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LeBron James Remains Undecided On Playing Beyond This Season

November 25th, 2025 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

Chris Paul confirmed over the weekend that the 2025/26 season will be his final year in the NBA, but his longtime friend LeBron James hasn’t made that same determination. Sources close to the Lakers star insist to Dave McMenamin of ESPN that James remains undecided on whether or not he’ll continue his career beyond this season.

McMenamin’s report comes within a larger story about James’ incredible streak of 21 consecutive All-NBA nods. If LeBron hopes to extend that record-setting streak to 22 seasons, he would have to appear in 63 of the Lakers’ remaining 66 games.

As McMenamin points out, if James knew this were his final season, he may feel obligated not to take any games off – especially on the road – as long as he’s healthy. But if he thinks he’ll be back in 2026/27, a “farewell tour” wouldn’t be a consideration.

The Lakers have 11 back-to-backs between now and the end of the season, McMenamin notes, and while James has made a strong effort in recent years to suit up for both ends of those back-to-back sets, head coach J.J. Redick and the Lakers may take a more cautious approach this season, given that LeBron will turn 41 in December and has missed time with sciatica this fall.

“I don’t think an All-NBA appearance this year is going to make or break his résumé,” Redick said, adding that he hasn’t spoken to James about trying to extend that All-NBA streak.

Like Redick, agent Rich Paul said he hasn’t talked to his longtime client about the streak, but he doesn’t necessarily view an All-NBA spot in 2026 as a top priority either.

“Look, at 41 years of age, I hope he is not playing back-to-backs,” Paul told McMenamin.

As McMenamin writes, the most important thing that James could do this season for his legacy would be to win a fifth championship, and the Lakers may decide that managing his playing time over the course of the season gives them the best chance to have him healthy and at his best during the postseason.

Of course, besides reaching the 65-game mark, James would also have to continue playing at an All-NBA level in order to earn serious consideration for a 22nd berth. If he is playing at that level, regardless of whether or not he appears in 65 games, it would likely make him more inclined to put off retirement for another year.

James will earn about $52.6MM this season in the final year of his contract with the Lakers and isn’t eligible to sign a contract extension before next July. That means if he does decide he wants to continue playing in 2026/27, he’ll have to wait until he becomes an unrestricted free agent to sign his next deal, either with Los Angeles or another team.

Suns Minority Owners Accuse Ishbia Of Using Team As ‘Personal Piggy Bank’

November 24th, 2025 at 9:39pm CST by Luke Adams

In a legal filing in Delaware State Court, Suns minority owners Andy Kohlberg and Scott Seldin allege that majority owner Mat Ishbia is using the team as his “personal piggy bank” and is hiding details about his spending, according to reports from Doug Haller and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic and Baxter Holmes of ESPN.

It’s the latest development in a legal battle between the various Suns shareholders. Kohlberg and Seldin sued the Suns and Ishbia in August, with Ishbia filing a countersuit against the pair of minority owners in October. This legal filing is a response to Ishbia’s countersuit.

“Ishbia does not own the Suns to make money for the company but he does operate it as a personal fiefdom for his own personal gain and for the benefit of his other businesses, including his mortgage company United Wholesale Mortgage,” the latest filing states. “The reality is that Ishbia is using the Suns as his personal piggy bank, including through a lengthy list of conflicted transactions — only some of which the minority owners are aware of.”

As The Athletic and ESPN relay, the allegations Kohlberg and Seldin make against Ishbia in the filing include:

Extending a loan to the Suns at an interest rate that was far above the going market rate.
Selling naming rights to the Suns’ arena to his own mortgage company without disclosing the details.
Leasing the Phoenix Mercury’s practice facility from himself without disclosing the details.
Establishing an entity called the “Player 15 Group” that allegedly holds assets which should rightfully belong to the Suns.
Turning the Suns and Mercury into money-losing teams while profiting through United Wholesale Mortgage.

Kohlberg and Seldin also specifically cite a pair of capital calls that took place in June and July of 2025, contending that Ishbia set up those capital calls in the hopes of diluting their shares in the team, which could have happened if they didn’t pay within a 10-day window. The two minority owners contributed the necessary capital in each case, but they say Ishbia didn’t pay his own shares by the deadline and attempted to hide it by using a debt-to-equity conversion to make up the difference.

According to Kohlberg and Seldin, they should have been given the opportunity to buy the shares Ishbia didn’t fund himself, which would have allowed them to take control of a larger stake in the franchise.

