NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving is making sure WNBA players can sit out the season and not stress about a paycheck.The Brooklyn Nets star is committing $1.5 million to supplement the income of players who choose not to play this season, whether it be because of coronavirus concerns or social justice reasons.The funds will come from the KAI Empowerment Initiative that Irving launched Monday. It will also provide players with a financial literacy program created by UBS.Irving said that with the help of WNBA players Natasha Cloud — who chose to sit out — and Jewell Loyd, he connected with several WNBA players who discussed with him the challenges they faced in deciding whether to play. The season began Saturday and will be played entirely at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.He decided to help with the financial burden in a league where the top annual salary is a little more than $200,000."Whether a person decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyrie Irving is making sure WNBA players can sit out the season and not stress about a paycheck.The Brooklyn Nets star is committing $1.5 million to supplement the income of players who choose not to play this season, whether it be because of coronavirus concerns or social justice reasons.The funds will come from the KAI Empowerment Initiative that Irving launched Monday. It will also provide players with a financial literacy program created by UBS.Irving said that with the help of WNBA players Natasha Cloud — who chose to sit out — and Jewell Loyd, he connected with several WNBA players who discussed with him the challenges they faced in deciding whether to play. The season began Saturday and will be played entirely at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.He decided to help with the financial burden in a league where the top annual salary is a little more than $200,000."Whether a person decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Thibodeau is coming back to the New York Knicks, who are still seeking the success they enjoyed when he was an assistant two decades ago.The Knicks are finishing a deal to make Thibodeau their coach, a person with knowledge of the details said Saturday.No contract has been signed but a deal is expected to be announced next week, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing.ESPN first reported that the Knicks and Thibodeau were completing a five-year contract.When they do, the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year in Chicago will become the 13th different person to coach the Knicks since Jeff Van Gundy resigned early in the 2001-02 season. Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford was told during his team’s scrimmage at Walt Disney World against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday that Thibodeau, his longtime friend and confidant, was going to get the New York job.“Look, he’s one of my closest friends,” Clifford said. “He’s one... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Thibodeau is coming back to the New York Knicks, who are still seeking the success they enjoyed when he was an assistant two decades ago.The Knicks are finishing a deal to make Thibodeau their coach, a person with knowledge of the details said Saturday.No contract has been signed but a deal is expected to be announced next week, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing.ESPN first reported that the Knicks and Thibodeau were completing a five-year contract.When they do, the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year in Chicago will become the 13th different person to coach the Knicks since Jeff Van Gundy resigned early in the 2001-02 season. Thibodeau was an assistant under Van Gundy, who led the Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals and into the postseason in every season he was there. New York has reached the playoffs just three times since Van Gundy's departure.The Knicks went 21-45 this season, missing the playoffs for a seventh... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Thibodeau is coming back to the New York Knicks, who are still seeking the success they enjoyed when he was an assistant two decades ago.The Knicks are finishing a deal to make Thibodeau their coach, a person with knowledge of the details said Saturday.No contract has been signed but a deal is expected to be announced next week, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing.ESPN first reported that the Knicks and Thibodeau were completing a five-year contract.When they do, the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year in Chicago will become the 13th different person to coach the Knicks since Jeff Van Gundy resigned early in the 2001-02 season. Thibodeau was an assistant under Van Gundy, who led the Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals and into the postseason in every season he was there. New York has reached the playoffs just three times since Van Gundy's departure.The Knicks went 21-45 this season, missing the playoffs for a seventh... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks are finishing a deal to make Tom Thibodeau their coach, a person with knowledge of the details said Saturday.No contract has been signed but a deal is expected to be announced next week, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing.ESPN first reported that the Knicks and Thibodeau were completing a five-year contract.Thibodeau was the 2011 NBA Coach of the Year in Chicago and is a former Knicks assistant under Jeff Van Gundy. New Knicks President Leon Rose conducted a long search before settling on Thibodeau. Mike Miller finished the season as interim coach after David Fizdale was fired 22 games into last season. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An ownership group led by longtime NBA player Arron Afflalo is putting together an offer to buy the Minnesota Timberwolves, two people with knowledge of the bid said. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because the deal was still in the process of being submitted. The group will consist of two to five individuals with a net worth of more than $10 billion. According to the people, Afflalo's group will submit the bid no later than this weekend.Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, who bought the club in 1994 to keep it from moving to New Orleans, has put the franchise up for sale on the condition it remain in Minnesota. Taylor has hired a merchant bank, The Raine Group, to broker talks. There are multiple groups interested, the 79-year-old Taylor said earlier this week. He also owns the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx.The Timberwolves have a lease at the city-owned Target Center that lasts through 2035. A $140 million renovation project on the arena... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kevin Garnett wants to come back to Minnesota — as a Timberwolves owner.The longtime NBA superstar said Tuesday he is part of a group that is hoping to buy the franchise from Glen Taylor, who has owned it since 1994.Taylor said in a statement he was recently approached by a third-party group to discuss the future of the franchise. He said he's always wanted what's best for the team's fans and “ will entertain opportunities ” on the ownership structure of the Timberwolves and Lynx, Minnesota's WNBA team.Taylor told The Athletic that interested buyers have been told that the franchise must stay in Minnesota, which doesn't appear to be a problem for Garnett.He tweeted that “no two people love the city more than myself and Glen Taylor and I look forward to trying to work with him to achieve my dream.”ESPN reported that Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf had emerged as serious candidates to buy the team. The Vikings declined comment.Garnett spent his first 12 seasons in Minnesota, where he was voted NBA MVP in 2004 when the Wolves reached the Western Conference finals. But he was traded to Boston in 2007 and helped the Celtics win the championship the following year, while the Wolves became one of the league's worst franchises with only one playoff appearance since.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies will be without forward Justise Winslow for the rest of the NBA's restarted season because of an injured hip.The Grizzlies announced Tuesday that Winslow fell a day earlier after absorbing contact during an intrasquad scrimmage. Further evaluation revealed a hip injury that will keep him out the rest of this season. Winslow is expected to make a full recovery, the team said in a statement.The Grizzlies acquired Winslow in a February trade that sent Andre Iguodala to Miami. A back issue delayed Winslow's debut with Memphis, which was expected to be a road game in Portland in March until the NBA stopped play because of the coronavirus pandemic.Memphis currently holds the eighth spot in the Western Conference with a 3 1/2-game lead going into the NBA's seeding games. The Grizzlies' first opponent in a seeding game is the Trail Blazers on July 31.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed Eric Bledsoe tested positive for COVID-19, but remains cautiously optimistic the veteran point guard will be ready for the start of the season’s resumption.“With the virus you’re never sure,” Budenholzer said Friday. “There are certainly things that you have to kind of clear and cover, but the opener, if it’s two weeks away, then I think most medical, most things and research would say he is going to be available.’’Budenholzer's comment came a day after multiple reports indicated Bledsoe said he had tested positive but was asymptomatic.The Bucks, who have an NBA-leading 53-12 record, will face the Boston Celtics on July 31 in their first game since the pandemic-imposed hiatus began in mid-March.Budenholzer added that the Bucks will “prepare without him and welcome him with open arms when he does come.’’The 30-year-old Bledsoe is averaging 15.4 points, 5.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds.Budenholzer declined to say whether any other players hadn’t yet joined the team in Florida.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe has tested positive for COVID-19, but has said he doesn't have any symptoms associated with the coronavirus. Bledsoe hasn't been with the team since they reported to Orlando last week, the Journal Sentinel reported.The Bucks began a second training camp early this month but shut it down after someone from the organization tested positive for the coronovirus. They didn't name the person at the time.Bledsoe is among other NBA players to announce positive COVID-19 tests since teams started reporting to the bubble at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex last week, including Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes and Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon.Bledsoe is averaging 15.4 points 4.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game this season.All 22 NBA teams invited to conclude the season will play eight games before the postseason begins.

Zion Williamson left the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday to attend to what the club described as an “urgent family medical matter.” Williamson, the NBA’s top overall draft choice last summer, intends to rejoin the team in the Orlando, Florida, area for the resumption of the season, the Pelicans said, but the club did not specify when he would be able to return or whether he’ll miss any of the club’s eight remaining regular-season games.“We don't know anything right now from the standpoint of him coming back,” coach Alvin Gentry said after practice Thursday night. “Obviously, right now, we're not concerned about the basketball part for him. We're just concerned about his family.”Williamson will have to quarantine again when he returns to central Florida, a period that will last at least four days and could be significantly longer if he is not tested daily during his absence from the team.“Once we learn more about Zion’s specific circumstances, we will determine his reentry protocol based... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jamal Crawford is coming off a 51-point game.People may have forgotten. After all, it was more than 450 days ago. And for a while, it looked like that game might have been Crawford’s last as a player — because for most of this season, the now 40-year-old guard remained unsigned.“To be honest with you, I went through a range of emotions,” Crawford said. “I was frustrated at the beginning. I didn’t understand. I didn’t know what happened.”Luckily for Crawford, it doesn’t matter anymore. He’s back in the NBA, filling one of the spots that the Brooklyn Nets needed to address after their roster was decimated by injuries and coronavirus-related issues coming into the season restart at Walt Disney World. With Vince Carter now officially retired, Crawford comes back into the league as its oldest player — about 2 1/2 months older than Miami’s Udonis Haslem.Crawford, a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year and a past winner of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award,... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings became the latest NBA player to reveal that he has the coronavirus, making the announcement Tuesday and saying he has hopes to join his team for the league’s restart later this summer.Barnes is the only player who has started all 64 of the Kings’ games this season. To extend that streak, he’ll need to be cleared and arrive at Walt Disney World before Sacramento’s season resumes with the first of its eight seeding games on July 31 against San Antonio.