YARON WEITZMAN

THE HEAT'S SECRET SAUCE

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For most teams, "player development" is a press-conference cliche. For Miami, it's a culture—and one that has turned a group of undervalued players into a contender in the East.

Life as an NBA Draft Bust

So there's no apocalypse bunker. Let's start there. But also, you can see why someone might say there is.

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HERE COMES BEN SIMMONS

It's late January, and he's standing on the sidelines of Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center. In blue jeans and a fitted gray hoodie, an iPhone in each hand, Simmons is watching the Sixers launch jumpers and loosen up for their evening 

A Gentleman's Guide to the NBA: When Players Agree to Take Plays Off

This was in late September. Bell's Warriors were hosting the Nuggets for a pre-season game. Bell, then a 22-year-old rookie out of the University of Oregon, was standing next to Jokic, alongside the Oracle Arena paint

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Marc Gasol Never Wanted a Trade but Now Has the Best Title Shot of His Career

The lights in Scotiabank Arena were dimmed, the court floor illuminated by flashes of Raptors red, nearly every Raptors player was bobbing around on the gym floor and Marc Gasol was very confused. 

Todd Blyleven Was a Hero During the Las Vegas Mass Shooting. That Was Only the Beginning

It’s Black Friday, and Cathie Blyleven wants to buy her husband Todd a new pair of boots. He needs to replace his current pair

Mike Packer, the Jewish Sneaker King of Teaneck, N.J.

As the NBA conference finals kick off, this tastemaker, collaborator, and doyen knows what the fans want on their feet

The N.B.A. General Manager Who’s a Food Blogger on the Side

In 2008, Rich Cho, then an assistant general manager for the N.B.A.’s Oklahoma City Thunder, was scanning the menu of a Burmese restaurant in Los Angeles

Deandre Ayton Is the NBA’s Next Big Thing

DeAndre Ayton is introducing me to three of his best friends. First there’s Josh. Josh’s voice is that of a generic white dude and he makes appearances when DeAndre is forced to do interviews.

THE GRIZZ GOT NEXT

Their biggest stars are too young to drink, their GM once was an intern at a law firm and their coach has the team playing kickball in practice. No wonder the Grizzlies are the NBA's 'it' team.

KEMBA'S SHOT HAS FINALLY COME

After winning everything in college, Kemba Walker spent his first eight NBA seasons on a team without a chance. That's why he's in Boston, and this is his moment to create a new legacy.

JAYLEN BROWN ISN'T 'FED UP' ANYMORE

Frustrated with his role last season, the Celtics' 23-year-old swingman was done 'with everything,' but after a long look within himself, and a new haircut, he's becoming a star on his own terms.

Broken Hoop Dreams: Where Did It Go Wrong for Sebastian Telfair?

It was about 2:45 in the morning on Sunday, June 11, when officer Christian Valenzuela of the New York Police Department's 

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'Damn, This Game Is Long': The Dos and Don'ts of Life on an NBA Bench

Spencer Dinwiddie was hungry. NBA games, after all, can be long, tedious affairs, especially for players forced to watch all 48 minutes of action

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What Counts to Damian Lillard

He's one of the league's premier players, but in seven seasons with the Blazers, he has never even hinted at wanting to leave. Why? Loyalty. Loyalty. Loyalty.

Can Ray Rice Go Home Again? In His Hometown of New Rochelle He Is Both a Hero ... and a Pariah

IN HIS HOMETOWN OF NEW ROCHELLE HE IS BOTH A HERO ... AND A PARIAH

Alan Cooper Opened for Jimi at Woodstock. Then He Became a Biblical Scholar

Happy New Year from a doo-wop singer who opened for Jimi at Woodstock, then became a biblical scholar

A Whirlwind Day in the Life of John Calipari

On a recent morning, John Calipari, the men’s basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, bounded out of the Omni Berkshire Place hotel

Tal Brody Could Have Followed His NBA Dreams. Instead, He Brought Basketball to Israel.

Tal Brody’s voice is hoarse. He’s also just getting over a mild flu—repercussions of flying his 73-year-old body back and forth across the United States to promote a new film.

THE NBA'S NEW IDENTITY CRISIS

Some are learning to cook. Some are cleaning closets. Some are building 2,000-piece puzzles. The NBA hiatus has players trying to figure out what they like to do when they're not playing hoops.

'WE'VE NEVER HAD A TALENT LIKE HIM'

Deni Avdija has it all: Pro basketball genes, the love of his Israeli countrymen and an NBA future. 

NBA Players Share Fondest, Weirdest AOL Stories on AIM's Final Day

Growing up in Queens, New York, Knicks big man Kyle O'Quinn spent his after-school hours the way many kids his age did: fighting with his older sister over access to the desktop computer they shared. If he felt she was hogging the screen

Why Is Everyone Biting on Joel Embiid's Most Predictable Move?

Marc Gasol knew the scouting report. Every member of the Toronto Raptors did. Stay down on Joel Embiid’s pump fake. Don’t jump until both of Embiid’s feet leave the floor.

Why Does Jim Nantz Give Away His Tie at the End of the Tournament? 

When CBS college hoops announcer Jim Nantz gave Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono his tie at the end of last year’s tournament, some rolled their eyes at the corniness. But there’s more to the story, according to Nantz. And it’s a tradition unlike any other.

New York’s Pooper Scooper Laws Don’t Do Shit

How one man’s quest to keep his neighborhood free of dog poop drove him to the brink of madness.

A Rookie, a Brother and a Hail of Gunfire

IT'S 8:00 A.M. on July 1, 2016, and a vibrating iPhone jolts Malcolm Delaney awake. Groggy from the prior night at the Miami nightclub

How the Miami Heat Brought Me and My Popi Together

The hands don’t work like they used to, or like they should, but that doesn’t stop him from picking up the Sun Sentinel from the glass top table every morning and going straight to the sports section.

NEW PHONE, WHO DIS?

Interview requests. Pleas for money. Favors for friends and family. What do you do when everyone wants your number? If you play in the NBA, you change those digits—often.