Kevin Pelton

So excited to read an advance copy of the second Seahawks book from my friend @mikedugar.bsky.social, this one with a more unambiguous positive ending.

mikedugar.bsky.social@mikedugar.bsky.social

🗣️ It’s almost that time! My new Seahawks book “12 As One” drops September 1st! Available everywhere books are sold (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Seattle book stores etc.) And I will be selling/shipping signed copies! DM me if you’re interested.

espn.comFormer ESPN NBA writer Tim Bontemps joins Hawks' front officeFormer ESPN senior NBA writer Tim Bontemps has been hired for a front office role with the Atlanta Hawks.

8 July

So happy for my friend @timbontemps.bsky.social on joining the Atlanta Hawks front office. Like so many Hoop Collective listeners, I'm going to miss the Tims bickering with Windy on the podcast, but I know Tim is going to do great with a strong front office in Atlanta. www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

23 June

Was there for the fifth, sixth and seventh blocks of Brittney Griner's WNBA career in June 2013 (her second game). It was obvious then she would eventually surpass the late Margo Dydek as the league's all-time leader. Congrats, BG!

Kevin Pelton reposted

Across the Timeline

@acrossthetimeline.com

23 June

Fun fact: Dydek had no blocks in her brief 2008 WNBA season, so she recorded her 877th block in 2007 while playing for the Connecticut Sun. Griner has now broken that record with her 4th block of the night and 878th of her regular season career, also playing for the Sun.

Meghan L. Hall@itsmeghanlhall.bsky.social

With three blocks tonight, Brittney Griner is now tied for first place on the all-time WNBA blocks record (877) list. She needs one more swat to break Margo Dykek’s record that has stood since 2008.

29 May

A broadly applicable lesson from this week's Top Chef elimination: The more you push back against criticism, the more you force people to double down on it.

open.substack.comHow I lucked into my dream jobAnd why I'm now saying farewell to it

22 May

Taking some time today to say thanks to everyone at ESPN about my 13-plus years there now that I've started the next chapter of my career in the WNBA: open.substack.com/pub/kpeltonh...

20 May

Thrilled for @bengolliver.bsky.social and my former ESPN colleagues about teaming up and bummed only that we don't get to work together and restart the Dontonio Wingcast (IYKYK). Important for ESPN NBA to maintain the PNW roots that started with @johnhollinger.bsky.social and continued with me.

Ben Golliver@bengolliver.bsky.social

I got a job: open.substack.com/pub/bengolli...

8 May

Content is often advertised on social media as someone "not holding back" and I wonder when exactly that was an issue here.

28 Apr

There are a lot of complex theories about how voters pick NBA Rookie of the Year. This year's results were consistent with what I found more than a decade ago: the rookie with the highest combined PPG + RPG + APG in a requisite number of games almost always wins the award.

28 Apr

The one recent exception to that was 2021-22, when Cade Cunningham had higher box-score stats than winner Scottie Barnes or runner-up Evan Mobley, but most of the voting theories (No. 1 pick bias, projecting future upside) struggle with that one too.

21 Mar

Schrodinger's game-winner in USC-Clemson.

19 Mar

High Point's Chase Johnston making his first 2-pointer of the year (to go with *50-plus* 3-pointers) to take the lead in the final 15 seconds of an NCAA tournament game is incredible content.

19 Mar

I believe it's actually the long-distance con bsky.app/profile/diml...

Dimlan@dimlan.bsky.social

The long con

11 Mar

Should be noted every time we see these kinds of photos that for all the impact the late Philadelphia statistician Harvey Pollack had on NBA history, handing Wilt Chamberlain the famous "100" paper is probably his greatest influence.

J.E. Skeets@jeskeets.bsky.social

11 Mar

Quite a night in NBA ordinary time

espn.comPredicting the 2028 USA Olympic basketball roster: Top 12 playersIn a time of transition for USA basketball, here's what the 12-man squad that will go up against a competitive international slate could look like.

8 Mar

Somebody needs to mash up Holly Rowe's delightful "I'm accidentally in a team huddle" with the "You're probably wondering how I got here" meme.

