Manu Ginobili re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday and it appears he will become the eighth player to spend his entire career with one team and play at least 16 seasons.The club did not announce terms of the deal but Ginobili reportedly was re-signed to a two-year deal worth $5 million.Ginobili will join Tim Duncan and Tony Parker as the third player in San Antonio history to play at least 16 seasons with the same team. The others are Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, John Stockton, Reggie Miller and John Havlicek.The 40-year-old appeared in 69 games last season and averaged 7.5 points. He also shot 39 percent from the floor in 18.7 minutes per game.Since making his debut for the Spurs in 2002, Ginobili has averages of 13.6 points, 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 992 games.The native of Argentina also is San Antonio's all-time leader in three-pointers (1,431), ranks second in steals (1,349) and third in games played.He is a two-time All-Star and also won the league's Sixth Man of the Year award in 2008.In 213 postseason games, Ginobili has averaged 14.1 points. Ginobili and LeBron James are the only two players in NBA postseason history with at least 3,000 points and 300 3-pointers.

LeBron James is no stranger to seeing a jersey burned after a basketball player has left town.After all, he experienced it firsthand following his "decision" to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010 and join the Miami Heat.On Thursday, James posted five tweets on social media after now teammate Isaiah Thomas has been at the center of Boston Celtics fans burning his jersey on the heels of Tuesday's blockbuster deal involving fellow All-Star guard Kyrie Irving.The burning of jerseys in videos on social media also included Utah Jazz fans doing the same to Gordon Hayward in July after the free agent forward announced he would be signing with the Celtics."The burning of the jersey thing is getting ridiculous now! The man (Thomas) was traded. What do u not understand? & played in a game after ..."sister tragic death. Gordon Hayward paid (his) dues as well and decided to do what's best for him and family. Put in the work, got better ..."Became an All-Star, etc!! If these guys weren't good,... [More]

G Julyan Stone signed with the Hornets on Wednesday after being released from his contract with an Italian team. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Stone appeared in 47 career NBA games (two starts) over three seasons with the Denver Nuggets (2011-13) and Toronto Raptors (2013-14), averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 assists in 7.0 minutes per contest.Stone, 28, joins the Hornets after a stint with Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Lega Basket Serie A in Italy, in which he appeared in 26 games and helped the team to a 2017 Serie A Championship.

As the dust begins to settle from Tuesday's blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics and Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick to Cleveland, the larger picture for both teams starts to come into focus. The breakup of the partnership of Irving and LeBron James seemed inevitable after the former said he wanted to be traded. James offered nothing but respect to Irving in his Twitter message in response to the trade:"That's the only way to be to the kid! Special talent/guy! Nothing but respect and what a ride it was our 3 years together."James will now try to blend his skills with Thomas, a point guard who likes to have the ball in his hands.The question surrounding Thomas concerns his hip. Thomas' season ended following Game 2 of the conference finals because of a torn labrum and aggravation of a previous injury.The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Celtics general manager Danny Ainge speculated on a conference call on... [More]

The Charlotte Hornets signed guard Julyan Stone on Wednesday after being released from his contract with an Italian team.The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Stone appeared in 47 career NBA games (two starts) over three seasons with the Denver Nuggets (2011-13) and Toronto Raptors (2013-14), averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 assists in 7.0 minutes per contest.Stone, 28, joins the Hornets after a stint with Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Lega Basket Serie A in Italy, appearing in 26 games and helping the team to a 2017 Serie A Championship. Prior to his time with Reyer Venezia Mestre, Stone played with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League last season, seeing action in 33 games (31 starts) and averaging 7.9 points, 8.6 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 34.7 minutes.Stone also played for Royal Hali Gazientep (2015-16) of the Turkish Basketball Super League, a first stretch with Reyer Venezia Mestre (2014-15) and the G League's Iowa Energy (2013) and Idaho Stampede (2012).Stone was a four-year collegiate player at the University of Texas-El Paso (2007-11).

G Isaiah Thomas was acquired by the Cavs from the Celtics in exchange for a package led by fellow All-Star G Kyrie Irving on Tuesday.The teams confirmed the Celtics also sent F Jae Crowder, C Ante Zizic and the rights to the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first round pick to the Cavaliers.Thomas, a 28-year-old who finished third in the NBA with an average of 28.9 points in 2016-17, will be a free agent after the 2017-18 campaign.

