If Steve Ballmer acts like this at a nerdy Microsoft conference, just imagine how he'll act as an NBA owner sitting courtside in Los Angeles

Donald Sterling, the embattled owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, agrees to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and drop a lawsuit against the NBA. WSJ's Sharon Terlep discusses the details with the News Hub's Simon Constable

Gatorade is thirsty for a fight. The sports drink was talkin' serious SMACK to LeBron James after the NBA star left Thursday night's NBA finals game against the San Antonio Spurs with leg cramps

Donald Sterling the now-banished owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, reminds me of every guy I've heard say, 'I can't be racist. I've even dated black women.' My lingering question about this soap opera is how and why it took so long?

The outrageously bigoted remarks attributed to the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team mock the positive role black athletes have played in professional sports, even as those sports have served as an exit ramp from poverty

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix previews the 2014 NBA playoff match-up between the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix previews the 2014 NBA playoff match-up between the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix previews the 2014 NBA playoff match-up between the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix previews the 2014 NBA playoff match-up between the Brooklyn Nets and the Toronto Raptors

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix previews the 2014 NBA playoff match-up between the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards

Duke's freshman forward Jabari Parker sits down with Sports Illustrated's Jeff Benedict to make his decision whether to stay in school or declare for the NBA draft

Miami Heat superstar LeBron James has been honored with a soda named after him. Sprite 6 Mix by LeBron James will soon be hitting some store shelves

Michael Jordan is confident that his former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson will succeed in his new role as president of basketball operations of the New York Knicks

The Atlanta Hawks kept point guard Jeff Teague by matching the four-year, $32 million offer sheet from the Milwaukee Bucks. Teague had expressed to Hawks GM Danny Ferry desire to play elsewhere

Ex-Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace lists the Los Angeles Clippers on the top of his preferred destinations. Joining the Clippers allows him to play for a contender while avoiding the relocation

Free-agent guard Monta Ellis has agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. A source said Ellis will receive as much as $30 million

Andrei Kirilenko joins the Nets on a two-year contract worth $3.1 million in the first year with a player option. The versatile Russian will back up star forwards Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett

The Lakers have the heftiest bill for luxury-tax payments at $29.26 million. They top the Heat ($13.35), Nets ($12.88), Knicks ($9.96), Bulls ($3.93) and Celtics ($1.18)

Despite a brief rain shower, around 400,000 fans packed Miami's streets to celebrate the Heat's second straight championship

LeBron James had 37 points and 12 rebounds as the Miami Heat captured their second straight title with a 95-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the NBA Finals

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has begun the pitch process of bringing back All-Star center Dwight Howard, whom he believes will remain with them

Marco Belinelli has reached a two-year $5.6 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs. Belinelli, 27, received a more lucrative offer from the Cleveland Cavaliers but wants to join the Spurs

Free-agent center Al Jefferson has agreed to a three-year deal worth $41 million with the Charlotte Bobcats. Sources say Jefferson decided to join the team after a two-day visit with the Bobcats

The New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors are ironing out final details of a trade that would send power forward Andrea Bargnani to the Big Apple for Steve Novak and Marcus Camby

Ray Allen has decided to exercise his $3.2 million player option giving the Miami Heat a luxury tax bill of about $30 million for next season

Miami Heat president Pat Riley announced that they will use their $4 million team option to bring back Mario Chalmers next season and keep its starting lineup intact

Brian Shaw has finally landed his first NBA head coaching job with the Denver Nuggets after being an assistant coach for almost a decade

After days of on-and-off negotiations, the Los Angeles Clippers have finally lured coach Doc Rivers from the Boston Celtics, pending league approval

NBA commissioner David Stern agrees with complaining players, coaches and fans that the league needs to expand its anti-flopping rules. He hinted at increasing the penalty

Grant Hill, 40, announced his retirement ending a 19-year career in NBA. Hill signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Clippers last year but had often alluded at retiring over the summer

Former Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew will be coaching the Milwaukee Bucks next season, replacing interim head coach Jim Boylan. Drew is technically under contract with the Hawks until July 1

TSaying it was the right time, New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd has decided to hang up his jersey after 19 NBA seasons. Kidd leaves the game as a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame

Chris Paul has expressed anger towards the Los Angeles Clippers organization for blaming him for the firing of Vinny Del Negro as coach, according to a source close to the playmaker

ESPN sports analyst and ex-NBA player Jalen Rose asserts that San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker is the third-best player in the NBA behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant

Dennis Rodman says LeBron James would be 'average' if he played in the more physical NBA in the 1990s, and insists his 90s Chicago Bulls would beat the current Miami Heat team

After nine seasons, the Denver Nuggets have parted ways with coach George Karl, who recently won his first Coach of the Year award after leading the team to 57 wins this season

An NBA title can be priceless for players but winning it could translate to millions of dollars in bonuses, merchandise and ticket sales and a tourism boost to the area represented by the champion team