Kevin Pelton reposted

Zach Kram

@zachkram.bsky.social

23 Feb

With the Winter Olympics coming to a close, I peered ahead to the 2028 Summer Games—and projected a 12-man Team USA men's basketball roster, full of youth and defense

23 Feb

Had that thought and it appears the answer is yes. The 1980-81 Blazers were previously second on this list, having given up 162 on Feb. 13 and 84 on Feb. 15 (78-point drop). The 2019-20 Hawks had the record before today with 158 points on Nov. 30 and 79 on Dec. 2, a 79-point swing.

Cedar Albright@cedaralbright.bsky.social

The Blazers gave up 157 points on Friday and 77 today. Is that 80 point difference in consecutive games a record, @kpelton.bsky.social?

espn.comHow WNBA's Toronto Tempo are embracing role as 'Canada's team'The Carter effect helped popularize the NBA in Canada. The Tempo hope to similarly supercharge women's basketball.

12 Feb

Ahead of the Toronto Tempo's inaugural WNBA season, I took a look at the Tempo's work to become "Canada's team" like the Raptors have and how that might boost the women's basketball pipeline from Canada as we've seen in the NBA: www.espn.com/wnba/story/_...

espn.comLuka Doncic as a Laker: What we've seen a year in and what's nextLet's revisit the first 365 days of the Luka Doncic era in Los Angeles and examine how the Lakers can return to championship contention.

11 Feb

Wrote yesterday about what we learned during Luka's first year with the Lakers and how they can look to history -- both their own and Dallas with Doncic -- to build a championship contender: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

11 Feb

Since you are likely not an aggregator, you surely understand that this piece offers analysis and not reporting.

open.spotify.comTrade Deadline Winners and LosersSpotify video

6 Feb

Great to podcast again with @zachlowenba.bsky.social on the Zach Lowe Show recapping my winners and losers from the NBA trade deadline. Felt like riding a bike: open.spotify.com/episode/27aH...

espn.comNBA trade deadline: Reactions and grades for every transactionKevin Pelton grades every deal on deadline day, including big moves by the Pacers, Lakers, Wolves and Warriors.

6 Feb

We've now got grades for every trade involving NBA players (sorry, Balsa Koprivica) made before today's deadline: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

espn.comNBA trade deadline: Reactions and grades for every transactionWith the NBA trade deadline come and gone, we graded every deal including big moves by the Pacers, Lakers, Wolves and Warriors.

Grades for the trade sending Ivica Zubac to the Pacers are up: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/... Still working back through today's smaller, financially motivated trades.

Kevin Pelton reposted

Zach Kram

@zachkram.bsky.social

espn.comNBA trade deadline: The biggest winners and losers of a busy weekAfter a wild week of superstar movement, Zach Kram unveils his winners and losers of the NBA trade deadline.

The Cavs! The Thunder! Surprise star destinations! Here are the biggest winners, losers, and trends of the trade deadline:

espn.comNBA trade grades: Kennard, Porzingis, Kuminga, AD, CP3 dealsThe Lakers, Cavs, Celtics, Hawks, Mavs and Warriors are among the teams that have made trades. We're grading every deal.

Trade grades are up and rolling for deadline day with analysis of the Lakers adding Luke Kennard and the Timberwolves getting Ayo Dosunmu: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

Will Mason Plumlee get a championship ring if the Thunder win the title?

espn.comNBA trade grades: Porzingis to Warriors for Kuminga, Davis to WizardsThe Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Mavericks and Warriors are among the teams that have made trades. We're grading every deal.

For the night owls, grades are up for the Hawks-Warriors trade feature Kristaps Porzingis and Jonathan Kuminga: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

espn.comRoad to $1M paydays: How WNBA salaries evolved with each CBAFor the first time, a $1 million base salary is expected in the new WNBA CBA, and the cap could see a 230% increase.

Coming up for water after today's flurry of NBA trades to link my story on how the WNBA salary cap has evolved over time and how NBA and NWSL history put the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement proposal in context: www.espn.com/wnba/story/_...

espn.comAnthony Davis traded to Wizards: Trade grades, Dallas' next stepsAnthony Davis joins Washington in an eight-player trade plus draft assets. Kevin Pelton breaks down what's next for the Wizards and the Mavericks.