“In other words,” the filing states, “Ishbia blundered into the very trap he set for the minority owners and faced a devastating dilution of his ownership interest if his failure was discovered — a failure that would wipe off his net worth and put his continued status as an NBA team owner and governor in jeopardy.”

Ishbia, who has bought out the rest of the Suns’ minority owners since assuming majority control of the team in 2023, denied the allegations through a spokesperson.

“This isn’t a lawsuit; it’s a shameless shakedown dressed up as legal process,” Ishbia’s spokesperson said in a statement. “From day one, Mat Ishbia was transparent that he was going to do things differently. Contrary to how the team was previously managed, Mat made it very clear he would invest significantly into the Suns and Mercury. He told all the investors that they could step up with him or sell their stake and step aside. Kohlberg and Seldin stayed in and now they’re trying to freeload off the value Mat created.

“Kohlberg and Seldin want to drag the organization backward, and they openly admit in this filing that investing in the team and its fans ‘makes no business sense.’ They are advocating neglect. They are free to sell their shares in the open market and if they don’t, they should be prepared to lose this lawsuit and participate in Mat’s continued investments in the teams and community.”

Ishbia and his representatives have previously argued that his investments in the team have helped bump the value of the Suns from $4 billion to $6 billion since he took over as the majority owner. Ishbia said in the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show that Kohlberg and Seldin “can sell if they want” and should appreciate the fact that the franchise valuation is on the rise.

“I told them, ‘Instead of suing me, why don’t you just write me a letter and say thank you? Your investment is worth more,'” Ishbia said (Twitter video link).

Gilgeous-Alexander, Mitchell Named Players Of The Week

November 24th, 2025 at 2:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter links).

Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champions to four wins during the week of November 17-23 while averaging 31.0 points and 6.5 assists per contest and shooting 60% from the field and 64.3% from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City was +82 in SGA’s 125 minutes on the court last week.

Gilgeous-Alexander also earned Player of the Week honors three weeks ago and is the second repeat winner of the award this season, joining Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Mitchell posted averages of 31.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as the Cavaliers went 3-1 this past week. He opened and closed the week with matching 37-point performances against the Bucks and Clippers, going 14-of-22 from the field in each of those two outings.

Santi Aldama (Grizzlies), Luka Doncic (Lakers), De’Aaron Fox (Spurs), James Harden (Clippers) and Jokic (Nuggets) were the other Western Conference nominees for Player of the Week.

Jalen Duren (Pistons), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Brandon Ingram (Raptors), Kon Knueppel (Hornets), Tyrese Maxey (Sixers), Norman Powell and Kel’el Ware (Heat), Ryan Rollins (Bucks) and Franz Wagner (Magic) were also nominated in the East.

Wizards Rookie Tre Johnson Out Multiple Weeks Due To Hip Injury

November 24th, 2025 at 2:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Wizards guard Tre Johnson, the sixth pick in the June draft, will miss multiple weeks due to a strained left hip flexor, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post reports.

Head coach Brian Keefe made the announcement after practice on Monday but didn’t reveal a specific timetable beyond saying that Johnson will be reevaluated in two weeks.

It’s an injury that Johnson dealt with during his lone college season with Texas. He re-aggravated it on Friday against the Raptors and didn’t play against the Bulls on Saturday. The team’s PR departments confirms the injury in a tweet.

Johnson, 19, is averaging 11.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.3 minutes per game. He started in four of the team’s first 15 contests and is shooting 44.5% from the field, including 39.5% on three-point tries. He has played fewer than 20 minutes in his last three appearances.

Johnson has often been seen wearing a pad on his hip while on the bench, according to Shankar.

“It shows how tough a kid this guy is,” Keefe said. “He’s been playing through some pain but he’s continuing to push through. But after [the Toronto] game, we decided to hold him out.”

Kyshawn George, Corey Kispert and Cam Whitmore could all see an uptick in minutes with Johnson out.

Chauncey Billups Pleads Not Guilty, Released On $5MM Bond

November 24th, 2025 at 1:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trail Blazers coach and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges that he participated in and profited from rigged poker games, Philip Marcelo of The Associated Press reports. Billups was released on a $5MM bond secured by his family’s Colorado home.

Per his bond agreement, Billups must refrain from gambling and can have no contact with other defendants or alleged victims. He has surrendered his passport and can only travel to seven states, including Oregon and New York. Billups and his co-defendants, including ex-NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, appeared for a status conference on Monday and are due back in court on March 4.

