The Memphis Grizzlies finally filled their coaching vacancy by hiring Milwaukee Bucks assistant Taylor Jenkins.The Grizzlies will introduce Jenkins at news conference on Wednesday."Taylor has an excellent coaching pedigree, and we are confident he will lay the groundwork of developing the young players on our roster while having the elite basketball acumen and forward-thinking positive vision to be a high-level NBA head coach," Zachary Z. Kleiman, the Grizzlies' executive vice president of basketball operations, said in a statement Tuesday.Memphis became the sixth and final NBA team to hire a new coach after firing J.B. Bickerstaff following the end of the season in April.Jenkins, 34, was Mike Budenholzer's assistant in Milwaukee this season and in Atlanta for five seasons. Jenkins becomes Memphis' fourth head coach since the Grizzlies chose not to renew Lionel Hollins' contract in 2013 after he led them to their lone Western Conference final appearance.The new Grizzlies coach started in... [More]

The Memphis Grizzlies finally filled their coaching vacancy by hiring Milwaukee Bucks assistant Taylor Jenkins.Jenkins is expected to be introduced at news conference on Wednesday, a person told The Associated Press Tuesday on condition of anonymity because Memphis has not publicly announced the hiring.The Grizzlies have been looking for a new coach since firing J.B. Bickerstaff the day after the season ended in April. Jenkins, 34, was Mike Budenholzer's assistant in Milwaukee this season and in Atlanta for five seasons. Jenkins becomes Memphis' fourth head coach since the Grizzlies chose not to renew Lionel Hollins' contract after leading them to their lone Western Conference final appearance in 2013.ESPN.com first reported the Jenkins' hiring.Jenkins started in the NBA as an intern with the San Antonio Spurs' basketball operations department during the 2007-08 season. He then was an assistant coach with the Spurs' G League team, the Toros, and worked under both Quin Snyder, now head coach... [More]

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Pelicans basketball operations chief David Griffin said Tuesday that the timing of next week's NBA draft won't necessarily raise urgency to deal away disgruntled six-time All-Star Anthony Davis."I'm open-minded," Griffin said while introducing new front office hire Swin Cash on a conference call with reporters. "If things devolve in such a way that it's time for us to make a decision relative to Anthony Davis or any other part of the organization, we will. But we're not in a hurry to do anything and we don't feel there is a time sensitivity to anything that we're talking about — and that includes AD's desire to stay or not stay. That's not something there's a shot clock on."The Pelicans have the first overall pick in the June 20 NBA draft, when they are expected to select consensus top prospect Zion Williamson of Duke. The Pelicans could acquire additional high draft picks by dealing Davis by draft night, but also could choose to wait and trade Davis for established... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist underwent a surgical procedure to address a chronic groin strain.The team called the surgery Tuesday a success. The No. 2 pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of Kentucky is expected to make a full recovery and be available for the start of the team's training camp in September.Kidd-Gilchrist was relegated to a backup role last season with the Hornets. He appeared in 64 games with starts, and averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) — The scoreboard said Golden State 106, Toronto 105.The reality was that both teams lost.It's almost unimaginable: an NBA Finals game where neither team felt like celebrating afterward. That was the bizarre reality on Monday night, after the Warriors staved off elimination by rallying in the final moments to beat the Raptors and send this series back to Oracle Arena for Game 6 — on a night when Kevin Durant's season came to an end.Durant has an Achilles injury. The Warriors know it's bad. They'll find out how bad on Tuesday."It's devastating," Toronto forward Kawhi Leonard said.He wasn't talking about losing the game.He was talking about seeing Durant get hurt.Leonard knows what it's like to have the game taken away by injury. He missed most of last season with a leg injury, one that limited him to nine games. He saw his commitment to the game questioned — the same way Durant had by some in recent days — and came out the other side an even better player.That was the hope after... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The scoreboard said Golden State 106, Toronto 105.The reality was both teams lost.It's almost unimaginable: An NBA Finals game where neither team felt like celebrating afterward. That was the bizarre reality on Monday night, after the Warriors staved off elimination by rallying in the final moments to beat the Raptors and send this series back to Oracle Arena for Game 6 — on a night where Kevin Durant's season came to an end.Durant has an Achilles injury. The Warriors know it's bad. They'll find out how bad on Tuesday."It's devastating," Toronto forward Kawhi Leonard said.He wasn't talking about losing the game.He was talking about seeing Durant get hurt.Leonard knows what it's like to have the game taken away by injury. He missed most of last season with a leg injury, one that limited him to nine games. He had his commitment to the game questioned — the same way Durant had by some in recent days — and came out the other side an even better player.That was the hope after... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker's impressive career is over.Parker announced Monday he's retiring from basketball after 18 seasons in the NBA. The 37-year-old guard said on Twitter it was an emotional decision."It's with a lot of emotion that I retire from basketball, it was an incredible journey!" Parker tweeted. "Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would live all those unbelievable moments with the NBA and the French National Team. Thank you for everything!"Parker played 17 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Charlotte Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times.Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he's loved Parker for a long time and praised him for an "amazing career.""It has been a blessing to be with him since he was 19 years old," Popovich said on a USA Basketball conference call Monday. "I... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat has been selected as this season's winner of the Magic Johnson Award, presented by the Pro Basketball Writers Association.Wade, who just completed his final season before retirement, was chosen as "the player who best combines excellence on the basketball court with cooperation and dignity in dealing with the media and the public."Wade averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his 16th and final NBA season. He was a three-time champion, the 2006 NBA Finals MVP and a 13-time All-Star.The PBWA created the Magic Johnson Award in 2001. Other finalists this season included Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors and Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NB A and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker announced Monday he's retiring after 18 seasons.The 37-year-old guard said on Twitter it was an emotional decision. Parker played 17 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times."It's with a lot of emotion that I retire from basketball, it was an incredible journey!" Parker tweeted. "Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would live all those unbelievable moments with the NBA and the French National Team. Thank you for everything!"Parker started 1,151 games regular season games and averaged 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game. He also played in 226 playoffs games, averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 assists per game.He won NBA titles with the Spurs in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. He was named NBA Finals MVP in 2007.Parker had one year left... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker has announced he's retiring after 18 seasons.The 37-year-old guard played 17 said on Twitter Monday that it was an emotional decision and that it has been an "incredible journey." He played 17 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times.ESPN was first to report the news.Parker stated 1,151 games regular season games and averaged 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game. He also played in 226 playoffs games, averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 assists per game.Parker had one year left on his contract with the Hornets, but was not a major part of Charlotte's rotation late last season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — When Game 4 was over, while Toronto fans were waving Canadian flags in celebration inside an otherwise-stunned Oracle Arena, a glum-faced Kevin Durant was outside the Golden State locker room to greet equally glum teammates as they sauntered off the floor.That's been his only visible role on game nights in the NBA Finals.If that doesn't change Monday, this series is probably going to end.With it, in that case, so would Golden State's reign as NBA champions. And then it's possible that Durant, a free-agent-in-waiting, has played for the Warriors for the last time.Durant limped off the floor at Oracle Arena a month ago — Game 5 of the second round — with what the team called a mild calf strain. It's apparently the most severe "mild" calf strain in the history of injuries, because he hasn't played since and there's no way of knowing if that's going to change on Monday.And the Warriors clearly need him if they're going to pull off a comeback against the Raptors in these... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have signed general manager Jon Horst to a multiyear extension, rewarding a key figure behind one of the best seasons in franchise history.The deal was announced Friday. Horst is one of the front-runners for NBA executive of the year, along with Denver's Tim Connelly, the Clippers' Lawrence Frank and Toronto's Masai Ujiri."I'm thankful to our ownership group for their continued trust and confidence in me," Horst said. "Wes (Edens), Marc (Lasry) and Jamie (Dinan) have been resolute in their commitment to building a championship-caliber team, providing the necessary tools and resources, and I look forward to continuing to execute their vision."Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee went 60-22 this year for the NBA's best record and the franchise's first 60-win season since the 1980-81 campaign. The Bucks also advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001, losing to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference finals.In two seasons... [More]

Mark Stevens will have to watch on TV when the arena he and his fellow investors are building in San Francisco opens next season with what they hope will be another championship ring ceremony for the Golden State Warriors.The billionaire venture capitalist's yearlong punishment for shoving Toronto's Kyle Lowry courtside during Game 3 of the NBA Finals came down quickly as the NBA tried to get ahead of today's fast-moving news cycles. The NBA understood it had a public relations — and player relations — crisis on its hands, especially after an initial finals-long suspension drew scorn on social media.And Stevens was also quick to apologize, though the mea culpa came in the form of a prepared statement. Lowry apparently wasn't taking calls and, really, who could blame him.In the NBA's version of a perfect world, it would all be wrapped up before the playoff series moves back to Toronto. Adam Silver had to be hoping the suspension and $500,000 fine were severe enough to allow the focus to... [More]

Mark Stevens will have to watch on TV when the arena he and his fellow investors are building in San Francisco opens next season with what they hope will be another championship ring ceremony for the Golden State Warriors.The billionaire venture capitalist's yearlong punishment for shoving Toronto's Kyle Lowry courtside during Game 3 of the NBA Finals came down quickly as the NBA tried to get ahead of today's fast-moving news cycles. The NBA understood it had a public relations — and player relations — crisis on its hands, especially after an initial finals-long suspension drew scorn on social media.And Stevens was also quick to apologize, though the mea culpa came in the form of a prepared statement. Lowry apparently wasn't taking calls and, really, who could blame him.In the NBA's version of a perfect world, it would all be wrapped up before the playoff series moves back to Toronto. Adam Silver had to be hoping the suspension and $500,000 fine were severe enough to allow the focus to... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets have agreed to trade guard Allen Crabbe, the first step into what they hope can be a big summer.The Nets will deal him along with two first-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that will clear additional salary cap space, possibly putting themselves in position to afford two top free agents.The Nets will get forward Taurean Prince and a 2021 second-round pick in the deal, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade cannot become official until July 6.Brooklyn will hope to have secured at least one high-profile commitment in free agency by then. The Nets were already in position to be able to afford a max player and by moving Crabbe's $18.5 million salary for 2019-20, more money will become available to them.Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving are among the headline names in the class, and the Nets also have to decide if they want to re-sign point... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — A person with knowledge of the details says the Brooklyn Nets have traded guard Allen Crabbe and two first-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that will clear additional salary cap space.The Nets will get forward Taurean Prince and a 2021 second-round pick in the deal, the person told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade cannot become official until July 6.Brooklyn will hope to have secured at least one high-profile commitment in free agency by then. The Nets were already in position to be able to afford a max player and by moving Crabbe's $18.5 million salary for 2019-20, more money will become available to them.The trade was first reported by ESPN.com.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Toronto coach Nick Nurse plays to the beats to his own drum.And that's not even one of the instruments that he's messing around with these days.Nurse's office in Toronto has a guitar stand on one side of his desk and a piano on the other. He's trying to master both; the guitar travels with him on the road and he's been known to strum it while studying film. The piano doesn't exactly fit in the overhead storage bin of the plane so it stays behind.Nurse says he's not any good yet.His team, however, is making plenty of beautiful music so far in these NBA Finals.The moment has not been too big for Nurse or the Raptors. They lead the title series 2-1 after a 123-109 win over injury-depleted Golden State on Wednesday night, an outcome that puts the two-time defending NBA champions in trouble. The maestro of the best season in Toronto history is a 51-year-old NBA coaching rookie, one who's making plenty of right moves."He looks young," Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. "But... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Kyrie Irving can opt out of his Celtics contract and become a free agent. Gordon Hayward might never play like he did before his injury. It's possible Brad Stevens won't figure out a way to deploy all of the team's talent.There's one thing, though, that Boston boss Danny Ainge was able to rule out as he returned to work following his second heart attack: "My role's not going to change."A 60-year-old former All-Star and NBA executive of the year, Ainge was in Milwaukee for the Celtics' second-round series against the Bucks last month when he suffered what the team described as a "mild" heart attack. Doctors said at the time he was expected to make a full recovery.Speaking to reporters for the first time since he fell ill, Ainge said Wednesday that he had complete faith in assistant general manager Mike Zarren, scouting director David Lewin and player personnel director Austin Ainge."I know our organization is in great hands," he said at the team's practice facility.But he's... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Toronto star Kawhi Leonard filed a federal lawsuit against Nike on Monday, saying the footwear and apparel giant is blocking him from using a logo that he believes he owns.The suit was filed on a travel day for the NBA Finals; Leonard and the Raptors flew to Oakland, California on Monday to begin preparing for Game 3 of the title series against the Golden State Warriors, a game that will be played Wednesday night.It was filed in California because Leonard maintains a home in San Diego, the suit said.Leonard was a Nike endorser until 2018. He now endorses New Balance. A Nike spokesman declined comment Monday, saying the company does not discuss pending litigation. Leonard is scheduled to speak with reporters on Tuesday when practice resumes at the NBA Finals.In the lawsuit, Leonard said Nike filed a copyright application for a logo that he designed and did so "unbeknownst to Leonard and without his consent." Nike told Leonard earlier this year to stop using the logo,... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The mantra for Golden State during Steve Kerr's five seasons with the Warriors has been "Strength in Numbers."It's more than a marketing slogan.It's a catchy phrase on shirts, for sure, and it's emblazoned plenty of places for all to see — even on one shoulder of Stephen Curry's gray sweat suit, with the NBA Finals logo on the other side. But it's hard to imagine a time where it means more to the Warriors than right now, when the only thing being tested more than their mettle is their depth.The champions are heading home off a win ailing, but not trailing. Whether it was DeMarcus Cousins playing 28 minutes, or Quinn Cook tying a playoff career-high with three 3-pointers, or all 13 Warriors getting into the game — some of them for only four seconds, but in nonetheless — the two-time defending NBA champions found a way.Game 2 is in the books. Golden State 109, Toronto 104. Series tied at 1-1.Off to Oracle Arena in Oakland, California for Game 3 on Wednesday night."When you... [More]