Anonymous NBA player poll 2024: LeBron or Jordan as the GOAT? Most overrated? Finals favorite?

Sample size matters, people. So when The Athletic launched its first NBA player poll in 2019, with 127 players answering questions about league matters so honestly because of the anonymity they were granted, the bar was set very high. We hit triple digits again last year (108 players), when the popular poll returned in full … Read more

NBA Pre-Postseason Player Tiers 1 and 2: Wembanyama quickly rising; Giannis, Jokić steady at top

Yesterday, I largely focused on setting the table for the updated NBA Pre-Postseason Players Tiers before revealing Tier 3 (players between the 24th and 42nd spot) and Tier 4 (Nos. 43-80). Today, I’m going to get a little more into some of the more interesting and/or challenging placements, as well as note a few overall … Read more

New scene at NBA games: Fans screaming at players about their losing bets

NBA players have always gotten an earful from fans, whether at home or on the road. It comes with the job. But this season, it’s getting darker. The recent surge in legalized gambling in every pro league, and throughout college athletics, has impacted American sports in ways thought unimaginable just a few years ago. But … Read more

Why white home uniforms — once an NBA mainstay — have disappeared

Every August, after the NBA releases its schedule for the upcoming season, Michael McCullough, the Miami Heat’s chief marketing officer, thinks about the next 82 games. He not only considers ticket sales and promotions but also sets a meeting with the team’s equipment manager and focuses on an essential part of his job: uniforms. Laying … Read more

LA Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers: Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers NBA free live streaming: Date, start time, where to watch

Los Angeles Lakers are set to take on Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night. The game is set to take place at Crypto.com Arena. The tip off is scheduled at 10 pm (ET) on January 21. One can watch the game on NBA League Pass and Spectrum SportsNet. Free live streaming is available on fubo … Read more

Dunking hurts: Why players hate — and love — the NBA’s greatest feat

The dunk is basketball’s most lionized play. The most iconic ones are canonized, referenced fondly and often, debated for their merits and significance. The sport’s language has created so many names for it: jam, yam, slam, poster, stuff, hammer. It’s a unique club that only few on this world can join. It’s marvelous. And it … Read more

Data dive: Caitlin Clark vs. Steph Curry and other top shooters

In a nearly empty arena in late November 2020, Caitlin Clark shot her first college 3-pointer. Time was ticking down in the first quarter of the Hawkeyes’ matchup against Northern Iowa. Clark forced a steal at midcourt and weaved her way to the right wing. With two defenders around her, she rose up. Her attempt … Read more