The judge told all the attorneys at today’s proceedings that his intention is to expedite the process and start the trial by September of 2026, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets.

Billups was placed on unpaid leave by the NBA after his arrest in late October, shortly after the team’s opening game. His arrest and the timeline of the case essentially assures that he won’t return to coaching for at least the remainder of this season. Tiago Splitter has been serving as the team’s interim coach in Billups’ absence.

Prosecutors said Monday that plea negotiations have begun with some defendants, according to Marcelo. Billups’ lawyer, Marc Mukasey, entered his client’s not guilty plea. They declined to comment to the media afterward.

According to prosecutors, the poker games in which Billups was allegedly involved with defrauded victims of an estimated $7MM.

The arrests of Billups, Jones and Heat guard Terry Rozier, who was charged by the federal goverment with illegal activities regarding prop bets, shook up the league and the sports world just after the season began. The NBA, in response, is seeking to tighten controls regarding wagering on its games.

Grizzlies Sign Kobe Bufkin To 10-Day Contract

November 24th, 2025 at 9:11am CST by Rory Maher

Nov. 24: The signing is official, the Grizzlies’ PR department tweets.

Nov. 23: The Grizzlies have been granted a hardship exception and will use it to sign free agent guard Kobe Bufkin to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

Hardship exceptions allow a team to temporarily exceed the usual 15-man limit. The NBA awards a hardship exception to a club if it has at least four injured players who have missed three consecutive games and are projected to miss at least two more weeks.

Bufkin will provide backcourt depth for Memphis, which has been hit hard by injuries once again in 2025/26. Four point guards — Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe surgery), Ty Jerome (calf strain), Ja Morant (calf strain) and Javon Small (turf toe) — are currently sidelined, and veteran forward/center Brandon Clarke is still recovering from offseason knee surgery.

The 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Bufkin battled injuries during his first two NBA seasons in Atlanta. He missed a significant chunk of his rookie year due to a fractured left thumb and a sprained toe, then underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in December 2024, less than two months into his second year.

In total, the 6’4″ guard made just 27 appearances for the Hawks, averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 11.9 minutes per night, with a .374/.220/.654 shooting line. The 22-year-old was traded from Atlanta to Brooklyn during the offseason and it seemed like he might get a chance at a fresh start with the Nets. Instead, he was the victim of a roster crunch last month and was waived to help Brooklyn get down to 15 players for the start of the regular season.

After being cut by the Nets, Bufkin entered the NBA G League player pool and his rights were acquired by the South Bay Lakers following a trade. In two Tip-Off Tournament games (28.7 MPG) with L.A.’s affiliate team this fall, Bufkin has averaged 22.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .444/.500/.800 shooting.

According to Grant Afseth (Twitter link), Bufkin was among the guards on Memphis’ radar just before the season began amid the wave of injuries.

Jalen Williams Now Ineligible For Postseason Awards

November 24th, 2025 at 8:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Williams‘ absence from the lineup has barely slowed down the Thunder, who routed Portland on Sunday to improve to 17-1. However, it has financial implications for the fourth-year wing, who has missed all 18 games so far, according to Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports.

With only 64 games remaining in the season, Williams is no longer able to reach the 65-game threshold to make his eligible for postseason awards. The five-year rookie scale extension he signed in July includes contract escalators for achieving All-NBA honors and being named MVP or Defensive Player of the Year.

Williams is making $6.6MM this season on the final year of his rookie contract. That will jump to a projected $41.5MM in 2026/27, and reaching all the escalators could have pushed his salary close to $50MM.

While Williams was unlikely to be named MVP even without the injury, the other two benchmarks were more realistic. He was a third team All-NBA selection and a second team All-Defensive choice last season, as well as an All-Star for the first time in his career. Being named first team All-NBA also would have been difficult, but Schiffer notes that second- or third-team honors would have raised his future salary by one or two percent — between $1.5MM and $3MM in year one.

Selected with the 12th pick in the 2022 draft, Williams’ emergence into stardom is among the reasons Oklahoma City has been able to assemble a dominant roster that’s still cost effective. He averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 69 games last season and was one of the Thunder’s most consistent playoff performers during their run to the title, including a 40-point outburst in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Williams underwent surgery at the start of July to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist that bothered him throughout the postseason. He required a second procedure in late October to remove a screw that was causing irritation. There’s still no timeline for him to return to action.