Grades for the Anthony Davis trade: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

This post is only supposed to happen the day of the actual deadline!

This post is unavailable.

Certainly the WaPo's outstanding sports section was essential to *my* life, particularly the basketball coverage from my friends @kareemcopeland.bsky.social and @bengolliver.bsky.social.

max tani @maxtani.bsky.social

Speaking to WaPo employees, editor Matt Murray says cuts are about “positioning ourselves to become more essential to people's lives, and what is becoming a more crowded, competitive and complicated media landscape, and after some years when, candidly, the Post has had struggles to do that."

Need to begin grading in GIF format

piercemr.bsky.social@piercemr.bsky.social

In summary

espn.comJames Harden-Darius Garland trade grades: What's next for Cavs, Clips?James Harden is a Cavalier, Darius Garland is a Clipper. Kevin Pelton grades every side of the Cleveland-Los Angeles trade.

I started out unsure about the Darius Garland-James Harden swap on all fronts and ended up talking myself into it on both sides. Grades: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

espn.comNBA trade grades: Jazz get Jackson Jr. in eight player trade with GrizThe Jazz got Jaren Jackson Jr. plus three other players. The Grizzlies got four players and three future firsts. Which team fared best? We graded the trade.

Grades for the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

espn.comNBA trade grades: Jazz get Jackson in eight-player trade with GrizzThe Jazz got Jaren Jackson Jr. plus three other players. The Grizzlies got four players and three future firsts. Which team fared best? We graded the trade.

Grades are updated with the three-team trade involving the Bulls, Pistons and Timberwolves: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

"Quiet deadline," they said.

espn.com2026 NBA All-Star: Biggest surprises and snubs as full rosters revealedESPN analysts Zach Kram and Kevin Pelton break down the NBA All-Star rosters, including snubs and biggest surprises.

Grizzlies-Jazz has to threaten the NBA record for most "Juniors" traded in one deal.

Oops! All Thunder 3s

Teamed up with @zachkram.bsky.social to discuss the All-Star reserve picks and the most deserving players who weren't among them (most notably a fun guy): www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

espn.comNBA trade grades 2026: Cavs get Keon Ellis, Dennis SchroderThe Cavaliers added guards Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder, while the Kings acquired De'Andre Hunter. Which team fared best? We graded the trade.

1 Feb

Grades for the Vit Krejci deal: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

1 Feb

Grades for the three-team deal sending Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder to the Cavaliers: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

1 Feb

I hope in a couple decades, Clint Capela is still breaking up lobs left-handed in a YMCA somewhere.

@alexaphilippou.bsky.social

31 Jan

@kentremendous.bsky.social I see what you were doing with "White & Derrick Dentistry"

Kevin Pelton reposted

Alexa Philippou

espn.comWNBA, players' union to meet in person Monday to discuss CBAThe WNBA and the WNBPA are scheduled to hold an in-person meeting in New York on Monday to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement.

Kelsey Plum: "Let's be real: When we play telephone with people in our own lives, a lot of times things can get scattered. So to be able to sit down face-to-face and say 'this is how I feel, this is how you feel, let's see what we can do from there.'" www.espn.com/wnba/story/_...

💯

Mina Kimes@minakimes.bsky.social

To be clear, my intention here is not to complain, but to say this--seeking internet validation for being "right" isn't fulfilling (it's taken me a while to grasp this lol), bc ultimately that's not what the internet cares about. Just do the work and stand by your process.

youtube.comAnalyzing Giannis’ Possible Destinations + Time For Change For Knicks & Cavs? + OKC Trade Rumors?YouTube video by NBA on ESPN

Joined Windy's birthday edition of Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective along with Bobby Marks to discuss how the Knicks, Cavs and Thunder should be feeling about their teams heading into next week's trade deadline: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzcH...

One stat I looked up for the pod but didn't get a chance to mention, updated for last night: Oklahoma City is now 1-5 this season without Ajay Mitchell available, with the lone win coming over New Orleans this week. (The losses have mostly been to quality teams.)