Ted Turner, former owner of the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks, died Wednesday, Turner Enterprises announced. He was 87.

The Braves confirmed Turner’s death in a social media post Wednesday.

The Hawks also issued a statement, in which principal owner Tony Ressler called Turner “a true original, a visionary, and a force of nature whose impact will be felt for generations.”

While Turner built quite a career and reputation in sports, he made his money in television and radio. After taking over his father’s advertising company, Turner eventually expanded to radio and television. His television station, WTCG, eventually acquired the rights to broadcast Braves and Hawks games, setting the stage for Turner’s future in sports.

After years of broadcasting Braves and Hawks games, Turner decided to buy both franchises. In 1976, he purchased the Braves. A year later, he bought the Hawks. Eventually, WTCG became WTBS and Turner had a platform to put Braves games in front of a national audience regularly. Given the state of television media at that point, the Braves were one of the few teams to have a consistent national audience, making them one of the most-watched clubs in the league.

Turner’s ownership of the Braves was not without its controversies. He almost immediately ran afoul of the league, and was suspended for a year in 1977 by then-commissioner Bowie Kuhn for violating the league’s free-agency rules to sign outfielder Gary Matthews. The team was also docked its first-round draft pick for Turner’s actions.

Neither punishment stuck, however, as Turner successfully appealed and had them overturned by Kuhn.

Turner wasn’t done making waves around the league in 1977. With the Braves on a 16-game losing streak that May, Turner actually managed the team for one game. He lost that contest and was told by then-National League president Chub Feeney that it was a conflict of interest for Turner to own the team and be its manager. Turner once again appealed the issue to Kuhn, but was denied this time around.

In the ‘80s, Turner took on a lesser role with the Braves. The team was eventually purchased by Time Warner in 1996 after it bought TBS. Time Warner eventually sold the Braves to Liberty Media in 2007.

During his tenure as the team’s owner, the Braves appeared in multiple World Series, winning one of them in 1995. Turner was not involved in day-to-day operations during the team’s fantastic run in the ‘90s and 2000s, but still owned the team when it won the World Series.

Turner’s ownership of the Hawks was less eventful. The team made the playoffs 15 times during his tenure. In 2004, the team retired a jersey in Turner’s honor.

Turner, who was responsible for founding TBS, TNT, CNN and Cartoon Network, announced in 2018 that he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia.

With his ownership of TNT, Turner oversaw “Inside the NBA.” The long-running pregame show, which has since joined ESPN, honored Turner on Wednesday night.

“For those of us who work at TNT Sports, and that first T stands for Turner, his vision, his legacy of big swings and bold ideas, it’s a little more personal,” Ernie Johnson said, in part. “Ted was an architect of impact across the globe, broadcasting, journalism, philanthropy, and sports.”

Al Bello via Getty Images

The New York Knicks took the lead in their second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, racking up a 137-98 win on their home court at Madison Square Garden. Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Wednesday, May 6, at 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action on ESPN.

You can take an in-depth look at the most up-to-date playoff bracket, and check out the schedule below for all of this week’s upcoming games. Here’s everything you need to know so you won’t miss the Knicks vs. 76ers Game 2, or any other playoff games this week.  

How to watch the New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Game 2:

Date: May 6, 2026

Time: 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

TV channel: ESPN

Streaming: ESPN Unlimited, DirecTV and more

New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers game time: 

Game 2 between the Knicks and 76ers tips off at 7 p.m. ET. 

New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 channel:

The Knicks vs. 76ers Game 2 will be broadcast on ESPN.

How to watch the New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 without cable:

NBA playoff games on ESPN are also streaming on ESPN Unlimited, as well as on streaming platforms like DirecTV and YouTube TV. 

More ways to watch NBA Playoff Games:

2026 NBA playoffs schedule:

All times Eastern

May 5

• Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons: 7 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

• Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: 8:30 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

May 6

• New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers: 7 p.m. (ESPN)

• San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)

May 7

• Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons: 7 p.m. (Prime Video)

• Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: 9:30 p.m. (Prime Video)

May 8

• Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks: 7 p.m. (Prime Video)

• Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs: 9:30 p.m. (Prime Video)

May 9

• Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons: 3 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

• Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

May 10

• Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks: 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

• Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs: 7:30 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

May 11

• Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons: 8 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)

• Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: 10:30 p.m. (Prime Video)

May 12(if necessary)

• New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers: TBD

• San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: TBD

May 13 (if necessary)

• Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Detroit Pistons: TBD

• Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: TBD

May 14(if necessary)

• Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks: TBD

May 15(if necessary)

• Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs: TBD

• Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: TBD

May 16 (if necessary)

• Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers: TBD

May 17(if necessary)

• New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers: TBD

• San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: TBD

• Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: TBD

May 18 (if necessary)

• Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: TBD

Remaining NBA playoffs key dates:

• May 4: Conference Semifinals begin

• May 19: Eastern Conference Finals begin on ESPN/ABC (can move up to May 17)

• May 20: Western Conference Finals begin on NBC/Peacock (can move up to May 18)

• June 3: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 1 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET

• June 5: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 2 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET

• June 8: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 3 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET

• June 10: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 4 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET

• June 13: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 5 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)

• June 16: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 6 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)

• June 19: NBA Finals 2026 – Game 7 on ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET (if necessary)