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    Leon Rose to Take Over as Knicks President Soon

    Want more basketball in your inbox? Sign up for Marc Stein’s weekly N.B.A. newsletter here. Leon Rose, a prominent player agent, will take over as the Knicks’ team president on Sunday, according to two people familiar with the timetable. Rose verbally agreed to take the job in early February and spent the rest of the […] More

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    Coping With Kobe Grief: ‘There’s No Giving Advice on This’

    Want more basketball in your inbox? Sign up for Marc Stein’s weekly N.B.A. newsletter here. After the crash of a small plane killed the Yankees’ captain Thurman Munson on Aug. 2, 1979, his team played a home game the next day. The Yankees played on three consecutive days following Munson’s death, flew to his funeral […] More

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    Zion Williamson’s Time Is Now

    LOS ANGELES — As a first-year guard with the Philadelphia 76ers a decade ago, Jrue Holiday was just hoping for playing time. But he can still remember the excitement he felt before his first games against luminaries like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal, whom Holiday found especially imposing in real life. “That was […] More

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    Sabrina Ionescu Comes Up Big in Moments On and Off the Court

    Monday was an eventful day for Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu, as the star point guard spoke at the memorial service for Kobe and Gianna Bryant in Los Angeles before traveling north to record a triple-double in a win at Stanford. The presumed No. 1 over all pick in this year’s W.N.B.A. draft, Ionescu is looking increasingly […] More

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    Michael Jordan: ‘When Kobe Bryant Died, a Piece of Me Died’

    With tears streaming down his face, Michael Jordan stood before an arena full of mourners Monday to reveal to the world that he and Kobe Bryant were “very close friends.” Public speaking engagements are rare for Jordan, but the Basketball Hall of Famer and owner of the Charlotte Hornets joined a star-studded lineup of eulogists […] More

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    Kobe Bryant’s Public Memorial Service Is Today

    LOS ANGELES — For the bulk of his career with the Lakers, Kobe Bryant turned Staples Center into his stage, fashioning basketball into performance art. He soared and scowled, endearing himself to fans who celebrated his competitive drive. It is not often that an athlete becomes synonymous with an arena, but Staples Center seemed to […] More

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    My Ritual With Kobe Bryant

    Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. The last time I was in an N.B.A. arena with Kobe Bryant, I didn’t manage to speak with him. It was one of the few times in nearly a quarter-century of covering Bryant that we […] More

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    U.N.L.V. Ends San Diego State’s Unbeaten Streak

    SAN DIEGO —Elijah Mitrou-Long scored 19 points, including two free throws with 11.5 seconds left, and U.N.L.V. handed No. 4 San Diego State its first loss of the season, a 66-63 defeat on Saturday, ending the Aztecs’ 26-game winning streak. San Diego State, which had been the only remaining undefeated men’s team, erased most of […] More