“Prior to the team leaving last week, I tested positive for Covid-19,” Barnes wrote on social media. “I’ve been primarily asymptomatic and am doing well. I’m quarantined and am abiding by the safety protocol until I’m cleared for action. I hope to join my team in Orlando when it is safe to do so! Stay safe out there.”Barnes is averaging 14.7 points this season for the Kings.The league said Monday that 19 players tested positive during in-market testing after July 1, those... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings became the latest NBA player to reveal that he has coronavirus, making the announcement Tuesday and saying he has hopes to join his team at the league’s restart later this summer.Barnes is the only player who has started all 64 of the Kings’ games this season. To extend that streak, he’ll need to be cleared and arrive at Walt Disney World before Sacramento’s season resumes with the first of its eight seeding games on July 31 against San Antonio.“Prior to the team leaving last week, I tested positive for Covid-19,” Barnes wrote on social media. “I’ve been primarily asymptomatic and am doing well. I’m quarantined and am abiding by the safety protocol until I’m cleared for action. I hope to join my team in Orlando when it is safe to do so! Stay safe out there.”Barnes is averaging 14.7 points this season for the Kings.The league said Monday that 19 players tested positive during in-market testing after July 1, those tests... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks team members will join other NBA players who plan to put messages for social change on the back of their jerseys once games resume at the end of the month. Both Kyle Korver and Khris Middleton will substitute “Black Lives Matter” for their names on their jerseys.“I think it’s the most important thing for people to realize,” Middleton said Monday. “That our lives do matter. That’s why I went with it.”Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, his brother, Thanasis, and other players have another plan. “On the back of my jersey is gonna be ‘Equality,’” Antetokounmpo said. “That’s what we decided, a majority of the team. So that’s what me and Thanasis are going to wear on the back of our jersey.”Antetokounmpo said it was a personal choice, the Journal Sentinel reported. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer supports the jersey messages. “I think a lot of our players will do it,” Budenholzer said. “I think it’s very important for our league, for our entire organization, that we continue to have this conversation. That we keep fighting for social equality, social justice. It’s very important.”Twenty-two NBA teams, including the Bucks, are currently in a protective environment at Disney World near Orlando for practices ahead of the games restarting.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets said Monday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, and that he plans to eventually join his team at the restart of the NBA season.Westbrook made the revelation on social media. As recently as Sunday, the Rockets believed that Westbrook and James Harden — neither of whom traveled with the team to Walt Disney World near Orlando last week — would be with the team in the next few days.In Westbrook's case, that now seems most unlikely.“I tested positive for covid-19 prior to my teams departure to Orlando," Westbrook wrote on his Instagram page. “I'm currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared."Westbrook is averaging 27.5 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game for the Rockets this season. Houston has clinched a playoff spot and resumes its season with the first of eight seeding games on July 31 against Dallas.Westbrook also offered a word of caution... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets said Monday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, and that he plans to eventually join his team at the restart of the NBA season.Westbrook made the revelation on social media. As recently as Sunday, the Rockets believed that Westbrook and James Harden — neither of whom traveled with the team to Walt Disney World near Orlando last week — would be with the team in the next few days.In Westbrook's case, that now seems most unlikely.“I tested positive for covid-19 prior to my teams departure to Orlando," Westbrook wrote on his Instagram page. “I'm currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared."Westbrook is averaging 27.5 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game for the Rockets this season. Houston has clinched a playoff spot and resumes its season with the first of eight seeding games on July 31 against Dallas.Westbrook also offered a word of caution in his post.“Thank you for all the well wishes and continued support," he wrote. “Please take this virus seriously. Be safe. Mask up!"___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rajon Rondo broke his right thumb in practice with the Los Angeles Lakers in Florida.The veteran point guard will be out for six to eight weeks, the Lakers said Sunday night. Rondo will have surgery this week.Rondo has been a key backup during his second season with the Lakers, who signed him shortly after adding LeBron James to the roster in July 2018. James typically functions as the Lakers' point guard with the starting unit, but Rondo frequently took on the role while James rested or while both veterans were on the floor together.Rondo is averaging 7.1 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 48 appearances this season, including three starts. He has been a regular presence on the floor late in close games, with coach Frank Vogel trusting his veteran leadership and playmaking.Rondo is seeking his second NBA championship after winning with Boston in 2008, but he has a lengthy history of hand injuries.He broke his right thumb during the playoffs with the Chicago Bulls... [More]

LeBron James says his thoughts on social justice can't be contained on the back of a basketball jersey.The Los Angeles Lakers superstar won't wear one of the NBA-approved social justice messages on the back of his jersey when the NBA resumes competition later this month in the Orlando bubble.“It was no disrespect to the list that was handed down to all the players,” James said Saturday in a confernece call from Florida. “I commend anyone that decides to put something on the back of their jersey. It’s just something that didn’t seriously resonate with my mission, with my goal."As part of the NBA's recognition of the nationwide invigoration of the social justice movement sparked by the death of George Floyd, NBA players are allowed to choose from a lengthy list of possible messages for their jerseys during the league's restart. James is among just a few who declined to choose one of the messages, he said.“I would have loved to have a say-so on what would have went on the back of my jersey,”... [More]