Schiffer notes that while OKC will benefit from not having to pay more for Williams next season, the savings are more of a luxury than a necessity. The Thunder currently aren’t a taxpaying team, and although their projected $246MM salary for 2026/27 puts them in the second apron, they have roughly $54MM in non-guaranteed salaries or team options that provide financial flexibility. That figure includes $28.5MM for Isaiah Hartenstein, $18.2MM for Luguentz Dort and $7.2MM for Kenrich Williams.

Tyler Herro Set To Make Season Debut Monday

November 23rd, 2025 at 7:22pm CST by Eli Cohen

Tyler Herro will make his season debut for the Heat on Monday as long he doesn’t experience a setback before then, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).

Herro has been sidelined since September, when he underwent surgery to alleviate posterior impingement syndrome in his left ankle. Monday’s game against the Mavericks has been viewed as his targeted return date for the last week or so, as he returned to practice with the Heat.

Herro is coming off the first All-Star season of his career and will look to resume his place at the head of Miami’s offense, which looks dramatically different – and is much faster-paced – than a year ago.

The Heat are currently 11-6 following their victory over the Sixers on Sunday and have won 9 of their last 11 games.

Kevin Durant To Miss Rockets’ Next Two Games

November 23rd, 2025 at 2:31pm CST by Rory Maher

Rockets star Kevin Durant will miss the next two games as he tends to a family matter, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).

Houston plays at Phoenix on Monday and at Golden State on Wednesday.

Durant continues to produce at a high level in his age-37 season. In 14 games (36.1 minutes per contest) so far with the Rockets, the 15-time All-Star has averaged 24.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal, with a shooting line of .485/.364/.800.

While Durant has long been admired for his tremendous work ethic, he often preferred to lead by example. Being with a younger group in Houston has required the future Hall of Famer to become a more vocal leader, writes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports.

“I got more comfortable speaking up when I see stuff,” Durant said. “I feel like I study the game a lot. I’ve been through every situation and experienced every situation. So I feel like that’s given me more confidence to speak up when I see things and to help my teammates as much as possible. But it’s just been a natural progression of me just being comfortable in the locker room, and also my teammates being open-minded to hear what I have to say.”

According to Iko, Durant is “particularly fond” of second-year guard Reed Sheppard, who has been playing excellent basketball over the past few weeks.

“Knowing the kind of person he is and how much confidence he’s given me is really cool,” said Sheppard, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft.

The Rockets will be shorthanded at forward with Durant out and Dorian Finney-Smith (offseason ankle surgery) and Tari Eason (oblique strain) recovering from injuries. Veterans Jae’Sean Tate and Jeff Green could receive more minutes in the short term, though Tate would need to be recalled from his G League assignment.

Aaron Gordon Out At Least 4-6 Weeks With Hamstring Strain

November 23rd, 2025 at 11:17am CST by Rory Maher

11:17 am: The Nuggets put out a press release (via Twitter) which confirms Charania’s report.

10:57 am: Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in four-to-six weeks, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Denver will be down two members of its starting lineup for the next several weeks, as guard Christian Braun is expected to be out for at least another month due to a sprained left ankle.

Gordon missed Wednesday’s win over New Orleans with bilateral hamstring injury management before returning to action on Friday at Houston. He was initially listed as probable for the game against the Rockets before being upgraded to available.

Unfortunately, three minutes into the game, he injured his right hamstring.

As Charania notes, Gordon suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain during Denver’s second-round playoff series against Oklahoma City. He played through the injury in Game 7, and has now injured his opposite hamstring.

Gordon, who missed extended time last season due to a calf strain, had gotten off to an excellent start this fall. Through 12 healthy games (30.4 minutes per contest), he was averaging 20.3 points and 6.3 rebounds on elite efficiency (.536/.452/.879 shooting splits) while playing strong defense.

Denver is plus-20.7 per 100 possessions when the 30-year-old is on the court — a fantastic number — and plays exactly even with the opposing team when he’s not.

Head coach David Adelman said Gordon was seeking second opinions on his injured right hamstring after Saturday’s loss to Sacramento, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Second-year forward Spencer Jones, who is on a two-way deal, started in Gordon’s place against the Kings, but struggled to slow down DeMar DeRozan late in the fourth quarter.

According to Durando, the Nuggets could use more double-big lineups featuring Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas with Gordon out. The two centers haven’t shared the court much yet in their first season together, and the results have been mixed in a small sample size.

“We are trying to figure it out,” Jokic said. “Sometimes it’s good. Sometimes it’s really bad. I think we need to have more minutes to be there and to play in different positions, different type of players who we’re guarding. But I think we communicate on the floor.”