DALLAS (AP) — DeAndre Jordan took off his warmup jacket, tossed it aside and declared that his decision to join the Dallas Mavericks didn't mean he also would be playing for his favorite NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys.Humor was the center's way of easing into all the questions about his infamous jilting of the Mavericks in free agency three years ago, when he agreed to play for Dallas and changed his mind before contracts could be signed.When it was pointed out to him that folks in Dallas hadn't seen the fun-loving side of the native Texan before Mavericks media day Friday, Jordan did what he had done for most of his 15 minutes with reporters. He smiled."You haven't seen this side?" Jordan asked, repeating the observation. "You guys hated me the past three years so I probably wasn't very open in interviews. You know what I mean? I'm excited to get to know all of you guys."Jordan wanted to get one thing straight before agreeing again to sign with the Mavericks, this time after opting out of... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The father of veteran NBA player Richard Jefferson has been killed in a drive-by shooting in the Los Angeles area.The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department says that Jefferson's father, also named Richard Jefferson, was fatally shot while standing on a corner in Compton on Wednesday night.The sheriff's department says at least one man fired on the 65-year-old Jefferson from a car, hitting him several times in the torso. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.Detectives say the motive is unknown and that the shooting is under investigation.The younger Jefferson has played in the NBA for 17 years. The 38-year-old won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and most recently played for the Denver Nuggets.

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Ben Simmons is set to turn the 76ers into must-see TV.But he hopes to have another smash hit off the court. NBC has given a script commitment to "Brotherly Love," loosely based on the life of the Aussie-born NBA rookie of the year.Deadline described the pitch like this:"Brotherly Love is inspired by the life of Ben Simmons and centers on a unique sibling relationship within a multi-ethnic family. Together, they pursue their dreams while navigating life in the spotlight in Philadelphia, a passionate city where sports is in your blood, and your blood is always boiling."Don't touch that dial — well, unless the 76ers are on."It's just funny because a lot of people probably pitch their lives and think everything should be a TV show," Simmons said Friday. "We brought it to life. (My brother) wrote something up, pitched it to a few different people. NBC loved it and went with it. It's really going to be about our relationship and how things just happen. It's more of a comedy-sitcom... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Magic Johnson can already see LeBron James' impact on the young Los Angeles Lakers before they've even had a regular practice together.After just a few weeks of unusually competitive offseason scrimmages, the Lakers' basketball boss can't wait to see how James' leadership will translate into real success.Magic and general manager Rob Pelinka on Thursday pronounced themselves thrilled with the offseason progress made by their revamped roster and James, their prize free-agent acquisition. The Lakers have been working out together informally at the club's training complex ahead of the start of training camp Tuesday, and Johnson likes what he sees so far."Just to see all of them together playing a pickup game, oh my goodness," Johnson said. "It's something to watch. I've watched LeBron from afar. I've been at many of his games. But to watch him in the gym is a whole different thing. How much he makes everybody better, but also how he raises everybody's level of play.... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — There is almost certainly pain coming for the Hawks, or at least their fans, yet first-time NBA head coach Lloyd Pierce and second-year general manager Travis Schlenk refuse to notarize that word while in charge of Atlanta's only woebegone pro team.Training camp begins Tuesday for the team that last season lost more games than any other in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks were 24-58, and their offseason moves are not likely to move them closer to playoff contention.They're going to be painfully young outside of their two potential marquee players. Vince Carter, though, is 41 years old ahead of his 20th NBA season. And Jeremy Lin, 30, signed over the summer too, joining his seventh NBA team. Oh, and they signed 30-year-old center Cole Aldrich last week.Still, the brass is excited for training camp to open next Tuesday.The NBA, after all, is as much about massive rebuilds these days as it is assembling super teams. The Hawks qualify for the former, and Pierce knows that game... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis is back with his teammates, though the New York Knicks don't know when he'll be back on the court.Joakim Noah won't be back, though the terms of his departure still are being negotiated.So while there are questions, the Knicks also feel they have certainty with the way they are building their team.They insist their future first-round draft picks will be used to select players for their own team, not to be dangled in trades that could land them an established player."We're committed to following a plan and not just shifting and pivoting because we see something that we think is attractive and might fast track something," Knicks president Steve Mills said Thursday. "I've seen that happen and go wrong too many times and that's not what we're going to do."It's happened in New York, where the Knicks traded young players and future assets in 2011 to acquire Carmelo Anthony, rather than sign him the following summer as a free agent with the cap space they had.... [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]

