multiple times in multiple games. Throughout the course of a game probably almost 90 percent of the time — I didn’t even tell him what I was about to tell the guys defensively. He had that much trust in me. And it helped me grow,” Brown said Monday. “It helped save (Kerr’s) voice and gave the players another voice to hear. So I did it in Sacramento. I liked it. I’m going to try it here. Our offensive coordinator is Chris Jent. Our defensive coordinator is Brendan O’Connor, BOC. All those guys as well as everybody else, they’ve done a fantastic job coaching, so to give them an opportunity during games is something that I’ll do.”

Where ESPN ranks Warriors' Curry, Green and Butler among NBA's best trio tiers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors have reason to be confident entering the 2025-26 NBA season, preparing for a full year with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green on the court.

Some pundits, though, wonder whether the good vibes from one season ago will last 82 games.

In an article published Monday, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps ranked every NBA team’s “big three,” placing Curry, Butler and Green in “Tier 6: Old stars with big questions.” While Bontemps acknowledged Golden State’s 22-5 record with both Curry and Butler available last season, he cited age as a factor in his uncertainty over their potential success in 2025-26.

“There’s little doubt this team has a very high ceiling — if healthy,” Bontemps wrote. “But given their core is all 35 or older, the ‘if healthy’ question is going to follow this group around all season long.”

Bontemps clarifies in the article’s opening that his rankings also take the future value of each team’s core into account, which could explain why a trio of future Hall of Famers placed below other groups of unproven but rising stars.

It is no secret that the Warriors enter this upcoming NBA season reliant on veteran star power to win, in a league with seemingly endless young talent. Curry (37), Butler (36) and Green (35) are each a year older, and the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder—whose core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams ranked first in Bontemps’ piece—proved how far a youthful, athletic core can take a team.

If indeed Golden State’s big three can remain on the court, however, there’s no reason to doubt their championship potential. Curry remains as electric as ever, Green is coming off a third-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Butler showed he still can propel a team to a higher level after the Warriors acquired him in February.

It will be up to that trio to prove that, in the NBA, age isn’t anything but a number.

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Embiid joins 1-on-1 fun, Nurse says ‘some chance' he'll play preseason finale   originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CAMDEN, N.J. — Joel Embiid was in a shotmaking mood after the Sixers’ practice Tuesday. 

The star big man was in the mix for a post-practice 1-on-1 session and had little trouble scoring on his teammates. With a smile, Embiid also disputed a call or two. 

Joel Embiid doing his thing in post-practice 1-on-1s: pic.twitter.com/R3UGT7ha2p

— Noah Levick (@NoahLevick) October 14, 2025

🚨 Joel Embiid has joined the 1 v 1 battles and…it’s tough to stop him pic.twitter.com/KFsCs4uCT9

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) October 14, 2025

“It’s just about us competing, which builds camaraderie,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said. “Sharpening each other’s tools and figuring out different ways to score against different body types. 

“And obviously the cheat code was out there today, so it was good to guard him and give him some different bodies as well. It’s all fun and for the love of the game.”

Embiid played Sunday at the Sixers’ Blue-White scrimmage and was a partial participant in Tuesday’s practice. Many Sixers have said he’s looked very good over the past few weeks and no one’s mentioned left knee problems. So … might Embiid play Friday in the team’s preseason finale vs. the Timberwolves? 

“I think there’s some chance, yeah,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “I don’t think we’re there yet; it’s a little early in the week to decide. It still could go either way. I think we’ve got some thresholds to get over yet before we get to that point.” 

Embiid’s last preseason appearance came on Oct. 20, 2023. Oubre and Tyrese Maxey are the only other holdovers from that Sixers team.

Nurse said both Trendon Watford (right hamstring) and Paul George (left knee) participated in the “introductory” parts of practice. Neither sounds close to a return.

Watford’s had minimal on-court time with his new teammates, which has contributed to the Sixers testing a variety of power forward options. 

“For sure it’s been a missed opportunity. … I would imagine there’s a little ways to go before we even get him out there in some live action,” Nurse said. “Hopefully, it’ll be soon. I think it makes evaluating really hard. He hasn’t really done anything in the fall or the training camp to date. But when we get him back, we’ll throw him in there and see what he’s got. That’s all we can do.”

Quentin Grimes also watched the Sixers’ preseason loss last Friday to the Magic. 

He’s continued getting up to speed since accepting the Sixers’ qualifying offer and expects to suit up against Minnesota. 

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Grimes said, “playing on Friday. For sure.”