CHICAGO (AP) — Kobe Bryant was one of eight finalists announced Friday as candidates for enshrinement into the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, a decision that came as absolutely no surprise in his first year of eligibility.Joining Bryant as first-time finalists for the Hall: 15-time All-Star Tim Duncan, fellow 15-time All-Star Kevin Garnett and 10-time WNBA All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings.The other finalists have all been to this point previously: Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, five-time Division II women’s coach of the year Barbara Stevens of Bentley, and four-time national men’s college coach of the year Eddie Sutton.This year’s enshrinement class will be announced on April 4 at college basketball’s Final Four in Atlanta. The induction ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts is Aug. 29.Bryant was an 18-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, a two-time... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins have never talked to one another about the 1988 dunk contest.They might be the only ones.It is still the dunk contest by which all other dunk contests are measured: Two stars, at the peak of their powers, the players who finished first and second in that season’s scoring standings, going head-to-head to decide a winner. Jordan left the old Chicago Stadium that night with the trophy. To this day, many believe Wilkins was the rightful winner. Either way, it was a never-to-be-forgotten show — and now, for the first time since that night 32 years ago, the dunk contest is returning to Chicago on Saturday night.“I did have a homecourt advantage, yes,” Jordan said this week in an interview with The Associated Press.“The fans got their money’s worth,” Wilkins said in a separate interview with AP.This season’s dunk contest entrant — Orlando’s Aaron Gordon, Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr., the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dwight Howard and Milwaukee’s Pat Connaughton... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins have never talked to one another about the 1988 dunk contest.They might be the only ones.It is still the dunk contest by which all other dunk contests are measured: Two stars, at the peak of their powers, the players who finished first and second in that season’s scoring standings, going head-to-head to decide a winner. Jordan left the old Chicago Stadium that night with the trophy. To this day, many believe Wilkins was the rightful winner. Either way, it was a never-to-be-forgotten show — and now, for the first time since that night 32 years ago, the dunk contest is returning to Chicago on Saturday night.“I did have a homecourt advantage, yes,” Jordan said this week in an interview with The Associated Press.“The fans got their money’s worth,” Wilkins said in a separate interview with AP.This season’s dunk contest entrant — Orlando’s Aaron Gordon, Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr., the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dwight Howard and Milwaukee’s Pat Connaughton... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA fined Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers $35,000 on Thursday, two days after he was critical of the officiating after his team lost to the Philadelphia 76ers.The NBA said George was fined those comments, and noted that the amount of the fine “also reflects his multiple prior violations of the rule prohibiting public criticism of the officiating."This marks at least the fifth time George has been fined in his career for such comments, and this came with the stiffest fine — topping the $25,000 he was docked on two other occasions.George pointed out the Clippers were called for eight more fouls than Philadelphia n the 76ers' 110-103 win at home, referring to that disparity as “home-court cooking."

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks clarified on Tuesday that the new adviser they hired to improve their brand makes no personnel decisions, after he indicated during a televised interview that they would hire a new coach.Steve Stoute, hired in part last month to improve the team's connection to its fans, was interviewed on ESPN on Tuesday and said the Knicks would be looking for a new coach, even though interim coach Mike Miller has a better record than David Fizdale when he was fired in December.Stoute said the Knicks' recent firing of president Steve Mills "will bring a new coach and new coaches that are going to help develop these younger players.”The Knicks fired Mills on Feb. 4 and plan to hire player agent Leon Rose as team president. In the meantime, Stoute hinted at changes that would be coming during his TV appearance.“While Steve Stoute is a valued contributor to the Knicks’ marketing and branding efforts, he does not speak on behalf of New York Knicks personnel and basketball... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers waived guard Isaiah Thomas on Saturday, two days after acquiring him as part of a three-team trade.The move had been expected since Thursday's deal with the Wizards and Knicks. Thomas has averaged 18.1 points and 5.0 assists during his career with seven NBA teams. The 31-year-old guard was drafted by Sacramento out of the University of Washington in 2011.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets have requested waivers on guard Gerald Green, whom they acquired from Houston as part of the 12-player, four-team trade with the Rockets, Timberwolves and Hawks earlier this week.Green has missed the entire season because of a foot injury in the preseason that required surgery. The 12-year veteran has played in 658 career games for eight NBA teams, posting averages of 9.7 points and 2.5 rebounds while playing 19.8 minutes a game.He was the 18th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2005 NBA draft out of Gulf Shores Academy High School in Houston.

