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The term of the day for the NCAA: “modernize.” Or maybe it was “change.” Then again, “unprecedented steps” also got plenty of time. All were true. After decades of digging in, battling in court, launching advertising campaigns or just shaking their collective head “no,” the NCAA’s Board of Governors has agreed to provide its athletes the same economic freedom as any other student on campus, starting in January 2021 at the latest. It still must clear a vote at the NCAA Convention, but board approval makes it all but inevitable. “We approved legislation for student athletes to receive compensation for...

As the new head coach of a men's junior college basketball team and the only female head coach of a men's collegiate program in the country, former WNBA player Tamara Moore said she hopes to prove that a woman is just as capable of coaching a men's squad as a man. "Now, it's time for me to show you guys and show people that women are just as knowledgeable as men to coach the game," said Moore, the new men's basketball head coach at Mesabi Range College in Virginia, Minnesota, where she accepted the job Tuesday. She will also serve...

After about two minutes into the second night of ESPN’s “The Last Dance,” it was very clear who was going to be the star of the night. The Dennis Rodman Episode had arrived, and it was as glorious as anyone could reasonably hope. The third piece of the Chicago Bulls’ most immortal teams was a complex, hair-dying, partying, borderline masochistic marvel of a player and human being. There definitely isn’t a player like him today, which made his portrayal so compelling for a modern audience. When an episode starts off with a guy casually stating he wants to break his...

Being a teen in the 1990s and I would listen to a lot of national sports talk on the radio. I still remember back then hearing about the hate Chicago bulls fans had for both GM Jerry Krause and the owner Jerry Reinsdorf, near the end of the Bulls Dynasty , but I really never understood what they were trying to do and just how egotistical and stupid both of these guys were in prematurely breaking up a team while making a run at another championship with the best player ever still in his prime. Krause made some brilliant moves...

The NBA isn’t close to making any decisions on a potential restart, and it isn’t setting any deadlines, commissioner Adam Silver said Friday. The league has been shut down since Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 on March 11. Silver addressed the league’s state amid the coronavirus pandemic in a Friday conference call with media members, but he offered no firm answers regarding the future. “Based on the reports that we got from varied outside officials, current public health officials … we are not in a position to make any decisions, and it’s unclear when we will...

With major league sports all sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic, ESPN will fill at least a bit of airtime with the first-ever NBA HORSE Challenge Presented by State Farm. Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks and newly elected Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings headline the list of NBA and WNBA players and legends who will participate in the new competition, with Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley Jr., three-time WNBA All-Star Allie Quigley and NBA Finals MVPs Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce rounding out the field. A coin toss...

An American story posted in an effort to show how far the coronavirus insanity has traveled and how the character of our country is being reshaped .... Hoops Removed at Legendary NYC Basketball Courts as a Coronavirus Precaution by Angi Gonzalez Brooklyn (snip) -- "The basketball court at Rucker Park in Harlem is considered hallowed ground for some of the greatest players in the game. On Thursday, it was empty, which seemed surreal for people who live in the neighborhood. Earlier in the day, the hoops at the Rucker Park court and at 79 other basketball courts across the city...

The WNBA training camps and season opener will be delayed due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the league announced Friday. It had been expected, especially with the extended social distancing guidelines by the federal government and sporting entities canceling events into July.

Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo and two assistant coaches contacted a witness in a 2017 investigation of criminal sexual conduct involving a basketball player before the witness had discussed the incident with police or school investigators, records newly obtained by ESPN show. MSU student Brayden Smith was with then-freshman guard Brock Washington on the night a female student said Washington forcibly groped her, according to a Michigan State University police report obtained by ESPN through a public records request to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office. On Aug. 31, 2017, the female student told...

ew York Knicks owner James Dolan has tested positive for COVID-19. The Knicks announced the news on Saturday, noting that Dolan is experiencing “little to no symptoms” and “continues to oversee business operations.” It’s not clear from where or how Dolan is running his business as the team announced that he’s been in self-isolation.

Consider a little history from the Hawkeye state. The University of Iowa basketball team has a junior center who just completed one of the most amazing seasons in Big Ten history. Luka Garza scored at least 20 points in 16 consecutive games. He set a single season Hawkeye scoring record. He was named Big Ten player of the year and a first team All-American. His achievements came against some of the best big men in the country, in spite of the fact he was usually double and occasionally triple-teamed. The Northwestern coach described Luka with one word, “relentless.” Ironically, even...

The music world will remember Kenny Rogers for his country hits and rotisserie chicken. The sports world will remember him for the time he scored on Michael Jordan. After Rogers' death on Saturday, a video began going around showing the country singer faking out Michael Jordan during a pickup basketball game. The 1988 game was part of the Kenny Rogers Classic Weekend, a three-day fundraising celebration at his Georgia home. The festival featured live music, golf, fishing, and a star-studded 3-on-3 celebrity basketball game played against NBA legends and other celebrities, including Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird and Dominique...

Superstar Kevin Durant was among four members of the Brooklyn Nets who tested positive for the coronavirus, the superstar told The Athletic. The team announced Tuesday that multiple players were diagnosed with the deadly virus, without disclosing names. “Of the four, one player is exhibiting symptoms while three are asymptomatic,” the team added in a statement. “All four players are presently isolated and under the care of team physicians.”

A Florida State graduate in the Florida state senate has declared his alma mater the 2020 NCAA basketball champions in a resolution that passed the Florida senate by a 37-2 vote Friday. Joe Gruters, a republican from Sarasota, introduced the resolution, which included the following wording: "Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: That the Florida State University Seminoles basketball team, by virtue of tremendous skill on the court and the heart and spirit shown by the players and coaches this basketball season, is declared the 2020 National College Athletic Association basketball champions by default upon...

Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.

Duke University has suspended all athletic competition for the foreseeable future, effective immediately, in response to COVID-19. The announcement was made Thursday by President Vincent E. Price, in conjunction with guidance from public health experts and Duke Athletics leadership. The suspension applies to all athletic competitions and practices for the health and safety of all who are essential to these activities. This suspension also applies to any camps and clinics sponsored by Duke's intercollegiate athletic programs. Duke University and Duke Athletics will convey additional information, when available, via its social media channels and GoDuke.com.

March Madness 2020 will be unlike any NCAA Tournament ever. The NCAA announced on Wednesday that both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments will be played without fans after consulting with its coronavirus advisory panel. “Based on [the panel’s] advice and my discussions with the NCAA Board of Governors, I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement.

NCAA President Mark Emmert statement on limiting attendance at NCAA events: http://on.ncaa.com/gabyq[snip]I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance.[snip]

March Madness 2020 games could be played without fans. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Tuesday he is asking indoor sporting events take place without spectators “other than the athletes, parents, and others essential to the game” over coronavirus fears/ Dayton hosts the First Four of the NCAA Tournament every year at UD Arena, with this year’s game scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday. Cleveland is also set to host first and second-round games in the tournament.

When I have a little free time, I like to scan YouTube, as so many people do. And lately, I’ve been pulling up and binge-watching Larry Bird videos. What’s that all about? For those of you who don’t know, Larry Bird was one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. He was also known as the bitter rival of Magic Johnson, with a number of legendary matchups to prove it. The two—who later became good friends—couldn’t be more different—personality-wise. Magic was “Showtime” in L.A. in the 80s. In contrast, Larry was “The Hick from French Lick” (Indiana). But their...