It’s apparently open season on Stephen A. Smith. Barstool’s Mark Titus teed off on the polarizing ESPN personality and also ripped the company for making its coverage of the Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals too Smith-centric. “I would have zero problem with anything Stephen A. Smith is saying or doing if he wasn’t on NBA Finals broadcasts,” … Read more
Jalen Brunson isn’t the only NBA star captivated by a certain reality TV dating show. Speaking to ESPN on Thursday after taking down the Thunder in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton revealed how watching “Love Island” with girlfriend Jade Jones has been part of his recovery from a strained right … Read more
What is better than one Smith? Two Smiths. Famous ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith and his daughter, Samantha, shared rare screen time together ahead of the Pacers’ 108-91 Game 6 trashing of the Thunder in Indianapolis. It seemed like Smith had no intentions of bringing his daughter on “SportsCenter” until co-host Elle Duncan invited her … Read more
Dave Portnoy pulled out a trump card to dunk on Stephen A. Smith. Portnoy chided the star ESPN personality for his recent Solitaire controversy during the NBA Finals while calling him out on X for his opinion that Fever phenom Caitlin Clark can be an instigator, and saying she set off the drama with rival … Read more
Monday’s Game 5 recap of the NBA Finals took an interesting pivot on “SportsCenter.” When discussing the Thunder’s 120-109 home win over the Pacers, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins playfully chided fellow analyst Richard Jefferson over an exchange he was having with Perkins’ wife, Vanity. “Were you just waving at my wife?” Perkins asked Jefferson, who was … Read more
Charles Barkley is ready to call this year’s NBA Finals in favor of the Thunder. Following Oklahoma City’s 111-104 road victory over the Pacers on Friday night, Barkley said the Thunder now have a huge advantage and called the series “a wrap” after the game. “Yeah, I think they are in trouble,” Barkley said of … Read more
Stephen A. Smith may not have played his cards right. The polarizing ESPN personality is being criticized for playing the popular card game Solitaire during the Thunder’s 111-104 road win over the Pacers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, with even rival NBA player Kevin Durant joining in on the mocking. Durant … Read more
Jade Jones modeled the winning look on Wednesday night. Before Game 3 of the NBA Finals tipped off, the girlfriend of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton took to her Instagram Stories to showcase the custom Indiana ensemble she rocked at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where the home team topped the Thunder, 116-107, to take a 2-1 … Read more
Mike Breen shared a heartfelt message Sunday to his ESPN colleague, top sideline reporter Lisa Salters, who missed Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers to tend to her ailing mother. Moments after sideline reporter Jorge Sedano provided commentary on the second half of the game, with Oklahoma City leading 59-41 … Read more
Tyrese Haliburton’s girlfriend seemingly had a tense exchange with someone in the stands during Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. Jade Jones, who made the trip to Oklahoma City to support the Pacers guard, appeared to argue with Thunder fans at Paycom Center, as seen in a video on social media. Jones stood … Read more
The NBA and ABC digitally inserted images of the Larry O’Brien Trophy onto the court during the broadcast of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, leading an array of reactions on social media — many of which made fun of the decision. Fans had taken umbrage with the fact that there were no decals during … Read more
ESPN’s top NBA sideline reporter will not be on the ABC broadcast of Game 2 of the NBA Finals Sunday night. Lisa Salters is missing the Thunder-Pacers matchup in Oklahoma City due to a personal matter, according to multiple reports. Jorge Sedano will fill in for Salters. Lisa Salters will miss ABC’s broadcast of Game … Read more
Doris Burke is receiving a lot of love this weekend. While at Oklahoma City’s Devon Park on Friday for the Women’s College World Series between Texas Tech and Texas, Richard Jefferson put out an endorsement for his broadcast partner. He joined the SEC Network pregame show dressed in a “My Favorite Broadcaster is Doris Burke” … Read more
Many fans were left without something after Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning shot in Game 1 of the NBA Finals — commentator Mike Breen’s signature “bang” call. Breen, who has been announcing the NBA Finals for 20 years, chose to forego the legendary call on Thursday, opting for the more generic — but still effective — “It’s … Read more
Tyrese Haliburton’s dad had a front-row seat to his son’s game-winning shot Thursday as the Pacers opened the 2025 NBA Finals with a thrilling comeback victory. Still fresh off the fan version of a suspension, John Haliburton — who has since returned to arenas following an on-court confrontation with Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier in the playoffs … Read more
In late April, Tyrese Haliburton was revealed as the NBA’s “most overrated player” in a poll of anonymous NBA players. A do-over of that poll may have a different outcome now that Haliburton has gone on an epic playoffs heater that includes a game-winning jumper to stun the Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA … Read more
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said it was “sad” to see Wednesday’s report from The Athletic speculating on Doris Burke’s future in ESPN’s top NBA broadcasting booth before the 2025 NBA Finals tipped off. Prior to Game 1 of the Pacers-Thunder series, Carlisle began his pregame availability Thursday with a tribute to Burke, who is … Read more
Who really needs to see all of an epic comeback anyway? A local ABC affiliate in Indiana cut away with a little more than a minute left during the Pacers’ stunning 111-110 come-from-behind win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday against the Thunder to instead show the teasers for that night’s 11 p.m. … Read more
Tyrese Haliburton’s girlfriend made the trip to Oklahoma City to support the Pacers guard in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. Jade Jones was especially hyped after Haliburton’s go-ahead jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining to beat the Thunder, 111-110, after the Pacers trailed by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter. “3 … Read more
