LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James is back in the lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers after the longest injury-related absence of his 16-year career.The leading All-Star vote-getter was set to play against the Clippers on Thursday night after missing 17 games. He was originally listed as out but was upgraded to doubtful earlier in the day.Lakers coach Luke Walton said James won't be on a minutes restriction, but he'll be closely watched. The four-time league MVP has participated in two full-contact practices leading up to his return.James' last game was on Christmas at Golden State, where he strained his left groin.The Lakers went 6-11 during James' absence and fell out of a potential playoff spot.He is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists.Kyle Kuzma (left hip strain) and Josh Hart (left knee tendinitis) also returned Thursday.The Lakers got Rajon Rondo back last week. He was also hurt in the Christmas win over the Warriors.They remain without Lonzo Ball, who has an ankle sprain that will keep him out until at least late February.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Philadelphia's Ben Simmons, Utah's Donovan Mitchell and Dallas' Luka Doncic were among the 20 players announced Tuesday as participants in this year's Rising Stars game at All-Star weekend.Simmons is the reigning rookie of the year, and Doncic is the favorite to win that award this season.For the fifth straight year, the game that features rookies and second-year players will use a U.S. vs. World format.The U.S. team includes Mitchell, Jarrett Allen of Brooklyn, Marvin Bagley III and De'Aaron Fox of Sacramento, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jayson Tatum of Boston, Jaren Jackson Jr. of Memphis, and John Collins and Trae Young of Atlanta.The world team has Doncic, Simmons, Cedi Osman of Cleveland, Josh Okogie of Minnesota, Lauri Markkanen of Chicago, Rodions Kurucs of Brooklyn, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Los Angeles Clippers, Deandre Ayton of Phoenix, OG Anunoby of Toronto and Bogdan Bogdanovic of Sacramento.Bogdanovic was the game's MVP last year when the World team beat the U.S. 155-124. The World team is 3-1 in the current format of what was once called the rookie-sophomore game.The game is Feb. 15. Boston's Kyrie Irving and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki will be honorary members of the coaching staffs.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — It took a bear — Jazz Bear — to catch a bat and leave the high-flying hijinks to the NBA players.A wayward bat flew around the court inside the Vivint Smart Home Arena about an hour before Utah's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, interrupting the pregame shooting routines of the likes of Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio.The few thousand fans in the building took turns cheering and then groaning while watching the flying mammal zip around the arena and elude several security guards and an on-court employee armed with a net.Jazz Bear took a break from entertaining the crowd by taking a few swings himself before finally capturing it — with nothing but net.Fans then cheered wildly as the proud mascot strolled off the court with the big catch."That was scary," Mitchell said after Utah's 106-101 victory . "I was not cool with that at all. I'm glad the Bear got him because I would not have finished my warmup. I would have gone to locker room if he was still flying around out there."The whole thing quickly became a social media hit, and Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma appropriately tweeted : "Where is Manu when you need him."That, of course, is former San Antonio Spurs star Manu Ginobili, who famously swatted a bat to the hardwood and captured it in the middle of game against Sacramento on Halloween night in 2009.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — It took a bear — Jazz Bear — to catch a bat and leave the high-flying hijinks to the NBA players.A wayward bat flew around the court inside the Vivint Smart Home Arena about an hour before Utah's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, interrupting the pregame shooting routines of the likes of Jazz stars Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio.The few thousand fans in the building took turns cheering and then groaning while watching the flying mammal zip around the arena and elude several security guards and an on-court employee armed with a net.Jazz Bear took a break from entertaining the crowd by taking a few swings himself before finally capturing it — with nothing but net.Fans then cheered wildly as the proud mascot strolled off the court with the big catch."That was scary," Mitchell said after Utah's 106-101 victory . "I was not cool with that at all. I'm glad the Bear got him because I would not have finished my warmup. I would have gone to locker room if he was still flying around out there."The whole thing quickly became a social media hit, and Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma appropriately tweeted : "Where is Manu when you need him."That, of course, is former San Antonio Spurs star Manu Ginobili, who famously swatted a bat to the hardwood and captured it in the middle of game against Sacramento on Halloween night in 2009.