MIAMI (AP) — NBA players will be allowed to return to team training facilities starting Friday, provided that their local governments do not have a stay-at-home order prohibiting such movement still in place as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic.Any workouts that take place would be voluntary and be limited to individual sessions only, according to a person familiar with the league's decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday on condition of anonymity because the directives from the league were not released publicly.Group practices would not be allowed yet, and teams will not yet be permitted to organize in-person workouts.But as certain states and municipalities began loosening restrictions on personal movement, the NBA decided it was time to let players return to their practice courts — if only on a limited basis. Georgia and Oklahoma are among the states that have allowed some businesses to reopen and some cities in Florida are expected to loosen their... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — NBA players will be allowed to return to team training facilities starting Friday, provided that their local governments do not have a stay-at-home order prohibiting such movement still in place as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic.Any workouts that take place would be voluntary and be limited to individual sessions only, according to a person familiar with the league's decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday on condition of anonymity because the directives from the league were not released publicly.Group practices would not be allowed yet, and teams will not yet be permitted to organize in-person workouts.But as certain states and municipalities began loosening restrictions on personal movement, the NBA decided it was time to let players return to their practice courts — if only on a limited basis. Georgia and Oklahoma are among the states that have allowed some businesses to reopen and some cities in Florida are expected to loosen their... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Linsanity is finally getting another run on MSG Network. In search of content with no games because of the coronavirus, the network is turning to Jeremy Lin’s memorable NBA breakthrough, which was once ratings gold. The network said Friday it will dedicate a week of programming to the 2012 stretch when Lin got his chance with the New York Knicks and took the league by storm, looking back at a feel-good story during a difficult time in the city.Undrafted out of Harvard, the NBA’s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent outplayed Kobe Bryant in one game, dominated the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in another and created a buzz that the late Commissioner David Stern said was unlike any he had seen for one player in such a short time.It was one of the biggest highlights of the last two decades for the Knicks, but it has been largely ignored by them. Lin left as a free agent after that season and has received little acknowledgment from the team or the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Linsanity is finally getting another run on MSG Network. In search of content with no games because of the coronavirus, the network is turning to Jeremy Lin’s memorable NBA breakthrough, which was once ratings gold. The network said Friday it will dedicate a week of programming to the 2012 stretch when Lin got his chance with the New York Knicks and took the league by storm, looking back at a feel-good story during a difficult time in the city.Undrafted out of Harvard, the NBA’s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese decent outplayed Kobe Bryant in one game, dominated the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in another and created a buzz that the late Commissioner David Stern said was unlike any he had seen for one player in such a short time.It was one of the biggest highlights of the last two decades for the Knicks, but it has been largely ignored by them. Lin left as a free agent after that season and has received little acknowledgment from the team or the... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet is bracing for the suspended NBA season not to resume and if it does, he isn’t convinced health concerns can be adequately addressed as long as the coronavirus pandemic remains a threat.“I think everybody is just preparing for the worst case scenario, the season being canceled,” Van Vleet said in a conference call Wednesday. “We have to do what we have to do to try to shoulder the hit as best we can for us as players and owners and the league, while also working to try to resume as best we can.”Speaking from his home in Rockford, Illinois, VanVleet — a self-described skeptic — questioned whether a return to action could be carried out safely, and said he doesn’t relish the idea of playing in front of empty arenas.“I could play anywhere,” he said. “Do I want to play in front of no people? No, but does it really matter? At this point, I don’t think anybody is going to have a quarrel with what happens, as long as people’s health is first and... [More]

The year was 1997. Andy Thompson had an idea. Adam Silver liked his plan.Neither had any clue what they concocted.The ESPN and Netflix documentary “The Last Dance” — the story based around Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls — premieres Sunday night with the first two episodes of the 10-part series. And the images from that season exist because of the notion that Thompson had and Silver, now the NBA commissioner but then the person in charge of NBA Entertainment, helped arrange.Thompson, who already had been working at NBA Entertainment for about a decade, suggested embedding a crew with the Bulls. Silver made some phone calls. They were off and running.“It’s almost hard to understate how famous Michael was and how popular this Bulls team was,” Silver told The Associated Press. “And so, Andy’s view was, ‘We need to find a way to capture this team in its glory.’ And there were no such things as multi-part documentaries on sports on television back then.”But there had been some examples... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Victor Oladipo was just rounding into form when the NBA season was suspended.His expected increased playing time, his hopes of chasing a home playoff series and taking the Indiana Pacers on a deep postseason run went on hold — at least a few more weeks.Now, 14 months after suffering a serious knee injury, he's back home in Miami again, away from teammates again, doing what he can to be ready when games resume.“It hurt just because it took me a while to come back and then, obviously, this happens and now you miss more," Oladipo said Thusday on a conference call. “I was out there playing, going as best I can, as hard as I can. To say if I was 100 percent out there, I don’t know if I could say that. I’m just going to try and do my best to get better and get stronger."A year ago, the two-time All-Star Oladipo went home to rehab from surgery on a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee. The grueling recovery took a full year to make it back to NBA games and another another... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, the mother of Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, died Monday due to complications from COVID-19 after more than a month of fighting the virus. She was 58.The Timberwolves made the announcement via the Towns family, which requested privacy. The team intially said Cruz-Towns was 59. Karl Towns Sr., the father of the two-time All-Star player, was also hospitalized with the virus but has since recovered. A native of the Dominican Republic, Cruz-Towns was a fixture at Timberwolves games from the start of her son's NBA career. He was the first overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Kentucky.“Jackie was many things to many people — a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend,” the statement from the Towns family said. “She was an incredible source of strength; a fiery, caring, and extremely loving person who touched everyone she met. Her passion was palpable, and her energy will never be replaced.”The family expressed... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, the mother of Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, died Monday due to complications from COVID-19 after more than a month of fighting the virus. She was 59.The Timberwolves made the announcement via the Towns family, which requested privacy. Karl Towns Sr., the father of the two-time All-Star player, was also hospitalized with the virus but has since recovered. A native of the Dominican Republic, Cruz-Towns was a fixture at Timberwolves games from the start of her son's NBA career. He was the first overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Kentucky.“Jackie was many things to many people — a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend,” the statement from the Towns family said. “She was an incredible source of strength; a fiery, caring, and extremely loving person who touched everyone she met. Her passion was palpable, and her energy will never be replaced.”The family expressed gratitude to the “warriors” at Penn Presbyterian... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, the mother of Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, died Monday due to complications from COVID-19 after more than a month of fighting the virus.The Timberwolves made the announcement via the Towns family, which requested privacy. Karl Towns Sr., the father of the two-time All-Star player, was also hospitalized with the virus but has since recovered. A native of the Dominican Republic, Cruz-Towns was a fixture at Timberwolves games from the start of Karl-Anthony Towns' NBA career in 2015.“Jackie was many things to many people — a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend,” the statement from the Towns family said. “She was an incredible source of strength; a fiery, caring, and extremely loving person who touched everyone she met. Her passion was palpable, and her energy will never be replaced.”The family expressed gratitude to the “warriors” at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia and JFK Medical Center... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls came into the season thinking they were poised to contend for a playoff spot. The plan did not unfold the way they envisioned, and now, they have a new leader in the front office.The Bulls hired Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas to run their basketball operation, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday night.The person, who confirmed reports by several outlets, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move has not been announced.Longtime executive John Paxson was expected to move into an advisory role. The futures of general manager Gar Forman and coach Jim Boylen were unclear.The move allows the Bulls to have their new top executive in place if the season resumes from the COVID-19 pandemic suspension.The 48-year-old Karnisovas starred at Seton Hall and had a successful international career that included two Olympic bronze medals playing for Lithuania. He worked in basketball operations for the NBA from 2003 to 2008 and... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls came into the season thinking they were poised to contend for a playoff spot. The plan did not unfold the way they envisioned, and now, they have a new leader in the front office.The Bulls hired Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas to run their basketball operation, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday night.The person, who confirmed reports by several outlets, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move has not been announced.Longtime executive John Paxson was expected to move into an advisory role. The futures of general manager Gar Forman and coach Jim Boylen were unclear.The move allows the Bulls to have their new top executive in place if the season resumes from the COVID-19 pandemic suspension.The 48-year-old Karnisovas starred at Seton Hall and had a successful international career that included two Olympic bronze medals playing for Lithuania. He worked in basketball operations for the NBA from 2003 to 2008 and... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls came into the season thinking they were poised to contend for a playoff spot. The plan did not unfold the way they envisioned, and now, they have a new leader in the front office.The Bulls hired Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas to run their basketball operation, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday night.The person, who confirmed reports by several outlets, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move has not been announced.Longtime executive John Paxson was expected to move into an advisory role. The futures of general manager Gar Forman and coach Jim Boylen were unclear.The move allows the Bulls to have their new top executive in place if the season resumes from the COVID-19 pandemic suspension.The 48-year-old Karnisovas starred at Seton Hall and had a successful international career that included two Olympic bronze medals playing for Lithuania. He worked in basketball operations for the NBA from 2003 to 2008 and... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The struggling Chicago Bulls hired Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas to run their basketball operation, a person familiar with the situation said on Thursday night.The person, who confirmed reports by several outlets, spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move has not been announced.Longtime executive John Paxson is expected to move into an advisory role. The futures of general manager Gar Forman and coach Jim Boylen were unclear.The 48-year-old Karnisovas had big roles in Denver taking two-time All-Star center Nikola Jokic in the second round of the 2014 draft with the 41st overall pick, as well as recent lottery selections Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets were third in the Western Conference and leading the Northwest division with a 43-22 record when the COVID-19 pandemic brought the NBA to a standstill on March 12.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NBA players will receive their full checks when the next payday for most of them arrives on April 15 despite no games having been played for more than a month at that point.The league gave teams the directive on Thursday in a memo that was obtained by The Associated Press.The league and the National Basketball Players Association has been in talks for weeks about the status of salaries during the game’s shutdown. The last NBA games were played March 11, the day that Utah center Rudy Gobert became the first player in the league to test positive for the coronavirus.The pandemic will lead to the delay of at least 259 regular-season games through April 15, what would have been the end of the regular season. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this week that no decisions about the rest of the season, including whether play can resume, would occur before May.None of the games have been canceled yet. The playoffs were to begin on April 18, and the losses in revenue should the season either... [More]

NBA players will receive their full checks when the next payday for most of them arrives on April 15 despite no games having been played for more than a month at that point.The league gave teams the directive on Thursday in a memo that was obtained by The Associated Press.The league and the National Basketball Players Association has been in talks for weeks about the status of salaries during the game’s shutdown. The last NBA games were played March 11, the day that Utah center Rudy Gobert became the first player in the league to test positive for the coronavirus.The pandemic will lead to the delay of at least 259 regular-season games through April 15, what would have been the end of the regular season. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this week that no decisions about the rest of the season, including whether play can resume, would occur before May.None of the games have been canceled yet. The playoffs were to begin on April 18, and the losses in revenue should the season either... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers are getting together for workouts while the NBA season is suspended — via video conference calls.Up to 10 players at a time tune in to do workouts led by the team's performance staff since the league shut down practice facilities because of the coronavirus pandemic.They've also been using workout equipment specially tailored for each player and provided by the team.“They're challenging each other, a lot of trash talk,” coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday on a conference call with reporters. “When we come out of this, (there will be) some of the funny stories guys will have about watching each other work out.”Rivers figures that when the league eventually resumes there will be a high level of competition as a result of the layoff that has allowed players like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to train at a level that wasn't possible during the offseason, when they were dealing with injuries.“If we do get back to this, and rhythm and all that, bodies won't... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Instead of preparing for a playoff run, LeBron James is mostly spending the spring playing hoops with his teenage sons and enjoying tea time with his young daughter.And when he isn't binge-watching “Tiger King” with his wife, he is scanning the news for information on whether the coronavirus pandemic will allow the Los Angeles Lakers to finish their impressive season chasing an NBA championship.James is still optimistic about the Lakers' future, but he also knows safety comes first.“I don’t think I’ll be able to have any closure if we do not have an opportunity to finish this season,” James said from his home Wednesday on a conference call with Lakers beat reporters.The Lakers were cruising toward their first playoff berth since 2013 when the NBA season was suspended March 11. They have the Western Conference’s best record at 49-14, leading the second-place Clippers (44-20) by 5 1/2 games and trailing only Milwaukee (53-12) in the overall league standings.The Lakers did... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Instead of preparing for a playoff run, LeBron James is mostly spending the spring playing hoops with his teenage sons and enjoying tea time with his young daughter.And when he isn't binge-watching “Tiger King” with his wife, he is scanning the news for information on whether the coronavirus pandemic will allow the Los Angeles Lakers to finish their impressive season chasing an NBA championship.James is still optimistic about the Lakers' future, but he also knows safety comes first.“I don’t think I’ll be able to have any closure if we do not have an opportunity to finish this season,” James said from his home Wednesday on a conference call with Lakers beat reporters.The Lakers were cruising toward their first playoff berth since 2013 when the NBA season was suspended March 11. They have the Western Conference’s best record at 49-14, leading the second-place Clippers (44-20) by 5 1/2 games and trailing only Milwaukee (53-12) in the overall league standings.The Lakers did... [More]

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is bracing for several more weeks of uncertainty about the remainder of this halted season, revealing Monday night that he does not expect the league will be able to decide anything until at least May.Silver spoke on the NBA’s Twitter account as part of the league’s new NBATogether initiative, in a conversation hosted by Turner Sports’ Ernie Johnson. Silver touched on many topics, including how the league is looking at numerous scenarios for a return, but in every case the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic makes it impossible right now to move too far forward.“Essentially, what I’ve told my folks over the last week is that we just should just accept that, at least for the month of April, we won’t be in a position to make any decisions,” Silver said. “And I don’t think that necessarily means on May 1 we will be.”The NBA was the first of the major U.S. pro leagues to shut down because of the COVID-19 threat, doing so after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert became... [More]