MIAMI (AP) — Chris Bosh, who had arguably the biggest rebound and assist in Miami Heat history, will have his No. 1 jersey retired by the franchise on March 26.The Heat made the announcement Monday.Bosh played parts of six seasons in Miami, before his career was cut short by recurring issues with blood clots. He last played for the Heat in 2016.Bosh helped Miami reach the NBA Finals four times and win championships in 2012 and 2013. He grabbed a rebound and tossed the ball out to Ray Allen for a game-tying 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in regulation of Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals against San Antonio, a game that the Heat would win in overtime to force Game 7.Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal are the other Heat players to have jerseys retired. Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem and LeBron James will likely receive the same tribute in the coming years.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Chris Bosh, who had arguably the biggest rebound and assist in Miami Heat history, will have his No. 1 jersey retired by the franchise on March 26.The Heat made the announcement Monday.Bosh played parts of six seasons in Miami, before his career was cut short by recurring issues with blood clots. He last played for the Heat in 2016.Bosh helped Miami reach the NBA Finals four times and win championships in 2012 and 2013. He grabbed a rebound and tossed the ball out to Ray Allen for a game-tying 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in regulation of Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals against San Antonio, a game that the Heat would win in overtime to force Game 7.Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal are the other Heat players to have jerseys retired. Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem and LeBron James will likely receive the same tribute in the coming years.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks traded away one star for the chance to sign two.If it works, and Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving bring the playoffs back to New York, it will have been the deal that finally got the Knicks moving toward the top after years of running in place.But if Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic turn into the frontcourt of the future in Dallas and the Knicks can't get anyone to take their money, basketball purgatory in New York could last a while longer.The Knicks entered themselves into the free agency game Thursday when they dealt Porzingis to the Mavericks in a move that helped open nearly $70 million more in salary cap space.The payoff could be enormous.Failure could take years to overcome, and the Knicks know that as well as anyone."That cap space don't mean nothing unless they get guys ... because you're going to have to sign somebody. And if you sign guys who aren't superstars, who are just good players, it's going to kill your franchise for the next 10-15 years,"... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks traded away one star for the chance to sign two.If it works, and Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving bring the playoffs back to New York, it will have been the deal that finally got the Knicks moving toward the top after years of running in place.But if Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic turn into the frontcourt of the future in Dallas and the Knicks can't get anyone to take their money, basketball purgatory in New York could last a while longer.The Knicks entered themselves into the free agency game Thursday when they dealt Porzingis to the Mavericks in a move that helped open nearly $70 million more in salary cap space.The payoff can be enormous.Failure can take years to overcome, and the Knicks know that as well as anyone."That cap space don't mean nothing unless they get guys ... because you're going to have to sign somebody. And if you sign guys who aren't superstars, who are just good players, it's going to kill your franchise for the next 10-15 years,"... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The air was heavy, heaving with hatred.And when LeBron James skipped onto the Quicken Loans Arena floor on Dec. 2, 2010, with his Miami teammates, scorned Cleveland fans aimed their fury at one of their own, the kid from Akron who was shaken by the experience.James was profanely taunted, booed and mocked. It was vile. It was personal.Eight years later, he'll feel loved.James returns to Cleveland on Wednesday night for the first time since leaving as a free agent last summer and signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. He's coming back to a city still grappling with losing him again and wondering what might have been had the world's best all-around player stayed.But unlike his previous comeback, the 33-year-old is coming home to be saluted for what he did during 11 years with the Cavaliers.He revived a franchise, lifted an entire region and brought a championship."It's going to be fun," said Cavs forward Kyle Korver, who spent two seasons with James. "LeBron had an incredible... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Maybe it was poetic LeBron James had a supporting cast on his injured right hand.He was missing one in the NBA Finals.For the second time in a career still ascending after 15 years, James was on the wrong side of a sweep as the Golden State Warriors, a team with no apparent weaknesses and as many as four of the league's 10 best players on its roster, transformed into a dynasty in Cleveland late Friday.After what may have been his final game with the Cavaliers, James revealed he hurt himself in a fit of frustration following a Game 1 overtime loss.He displayed a soft cast on his hand during his postgame news conference and then rounded up his children and some of their friends, and along with his wife, and the usual support group of handlers and security personnel, drove home to Akron.His next stop is unknown.Another suspenseful summer of "Where will LeBron go next?" is off and running.In the next few weeks, James is expected to decline his $35.6 million contract option... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love's arms are lined with finger-nail scratches, discolored bruises and abrasions, hard-earned mementos from months battling under the basket against other NBA big men.Some of the surface wounds are healing, some are fresh.Other marks are hidden.On the eve of his fourth straight NBA Finals with Cleveland, and while recovering from a concussion suffered last week against Boston that could keep him out of Game 1, Love has persisted and prevailed during a season in which he revealed dealing with anxiety and panic attacks for much of his life.It's been an emotionally straining — but ultimately rewarding — journey for the 29-year-old All-Star, who laughed when told it feels like he's been with the Cavaliers much longer than four seasons."I've been through enough for a guy who has been here for 12 years," he told the AP following a recent practice. "It's been well worth it."Love, though, has had to pay a price for his new-found peace.Almost since the moment he arrived... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love's arms are lined with finger-nail scratches, discolored bruises and abrasions, hard-earned mementos from months battling under the basket against other NBA big men.Some of the surface wounds are healing, some are fresh.Other marks are hidden.On the eve of his fourth straight NBA Finals with Cleveland, and while recovering from a concussion suffered last week against Boston, Love has persisted and prevailed during a season in which he revealed dealing with anxiety and panic attacks for much of his life.It's been an emotionally straining — but ultimately rewarding — journey for the 29-year-old All-Star, who laughed when told it feels like he's been with the Cavaliers much longer than four seasons."I've been through enough for a guy who has been here for 12 years," he told the AP following a recent practice. "It's been well worth it."Love, though, has had to pay a price for his new-found peace.Almost since the moment he arrived in a trade from Minnesota in 2014... [More]