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James stopped worrying about his place in history long ago. His legacy has been secure for years. The argument about where he ranks, whether or not he's the best player to ever step on a basketball court, will continue forever and there will never be a definitive answer.That is, unless he keeps doing things like this.In his 16th season, James can still make the game look absurdly easy. The latest entry on the long list of his unforgettable nights came Sunday, when James scored 51 points and led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 113-97 win over the Miami Heat. He's only the second player to score at least 50 in a game this deep into an NBA career; the other is Kobe Bryant, in his final game, and that was aided by 50 shot attempts."I've always been a guy to let the game talk for itself, speak for itself," James said. "My body of work speaks for itself, still to this day, 16 years in."He paused for a second, breaking into a big smile."If there's ever a discussion," James said,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Just three games into LeBron James' tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, they were missing two suspended starters when they faced the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.Although nobody thought James' time on the West Coast would be boring, Brandon Ingram is sorry for his role in getting this season off to a weird start.Ingram is also grateful he received only a four-game suspension for his role in the Lakers' brawl with the Houston Rockets. The normally mild-mannered forward confronted referee Jason Phillips, shoved James Harden and threw punches at Chris Paul."Well, it was better than we expected," Ingram said after the Lakers' morning shootaround. "I'm happy it's only four. But I know I've got to control my emotions a little bit better. ... I thought it would be more than four, but I'm happy that it's at least four."Rajon Rondo also began his three-game suspension two days after spitting and punching in his altercation with Paul, a longtime rival.James was a peacemaker... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Beasley thinks the basketball world is foolish to assume the Los Angeles Lakers' revamped locker room will be combustible before the fuse is even lit.The Lakers announced their signing of Beasley to a one-year contract Monday, adding the versatile forward to their new core of veterans around LeBron James.Beasley, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee have all joined Los Angeles this month in a slate of provocative offseason signings to supplement its talented youngsters and James, who started the parade to the West Coast when he left Cleveland for the 16-time NBA champions in free agency.All four of these well-known, well-traveled veterans around James have varying degrees of colorful histories in their previous NBA stops, prompting widespread speculation in the media and around the league about how coach Luke Walton will manage his roster. They've already attracted an immediate online nickname — "The Meme Team" — while other pundits have compared them... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It's official. LeBron is a Laker.The Los Angeles Lakers announced the signing of LeBron James as a free agent Monday night, confirming the seismic shift created by the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player's decision to leave Cleveland for the 16-time champion franchise on the West Coast.James' representatives at Klutch Sports Group tweeted a photo of James signing his contract with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka. James' agency already announced last week that the superstar had agreed to a four-year deal worth $153.3 million with Los Angeles.The Lakers have missed the playoffs in a franchise-record five consecutive seasons, while James has played in the past eight NBA Finals with the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning three titles.The 33-year-old budding entertainment mogul immediately becomes the focus of the Lakers franchise and a possible foundation for the NBA's next superteam, depending on whether James and the Lakers can persuade more superstars to... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — From George Mikan to Kobe Bryant, superstars have been the Lakers' lifeblood for decades.LeBron James is already the biggest star of his generation, and he followed a familiar path to Los Angeles' bright lights when he decided to sign with the Lakers as a free agent.It's no coincidence that this glamorous, 16-time champion franchise has consistently attracted already great players with outsized ambition. The 33-year-old James has taken on the challenge that Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal all accepted near the primes of their careers.Becoming a basketball superstar is one thing, and nobody is bigger than James after 15 prolific NBA seasons and three championships. Succeeding with the Lakers is something different, according to many of the men who have worn this gold jersey.Just ask Bryant, who won two Olympic gold medals as James' teammate while spending his entire 20-year career with the Lakers."The NBA does better when the Lakers are at their... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Magic Johnson is betting his job on his free-agent recruiting skills for the Los Angeles Lakers.Johnson declared Monday that he will step down as the Lakers' president of basketball operations if he can't persuade an elite free agent to sign with the 16-time NBA champions within the next two summers."Next summer, if nobody comes and I'm still sitting here like this, then it's a failure," Johnson said after a news conference to introduce draft picks Moe Wagner and Svi Mykhailiuk.Johnson was put in charge of the Lakers' front office by owner Jeanie Buss in February 2017, and the former superstar point guard immediately announced his plans to revive the struggling franchise by enticing the game's best players to join as free agents.With Paul George and potentially LeBron James headlining the market this summer, Johnson is leading the Lakers' efforts to land both players this weekend. If they sign elsewhere, Johnson and the Lakers will pursue the large crop of 2019... [More]