F Jae Crowder, G Isaiah Thomas, C Ante Zizic and the rights to the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick were traded by the Celtics to the Cavaliers on Tuesday in exchange for G Kyrie Irving.Crowder, 27, averaged 13.9 points and 5.8 assists for Boston last season.

G Kyrie Irving was acquired by the Celtics from the Cavs in exchange for a package led by fellow All-Star PG Isaiah Thomas on Tuesday.The teams confirmed the Celtics also sent F Jae Crowder, C Ante Zizic and the rights to the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first round pick to the Cavaliers.Irving, 25, averaged a career-high 25.2 points on 47.3 percent shooting and 5.8 assists last season. He has three years and $60 million remaining on his contract. He made headlines earlier in the summer when it leaked that he had requested a trade away from a Cavaliers squad that reached the NBA Finals in each of the past three seasons and won a championship in 2016.

The Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to trade All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in exchange for a package led by fellow All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas on Tuesday.The teams confirmed the Celtics also sent forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and the rights to the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first round pick to the Cavaliers."Kyrie is one of the best scorers in the NBA," Celtics president Danny Ainge said in a prepared statement. "He has proven that on the biggest stage, the NBA Finals, the last three years. He's been an NBA Champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and a four-time All-Star. For all he's accomplished, we think his best years are ahead of him."Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman said in a statement, "This trade needed to include both players and assets that we felt strongly could help us continue to compete for championships, and we believe it does. We look forward to Isaiah, Jae and Ante joining us and also felt that the unprotected first-round pick in the deal... [More]

The Toronto Raptors signed forward K.J. McDaniels to a contract, the team announced Tuesday.Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the club for McDaniels, who split last season between the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets.McDaniels averaged 4.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 49 games in 2016-17.A second-round selection by Philadelphia in the 2014 draft, McDaniels has averaged 5.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in 148 games with the 76ers, Rockets and Nets.

The NBA is investigating the Los Angeles Lakers for alleged tampering involving Paul George after the Indiana Pacers filed a formal complaint.The league released a statement Sunday from Mike Bass, executive vice president of communications."At the request of the Indiana Pacers, the NBA opened an investigation into alleged tampering by the Los Angeles Lakers," the NBA statement said. "The independent investigation is being conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The Lakers have been cooperative and, at this point, no findings have been made. We have asked both teams to refrain from commenting while the investigation is ongoing." Peter Vecsey on Patreon reported Saturday that Lakers president Magic Johnson, general manager Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss were contacted by an investigator for the NBA and asked to provide "any correspondence pertaining to" George, his agent and his parents."As the NBA's statement made clear, we cannot comment about the specifics of any... [More]

The Miami Heat signed former Boston Celtics forward Jordan Mickey on Sunday.Terms were not disclosed, but the deal is worth the $1.5 million guaranteed veteran minimum, according to the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.Mickey, 23, split last season between the Celtics and the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League. He appeared in 12 games (all starts) with the Red Claws, averaging 20.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.75 blocks, 1.6 assists and 32.6 minutes while shooting 51.5 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from 3-point range and 75.6 percent from the foul line.Mickey appeared in 25 games (one start) with the Celtics last season and averaged 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.6 minutes of action while shooting 44.1 percent from the field.The 6-foot-8, 238-pound Mickey, a former second-round pick (33rd overall) of the 2015 NBA Draft out of LSU, also appeared in four postseason games with the Celtics over the last two seasons, including two games in the Eastern Conference finals last season where he totaled four points, five rebounds and a block in 18 minutes.Mickey averaged a nation's best 3.64 blocks in his final season at LSU, blocking at least 100 shots in consecutive seasons to become just the second player in school history to reject at least 100 shots during a single season, joining Shaquille O'Neal.

G/F Paul Pierce's No. 34 will be retired by the Boston Celtics during the season next year, cementing his 15-year legacy with the franchise. The Celtics announced Friday they will honor Pierce after a midseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, Feb. 11. A 10-time All-Star, Pierce spent the first 15 years of his career with the Celtics, helping the club to the NBA title in 2008. Pierce averaged 21.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.44 steals and 36.6 minutes in his 1,102 career games with the Celtics.