Seattle's dream of having another NBA team was dashed after NBA team owners voted to keep the Kings in Sacramento. Team owners voted 22-8 to reject the Kings' proposed move to Seattle

Dennis Rodman claims that the FBI is thinking of sending him back to North Korea later this year as an informant. His first visit to North Korea included a meeting with dictator Kim Jong-un

Potential number one pick Nerlens Noel will forego up his sophomore season to join this year's NBA draft. The Kentucky freshman averaged 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.4 blocks and 2.1 steals per game

Knicks guard J.R. Smith is 2013 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Smith sizzled as the second scoring option to Carmelo Anthony, averaging 18.1 points and 5.3 rebounds a game

For getting his team into the playoffs despite injuries to key players, Mike D'Antoni will remain head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers next season. D'Antoni was hired after the Lakers fired Mike Brown

Miami Heat president Pat Riley planned back in 2010 on how to financially keep the core intact when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can all opt out of their contracts after the 2013-14 season

Phil Jackson is reportedly 'itching' to go back to work in the NBA in a managerial capacity. His last job in the NBA was in the 2010-11 season as coach of the Lakers

Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge said he doesn't want to fight Heat president Pat Riley since it could be too expensive for him. Ainge was reacting to Riley's venom

As part of his mandate to make the Bobcats more involved, team owner and basketball legend Michael Jordan made three appearances at three high schools in three hours and distributed cash gifts and scholarship programs

New Rochelle High School senior Khalil Edney has turned into an instant celebrity with one long heave. Edney drained a 55-foot jumper as time expired to lift his team to a 61-60 victory

Chris Wright became the first-known NBA player to acknowledge having multiple sclerosis after signing a 10-day deal with the Dallas Mavericks

Meet 11-year-old Julian Newman, a fifth grade phenom already playing for the varsity team at Downey Christian School in Florida

Sports Illustrated senior writer Alexander Wolff talks about Michael Jordan on the 6-time NBA Champion's 50th birthday

NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas wouldn't favor basketball legend Michael Jordan in any comparisons with Miami Heat's LeBron James. Thomas didn't take sides as to who is better over-all between the two

Nets 'enforcer' Reggie Evans said his comments were blown out of proportion. Evans downplayed the Heat and LeBron James, indicating neither were all that spectacular despite last season's NBA championship

Owen Groesser, a junior high student with Down syndrome, took a sporting world by storm after appearing on ESPN's premier show, SportsCenter

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announced the team would aggressively pursue trade opportunities before the Feb. 21 deadline. "We're letting everybody know that the 'Bank of Cuban' is open"

Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss feels it is foolish to 'blow up' the team just for sinking six games below .500. Instead, he wants L.A. to play enough games together to identify its problems

In his first public comments since being banned for life from the NBA over racist comments caught on tape, Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has apologized and asked for forgiveness

NBA legend Michael Jordan says that he considered himself a racist when he was a teenager and was 'against all white people'

Kevin Durant managed to get us all teary eyed during his emotional MVP acceptance speech.

National Basketball Commissioner Adam Silver banished Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life in a move aimed at calming public outrage over racist comments he made

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix previews the 2014 NBA playoff match-up between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix previews the 2014 NBA playoff match-up between the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix previews the 2014 NBA playoff match-up between the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers

The Basketball Hall of Fame has announced the 10 members of the Class of 2014, including Alonzo Mourning and Mitch Richmond, to be honored during this year's enshrinement ceremonies

Connecticut captured its second NCAA men's basketball title in four years, toppling Kentucky 60-54 in the championship game Monday night at AT&T Stadium. Shabazz Napier scored 22 points

Thaddeus Young and Michael Carter-Williams each scored 21 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers in routing the Detroit Pistons, 123-98, thus snapping their dismal losing streak

UCLA's Kyle Anderson and Zach LaVine both announced that they will enter the NBA draft. Anderson's father said his son's plan to join the NBA after his sophomore year hasn't changed

Carmelo Anthony expressed excitement over Phil Jackson's hiring as president of the New York Knicks, describing it as a "power move"

Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis breaks down the Dayton Flyers and how they have been able to upset top seeded teams

Dwight Howard is taking his talents to the Houston Rockets. Howard played for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, but the team battled through injuries and he didn't appear to be a fit

The Warriors redirected their efforts, signing Andre Iguodala to a four-year, $48 million deal. Iguodala, 29, averaged 13 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.7 steals last season

The New York Knicks will keep Sixth Man of the Year winner J.R. Smith with a four-year, $24.7 million contract. Smith drew interest from the Bucks, Pistons and Mavericks

In a surprise move, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected former UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett as the top overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, making him the highest ranked Canadian ever selected

Utah Jazz owner Greg Miller shared with members of the Salt Lake City media what he kept in a journal detailing the circumstances in Jerry Sloan's resignation as coach two years ago

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant wants to win at least two more NBA championships to bring his total to seven. That surpasses the six NBA crowns won by Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan

The Boston Celtics have signed Butler University coach Brad Stevens to a six-year deal to be their 17th head coach. 'Brad and I share a lot of the same values,' said Celtics President Danny Ainge