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — In a way, Hayden Dalton's game is tailor made for the NBA."With me stretching the floor, shooting at the 3 or 4 position as well as being able to rebound and handle the ball and then be able to guard multiple different positions," the former Wyoming Cowboy said, "my versatility is going toward what the NBA is (looking for)."Those strengths were magnified by the Cowboys' style of play the past two seasons under head coach Allen Edwards."The way we played was free and open, kind of positionless," the 6-foot-8, 195-pound Dalton said. "That helped out a ton, just in terms of me being comfortable handling the ball as well as rebounding, pushing. We did a lot of switching, so guarding guards and just stuff like that. That helps out a ton, just having that experience of having no position."But Dalton's path to a potential professional career was far from the usual one. The late bloomer received little recruiting attention out of Parker, Colorado, and attended Central Wyoming... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Philadelphia's Ben Simmons and Utah's Donovan Mitchell are unanimous selections to the NBA's All-Rookie team.The two guards received all 100 first-place votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Both players helped their teams reach the second round of the playoffs.Boston's Jayson Tatum also was selected Tuesday to the first team, falling one vote short of unanimous. Simmons, Mitchell and Tatum are the three finalists for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award.Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma (93 first-team votes) and Chicago's Lauri Markkanen (76) rounded out the first team.The second team was guards Dennis Smith Jr. of Dallas and Lonzo Ball of the Lakers, Atlanta forward John Collins, Sacramento guard Bogdan Bogdanovic and Phoenix forward Josh Jackson.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — And now the real season begins for the Los Angeles Lakers.At least that's what the fans of the 16-time NBA champions repeatedly have been told while Los Angeles missed the playoffs and finished with a losing record for the fifth consecutive year.Ever since they took over the Lakers' basketball operations a year ago, Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka have founded their rebuilding project around the acquisition of one or two elite free agents this summer — or next summer, they've recently amended.Magic firmly believes the Lakers' championship pedigree, glamorous location and salary cap room for two enormous contracts can attract superstars near the primes of their careers to lift one of the NBA's cornerstone franchises back to its accustomed heights. The Lakers had only missed the playoffs five previous times in their first 65 years of existence before they doubled that number during this dismal half-decade.But while the pursuit of Paul George and LeBron... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder coach Billy Donovan can't pinpoint the best thing about Paul George.Oklahoma City's versatile forward averages just over 20 points per game, leads the league in steals and is third in 3-point goals while shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc."I think that's what makes him the player he is," Donovan said. "There's a lot of players in the league that are great offensive players, but they're not great defensive players. I think arguably, it would be hard to make a case either way of what end of the floor he's better on, offense or defense, because he's that special."George believes he's having an All-Star season in first year with Oklahoma City after being traded from the Indiana Pacers. There have been challenges as he has tried to fit in with superstars Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony and it's still unclear where he will play next season because of his upcoming free agency.Still, he has remained focused enough to be a top-notch performer. As he has found... [More]

Los Angeles Lakers power forward Larry Nance Jr. had successful surgery on his left hand and will miss approximately four-to-six weeks, the team announced Friday night.Nance suffered the injury in Thursday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers said he fractured the second metacarpal bone in the hand.Nance was averaging 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals a game in his first season as a starter. He was a reserve his first two NBA seasons.Julius Randle or Kyle Kuzma were expected fill his minutes starting Friday against the Brooklyn Nets.Randle started 133 games the previous two seasons, while Kuzma, a rookie, scored a season-best 22 points in the loss to the Trail Blazers and is averaging team-high 15 points.