CLEVELAND (AP) — The air was heavy, heaving with hatred.And when LeBron James skipped onto the Quicken Loans Arena floor on Dec. 2, 2010, with his Miami teammates, scorned Cleveland fans aimed their fury at one of their own, the kid from Akron who was shaken by the experience.James was profanely taunted, booed and mocked. It was vile. It was personal.Eight years later, he'll feel loved.James returns to Cleveland on Wednesday night for the first time since leaving as a free agent last summer and signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. He's coming back to a city still grappling with losing him again and wondering what might have been had the world's best all-around player stayed.But unlike his previous comeback, the 33-year-old is coming home to be saluted for what he did during 11 years with the Cavaliers.He revived a franchise, lifted an entire region and brought a championship."It's going to be fun," said Cavs forward Kyle Korver, who spent two seasons with James. "LeBron had an incredible... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade is back with the Miami Heat after missing nearly two weeks for the birth of his daughter.Wade went through Miami's gameday shootaround and will play Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets. He said his wife and their daughter are doing well, which allowed him to feel comfortable to resume his season."I'm going to obviously miss them," Wade said. "It was tough leaving my little girl and my wife, but I've got to get back to work and I'll see them again soon."Wade was away from the team for about two weeks because of the birth of his daughter. Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union-Wade welcomed Kaavia James Union Wade into the world on Nov. 7. Wade had been in Los Angeles with them since then, and flew back to Miami on Monday.His return is most certainly welcome in Miami. The Heat went 2-5 in his time away, falling to 6-10 this season. They'll play Tuesday without guards Goran Dragic (knee), Tyler Johnson (hamstring) and Dion Waiters (ankle recovery from last season)."There's... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade is back with the Miami Heat.Wade was with the Heat for their game-day shootaround Tuesday morning ahead of their matchup against Brooklyn.Wade was away from the team for about two weeks because of the birth of his daughter. Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union-Wade welcomed Kaavia James Union Wade into the world on Nov. 7. Wade had been in Los Angeles with them since then.Wade is Miami's third-leading scorer this season at 14.3 points per game. The Heat went 2-5 in his time away from the team.He's playing his final season in the NBA. Wade revealed this month that he strongly considered retirement this summer because of his daughter's arrival.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — There was no need for introductions when the Miami Heat got to work this season.It's the same team as last year.That won't be the case next year.Dwyane Wade's 16th NBA season, almost all of which was spent in Miami, will be his last — and the Heat are determined to send the franchise's career leader in just about everything out the right way. Miami slogged its way through injuries to make the playoffs last season, and in an Eastern Conference that seems more open than it has now that LeBron James has moved West the Heat are hoping to send Wade off with a deep postseason run."I'm going to treat it with the appropriate respect," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Wade's final season. "I want him to know that I'm going to give it everything I have to make sure it goes the way that he wants it to — and then in turn, for him to give everything he has to make sure this team goes the way we want it to."Wade wouldn't have it any other way.He labored over this decision to come back or... [More]

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Dwyane Wade's first touch of the game was a lob to set up a dunk. His first shot was a corner 3-pointer. And his first trip into the lane resulted in getting his shot swatted away.All three of those plays left him smiling.Wade's 16th and final season — his "last dance," as he calls it — got off to an unofficial start Saturday, when the Miami Heat broke training camp at Florida Atlantic University with their annual scrimmage. His stats, as if they even mattered: eight points on 2 for 7 shooting, with three assists and a steal in 23 minutes."It was cool," Wade said. "We've been working hard in practice, obviously. But to be out here today in front of some fans, getting to play in a different energy, you could see it in everybody. Guys were moving quicker. Guys were into it."Wade got the big cheer at the start, and his fellow 16-year veteran got the biggest cheer at the end: The final play of the scrimmage was Udonis Haslem hitting a game-winning jumper, one that gave... [More]