F Kevin Durant said he would not visit with President Donald Trump to celebrate the team's 2017 championship if the Golden State Warriors are invited to White House. Durant was honored in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md. and the 2017 Finals MVP told ESPN he will not attend any possible ceremony with Trump. "Nah, I won't do that," Durant told ESPN. "I don't respect who's in office right now." Durant and the Warriors are scheduled to visit the Washington Wizards Feb. 28. The Warriors have not been invited officially by the Trump administration.

If the Golden State Warriors are invited to the White House, Kevin Durant said he will not visit with President Donald Trump to celebrate the team's 2017 championship.Durant was honored in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md. and the 2017 Finals MVP told ESPN he will not attend any possible ceremony with Trump."Nah, I won't do that," Durant told ESPN. "I don't respect who's in office right now."Durant and the Warriors are scheduled to visit the Washington Wizards Feb. 28. The Warriors have not been invited officially by the Trump administration."I don't agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that," Durant told ESPN. "That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."Durant's comments occurred as Trump is dealing with the fallout over what transpired in Charlottesville, Va., last Saturday, which has caused many sports figures to vent their frustrations.Last Saturday, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was protesting a white... [More]

Center Jonas Valanciunas and the Toronto Raptors are close to completing negotiations on a four-year contract extension that will pay Valanciunas more than $60 million, ESPN.com reported Monday.The deal is not done yet, but Valanciunas reportedly had taken a leave from his Lithuanian NT team to return to Toronto to complete the negotiations.The two sides had until Nov. 1 to get a deal done, but it appears they will reach an agreement well before that.The 23-year-old, 7-foot Valanciunas averaged 12.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 2014-2015, which was his third year in the NBA.

If the Golden State Warriors are invited to White House, Kevin Durant said he will not visit with President Donald Trump to celebrate the team's 2017 championship.Durant was honored in his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md. and the 2017 Finals MVP told ESPN he will not attend any possible ceremony with Trump."Nah, I won't do that," Durant told ESPN. "I don't respect who's in office right now."Durant and the Warriors are scheduled to visit the Washington Wizards Feb. 28. The Warriors have been officially been invited by the Trump administration."I don't agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that," Durant told ESPN. "That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."Durant's comments occurred as Trump is dealing with the fallout over what transpired in Charlottesville, Va., last Saturday, which has caused many sports figures to vent their frustrations.Last Saturday, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was protesting a white... [More]

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James referred to President Donald Trump as the "so-called president of the United States" while calling for unity in the wake of the Charlottesville, Va., tragedy over the weekend.During his annual family reunion charitable event Tuesday night in Sandusky, Ohio, James gave an emotional speech as he held his daughter, Zhuri, in his arms and was flanked by his two sons, LeBron Jr. and Bryce Maximus, while standing on stage before students, parents, Cavs teammate JR Smith and pop musician Jordin Sparks.James took advantage of his first public appearance since the NBA Finals to call out Trump's actions."I know there's a lot of tragic things happening in Charlottesville," James said, via ESPN.com, before leaving the stage at Cedar Point amusement park. "I just want to speak on it right now. I have this platform and I'm somebody that has a voice of command, and the only way for us to be able to get better as a society and us to get better as people is love."And... [More]

The Toronto Raptors signed forward Kyle Wiltjer, the team announced Tuesday.Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but TSN reported the contract was for one year.The 6-foot-10, 240-pound Wiltjer appeared in 14 games with the Houston Rockets last season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a total of 44 minutes.Wiltjer was productive for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League, averaging 20.5 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point range in 22 games.At Gonzaga, Wiltjer was a first-team All-West Coast Conference selection in his final two seasons while averaging a team-leading 20.4 points as a senior. He began his college career at Kentucky.

The Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Briante Weber on Monday, the team announced.Although terms of the contract were not announced, multiple media outlets reported last week that it would be a one-year deal. Weber, 24, appeared in 20 games last season with the Charlotte Hornets and Golden State Warriors, averaging a combined 3.1 points and 1.1 assists.The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Weber appeared in 27 games with the Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Warriors and Hornets in his two NBA seasons, averaging 3.4 points and 1.6 assists.An NBA D-League All-Star selection in 2017, Weber was a three-time Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Virginia Commonwealth.