MIAMI (AP) — In deciding whether to pursue a trade for Andre Iguodala, the Miami Heat went all-in on research. They talked to people who knew Iguodala. They watched what he did last season. They took a deep dive into the analytics.And they came to a determination.“He’s elite,” Heat President Pat Riley said.Simple as that. That’s why Iguodala is now in Heat colors, and a team that wasn’t even good enough to make the playoffs last season is thinking big as it gears up for a run at the 2020 postseason. Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill all joined the team for a game-day shootaround practice in Sacramento on Friday to get their first taste of what life with the Heat is like.“He's an elite defender, an elite team defender, elite assist-to-turnover percentage, he ranks up into the top of those areas that are real tangible,” Riley said. “You don't lose that in seven months. And probably it was a blessing in disguise that he didn't play for seven months.Iguodala last played an NBA game in... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have taken on yet another new look, with D'Angelo Russell on his way to join pal Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins heading west to the Golden State Warriors.In a swap of high scorers consummated just a few hours before the NBA deadline on Thursday, the Timberwolves acquired the dynamic point guard they'd been seeking for awhile in Russell and pulled the plug on their development of Wiggins, the mercurial first overall pick of the 2014 draft.The deal also sent two little-used Golden State players, guard Jacob Evans and forward Omari Spellman, to the Timberwolves and routed two draft picks to the Warriors. They'll get Minnesota's first-rounder and second-rounder in 2021, unless the first-rounder is in the top three. Then it would roll over to 2022.That means the Timberwolves, who overturned half of their roster this week, will have two first-round picks this summer, their own that's likely to be in the top five and another one from Brooklyn... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves have taken on yet another new look, with D'Angelo Russell on his way to join pal Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins heading west to the Golden State Warriors.In a swap of high scorers consummated just a few hours before the NBA deadline on Thursday, the Timberwolves acquired the dynamic point guard they'd been seeking for awhile in Russell and pulled the plug on their development of Wiggins, the mercurial first overall pick of the 2014 draft.The deal also sent two little-used Golden State players, guard Jacob Evans and forward Omari Spellman, to the Timberwolves and routed two draft picks to the Warriors. They'll get Minnesota's first-rounder and second-rounder in 2021, unless the first-rounder is in the top three. Then it would roll over to 2022.That means the Timberwolves, who overturned half of their roster this week, will have two first-round picks this summer, their own that's likely to be in the top five and another one from Brooklyn... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A person familiar with the trade says the Philadelphia 76ers have acquired Glenn Robinson and Alec Burks from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for draft picks.Expected to contend for an Eastern Conference championship, the Sixers have slumped and are in sixth place in the standings entering Thursday's games. The Sixers hope to strengthen their bench with the move. They will send Golden State a 2020 second-round pick via Dallas, a 2021 second-round pick via Denver, and a 2022 second-round pick via Toronto, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not officially been announced.Robinson, in his second stint with the Sixers, averaged 12.9 points and shot 40% from 3-point range. Burks averages 16.1 points and shoots 37.5% from 3-point range. The move puts the Sixers roster at 15, meaning two players will have to go before the trade deadline to fit in Robinson and Burks.The 76ers made room at the deadline when they traded James Ennis III to the Orlando Magic for a future second-round pick, according to the person familiar with the deal. Ennis averaged 5.8 points in 49 games.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — In a swap of high scorers, the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired D'Angelo Russell on Thursday from the Golden State Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, according to a person with knowledge of the trade.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had yet to be finalized by the NBA with a few hours remaining before the deadline. ESPN first reported the trade, which also includes additional players and draft picks. Russell had been on Minnesota's radar for months, a dynamic point guard in his fifth season in the league after going as the second overall pick in the 2015 draft. The first choice that year was Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, a friend of Russell around whom the front office has been trying to rebuild the roster. Minnesota will be Russell's fourth NBA team. He averaged 23.6 points per game for the injury-wrecked Warriors, a career high after coming in an offseason trade with Brooklyn. The Wolves tried to woo him then, too,... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A person familiar with the trade says the Philadelphia 76ers have acquired Glenn Robinson and Alec Burks from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for draft picks.Expected to contend for an Eastern Conference championship, the Sixers have slumped and are in sixth place in the standings entering Thursday's games. The Sixers hope to strengthen their bench with the move. The Sixers will send Golden State a 2020 second-round pick via Dallas, a 2021 second-round pick via Denver and a 2022 second-round pick via Toronto, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not officially been announced.Robinson, in his second stint with the Sixers, averaged 12.9 points and shot 40% from 3-point range. Burks averages 16.1 points and shoots 37.5% from 3-point range. The move puts the Sixers roster at 15, meaning two players will have to go before the trade deadline to fit in Robinson and Burks.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations says Andre Iguodala is headed to Miami after the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies agreed Wednesday night on his long-awaited trade.As part of the deal, Iguodala agreed to a two-year extension, with the second of those years being a team option, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been finalized.The person also said Miami and Memphis were still working out complete terms of what the Heat are giving up in the deal, and that a third team may still be involved.Holding the team option for 2021-22 is a critical component for Miami, which intends to have space for two max contracts in the summer of 2021 and made clear to all teams in recent days — and even last summer — that it would not compromise those plans.Iguodala was the 2015 NBA Finals MVP for Golden State and was traded to Memphis last summer. He did not play for the Grizzlies, after he and the team agreed that it would... [More]