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Ray Allen has enjoyed watching former teammate LeBron James lead Cleveland through the NBA playoffs. And it's not much different than what Allen saw almost daily when the two were part of the Miami Heat's run to a NBA title in 2013."He's the main cog of what the Cavaliers are doing," Allen said Monday. "I don't see him doing anything outside of his spectrum. He's doing what he's been doing most of his career. When we start talking playoff basketball and about the players who are good, we expect them to do their jobs when it's time to do their jobs."For the two-time NBA champion in Allen, there's no higher compliment.Allen spent his stellar, 19-year career well prepared for whatever moment there was. He was a 10-time NBA all-star who helped a trophy-starved Boston to a championship in 2008, then joined James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Heat to capture the 2013 crown.Allen, the son of an Air Force veteran, starred for Hillcrest High School in Dalzell, South... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Here's what Pat Riley is not going to do this summer: quit.Everything else is on the table.The Miami Heat president said Monday in his annual end-of-season assessment that no player on the team's roster will be considered untouchable this offseason — if the right deal presents itself, that is — but quickly added the caveat that the franchise is not looking for a total revamp after going 44-38 in the regular season and making the playoffs."Show me the right name, and I could be all-in on everything," Riley said. "You know me. But it's got to be the right name ... that doesn't happen very often. Our core guys, we would like to keep together, there's no doubt. We would like to keep them together and we'd like to add something to it, but that's going to be a challenge."He also was clear on his own future: The 73-year-old Riley, who has spent a half-century in the NBA as a player, coach and executive, isn't going anywhere until managing general partner Micky Arison tells him it's... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Here's what Pat Riley is not going to do this summer: quit.Everything else is on the table.The Miami Heat president said Monday in his annual end-of-season assessment that no player on the team's roster will be considered untouchable this offseason — if the right deal presents itself, that is — but quickly added the caveat that the franchise is not looking for a total revamp after going 44-38 in the regular season and making the playoffs."Show me the right name, and I could be all-in on everything," Riley said. "You know me. But it's got to be the right name ... that doesn't happen very often. Our core guys, we would like to keep together, there's no doubt. We would like to keep them together and we'd like to add something to it, but that's going to be a challenge."He also was clear on his own future: The 73-year-old Riley, who has spent a half-century in the NBA as a player, coach and executive, isn't going anywhere until managing general partner Micky Arison tells him it's... [More]

Hey, here's something we haven't heard before.The NBA playoffs are wide open.At perhaps no other time in the league's history have so many teams gone into the postseason with a real shot at hoisting the trophy at the end of this two-month grind.From the top seeds in Houston and Toronto, to the old stalwarts in Golden State and Cleveland, to the brash up-and-comers in Philadelphia and Minnesota, there are potential storylines galore and no real way to predict how it all may shake out."We've got a chance," said LeBron James, who will be seeking his eighth straight trip to the finals. "That's all you can ask for."For pretty much the NBA's entire history, there's been little reason to tune in for the playoffs until they got to the finals. No wonder Charles Barkley became so enamored with the NHL version of the postseason — that's a sport that actually doles out some real drama once the regular season is over.The NBA?Yawn.Over the last four decades, a top-seeded team has claimed 28 championships.... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — This is not the first reinvention of Dwyane Wade.Or the second.Or the third.His 15 NBA seasons have been a series of role changes — the latest being where the most celebrated player in Miami Heat history watches five younger players start games while he waits for a chance to enter as a sub. But nearly a month after the trade that brought him back to the Heat, Wade has zero complaints."The finished product of Dwyane, you guys have seen me win three championships and all that," Wade said. "But I've had so many different roles in my life in playing basketball. I came off the bench for a long time before y'all knew who I was. My ego is not too big at this point. I'm 36 years old. These guys are the future of this organization and this team. I'm definitely not the future. I'm cool with that."Still, he's vital to Miami's hopes right now.Wade is clearly going to play a sizable role in the Heat playoff push, in all sorts of ways. The savvy veteran who can be a de facto assistant coach... [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]

MIAMI (AP) — Goran Dragic was planning a vacation for All-Star weekend. He's happily changing those plans.The Miami Heat guard was selected Thursday by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as an injury replacement for the Feb. 18 All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Dragic will replace Cleveland forward Kevin Love, who broke his left hand.Dragic will play for Team LeBron, the squad drafted by LeBron James. Dragic leads the Heat with averages of 17 points and 4.8 assists per game this season, and will be Miami's lone representative in the All-Star Game.Teammates mobbed him when they got the word on Thursday."All the credit goes to them, too," said Dragic, whose long-awaited first All-Star nod came in his 10th NBA season. "Without them, this would not be possible. They put me in the right spots so I can be my best and I'm really grateful and thankful for that."Silver made the pick diplomatically: Dragic was next in line, based on the number of voting points he received from NBA head coaches among Eastern... [More]

Monty McCutchen's father raised an interesting point not long ago, and it resonated right away with the former NBA referee who decided to hang up his whistle earlier this season."He told me that no decision is real if it is easy," McCutchen said.McCutchen's move off the floor and into the NBA office was certainly not easy. But instead of calling a few games a week, McCutchen sees his job now as one where he could have a say in how they all get officiated. About a month into his job as an NBA vice president overseeing referee development and training, McCutchen is jumping in with both feet.He and fellow NBA executive Michelle Johnson are going to be instrumental in the league's plan to improve how players and referees get along. There's going to be more education, more studying, more explaining and more listening — and McCutchen truly believes it will work."I'm invigorated by the people I'm working with, Michelle Johnson," McCutchen said. "I'm invigorated by the people in our office who... [More]

Monty McCutchen's father raised an interesting point not long ago, and it resonated right away with the former NBA referee who decided to hang up his whistle earlier this season."He told me that no decision is real if it is easy," McCutchen said.McCutchen's move off the floor and into the NBA office was certainly not easy. But instead of calling a few games a week, McCutchen sees his job now as one where he could have a say in how they all get officiated. About a month into his job as an NBA vice president overseeing referee development and training, McCutchen is jumping in with both feet.He and fellow NBA executive Michelle Johnson are going to be instrumental in the league's plan to improve how players and referees get along. There's going to be more education, more studying, more explaining and more listening — and McCutchen truly believes it will work."I'm invigorated by the people I'm working with, Michelle Johnson," McCutchen said. "I'm invigorated by the people in our office who... [More]

F Chris Bosh and the Heat agreed to part ways. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald reported the sides were in talks Tuesday, and sources told ESPN on Wednesday that the Heat, Bosh and the players' union tentatively agreed to a resolution.Bosh, 33, was sidelined this past season when he failed a preseason physical -- Heat team doctors declined to clear him to take part in training camp -- after he missed the second half of the previous two seasons due to blood clots. Bosh last played in a game on Feb. 9, 2016, remaining on the Heat's roster and taking up salary cap space as the sides worked through medical and legal issues. His five-year, $118 million contract runs through the 2018-19 campaign.

The Miami Heat and 11-time All-Star forward Chris Bosh have agreed to part ways.The South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald reported the sides were in talks Tuesday, and sources told ESPN on Wednesday that the Heat, Bosh and the players' union tentatively agreed to a resolution.Bosh, 33, was sidelined this past season when he failed a preseason physical -- Heat team doctors declined to clear him to take part in training camp -- after he missed the second half of the previous two seasons due to blood clots.Bosh last played in a game on Feb. 9, 2016, remaining on the Heat's roster and taking up salary cap space as the sides worked through medical and legal issues. His five-year, $118 million contract runs through the 2018-19 campaign.The agreement has not been finalized as Bosh and his family, agents and lawyers are still reviewing documents, according to ESPN.--The Atlanta Hawks are in the process of finalizing a deal that would make Travis Schlenk, the Golden State Warriors' vice president... [More]

The Miami Heat and 11-time All-Star forward Chris Bosh have agreed to part ways.The South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald reported the sides were in talks Tuesday, and sources told ESPN on Wednesday that the Heat, Bosh and the players' union tentatively agreed to a resolution.Bosh, 33, was sidelined this past season when he failed a preseason physical -- Heat team doctors declined to clear him to take part in training camp -- after he missed the second half of the previous two seasons due to blood clots.Bosh last played in a game on Feb. 9, 2016, remaining on the Heat's roster and taking up salary cap space as the sides worked through medical and legal issues. His five-year, $118 million contract runs through the 2018-19 campaign.The agreement has not been finalized as Bosh and his family, agents and lawyers are still reviewing documents, according to ESPN.Bosh is guaranteed his remaining $25.3 million salary for 2017-18 and $26.8 million salary for 2018-19, but a significant portion... [More]