The Brooklyn Nets have added Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to their trio of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez under rookie coach Jason Kidd to form one of the most formidable rosters in the NBA

Glenn 'Doc' Rivers' contract to be the head coach and senior vice president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Clippers has been approved by the NBA

The Miami Heat are already favorites to win a third consecutive championship next season. According to Bovada, a sports betting company, the Heat are 2-1 favorites

The Denver Nuggets have named Tim Connelly general manager, replacing Masai Ujiri, who moved to the Raptors. Before joining the Nuggets, the 36-year-old Connelly worked for New Orleans

The Boston Celtics will not release coach Doc Rivers unless they get both guard Eric Bledsoe and center DeAndre Jordan from the Los Angeles Clippers in a trade for Kevin Garnett

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is pondering whether to call it a career after this season. Ginobili, who turns 36 at the end of July, is in the final season of a 3-year, $39 million contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed Jason Kidd three-year deal to be their new head coach. Kidd convinced Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov that he is the right choice

The memorabilia issue that dented the relationship between Kobe Bryant and his parents has been ironed out. Bryant also reached a deal with the company that will auction off the memorabilia

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant insists his mother Pamela Bryant doesn't own the memorabilia she intends to sell at an auction house and hasn't been truthful about how she got them

George Karl has been picked as NBA Coach of the Year for leading the Denver Nuggets to a league-best 38-3 record at home and the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs

The Nets clarified that the firing of P.J. Carlesimo has nothing to do with the team's early exit in the playoffs. The Nets bounced back from a 3-1 playoff but lost in Game 7 to the Chicago Bulls

Phil Jackson has agreed to advise Pistons' president of basketball operations Joe Dumars during the coaching search. The agreement is the result of Pistons owner Tom Gores' friendship with Jackson

Joakim Noah was walking off the court after getting ejected in game 2 against the Heat when a fan, Filomena Tobias, widow of former hedge fund manager Seth Tobias, thrusted a digit into his face

Jason Collins, a 12-year-veteran of the NBA, has become the first male athlete in one of the four major U.S. sports to come out during his career

Dirk Nowitzki is willing to take a significant pay cut to give the Dallas Mavericks enough salary-cap space to acquire a superstar from the free-agent market

Chris Hansen, who leads the group seeking to bring the Kings to Seattle, is increasing his offer for 65 percent of the team to $406 million. This increases the total valuation to $625 million

LeBron James is named Most Valuable Player for the fourth time. James joins Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain with at least four MVP awards

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard was unanimously selected NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 19.0 points, 6.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds while keeping his team competitive for a playoff spot

By virtue of its strong finish, Louisville has earned the No. 1 overall seeding while Gonzaga, Kansas and Indiana booked the No. 1 spot in their respective brackets for the NCAA's March Madness

LeBron James may stop his dunking warm-up routine before games as some critics called on him to put up or shut up by competing in the NBA All-Star Dunk competition

4-time NBA Champion Shaquille O'Neal sounds off on Dwight Howard's struggles in L.A. and the passing of long time Lakers owner Jerry Buss

After helping restore USA Basketball to its old glory during his seven-year stint, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has announced that he will not return to mentor the national team after the Blue Devils' season

A look at the winners and losers from a surprisingly quiet NBA trade deadline this year

Los Angeles Lakers legend and ESPN NBA analyst Ervin Magic Johnson believes Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving is becoming a superstar in the league

Raptors rookie Terrence Ross bested some of the league's high flyers to emerge as the new slam dunk king. The 6-6 Ross defeated defending champion Jeremy Evans in the final dunk-off

Kobe Bryant admonished a Twitter follower for using a homophobic insult toward another fan. He said he doesn't approve using 'your gay' as a put down and asked that it be deleted

Retired NBA superstar Dennis Rodman has found a new friend in the equally controversial North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Rodman and the controversial leader sat together to watch a basketball game

Ray Allen plans to pursue acting and chase an Oscar after he retires from the NBA. The 37-year-old guard gained acclaim for his role as a basketball player in Spike Lee's 'He Got Game'

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak isn't blaming coach Mike D'Antoni for the team's 17-24 start. Instead, Kupchak singled out the Lakers' lack of effort on the court as the primary problem

Phil Jackson announced that he has no intention of coaching again. But Brooklyn Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo doesn't believe him and indicated the ex-Bulls and Lakers mentor might even pursue his gig

Kobe Bryant downplayed reports of a heated exchange with Dwight Howard by posting a staged-fight photo of him and the All-Star center with special participation of head coach Mike D'Antoni

The New Orleans franchise announced its name change from Hornets to Pelicans. They will start using the name next season out of respect for the state bird

The Knicks are the NBA's most valuable team, according to Forbes Magazine, which valued the team at $1.1 billion.The magazine ascribed a 41 percent increase in value over the past season

The San Antonio Spurs are being sued for not fielding their best players against the Miami Heat last November 29th.