Books created by Kobe Bryant’s content company soared in popularity in the days following the basketball legend’s death in a helicopter crash.A trio of the books created by Bryant’s Granity Studios will occupy the top three spots on the Middle Grade Hardcover portion of The New York Times’ best-seller list for Feb. 16. “Epoca: The Tree Of Ecrof” will be No. 1 on that list, followed by “Legacy And The Queen” and “The Wizenard: Training Camp.”All three of the books were written for children between the ages of 10 and 14. Bryant, in an interview with The Associated Press in 2018, said his mission for the books was “to combine education and inspiration and build around the concepts of what kids go through when they are playing a sport."Another of Bryant’s books, “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play” has also reached No. 1 on Amazon’s non-fiction sales charts this week. Bryant released that book in 2018, the same year that he won an Academy Award in the best animated short for his ode to the game... [More]

RIETI, Italy (AP) — The first Italian basketball team that Kobe Bryant’s father played for retired the Lakers superstar’s jersey to the rafters in a pregame ceremony Wednesday.“You began to play here and as an adult you made us dream. Our colors are with you in the sky,” read a huge banner in Italian that fans of NPC Rieti held up before the game against Scafati in Italy’s second division.Then a gold Lakers’ jersey with Bryant’s No. 24 was lifted to the ceiling of the PalaSojourner arena as a recording of Bryant's lineup introduction from his NBA playing days was played.Rieti was where Joe Bryant, Kobe’s father, made his Italian basketball debut in 1984. Kobe was 6 at the time. Joe Bryant went on to play for three other teams in Italy and Kobe grew up in the country until moving back to Pennsylvania for high school.Kobe Bryant died last month with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. He was 41.At the start of the ceremony,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks made a big move before the trade deadline — by getting rid of the guy who would have been making their deals.They fired President Steve Mills on Tuesday, shaking up the front office at a most unusual time.General manager Scott Perry will take over control of the basketball operations, with the team announcing that it would begin an immediate search for a new president just two days before the trade deadline.Mills has held a number of titles at Madison Square Garden since 1999, where he came after spending 16 years at the NBA. But this was the first time his role included full control of basketball decisions, and now MSG executive chairman James Dolan will look for someone else to do it.“I will always be grateful to Jim for giving me the chance to represent this franchise and I’m disappointed we were unable to achieve success for New York," Mills said. “I would like to thank the staff and the players for their hard work during my tenure. I will always... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks fired President Steve Mills on Tuesday, shaking up the front office just two days before the NBA's trade deadline.General manager Scott Perry will take over control of the basketball operations, with the team announcing that it would begin an immediate search for a new president.Mills has held a number of titles at Madison Square Garden since 1999, where he came after spending 16 years at the NBA. But this was the first time his role included full control of basketball decisions, and now MSG executive chairman James Dolan will look for someone else to do it.“I will always be grateful to Jim for giving me the chance to represent this franchise and I’m disappointed we were unable to achieve success for New York," Mills said. “I would like to thank the staff and the players for their hard work during my tenure. I will always be a Knicks fan.”Mills' firing is the second major change for the Knicks this season. They fired coach David Fizdale after just 22... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks fired President Steve Mills on Tuesday, shaking up the front office just two days before the NBA trade deadline, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.General manager Scott Perry will take over control of the basketball operations, the person said, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.Mills' firing is the second major change for the Knicks this season. They fired coach David Fizdale after just 22 games.Mills' firing was first reported by ESPN.The Knicks are 15-36 this season, Mills' third in charge after replacing Phil Jackson. They were 17-65 last season, tying the worst record in franchise history, but believed a big summer could lead to a quick improvement.However, they couldn't sign any of the top free agents despite having enough money to afford two of them, watching as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving instead went to Brooklyn. Mills then pivoted to sign veteran players to short-term... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers' first game since Kobe Bryant's death was the second-most watched regular-season NBA game on ESPN.The game Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers averaged 4.41 million viewers. The only telecast to surpass that since ESPN resumed NBA coverage in 2002-03 was a January 2003 game between the Lakers and Houston Rockets that featured the first matchup between Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming (4.88 million).According to Nielsen, the Bryant pregame ceremony averaged 5.23 million viewers. The audience peaked at 6.07 million between 10:45 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern, which was the conclusion of the ceremony and the start of the game.By comparison, a game between Houston and the Denver Nuggets scheduled during a similar time slot last year averaged 1.6 million. The “Hoop Streams” pregame — which was streamed between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern — had a record 2.4 million views, according to the network. The show is streamed on ESPN.com and its app as well as Twitter and YouTube.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports