BOSTON — Addressing reporters Tuesday for the first time as a member of the Celtics, Paul George made two things clear:

First, that he understands why some Celtics fans, still unhappy over the controversial trade that brought him to Boston and sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, might not immediately embrace him.

And second, that Jayson Tatum...Read more

NEW YORK — No one likes to be reduced to being secondary or a footnote in conversations or discussions.

In the case of the latest NBA owners meetings, sitting second on the agenda when it comes to expansion conversations seems like it could be a good thing for Seattle as it has fewer questions than Las Vegas and fewer answers needed.

The ...Read more

NEW YORK — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday there was more discussion this week surrounding Las Vegas than Seattle in relation to potential league expansion.

Multiple bid groups and arena sites are still in play in Las Vegas, while Seattle has multiple groups and one arena site under consideration. That is why Las Vegas received more...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Former USC forward Chad Baker-Mazara has filed a lawsuit against the university accusing head basketball coach Eric Musselman of launching into a “profanity-laced, racially charged locker room tirade” that precipitated the sudden dismissal of USC’s leading scorer last February.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles ...Read more

Boston Celtics fans took to social media expressing their disappointment in the offseason trade of Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for Paul George and draft picks in early July.

A 6-year-old Brown fan even went viral for his reaction to the announcement.

The reaction for Celtics fans largely centered on the Celtics moving on from Brown, who had been...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Along with Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers should send the Toronto Raptors a fruit basket and a thank you card.

Because what was already a steal when the teams first agreed to the trade in June now looks like an absolute lifesaver. Paddles for the life raft so the Clippers can change directions and make better decisions — ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Clippers owner Steve Ballmer released a lengthy statement Sunday night apologizing to fans and accepting the findings of an NBA investigation of salary cap violations.

"This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets," Ballmer said in the statement released 11 ...Read more

DENVER — Without trust, there can be no loyalty. Without loyalty, there can be no Nikola Jokic. And without Nikola Jokic, there can be no Denver Nuggets.

Jokic missed too many shots against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But Jokic is a straight shooter. And when the Nuggets were told by Jokic that it makes more dollars and sense for him to sign ...Read more

MIAMI — In just over two weeks, Erik Spoelstra will, at some point during his comments at media day, stress how the 2026-27 Miami Heat will be a team telling its own story.

Just as he has for years with almost all of his teams, with a clear dissuasion toward comparisons to what came before during his coaching tenure.

So expect no comparisons...Read more

LOS ANGELES — With ownership of the team still in limbo, the Lakers announced two front office additions Friday, hiring former Miami Heat executive Eric Amsler as assistant general manager, player personnel, while bolstering their sports performance staff with Keith D'Amelio as director of integrated performance systems.

Boosting the team's ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — In the wake of the 76ers’ monumental offseason, one concern that players have already started addressing in various statements is, “How much are players going to sacrifice?”

Having as much talent as the Sixers have on their roster naturally leads to questions about roles and shot distribution, since there’s only one ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The civil sexual assault trial of Lakers star Byron Scott is on hold after the former player and coach filed for bankruptcy last week.

Hayley Dylan has accused Scott in a civil lawsuit of sexually assaulting her in the summer of 1987 when she was a 15-year-old student at Campbell Hall School and he was 26 and married. The case ...Read more

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson is about to make more Knicks history.

Fresh off of leading the franchise to its first championship in 53 years, Brunson is set to become the first Knick to host NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”

Brunson will run point on the Season 52 premiere on Sept. 26, the network announced. He will be joined by the girl group ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Where LeBron James would choose to play the final years of his storied career was a fixture on prediction markets this summer. Now, James could benefit from the boom of those platforms.

On Saturday, James shared a short video on social media announcing a partnership with the prediction platform Polymarket. The Sixer then posted...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Phil Jackson will be the next member of the Lakers to receive a statue outside Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers announced on Tuesday that they have commissioned a statue of the coach who led them to five NBA championships — with help from Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol and others — that will be unveiled April 9 when ...Read more

MIAMI — The prevailing notion once LeBron James put pen to paper on July 27 was that the stage was set in the Eastern Conference, that assessments could be set when it came to standings, seedings.

Yes, there was some cleanup work around the conference in the interim, most notably the Cavaliers’ acquisition of Peyton Watson, but otherwise ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — One overarching question throughout next season for the 76ers will be: Is this team playing well enough to win a championship?

As the season progresses and the Sixers figure out what works and what doesn’t for this uber-talented group, a few numbers may indicate whether the Sixers are true contenders or pretenders. Here are a...Read more

SEATTLE — Is there a second bidder in the conversation surrounding NBA expansion and the chances of the SuperSonics returning to Seattle?

It might depend on the viability of that bid and a proposal that would call for the team to eventually play in Snohomish County.

Some buzz was generated in mid-August when BlackSun Private Equity announced...Read more

CHICAGO — Enes Kanter Freedom continued his dispute against the WNBA and its teams by filing a lawsuit Thursday against the Chicago Sky and the owners of Wintrust Arena in the U.S District Court in the Northern District of Illinois.

The suit is in response to Kanter Freedom’s removal from an Aug. 23 game between the Sky and Indiana Fever at...Read more