nba

Sabrina Ionescu isn’t officially on the New York Liberty yet, and the Liberty are already Ionescu’s team. When — not “if,” though Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb spoke in an interview this week about not ruining a “special moment” with any definitive spoilers — Ionescu becomes the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft shortly …

Jacqueline Cruz, the mother of Timberwolves star forward and New Jersey native Karl-Anthony Towns, passed away on Monday afternoon due to complications from the novel coronavirus, the team announced on Twitter. “The family is devastated by their tremendous loss, and respectfully requests privacy in this time of great mourning,” the Timberwolves said in a statement. …

Deni Avdija is not like most potential NBA lottery picks. With the Israeli League season indefinitely suspended, Avdija, a 6-foot-9 forward for Maccabi Tel Aviv, was inducted into the Israeli Defense Forces on April 1. Avdija showed up with his parents and agent Matan Siman-tov at the Tel HaShomer army base to start the completion …

Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have both recovered from coronavirus, but the Jazz teammates’ relationship may not be as fortunate. Gobert was the NBA’s “patient zero,” with news of his positive test for COVID-19 immediately leading to the league suspending its season on the night of March 11. Mitchell tested positive by the following day, …

Every day there is civil war, raging in our hearts, seething in our souls, fulminating our conscience. We know what we are supposed to do, and mostly we have done that. We have stayed home. We have masked up, and gloved up, whenever we venture to grocery stores. We have kept our social distance. But …

With the NBA season suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s impossible to even know when the lottery will be held, or how far back the draft — slated for June 25 at Barclays Center — will get pushed. But if the order stays the same, here is The Post’s first stab at a mock …

United States sports leagues may be itching to return to action but 72 percent of those who responded to a Seton Hall poll said they would not feel safe to attend games until a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is developed. Asked what they would do if the leagues resumed play before there was a …

NBA great Ray Allen challenged his fellow ballers to embrace their receding hairlines during the pandemic. The two-time NBA Finals champ — who usually shaves his head clean — is letting it grow out while inside on lockdown. “I nominate all my bald or going-bald brothers to let it grow out, y’all know who you …

One interview or one brief workout in 2015 could have dramatically changed the history of the Knicks and 76ers. The Knicks may not have drafted Kristaps Porzingis, who could have been plying his trade in Philadelphia on the cusp of a title. And the 76ers would still be under the control of former team president …

ESPN draft guru Fran Fraschilla has a message for the Knicks: Take the best player available with your lottery pick and save the late first-rounder for a point guard. The former St. John’s coach believes there are flaws in each of the projected top-10 lottery picks in this year’s draft, including the trove of point …