8:00 AM ET ESPN staff This year’s edition of The Basketball Tournament is unique for a multitude of reasons. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the event is positioned to offer American fans the first televised team basketball event since the NBA suspended its season in March. But the TBT will also benefit from an

Jul 3, 2020 Andrew LopezESPN New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik will not accompany the team to Orlando for the restart of the NBA season, Bzdelik’s agent, Warren LeGarie, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday afternoon. According to team sources, the decision, which takes into account CDC guidelines, was made after Bzdelik, 67, consulted

8:00 AM ET Carmine CarcieriESPN It has been more than three months since we’ve had organized hoops in the United States, but basketball officially returns this weekend with Fourth of July fireworks. The Basketball Tournament begins its 11-day tournament — which includes nine alumni teams and a four-time champion — starting with the Round of

8:00 AM ET On July 4, the seventh annual edition of The Basketball Tournament, a winner-take-all event for a $1 million prize, will commence in Columbus, Ohio. Precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have included shrinking the pool to 24 teams, holding the tournament in a central location (Nationwide Arena) and demanding an extensive health

5:25 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Despite making the NBA All-Star team for the first time this season, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has had to overcome public shaming after becoming the first NBA player to test positive for coronavirus. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year’s positive test ultimately triggered the league’s suspension on March

7:44 AM ET As the NBA calendar resumes and teams prepare for the conclusion of the season in Orlando, Florida, few franchises have been more representative of the myriad concerns than the Los Angeles Lakers. The West’s top seed has faced positive coronavirus test results in the immediate aftermath of the league shutdown, family tragedy

7:29 PM ET A second NBA bubble? The NBA has yet to officially restart the 2020 season in Florida, but the league has already begun discussions with the National Basketball Players Association for a secondary bubble with the eight teams that were eliminated from postseason consideration, according to a report by ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan. There

4:58 PM ET Eric WoodyardESPN Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell can now smile and admit, “It’s been a long few months for me.” Mitchell tested positive for the coronavirus, drew negative social media comments for addressing racial issues in America and was involved in some friction with teammate Rudy Gobert. But the All-Star guard says

4:12 PM ET The NBA office has assured the league’s coaches’ association that “age alone” will not be enough to prevent a coach from going to the Walt Disney World Resort for the restart of the season. Individuals at high risk for serious coronavirus complications will not go, but simply being older, without other risks,

7:00 AM ET NBA Insiders It was 10 years ago today that the most anticipated free-agency period in NBA history began, culminating on July 8, 2010, with The Decision and LeBron James announcing that he was taking his talents to South Beach. We asked our NBA insiders to reflect on the show, the fallout and