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]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anthony Davis will wear his own name on the back of his jersey when the Los Angeles Lakers return to action.Davis confirmed his decision Sunday in a conference call from Orlando, where the Western Conference-leading Lakers are beginning team workouts.Davis and LeBron James both declined to choose a social justice message to replace their names on the back of their jerseys during the NBA restart.Davis, a seven-time NBA All-Star, said he was “torn between” choosing from among the 29 approved messages and sticking with his name.“For me, I think the name ‘Davis’ is something I try to represent every time I step on the floor," he said. "I just think my last name is something that's very important to me, and also social justice as well. But (I'm) just holding my family name and representing the name on the back to go through this process ... and people who have been with me through my entire career to help me get to this point, while still kind of bringing up things that we... [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]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets plugged a couple holes in their roster Thursday with a pair of well-traveled veteran scorers.The Nets signed three-time Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford and Michael Beasley as substitute players for the remainder of the season.The Nets will resume play without Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan after they tested positive for the coronavirus. Wilson Chandler also chose not to play, and Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving aren't returning from their injuries.On the day the Nets practiced for the first time on the Walt Disney World Resort campus, they added a pair of players who can put up points.The 40-year-old Crawford hasn't played in the NBA this season after scoring 51 points while playing for Phoenix in the finale of the 2018-19 season. That made him the first player in NBA history with 50-point games for four different teams.He has averaged 14.6 points in 1,326 games, most among active players, over 19 seasons. Beasley was the No. 2 pick in the 2008... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets filled one of the openings on their roster Thursday by signing veteran Michael Beasley as a substitute player for the remainder of the season.The Nets will resume play without Spencer Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan after they tested positive for the coronavirus. Wilson Chandler also chose not to play, and Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving aren't returning from their injuries.Beasley was the No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft and has averaged 12.4 points in 609 games over 11 seasons. He hasn't played in the NBA since appearing for the Lakers in February 2019.Beasley won't be eligible to play until the sixth of Brooklyn's eight seeding games because he has serve a suspension for violating the drug policy.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A person with knowledge of the situation says that Kawhi Leonard did not accompany the Los Angeles Clippers on their flight to Central Florida on Wednesday night for the restart of the NBA season.Leonard's absence was excused and he is expected to join the team at the Disney complex near Orlando sometime in the next few days, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team did not publicly disclose the matter.Yahoo Sports first reported that Leonard was not on the flight to the Orlando area.The Clippers are scheduled to spend Thursday and part of Friday satisfying quarantine requirements, and are expected to practice for the first time at Disney on Friday night. They will resume game play on July 30, matching up with the Los Angeles Lakers in the second game of a re-opening night doubleheader.Leonard is averaging a team-best 26.9 points this season for the Clippers, who are currently second in the Western Conference behind only the Lakers. He is the reigning NBA Finals MVP, after helping Toronto win the title last season.The Clippers are 38-13 when Leonard plays, 6-7 when he doesn't. They're also 17-3 in games where he scores at least 30 points this season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Patty Mills will play in the NBA restart, and the San Antonio guard said Wednesday that the reason why he's decided to participate is so he can give just over $1 million of his salary to causes in his native Australia devoted to fighting racism.The exact amount, Mills said, for the Spurs' eight remaining regular-season, or seeding, games will be $1,017,818.54. He will split that money between three causes — Black Lives Matter Australia, another group that deals with the problem of Blacks dying when in custody, and to the newly formed We Got You campaign that he helped organize to address the issues of racism within Australian sport.“So, I’m playing in Orlando because I don’t want to leave any money on the table that could be going directly to Black communities," Mills said.Mills isn't the only player that has announced he will be donating his salary for the eight games to charity. Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard revealed earlier this week that he will give the remainder of his salary... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is joining rapper Common and others for a TV special calling for action following the death of Breonna Taylor.Irving is producing “#SAYHERNAME: BREONNA TAYLOR,” which will debut Wednesday at 7 p.m. EDT on the PlayersTv digital and broadcast network.Taylor, a 26-year-old Black emergency medical technician, was shot eight times in Louisville, Kentucky, by plainclothes officers serving a narcotics search warrant without knocking at her apartment on March 13. No drugs were found. Louisville has seen weeks of protests over the shooting and demonstrators around the country have chanted her name.The broadcast will include specific calls for action, such as calls to the offices of city and state officials, voter registrations and social media posts bringing attention to Taylor's case.Irving, who has been outspoken about social justice issues, says as society is calling attention to police brutality and systemic racism, it is “critical to magnify how... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is joining rapper Common and others for a TV special calling for action following the death of Breonna Taylor.Irving is producing “#SAYHERNAME: BREONNA TAYLOR,” which will debut Wednesday at 7 p.m. EDT on the PlayersTv digital and broadcast network.Taylor, a 26-year-old Black emergency medical technician, was shot eight times in Louisville, Kentucky, by plainclothes officers serving a narcotics search warrant without knocking at her apartment on March 13. No drugs were found. Louisville has seen weeks of protests over the shooting and demonstrators around the country have chanted her name.The broadcast will include specific calls for action, such as calls to the offices of city and state officials, voter registrations and social media posts bringing attention to Taylor's case.Irving, who has been outspoken about social justice issues, says as society is calling attention to police brutality and systemic racism, it is “critical to magnify how... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — JR Smith was not ready to wrap up his 15-year NBA career when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers in late 2018, and the ensuing 20 months were not much fun for the veteran shooter.“I went through a very depressed state for a long time," Smith said Monday. "I’m a big video gamer, (but) I didn’t even play (NBA) 2K anymore. I don’t want to hoop, I don’t want to work out, I don’t want to play 2K, I don’t want do anything with basketball.”Thanks to a call from the Los Angeles Lakers, Smith is getting another shot on basketball's biggest stage. He joined the Western Conference leaders for workouts last week before they head to Florida for the conclusion of the NBA season.The 34-year-old Smith was added to the roster because Lakers starter Avery Bradley declined to return for the rest of the season, citing family concerns. The Lakers needed a depth replacement who could immediately fit in alongside LeBron James while playing solid wing defense, providing a 3-point threat and meshing... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown is encouraged by the steps the NBA is taking to connect with its players’ desire to support social justice causes.He also wants to see the league go further with some of those plans as it prepares to restart the season later this month in Florida. One of the Celtics’ young stars, the 23-year-old has been one of the most outspoken voices among players since the NBA paused its season in March. From encouraging young Americans to take COVID-19 seriously, to driving 15 hours from Boston in May to lead a protest march in the days after the release of the video of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, Brown has actively used social media to raise awareness on several fronts to his more than 1.6 million followers on Twitter and Instagram. While he said Monday that he initially considered not playing in Orlando because of the pandemic and family concerns, he ultimately decided the opportunity to amplify his voice on the NBA’s worldwide stage won out. “Once I thought about... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Grieving the death of a cousin and missing his mother, Damian Lillard struggled emotionally after the NBA shut down because of the coronavirus. But he also found inspiration in his activism for Black Lives Matter and his flourishing music career. The Trail Blazers were just out of the playoff picture, sitting ninth in the Western Conference standings on March 11 when the league was shuttered. The team will be among 22 that will depart next week for Orlando as part of the re-start. Portland will have eight games to secure a playoff berth, starting on July 31 with Memphis. “We don’t have time to ease our way in, we don't have time to try and figure stuff out, we’ve got to come in assertive and aggressive and just go after it,” he said. “And if we fail, we fail, but we gotta at least come out there with that mentality of we don’t have time to kind of ease into it.”Lillard welcomes the chance to resume playing after a difficult few months. He admittedly had no idea how... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The sudden suspension of the NBA season was a double disappointment for Anthony Davis.“It happened on my birthday, which is kind of a bummer because I couldn't do anything,” the Los Angeles Lakers' seven-time All-Star big man said with a laugh.Davis turned 27 on March 11 when the NBA shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic. After a few homebound months spent largely improving his video game skills, Davis is back at work as the Lakers attempt to achieve their interrupted goals.Davis, LeBron James and the Lakers are gathered for individual workouts this week in preparation for their trip to Orlando, where they're among the favorites to win it all in this extraordinary NBA season. The Lakers (49-14) were leading the Western Conference and preparing for their first playoff run together when everything stopped.Davis still loves the Lakers' chances of contending for the franchise's 17th championship.“Actually, I think our chances are higher, just because we’re all rested and... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.R. Smith has joined LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for their championship push.The Lakers announced their long-anticipated signing of Smith as a substitute player Wednesday, the first day allowed under the rules of the NBA's summer restart.Smith is the Lakers' roster replacement for Avery Bradley, who cited family reasons last week for his decision not to finish the season with his team in Orlando amid the coronavirus pandemic.“We’re not going to ask him to come in and be Avery Bradley,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “He’s going to come in and be J.R. Smith. He’s going to just fill that position more than fill that role. Avery’s loss is obviously a huge loss for us, but we’re a next-man-up team. J.R. is going to come in and help fill that need, but we have a lot of guys in that position that can do the same.”The 34-year-old Smith hasn't played in the NBA since November 2018, but the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year is a longtime trusted teammate of James. During... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.R. Smith has joined LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for their championship push.The Lakers announced their long-anticipated signing of Smith as a substitute player Wednesday, the first day allowed under the rules of the NBA's summer restart.Smith is the Lakers' replacement for Avery Bradley, who cited family reasons last week for his decision not to finish the season with his team in Orlando.The 34-year-old Smith hasn't played in the NBA since November 2018, but the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year is a longtime trusted teammate of James. During their four years together with the Cleveland Cavaliers, they won a title in 2016 and reached four consecutive NBA Finals.Bradley was a starter and a key role player in his first season with the Lakers, averaging 8.6 points per game and playing solid wing defense. But the Western Conference-leading Lakers also excelled while Bradley missed 13 games due to injury, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope capably filling the role.Smith... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers have signed free agent Joakim Noah to a new contract for the rest of the season, three months after he first signed a 10-day deal with the team.The two-time All-Star averaged 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 42 games for Memphis last season. Noah originally signed with the Clippers on March 9, two days before the NBA put its season on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.The 35-year-old center was the 2014 defensive player of the year. Noah provides the Clippers with playoff experience and additional depth at the position.Noah's 12 years in the NBA also includes stints with Chicago and the New York Knicks.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Acknowledging that no option would have been risk-free during a pandemic, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday that the concern shared by the league and its players surrounding next month's restart of the season is rising as coronavirus cases in Florida keep climbing.That said, the league and the National Basketball Players Association is moving forward — finalizing the deal that will bring the NBA game back and see teams start arriving at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida in less than two weeks.Many of the details of the agreement were already known, such as how “stringent health and safety protocols” would be in place for the 22 teams that will be participating, that no fans will be present and that games will be held in three different arenas at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. But when those protocols were completed, the Orange County, Florida area — which includes Orlando — had seen a 5% rate of positive coronavirus tests over the preceding 10 days. In the 10 days that... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — William Wesley, known for his connections throughout basketball, has joined the New York Knicks as executive vice president/senior basketball adviser.A decision on a coach could be next, with the Knicks hoping by the end of July.New president Leon Rose announced the hiring of “World Wide Wes” on Wednesday, saying he has known Wesley for more than 40 years and considers him family.“He is one of the most well-connected and respected people in the basketball community and he will be a tremendous asset and resource to both myself and the New York Knicks,” Rose said.Rose worked closely with Wesley as a longtime player agent before he was hired by the Knicks in March, just before the coronavirus forced the suspension of the NBA season.It was expected since Rose was hired that Wesley would have a role in the organization, though it was unclear if it would be an official title because Wesley has often worked in the background.Together they will search for the Knicks' next coach.... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers guard Avery Bradley has decided to sit out the NBA’s upcoming resumption of the season in Florida.He told ESPN on Tuesday night that he wants to remain with his wife and three children, including a 6-year-old son with a history of respiratory illnesses. By sitting out, Bradley figures to lose a projected $650,000 in salary.Bradley averaged 8.6 points and 2.3 rebounds while starting 44 games before the season was shut down in March due to the coronavirus. The Lakers are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference heading into the 22-team restart.“I can't imagine making any decision that might put my family's health and well-being at even the slightest risk,” Bradley told ESPN. “As promised also, I will use this time away to focus on the formation of projects to help strengthen my communities.”Bradley and Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving have been vocal leaders of a players' coalition that has sought to keep a focus on social justice and racial equality issues.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports