LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James says he will not stick to sports.The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar reiterated his determination to speak out on social issues and the nation's political climate Saturday during his media availability for the NBA All-Star Game."I will not just shut up and dribble," James said. "I get to sit up here and talk about what's really important."James spoke publicly after Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticized the three-time NBA champion for his recent comments about social issues. James previously responded with an Instagram post containing similar sentiments."We will definitely not shut up and dribble," James said. "I will definitely not do that. I mean too much to society. I mean too much to the youth. I mean too much to so many kids that feel like they don't have a way out and they need someone to help lead them out of the situation they're in."James made the initial public comments in question during a recent video segment on Uninterrupted, a platform co-founded... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Saturday (all times local):7:30 p.m.Rookie Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz put on a show in the slam dunk contest to cap off NBA All-Star Saturday.Mitchell edged Larry Nance Jr. by two points, sealing his victory with a close approximation of the 360-degree spin dunk that Vince Carter used to win the 2000 contest."I wanted this so badly," Mitchell said. "This is one of my favorite events of All-Star weekend. To not only be in it, but to win it, it's crazy."Before making his winning dunk, Mitchell peeled off his Jazz jersey and wore a vintage Carter jersey from the Toronto Raptors.Mitchell — three inches shorter than the 6-foot-6 Carter — needed a score of 47 to beat Nance, and he got a 48 from the five judges: DJ Khaled, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Rock and Hall of Famers Julius Erving and Lisa Leslie.Nance, who was trying to win the contest 34 years after his father won it, had earned a perfect 50 with a dunk off a double alley-oop off the glass.Mitchell... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The NBA's All-Star version of a pickup game is taking center stage in Hollywood.The 67th version of the All-Star Game on Sunday night features teams picked by captains LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Dispensing with the usual East vs. West format, the league is creating a new look to its annual showcase with teams picked regardless of geography.That's how Curry and Golden State teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will be going against Kevin Durant, and how James will play alongside Oklahoma City duo Russell Westbrook and Paul George.Boston teammates Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are on opposing teams. Irving is on the same team as James, several months after Irving broke up their Cleveland partnership by forcing a trade.___More AP basketball: www.apnews.com/tags/NBAbasketball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest from Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and events around the league's annual showcase (all times local):2:05 p.m.NBA Commissioner Adam Silver doubled down on his support of players speaking out on social and political issues, opening his comments at the Legends Brunch by thanking the veterans for setting the tone for current players."Bill Russell was recognized before, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I could go down the list of so many others here who created that tradition for the players in the NBA, who gave them the safety and comfort to speak out on issues that are important to them as they do today," Silver said Sunday."I'm so proud of that legacy," added the commissioner, who praised the current players on Saturday . "So thank you to all of the people in this room."The issue of players publicly speaking out on various issues surfaced during All-Star weekend after Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticized three-time NBA champion LeBron James for his recent comments. James... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James is going old school to make a new movie.The Cavaliers star and business partner Maverick Carter are producing a new version of "House Party," the comedy featuring hip-hop duo Kid 'N Play that debuted in 1990.James' SpringHill Entertainment production company described the project as a "fresh re-imagining" of the original. The new film is being written by Stephen Glover and Jamal Olori from the FX series "Atlanta.""It's an honor when I got the opportunity to produce it, reboot the whole movie," James said Tuesday in Oklahoma City. "When I was growing up as a youngster I was like, 'Man, I hope I get an opportunity to throw one of these house parties, where it's just a lot of fun, a lot of joking around, dancin', people just having a good time.'"James noted some of his Cavs teammates weren't born when the original film came out. He may make a cameo in the new film.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Nick Gilbert, the son of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert who became a good-luck charm during the NBA lottery, will undergo major brain surgery this week.A team spokesman said the 21-year-old Michigan State student will have the operation in Detroit.Gilbert was born with neurofibromatosis, a nerve disorder that causes tumors. He has undergone previous surgeries for the genetic illness.In 2011, the younger Gilbert endeared himself to Cavs fans when he represented the team at the draft lottery.Cleveland won the No. 1 overall pick, which the team later used to select All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and help offset the loss of LeBron James as a free agent. Wearing a bowtie and dark-rimmed glasses at the event, the then-14-year-old Gilbert cracked "What's not to like?" when asked how it felt that his dad considered him his "personal hero."Dan Gilbert, who has five children, serves on the board for the Children's Tumor Foundation, which is trying to find a cure for his son's condition.Following Monday's practice in Boston, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said players and coaches sent a video to "Gillie" to wish him well."We're all praying for him and wish him the best," Lue said. "Hate to see a young guy go through that, let alone anyone, but being so young and having that spirit that he has is great. We hope everything works out."

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James moved on quickly.A day after the Cavaliers overhauled their roster with a tornado of trades that ripped through the NBA, James didn't dwell on what's lost, who's no longer around or how much time Cleveland has left to salvage its season."It is what it is, so let's get it going," he said Friday following the team's shootaround in Atlanta. "The front office made changes that they felt best fit this franchise. It's time to go to work."In the hours before Thursday's trading deadline, the Cavs unloaded six players, including Isaiah Thomas and Dwyane Wade, James' best friend, in three separate deals designed to make the team younger, more athletic and as general manager Koby Altman put it, to revitalize a team he felt was "marching a slow death."Cleveland added guards George Hill and Jordan Clarkson as well as forwards Larry Nance Jr. and Rodney Hood, and all will have to take a crash course in Cavaliers 101. The team sent some of medical staff to Atlanta in hopes... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James says he's excited about the new players added by the Cavaliers following a whirlwind of trades before the NBA's deadline.The Cavs unloaded six players, including Isaiah Thomas and Dwyane Wade, in three separate deals Thursday. General manager Koby Altman wanted to revitalize an aging team he felt was "marching a slow death" and not fulfilling its potential as a title contender.Cleveland's additions are George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and Rodney Hood. At the team's morning shootaround in Atlanta on Friday, James says it's his job to integrate them as fast as possible.Thomas struggled with Cleveland while recovering from a serious hip injury. James says he wishes the point guard's time with the Cavs "could have been better." James also hopes Thomas "can get that bounce back" with the Los Angeles Lakers.___More AP basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Dwyane Wade could not be more excited to get back to his familiar surroundings.He's also excited for an unfamiliar uniform.It's an unusual perk, but one of the things Wade said he's looking most forward to when he returns to the Miami Heat on Friday night is the team's new "Vice" jersey and shorts — the design being a play on the themes of Miami in the 1980s, replete with pastel trim and a font the team used when it played in its original arena."OK, I've seen the jerseys — me and a friend of mine, won't say his name — and I was like, 'Listen, I need to get those shorts, at least,'" Wade told The Associated Press in an interview after his trade from Cleveland to Miami was completed Thursday. "The jerseys are unreal."The friend, by the way, was fellow former Heat star — and fellow fashion aficionado — LeBron James."I will not confirm nor deny who it was," Wade said.The Heat are wearing the uniform 15 times this season, with 10 of those left to play. They are in them for Wade's return against... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Once summer rolls around, LeBron James stars on a different stage.All eyes in the NBA and across the sports world will focus on James during free agency.There are already teams lining up for an audience with The King, should he opt out of his contract. On Thursday, the Cavaliers turned their roster upside down in hopes of convincing James he doesn't have to go anywhere.And just like that, another chapter was added to a chaotic season in Cleveland.With an unexpected flurry of moves before the NBA trade deadline, the Cavs unloaded six players to change their identity and culture while moving back into title contention. They also showed James, who can be a free agent in July, they're willing to do whatever's necessary to help him win another championship."He's the guy that is going to take us back to the promised land," Cavs general manager Koby Altman said, "so you want to put the right pieces around him."All it took was a massive makeover.Altman ended an experiment doomed... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. General manager Koby Altman traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got substantially younger and more athletic and wedged themselves back into contention to make a fourth straight Finals appearance against Golden State.Following a long day that left him "numb," Altman said his main objective in making the deals was to alter the chemistry of a team that was no longer playing with joy."We were really worried that what was going on the floor and sort of our culture in the building... [More]

Dwyane Wade did not see this coming.Not right now, anyway. He has fully believed for many months that he would eventually return to the Miami Heat, though he figured it would happen in a free-agent deal this coming summer and not on a Thursday afternoon while he was headed into Cleveland's practice facility for a workout with LeBron James.Then came the text from agent Leon Rose: "Call me 911," he wrote."So if you get a text like that and the trade deadline is coming up and you know the team that you're on is going to be very active, you know something is going down with you," Wade said. "And my mind went right to, 'No, it's not Miami. There's no way.' My mind went right to that because I felt like that's the only other place I can be."He was right. Wade, who left Miami in 2016 for his hometown of Chicago, is now back in his NBA hometown. He's with the Heat again, getting traded as part of Cleveland's massive roster shake-up Thursday in exchange for a second-round pick in 2024."I always... [More]

