Beijing, China, Aug. 28, 2025 — The Ningbo Rockets have reached agreements with former NBA center Tacko Fall and guards Frank Jackson and Zavier Simpson for the 2025-26 Chinese Basketball Association season.
New faces in Ningbo
The 7’6″ Fall, who logged 37 NBA games with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers from 2019 to 2022, returns to the CBA after previous stints with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and Nanjing Monkey Kings. He split last year between China and the New Zealand Breakers.
Jackson, selected 31st overall in the 2017 draft, has 214 NBA regular-season appearances but has not played in the league since March 2023. The guard previously suited up in China for the Shanxi Loongs and Jiangsu Dragons.
Simpson will make his CBA debut following a season in Romania. The former Michigan standout saw NBA action on two 10-day contracts with the Memphis Grizzlies late in 2023-24 after playing four games for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021-22.
ESPN adjusts No. 1 broadcast crew
Stateside, ESPN is reshuffling its lead announcing team for the coming NBA season. Analyst Tim Legler will join play-by-play voice Mike Breen and color commentator Richard Jefferson, replacing Doris Burke. Burke has signed a multiyear extension and will move to the network’s No. 2 crew alongside Dave Pasch.
Panel projects Cavaliers and Thunder on top
In its annual forecast, an ESPN panel predicts the Cleveland Cavaliers will finish with an Eastern Conference-best 59 victories. The New York Knicks (54-28), Orlando Magic (50-32), Atlanta Hawks (47-35) and Detroit Pistons (47-35) follow. The Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are projected to battle for the remaining playoff and play-in slots.
Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to repeat as the No. 1 seed with 64 wins. The Houston Rockets (54-28), Denver Nuggets (53-29), Minnesota Timberwolves (51-31), Los Angeles Clippers (50-32) and Los Angeles Lakers (50-32) round out the top six.
For the NBA Finals, the experts favor a Cavaliers-Thunder matchup, with Oklahoma City projected to claim a second consecutive championship. The Nuggets received the second-highest vote total, followed by Cleveland, Houston and New York.
Source: HoopsRumors