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Part of Miami coach Erik Spoelstra's annual mandate to players, whether a 16-year veteran like Dwyane Wade or a second-year guy like Bam Adebayo, is to evolve.Spoelstra expects the same from himself.The Heat opened training camp on Tuesday with players who accounted for 98 percent of their scoring, 98 percent of their assists and 97 percent of their rebounding from last season. And keeping the same team means that those players, by now, have heard just about every speech and seen just about every trick in the Heat book.Hence, the challenge for Spoelstra this season: Keeping the message and the approach fresh."I look back on it now and I don't even know how I prepared for my first training camp," Spoelstra said after the first practice of the season at Florida Atlantic University. "With this group, this probably felt more like a practice and an extension of last year's playoff prep because we had so many familiar faces. So that was nice."Wade was back in Heat camp... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade doesn't know how this whole notion of his final season being called "The Last Dance" even started.Fun fact: He can't dance.But the three-time champion and 12-time All-Star can still play, and the Miami Heat are hoping — and expecting — Wade to still be extremely valuable in this, his 16th and last season in the NBA. And at Heat media day Monday, Wade said that even he doesn't know what to fully expect from what will be the last months of his playing career."I have no idea what I want out of this year," Wade said. "We're going to be able to figure this thing out as the year goes on. It's going to take on a life of its own. ... To me, that is the beauty of it, is that I do not know and we do not know."Starting Tuesday, the story starts getting told.Wade and the Heat head about 45 minutes north to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida for training camp — five straight days of workouts preceding Sunday's preseason opener at San Antonio. Decisions will have... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade doesn't know how this whole notion of his final season being called "The Last Dance" even started.Fun fact: He can't dance.But the three-time champion and 12-time All-Star can still play, and the Miami Heat are hoping — and expecting — Wade to still be extremely valuable in this, his 16th and last season in the NBA. And at Heat media day Monday, Wade said that even he doesn't know what to fully expect from what will be the last months of his playing career."I have no idea what I want out of this year," Wade said. "We're going to be able to figure this thing out as the year goes on. It's going to take on a life of its own. ... To me, that is the beauty of it, is that I do not know and we do not know."Starting Tuesday, the story starts getting told.Wade and the Heat head about 45 minutes north to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida for training camp — five straight days of workouts preceding Sunday's preseason opener at San Antonio. Decisions will have... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — This time last year, Miami's Goran Dragic was already tired and the season was just getting started.It's very different now.When the Heat hold their first practice of the season Tuesday, Dragic expects to be as rested and ready as he's been for any training camp in years. The point guard who went to his first All-Star Game last season wore down as the year went along, in part because of the grind he put himself through last summer while leading his native Slovenia to the European championship.This summer, he played less — and is hoping that pays off this season."I feel amazing. I feel great," Dragic said. "I think one of the smartest moves I made was retiring from the national team, because I feel energized and pumped for this season. I always kind of hit a wall toward the end of a season, but I feel like this season is going to be a totally different story."At 32, Dragic is Miami's third-oldest player — among those in the Heat locker room, only Udonis Haslem (38) and the entering-his-final-season... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler knows that NBA players can force their way into trades.Forcing their way into a trade that suits the player, that's an entirely different story.Butler has told the Minnesota Timberwolves that he has no intentions of re-signing with the club next summer, his way of saying "trade me now" or "lose me for nothing later." The Athletic first reported Butler's decision.It's a power move that players can make.Thing is, it comes with risk — because what happens next is not up to Butler.This was the lesson learned from the Kawhi Leonard situation, from the Kyrie Irving situation, from the Paul George situation. Leonard supposedly was hoping for a trade from San Antonio to the Los Angeles Clippers. Irving wanted to be sent by Cleveland to either San Antonio and Miami. George was widely assumed to leave Indiana for the Los Angeles Lakers.Leonard is in Toronto , at least for one season.Irving got sent to Boston , and is a free agent next summer.George landed in Oklahoma City,... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters will begin this season as he finished last season — unable to play.Waiters has not recovered sufficiently enough from left ankle surgery to be ready for the start of training camp next week, the team announced Tuesday. Heat President Pat Riley said it's unlikely that Waiters will be ready for the start of the regular season as well.The announcement wasn't a total surprise because Waiters was told when he had the procedure in mid-January that he could be sidelined for up to 10 months."Dion will not be returning to the court until the Heat medical team and training staff deem him healed, rehabbed and physically conditioned for all basketball activities," Riley said.Heat point guard Goran Dragic was taken aback by the news."This is kind of out of the blue for me," Dragic said. "At the end of the day, he knows what is best for him. I'm hoping he's going to be ready when we need him."Waiters is due to make about $11.5 million this season, the second... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Udonis Haslem arrived at the Miami Heat facility for a workout one day last week, and was told he needed to sign a waiver before he took the court.The reason: Technically, he wasn't on the team."That was a little weird, having to do that," Haslem said.It won't be a problem for the next year. Haslem officially signed his one-year, $2.4 million contract with the Heat on Monday, a deal that was struck last week and finally became official when he put pen to paper. Haslem will enter his 16th NBA season, all with the Heat, and that means the Miami native will be with his hometown franchise for more than half of its 31-year history."For the hometown kid in me, that means the world," Haslem said. "I wish I understood how big that is right now, because I really don't, but I know it's big."Haslem was the seventh-oldest player in the NBA last season — and will rise at least one spot on that list this season, with the retirement of San Antonio's Manu Ginobili. Vince Carter is 41 and will... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Udonis Haslem is barely given the chance to play anymore, and the Miami Heat wanted him back anyway.That's how much they value his presence.A person with knowledge of the negotiations said Haslem and the Heat have agreed on a one-year, $2.4 million contract that will keep him with his hometown team for a 16th season. The person spoke to The Associated Press Thursday on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed, though that last detail is now merely a formality."When players come in and we talk to them about what it means to be a Miami Heat player, we point them at Udonis Haslem," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said earlier this offseason.Haslem is one of the team's captains, and he and Dwyane Wade are the only two players to appear on all three of Miami's NBA champion teams. Haslem becomes the 19th player under contract going into training camp, one shy of the preseason maximum — and the Heat are waiting to see if Wade will take that last available spot.Haslem's... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — If Dwyane Wade plays this season, it will be in a Miami Heat uniform.It's still a significant "if."Wade, speaking Saturday night during an appearance at the Jr. NBA World Championship, told reporters that he doesn't have a timetable for when he'll make a decision on whether to return to the heat this season.He did make clear, however, that the Heat are the only team he's considering.Wade and Udonis Haslem, both of whom would be entering their 16th seasons if they continue, remain unsigned with about six weeks left before the start of training camp. Haslem has spent his entire NBA career with the Heat.Wade said there is "no clock" on his decision. The Heat have indicated repeatedly they would like both Wade and Haslem back.