From Isaiah Thomas to Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, the Cleveland Cavaliers loaded up on big names last summer.None will be there if the Cavaliers get back to the NBA Finals.In what felt like an unprecedented do-over for a contending team, the Cavaliers simply changed the pieces that weren't fitting for new ones on Thursday at the trade deadline.Fans who usually marvel at LeBron James were instead praising his general manager, as Koby Altman used a series of swaps to strengthen a sputtering team and leave open the possibility for more moves."They got better. They made the moves they wanted to make and I'm sure they're going to make it work over there," Golden State's Kevin Durant said. "It's fun for all the fans and the media to kind of see what's going on with the trade deadline."Cavs' fans probably had the most fun, and for good reason. Cleveland was the story Thursday .The Cavaliers acquired Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. in the deal with Los Angeles, which also got Channing Frye... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. The Cavs traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got younger and maybe wedged themselves back into contention to make a fourth straight Finals appearance against Golden State.Watching from the West Coast, the defending champions took notice."It's interesting, really interesting," Warriors forward Draymond Green said of Cleveland's drastic midseason renovation. "It's probably obviously something that they felt was needed. I feel like they made some good moves. I don't know, we'll... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. The Cavs traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got younger and maybe wedged themselves back into contention to make a fourth straight Finals appearance against Golden State.Watching from the West Coast, the defending champions took notice."It's interesting, really interesting," Warriors forward Draymond Green said of Cleveland's drastic midseason renovation. "It's probably obviously something that they felt was needed. I feel like they made some good moves. I don't know, we'll... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With their NBA title hopes fading fast, the Cavaliers got aggressive at the trading deadline.They swapped teams.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning a championship this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of deals. The Cavs traded six players, including Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, and two future draft picks in moves designed to not only help them in the short term but could potentially help keep LeBron James beyond this season.Just like that, the Cavs traded nearly half their roster, got younger and maybe wedged themselves back into contention.The Cavs began their shocking overhaul by sending the disappointing Thomas along with forward Channing Frye and one of their two first-round picks to the Los Angeles Lakers for point guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr.Thomas, who came over in last summer's blockbuster trade with Boston for Kyrie Irving, played in just 15 games and wasn't fitting in with... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — With the stunning force of a LeBron James dunk, the Cavaliers shattered their roster.Cleveland completely changed its look — and perhaps its chances of winning an NBA title this season — on Thursday with a stunning sequence of trades before the deadline, a person with direct knowledge of the deals told The Associated Press.The Cavs began their overhaul by sending disappointing guard Isaiah Thomas to the Los Angeles Lakers, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams are awaiting league approval to finalize all the deals. Thomas played in just 15 games as he returned from a hip injury and struggled to fit in, so the Cavs dealt him along with forward Channing Frye and one of their two first-round picks to the Lakers for point guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr.As the Thomas swap was being digested around the league, the Cavs completed a three-team deal with Utah and Sacramento. The Cavs sent guard Derrick Rose and forward Jae Crowder... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — A person with direct knowledge of the trades says the Cleveland Cavaliers have overhauled their roster with three deals, including one that sends Dwyane Wade back to Miami.Moments after they agreed to trade Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a first-round pick to Los Angeles Lakers, the Cavs completed a three-team deal with Sacramento and Utah, said the person who spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because all the transactions have to be approved by the league.The Cavs sent guard Derrick Rose and forward Jae Crowder to the Jazz for forward Rodney Hood. They'll receive guard George Hill from the Kings in exchange for guard Iman Shumpert.Also, the 36-year-old Wade is returning to the Heat for a protected second-round pick. Wade played 13 seasons in Miami, winning three NBA titles — two of them with LeBron James.Wade signed a one-year deal with the Cavs, but has said he wanted to retire with Miami.

CLEVELAND (AP) — After a quick stop, Isaiah Thomas is moving again. The point guard's strange stay with the Cavaliers is over.Thomas, who was never a good fit in Cleveland while recovering from a hip injury, was traded hours before the NBA's deadline to the Los Angeles Lakers, a person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.Thomas was dealt with forward Channing Frye and one of the Cavs' two first-round draft picks to the Lakers for point guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams need NBA approval before the trade can be completed.The Cavs will keep their other first-round pick from the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston last summer for Thomas, who struggled on the floor in Cleveland and seemed at odds with teammates and coaches.ESPN was first to report the deal.Following the Cavs' dramatic 140-138 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, Thomas... [More]

LeBron James says he won't be traded, though every other move should be on the table for the Cleveland Cavaliers.It's just unclear if anything can make a difference.The Cavaliers are a team that's deeply in a rut and badly in need of a change to jump-start a season that shows signs of slipping away. But they're down to their final hours to find help via trade, with the deadline set for Thursday afternoon.Impact players are traded, but this season the biggest ones may have already been moved. Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony all were dealt over the summer, as was Kyrie Irving — in a move that may have backfired for the Cavs. Their former point guard has led Boston to the top of the Eastern Conference, while Isaiah Thomas has struggled in the brief time he's been available since returning from his hip injury.Cleveland also acquired the Brooklyn Nets' No. 1 pick in that deal, a likely high lottery selection. But the type of names most heavily mentioned in the days... [More]