It looks like Shaquille O’Neal is wasting no time making himself comfortable at his soon-to-be new network. O’Neal invaded ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” set on Thursday minutes before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Pacers and Thunder. Midway through the show, O’Neal made his way onto the set and was met with tons of … Read more
The 2025 NBA Finals could be the first and last for ESPN’s current top broadcasting trio. The future of the booth featuring longtime play-by-play voice Mike Breen and analysts Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson is up in the air, as Burke’s spot “is not guaranteed for next season” and Jefferson is on an expiring contract, … Read more
Patrick Mahomes — like any Mavericks fan — was feeling the pain of watching Celtics guard Payton Pritchard hit another absurd halfcourt shot in the NBA Finals. With 0.8 seconds left in the first half, the Prichard connected on a 3-pointer buzzer-beater from halfcourt to put his team up 67-46 at the break at TD … Read more
Joe Mazzulla stuck around TD Garden after his Celtics secured the franchise’s record 18th NBA championship on Monday with a 106-88 Game 5 victory over the Mavericks. The second-year Celtics coach and his wife, Camai Mazzulla, held hands while strolling through the empty arena, where green and white confetti covered the court, around 3:20 a.m., according to … Read more
The tequila was flowing after the Celtics secured the franchise’s record 18th NBA championship with a 106-88 Game 5 victory over the Mavericks on Monday. Boston guard Payton Pritchard and his fiancée Emma Macdonald joined the boozy celebration at TD Garden, as seen in photos on social media. Macdonald chugged out of a bottle of … Read more
Jayson Tatum may have not been the only one screaming “WE DID IT!” after the Celtics won the NBA championship on Monday. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy was likely off somewhere in the world not only celebrating his Celtics capturing their first NBA title in 16 years, but also his big winnings after a $100,000 … Read more
Caitlin Clark may have only played 15 WNBA games, but the ripple effects of her regularly getting fouled hard are being felt around the basketball world. During the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Mavericks and Celtics, ESPN color commentator Doris Burke made a joke about a call on Dallas … Read more
Some Celtics fans couldn’t handle watching their team lose for the first time in over a month. During a watch party at TD Garden for their 122-84 Game 4 loss to the Mavericks in Dallas on Friday night, multiple fans were recorded getting into an ugly fight in the stands. What appears to be a … Read more
Dave Portnoy couldn’t be in two places at once, so he had to make a difficult decision. The Barstool Sports founder was a guest of honor at Tom Brady’s induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night, and was seated at a VIP table with fellow members of the “Brady … Read more
Dave Portnoy didn’t hold back when he trolled Kyrie Irving during Game 2 of the Celtics-Mavericks NBA Finals series on Sunday. The Barstool Sports founder, who is a Boston native and diehard Celtics fan, sported a T-shirt with Irving’s face, which featured a clown nose, while sitting courtside at TD Garden. Portnoy, 47, showed off … Read more
The NBA honored the late Bill Walton in a touching way Thursday before Game 1 of The Finals. Prior to tipoff between the Celtics and Mavericks at TD Garden in Boston, players wore black T-shirts with “Walton” written in tie-dye colors, a nod to Walton’s bold styles and love for the Grateful Dead. “I can’t … Read more
A photo of a man interacting with Taylor Rooks at a Celtics game last year has taken on a life of its own. The meme, which originally spread last March, shows a man with a beer in his hand talking animatedly to Rooks, whose attention appears to be focused elsewhere. Rooks, 32, hosts a digital … Read more
LeBron James gave a special shoutout to Doris Burke ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The longtime ESPN broadcaster became the first woman to serve as a TV analyst for a championship final in one of the four major professional sports when the Mavericks and Celtics tipped off in Boston on Thursday. The … Read more
Before the Knicks faced the Pacers for Game 7 at Madison Square Garden in their playoff series last month, ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” might as well have been “The Stephen A. Smith Show.” There was a big production of Smith entering Madison Square Garden, giving the Knicks a pep talk as a fan of the team … Read more
Mike Francesa isn’t happy about this week’s lull in the NBA playoffs schedule. The Celtics swept the Pacers and then the Mavericks took down the Timberwolves in five games a few days later, leaving sports fans waiting a full seven days before the NBA Finals start. It’s something that will spell “disaster” for the league, … Read more
ESPN decided to break up its longtime NBA Finals team this offseason, firing both Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, but its lead play-by-player, Mike Breen, is not going anywhere, The Post has learned. Breen, 62, has agreed to a two-year, multi-million-dollar extension with ESPN to go along with the final two seasons that he … Read more
The skyrocketing career of Malika Andrews continues as she is becoming the new host of the NBA Finals for ESPN, The Post has learned. Andrews, 28, will succeed Mike Greenberg, who hosted the marquee shows for the past two years. Greenberg was brought in to stabilize “NBA Countdown” after the fiasco with Maria Taylor and … Read more
It is certainly not uncommon to see Eli and/or Peyton Manning appear in a commercial, but one may be surprised to see the famous quarterback brothers in the NBA’s new “We are all in the Finals” campaign. Eli recently told The Post he wasn’t sure how they were selected for this spot, but that he … Read more
Sneakers worn by Michael Jordan could fetch a historical price as they go up for auction at Sotheby’s. The big-pocket pair of Air Jordan 13s is anticipated to be the most expensive pair of sneakers ever to by auctioned and could rack up anywhere between $2-4 million at Sotheby’s, according to CNBC. The pair was worn … Read more