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade's future remains a mystery.The Miami Heat guard wouldn't say Monday if he has decided whether to play this season, which would be his 16th in the NBA. His future has been the source of much speculation for several weeks, with retirement a possibility."In due time," Wade said. "Time will tell."Wade briefly addressed the issue while on a call promoting his role as an ambassador for the upcoming Jr. NBA World Championship that starts Aug. 7 in Orlando, Florida.Wade has become heavily involved in youth basketball in recent years, primarily because of his sponsorship of an AAU team and his son Zaire's involvement on elite-level squads."This is the purest form of basketball, to be able to be around kids at this age, before it becomes a business," Wade said.Heat President Pat Riley said last week the team will be patient while awaiting Wade's decision, with the hope of an answer by mid-August.Wade spent his first 13 seasons with Miami, then left for Chicago and eventually Cleveland before he was traded back to the Heat in February. Wade appeared in 26 regular-season and playoff games with Miami after the trade, all off the bench, averaging 12.9 points.He is averaging 22.5 points for his career, and was part of all three Heat championship teams in 2006, 2012 and 2013.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — When it comes to Dwyane Wade, it's clear that the Miami Heat want him back and they're willing to be patient while he figures out his plan.What's unclear is this: How much they'll have to pay.Heat President Pat Riley said Friday that he will have talks with managing general partner Micky Arison in the coming days about Wade's future. Realistically, there's only two contract options for Miami to present Wade — the $5.3 million exception, or the $2.4 million veteran minimum. The potential luxury tax implications Miami could face next year would rise in either case, and that's what the Heat are trying to avoid."That's the abyss that we all deal with in the NBA," Riley said.Riley said Miami has had talks with Wade and his agent Leon Rose over the summer, though no real detail about those conversations has been revealed by either side.Wade said at the end of last season that he wasn't certain about playing for a 16th NBA season in 2018-19, and hasn't offered anything in the... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade has a new contract — with his shoe company.Wade and the Chinese apparel company Li-Ning announced that the three-time NBA champion has signed a lifetime contract with the brand, which he has represented since 2012. The finalizing of that deal coincided with Wade and the company revealing his latest shoe, the "Way of Wade 7," at an event in Beijing on Wednesday.Wade appeared at the event with the company's CEO and namesake Li Ning, who is still revered in China for his gymnastics success."This was something I needed to do from the standpoint of building something," Wade told The Associated Press in a phone interview from China. "That's what I set out to do. This word we all talk about, legacy, I tried to set out to build a legacy for myself and my family. And after six years of that, it's cool to be here today."Financial details of the contract were not revealed, though it's believed the total value to Wade could reach tens of millions of dollars.Wade's relationship... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade has a new contract — with his shoe company.Wade and the Chinese apparel company Li-Ning announced that the three-time NBA champion has signed a lifetime contract with the brand, which he has represented since 2012. The finalizing of that deal coincided with Wade and the company revealing his latest shoe, the "Way of Wade 7," at an event in Beijing on Wednesday.Wade appeared at the event with the company's CEO and namesake Li Ning, who is still revered in China for his gymnastics success."This was something I needed to do from the standpoint of building something," Wade told The Associated Press in a phone interview from China. "That's what I set out to do. This word we all talk about, legacy, I tried to set out to build a legacy for myself and my family. And after six years of that, it's cool to be here today."Financial details of the contract were not revealed, though it's believed the total value to Wade could reach tens of millions of dollars.Wade's relationship... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade has signed a lifetime contract with Chinese apparel company Li-Ning.Wade made the deal official at an event in Beijing on Wednesday with the company's CEO and namesake Li Ning, who is revered in China for his gymnastics success.Wade's relationship with Li-Ning began in 2012, after he previously was an endorser for Converse and Jordan Brand. In addition to the continued production of basketball and lifestyle apparel, the new deal calls for Wade to take "a greater role" in youth developmental camps and basketball clinics in China and other parts of the world over the coming years.Wade finished last season with the Miami Heat. He has not decided if he will return to the Heat next season, which would be his 16th in the NBA.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Wayne Ellington is returning to the Miami Heat, after nearly two weeks of waiting and wondering if he would get his wish to be back with the club for a third season.A person with direct knowledge of the terms said Thursday night that Ellington accepted a $6.3 million, one-year offer that exactly matches his salary from last season. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed.Keeping Ellington was a top priority for the Heat this summer, and the veteran guard made clear that he wanted to be back in Miami. On Day 12 of free agency, a deal finally got struck."I feel great here in Miami," Ellington said. "I've built very strong relationships with a lot of people. These guys that I go to war with every night, we've gone from strangers to teammates to brothers. This is where I wanted to be."Ellington set a Heat record with 227 3-pointers last season, and established career highs of 11.2 points and 26.5 minutes per... [More]