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Only two years out of the NBA, Elton Brand is set to return to the league as a 39-year-old general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers.For a franchise that underwent the painful "Process" for a few seasons and had its last GM caught up in a Twitter scandal, a youth movement in the front office could be what the Sixers need to take the next step into Eastern Conference contention.Brand is ready to help lead the way."I'm going to rely on my team," Brand said. "Not just on the court, but the off-the-court team. I can't keep saying it enough. In my opinion, we are one of the top groups in the NBA."Brand was introduced Thursday at the Sixers complex as the new GM, and it was made clear the two-time All-Star will not yield the power to make the final decisions, but rather work in concert with coach Brett Brown and the rest of the front office."The 76ers are on the cusp of something very special and the next 12 months are really important," Brand said. "I think that's why I was... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Elton Brand is in charge of the Philadelphia 76ers.A person familiar with the situation says the Sixers have made Brand their new general manager, replacing Bryan Colangelo. Colangelo resigned in June as the 76ers' president of basketball operations after what an investigation concluded was "careless and in some instances reckless" sharing of sensitive team information on Twitter.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the move had not been officially announced. Brand is expected to be introduced at a news conference on Thursday.Brand had worked for the Sixers as vice president of operations and also served as the general manager of the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers' G League affiliate.Brand was the No. 1 pick of the 1999 draft by the Chicago Bulls and played two stints with the Sixers.Sixers coach Brett Brown had served as Philadelphia's interim GM and said earlier Tuesday he wasn't interested in holding both jobs. Brown pledged... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Elton Brand is in charge of the Philadelphia 76ers.A person familiar with the situation says the Sixers have made Brand their new general manager, replacing Bryan Colangelo. Colangelo resigned in June as the 76ers' president of basketball operations after what an investigation concluded was "careless and in some instances reckless" sharing of sensitive team information on Twitter.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the move had not been officially announced. Brand is expected to be introduced at a news conference on Thursday.Brand had worked for the Sixers as vice president of operations and also served as the general manager of the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers' G League affiliate.Brand was the No. 1 pick of the 1999 draft by the Chicago Bulls and played two stints with the Sixers.Sixers coach Brett Brown had served as Philadelphia's interim GM and said earlier Tuesday he wasn't interested in holding both jobs.

TORONTO (AP) — Kawhi Leonard has yet to address the media in Toronto since his trade to the Raptors, but team president Masai Ujiri said Tuesday that his star acquisition is happy and healthy."He is determined and seems in the right frame of mind," Ujiri said. "You will be hearing from him shortly. I think there is a fire inside of him and we are all excited about that."Leonard was the centerpiece of one of the NBA's biggest off-season trades. The Raptors acquired the two-time Defensive Player of the Year from the San Antonio Spurs along with Danny Green in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a draft pick. Ujiri swung the deal while in Kenya working with his nonprofit, Giants of Africa.While Leonard has remained mum on the move, Ujiri said he's not concerned about the 27-year-old's commitment to the franchise, saying Leonard worked out with Raptors coaches in Los Angeles, and has visited Toronto a couple of times."Basketball person. Just loves the game," he said. "Wants to play... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz are expected this season to join Philadelphia's Big Three.No, not as franchise cornerstones — the No. 1 draft picks were already part of that trio with All-Star center Joel Embiid.But as long-distance shooters, Simmons and Fultz went 0 for the season on 3s; Simmons, the NBA rookie of the year, missed all 11 attempts and Fultz went 0 for 1 from 3-point range.Sixers coach Brett Brown said both players have put in the work needed on their jumpers, though neither player will ever become defined by his work beyond the arc. Brown said Fultz took about 150,000 shots this summer under the tutelage of trainer Drew Hanlen. Simmons has worked with his brother, Liam, a former college basketball assistant coach, at 3s and shooting from the elbow.Simmons attempted just one 3 in the postseason and he'll have to establish some sort of long-range jumper to become a serious all-around threat in the NBA."His jump shot's not going to define him," Brown said... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz are expected this season to join Philadelphia's Big Three.No, not as franchise cornerstones — the No. 1 draft picks were already part of that trio with All-Star center Joel Embiid.But as long-distance shooters, Simmons and Fultz went 0 for the season on 3s; Simmons, the NBA rookie of the year, missed all 11 attempts and Fultz went 0 for 1 from 3-point range.Sixers coach Brett Brown said both players have put in the work needed on their jumpers, though neither player will ever become defined by his work beyond the arc. Brown said Fultz took about 150,000 shots this summer under the tutelage of trainer Drew Hanlen. Simmons has worked with his brother, Liam, a former college basketball assistant coach, at 3s and shooting from the elbow.Simmons attempted just one 3 in the postseason and he'll have to establish some sort of long-range jumper to become a serious all-around threat in the NBA."His jump shot's not going to define him," Brown said... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers will hire a general manager to replace Bryan Colangelo before the start of the season, coach Brett Brown said Tuesday.Colangelo resigned in June as the 76ers' president of basketball operations after what an investigation concluded was "careless and in some instances reckless" sharing of sensitive team information on Twitter.Brown took the GM role on an interim basis, and the search for a new general manager has only recently heated up. Brown, entering his sixth season, said he had no interest in holding both jobs."That is my expectation, that we will have a general manager before the season starts," Brown said. "This is not something that interests me. I do not believe in the role that I have as a head coach that it's tenable. ... We will have, to the best of my knowledge, a general manager appointed, announced by the start of the season. And it's not me. It was never going to be."The Sixers have reportedly interviewed Utah Jazz assistant general... [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]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves center Justin Patton has had surgery for a broken foot for the second straight year and is out indefinitely.The team said Tuesday that Patton's operation on his right foot in New York went as planned.Patton sustained the same injury, a fractured fifth metatarsal, on his left loot last year after he was drafted 16th overall out of Creighton. He was acquired by the Timberwolves in the draft-night trade with Chicago for Jimmy Butler.As a result of his surgery, Patton appeared in only one game as a rookie last season. He averaged 12.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 38 games for Minnesota's G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. Behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng, playing time for Patton was already going to be hard to come by.___More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says the New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to terms on a one-year, veteran-minimum contract with guard Jarrett Jack.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the roster move and contract terms have not been announced.Jack, who turns 35 next month, has played 13 years in the NBA, including two stints with New Orleans. He also has played for Portland, Indiana, Toronto, Golden State, Cleveland, Brooklyn and New York.He has averaged nearly 11 points per game throughout his career and averaged a career-best 15.6 points in the 2011-12 season with New Orleans.Jack's contract is not guaranteed, meaning he'll have to compete for a roster spot in training camp, which begins next week.___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves center Justin Patton is sidelined indefinitely after injuring his right foot during a workout.The Timberwolves said Sunday that Patton will undergo surgery.The 6-foot-11 center played in one game for Minnesota last season, scoring two points and recording one steal in about four minutes on April 1 against Utah.Patton appeared in 38 games for the Iowa Wolves, averaging 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks for Minnesota's G League affiliate.Patton was selected 16th overall in the 2017 NBA draft. The Timberwolves acquired Patton's draft rights, along with Jimmy Butler, in June 2017 from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the draft rights to Lauri Markkanen.___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Manu Ginobili walked into the San Antonio Spurs practice facility and saw the intense efforts of his young teammates in preseason workouts.Ginobili had put himself through those same workouts for 16 seasons. But this August morning, the 41-year-old realized he couldn't. For a player who has literally thrown himself into his basketball career, the realization his body and spirit were no longer willing cemented the decision to walk away from the NBA."I couldn't see my body going through that kind of grind again," Ginobili said Saturday during a press conference at the Spurs practice facility. "I felt that I had a good season, that I left everything that I had in the previous season both physically and mentally."Ginobili was thoughtful, self-effacing and funny in his first interview since announcing his retirement Aug. 27 on social media. He steps away after helping San Antonio win four of its five NBA titles, the last coming in 2014.His retirement, along with Tony Parker's... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Prosecutors are reviewing allegations that Houston Rockets star James Harden took a woman's cellphone outside a Scottsdale nightclub last month.Police told The Arizona Republic that a city prosecutor is looking at their investigation.The 42-year-old woman reported that she was recording a fight Aug. 11 when Harden grabbed her by the wrist.She says he then grabbed her cellphone and threw it onto the roof.According to the police report, Harden and someone in his entourage gave her $500 to pay for a replacement.The woman was treated at a hospital for a wrist injury.Harden, who played at Arizona State University, was voted the NBA's Most Valuable Player in June.A representative for the Houston Rockets did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.