As Trail Blazers TV analyst Lamar Hurd said during the broadcast, “Not this year.” That no-call served as the perfect example of foul-hunting that the NBA is hoping to eliminate. The league changed its rules ahead of the 2021-22 season in order to discourage offensive players from making “overt, abrupt or abnormal non-basketball moves.” Essentially, NBA referees will no longer reward offensive players who launch themselves into defenders. But how will they know when to blow the whistle?...

Leonard, 29, said the slur while playing “Call Of Duty: Warzone” on his Twitch channel: “Fing cowards, don’t fing snipe me, you fing k b****.” Leonard has about 70,000 Twitch followers. This comes two months after he tweeted to his 177,000 Twitter followers that he stands against “bigotry, racism, and hate.” Leonard issued a statement Tuesday night saying he didn’t understand the meaning of the word, and he made his apology....

This season has many exciting elements — the Warriors’ quest to repeat, the renewal of Kevin Durant, some truly hideous jerseys, LeBron James’ return in Year Two, all the talented second-year players returning from injuries and so much more. And if you haven’t been keeping up, that’s fine: Sporting News has you covered, and we’ve collected the best of our preview material here. 2015-16 NBA season and playoff predictions When it came to awards voting, Sporting News’ Sean Deveney and Adi Joseph were divided on most counts, including who would take Stephen Curry’s MVP....

There is an added level of intrigue this year with the league implementing a new version of the play-in tournament, which was first seen inside the Florida “bubble” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the traditional eight-team fields in each conference, a total of 20 teams will participate in the postseason. MORE: Latest standings | Daily NBA schedule With multiple contenders battling for playoff positioning, the final stretch of the regular season should provide plenty of entertainment....

Kobe Bryant’s win for “Dear Basketball” brought immediate congratulations from the league’s bright lights – and yet another tweak at Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham: ‘DEAR BASKETBALL’: Watch the Oscar-winning animated short Bryant also received congratulations from Lakers legends Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson as well as the Lakers organization. Shaq was generous, yet also a tad salty, maybe, in his response: O’Neal starred in 1996 feature film “Kazaam,” which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences somehow snubbed....

We wanted to know what could be taken away from the most valuable players out there this summer, the top picks from June’s draft. While the caveat of Summer League is always one of caution — it’s a small sample size, only vaguely resembles NBA-caliber basketball and shooting percentages will be decidedly low — we checked in with an NBA assistant coach and a scout for what they saw from this year’s Top 10 picks....

The NBA annual summer extravaganza, which will feature all 30 franchises plus the Croatian and Chinese national teams, gets underway on Friday in its traditional home in Nevada, and there are plenty of story lines worthy of attention. Chief among them is that Zion Williamson will make his debut in a New Orleans Pelicans jersey just two weeks after being selected with the number one overall pick. RJ Barrett, the third overall pick and Williamson’s former teammate at Duke, will come up against the number one overall pick on Friday night when the New York Knicks take on the Pelicans....

Williamson’s debut was cut short when the rookie did not play in the second half after taking knee-to-knee contact, according to the team. An ESPN report noted the Pelicans “do not expect it to be a lingering issue.” But there was still plenty for fans, admirers and #NBATwitter to talk about. First, there was Williamson’s appearance. Then came reactions to his impressive plays including a steal from Kevin Knox that led to one of his trademark dunks....

NBA FREE AGENCY 2017: Ranking the best players on the market ESPN’s Marc Stein reported Tuesday those close to the 10-time All-Star have made initial overtures to persuade a buyout that could pave the way for Anthony to team up with longtime friend LeBron James in Cleveland. However, several substantial hurdles must be cleared for the move to happen, bringing an end to a drama-filled relationship between Anthony and Knicks team president Phil Jackson....

While expressed simply, that question involves multiple pieces of analysis. The first is player evaluation. This includes both objective and subjective components, particularly for Dallas. While Philadelphia has had time to figure out how Noel fits in with their other pieces — even though Noel and presumptive Rookie of the Year Joel Embiid played just eight minutes together — the Mavericks have to use the information in front of them to ascertain both his ability as a player now and fit in coach Rick Carlisle’s system....

In a league with majority black players, the product on basketball courts across the country owes a great debt to MLK. The NBA realizes that, and it plans to give him his due, as it makes a point of doing each season. This year, the NBA will air a commercial and showcase shooting shirts under the "Dream Big" umbrella to honor MLK (via thegrio.com). Another NBA initiative, made in concert with Miami Heat guard Ray Allen, will honor Black History Month and features the faces of Dr....

The NCAA has revealed the field of 64 schools set to compete in regionals at 16 campus sites the weekend of June 3-6. Regional winners will move on to best-of-three super regionals and the eight teams that emerge will head to Omaha for the College World Series beginning June 17. Tennessee has been college baseball’s dominant team all season, going 53-7 and winning the SEC Tournament. The Vols will be considered the favorite to take the crown in Omaha....

In July 2012, the NCAA handed down sanctions against Penn State stemming from the Jerry Sandusky child-sex scandal. The penalties included a $60 million fine, a four-year postseason ban, vacating wins from 1998-2011 as well as 40 scholarship losses -- 10 per year for four years. Because of that scholarship reduction, Penn State would be allowed no more than 65 scholarship players -- just two more than is allowed for FCS teams....

It is important to keep distinct the separate ideas of the NCAA as an organization, the NCAA as an expression of ideals, and college athletics more generally. At best, the bolded part of Emmert’s answer expresses a confidence in the latter. At worst, it expresses a confidence in all all three. In any case, that confidence is misplaced. EMMERT: I think that’s a misguided notion, to be candid. College athletics has become an integral part of American society and I don’t believe people want to throw that away....

East | Midwest | South Best storyline For only the second time in the history of the NCAA Tournament’s expanded bracket era, the selection committee has forced the same two teams — Arizona and Wisconsin — into a No. 1 vs. No. 2 death match for the right to reach the Final Four. Last season, the two played an overtime classic decided by a single point, when Wildcats’ All-American Nick Johnson missed a short jumpshot on the final possession of the game....

MORE: Must-see NCAA Tournament images | College basketball: Then & Now | Live updates The upset has everyone thinking … who are the Georgia State Panthers? For starters, they have two big transfers on their roster. Kevin Ware came from Louisville, and Ryan Harrow from Kentucky and North Carolina State. Both grew up in Georgia. Harrow didn’t face Baylor thanks to a hamstring injury. Their coach, Ron Hunter, is passionate....

And between the lobby and Wagner’s floor, Beilein found the hero who would carry his team to the 2017 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. MORE: Michigan-Louisville Game Center “They have smaller elevators in Europe, and it was really tight in there,” Beilein said. “And his smile was just amazing. He had such a personality. I said, ‘If this kid can play even a little, we want him in our program.’”...

CBS and Turner are averaging 8.2 million viewers through the first four days, which is up 6 percent from the 7.7 mark it reached a year ago. Eighteen of the 34 games contested thus far have been decided by 10 points or fewer, and six have went to overtime. Four double-digit seeds have advanced to the round of 32 in Mercer, Harvard, Stephen F. Austin and Dayton, which has sent teams from upper-echelon conferences in Duke, Cincinnati, VCU and Oklahoma packing early....

Comments attributed to a supposed agent of the Nigeria international hinted that a move could be made if a suitable offer was tabled. With Ndidi having caught the eye during his debut campaign in English football, as a successor to N’Golo Kante at the King Power Stadium, interest in his services is expected. Lingard signs new Man Utd deal Ndidi has, however, distanced himself from the speculation and the man making the claims....