Veronica Burton is not a flashy player. She doesn’t have a varied repertoire of ankle-breakers or fancy moves.

But the Valkyries point guard who has started all 32 of the team’s games does have a complete mastery of Golden State’s offense, a skill set she showed in the team’s 88-83 victory in Washington as the visitors secured their ...Read more

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The last time Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley was ejected from a game against the Los Angeles Sparks in late July, the rest of the team immediately collapsed and lost by 15 in a matchup that looked winnable most of the way.

On Wednesday the Sun proved how far they’ve come in just a few weeks with a 71-62 win over the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Shaquille O'Neal was never suspended for drug use of any kind during his decorated 19-year NBA career. The rugged 7-foot-1, 325-pound Hall of Fame center freely acknowledged playing through pain and openly worried about damage to his kidneys and liver from his prolonged use of legal anti-inflammatory medications.

He also ...Read more

DENVER — Drake Solomon, who performed as Rocky, the Denver Nuggets mascot, is suing the franchise’s parent company for alleged wrongful termination and disability-based discrimination.

Solomon took over as Rocky when his father, Kenn Solomon, retired in 2021. He alleges in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) ...Read more

CHICAGO — Angel Reese will miss a sixth consecutive game Wednesday night for the Chicago Sky — and the All-Star forward is still struggling to return to the court after suffering a lower back injury that could put the remainder of her season in jeopardy.

Reese has not been cleared for basketball activities. She did not travel for the road ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid is usually the one doing the trolling, but in the new "Naked Gun" movie, he’s the target.

Buried deep in the film’s joke-filled end credits is a not-so-subtle jab at the Sixers star, who played just 19 games last season due to a host of injuries.

Appearing just under craft services is the film’s Netflix ...Read more

CHICAGO — After years of apathy, NBA owners suddenly are clamoring to get in on the booming business of the WNBA.

The owners of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers were awarded expansion franchises that will enter the league over the next five years. Houston Rockets ownership is preparing a second bid to bring back...Read more

THOUSAND OAKS, California — Jaime Jaquez Jr., who is preparing for his third season in the NBA with the Miami Heat, and his sister Gabriela Jaquez, a standout player for the UCLA Bruins and the Mexican national basketball team, set aside their own workouts to lead others through some familiar drills.

The siblings recently hosted a summer ...Read more

BOSTON — Wyc Grousbeck will have a smaller role than expected when the Celtics’ new ownership group takes control, according to a new report.

ESPN’s Shams Charania and Ramona Shelburne on Tuesday reported that Grousbeck “will no longer stay on as governor” of Boston’s NBA franchise despite initial plans for him to do so.

When a ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Kevin Durant is debuting for the Houston Rockets at his old stomping grounds against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Golden State Warriors are taking on LeBron James and Luka Dončić, the new face of the Los Angeles Lakers. The future of the East — the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks — ignites ...Read more

MIAMI — Unlike Jimmy Butler a year ago, when July meant go time with his extension window, there is considerably more breathing room for the Miami Heat this offseason when it comes to Tyler Herro, whose extension window does not open until Oct. 1 (and closes on Oct. 20).

On one hand, that allows for comparative analysis.

On the other hand, ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s time for me to get into the cryptocurrency game. My coin will be called smokeyscribe. I will promote it by throwing cigars and disrupting play at sporting events throughout the country.

What could go wrong? If it hits a fan, he or she can light it up. If it hits a young fan, hey, it will be his or her introduction to ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Tucked toward the back of “Memorial Coliseum: 75 Years as Monument, Stage, and Arena” — a new book chronicling the history of the Lexington landmark — a series of memories from Kentucky basketball greats can be found.

There’s UK’s all-time leading scorer, Dan Issel, recalling the inside of the locker room and the ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — On Dec. 30, 2002, Mitchell Etess had his first meeting with the WNBA about moving the Orlando Miracle to Connecticut.

Less than a month later, Etess, then the executive vice president of marketing at the Mohegan Sun, watched as the announcement was made that the Orlando team would move to the casino and become the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Lakers and NBA fans in general will get a quick view of two of the league’s longtime greats when LeBron James and the Lakers open the regular season against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21 at Crypto.com Arena, people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told The Los Angeles Times on Friday.

The...Read more

DETROIT — Former Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley was evicted from his high-rise apartment in downtown Detroit on Wednesday, more than one month after The Detroit News exclusively revealed he was dealing with an FBI gambling investigation and more than $8 million worth of financial problems.

The eviction order was filed in the 36th ...Read more

BOSTON — Joe Mazzulla is sticking around Causeway Street for the foreseeable future.

The Celtics announced Friday that they had signed the NBA championship-winning head coach to a multi-year contract extension.

In a team-released statement, Mazzulla said the extension is “truly a blessing.”

“I would not be here without my faith, my ...Read more

CHICAGO — An individual was briefly detained at Wintrust Arena after Thursday’s game between the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream in response to another incident of a sex toy being thrown on the court.

Two objects were thrown toward the court during the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game, which the Sky lost, 86-65. One green sex toy landed ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — An 18-year-old man has been arrested after the sex toy he allegedly threw during a WNBA game in Phoenix hit a man and possibly a young girl sitting in front of him.

It is one of at least five recent incidents of such objects being thrown by fans at a WNBA game and the second so far to result in an arrest.

Waddell, Ariz., ...Read more