A person with knowledge of the situation says Tyronn Lue has agreed to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. Final terms were still being worked on, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press Thursday on condition of anonymity because no contract had been signed. Lue will replace Doc Rivers, who had coached the Clippers for the last seven seasons. Lue was on Rivers’ staff this season when the Clippers wasted a 3-1 lead over Denver and lost in the Western Conference semifinals. ESPN first reported the agreement between Lue and the Clippers, saying it was a five-year deal. Lue went 128-83 in parts of four seasons as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, taking over at the midpoint of the 2015-16 season and leading them to their first NBA title. He left the Cavs after six games of the 2018-19 season. That 2016 title team had LeBron James — who just led the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2020 NBA title. Lue also was a candidate for other jobs this offseason, including in Houston and New Orleans. The Clippers — in the first season of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George playing together — went 49-23 this regular season, the fourth-best record in franchise history. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is stepping down on his own accord, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the move hasn’t been announced. It was first reported by ESPN. The Rockets have made the playoffs 10 times since Morey was hired in May 2017, including the last eight seasons. Morey was responsible for the blockbuster trade that brought James Harden to Houston from Oklahoma City. The Rockets reached the Western Conference finals twice under Morey but were unable to win their first championship since the team captured consecutive titles in 1994-95. The move comes after coach Mike D’Antoni told the team he would not return after the Rockets lost to the Lakers in the conference semifinals. Morey caused an international uproar last year when he tweeted support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. Morey tweeted an image that said: “Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.” His tweet was in reference to pro-democracy demonstrations in the semiautonomous Chinese territory that had been mired in escalating violence between protesters and law enforcement. The tweet caused businesses in China to cut ties with the Rockets and broadcasters there refused to air the team’s games this season. NBA telecasts in China, however, resumed during the recent NBA Finals.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic had their arms slung over the other’s shoulders as they walked out of the arena following the final game of Miami’s season, helping each other in the most painful of moments. That was the Heat way all year long. A bunch of strangers at the start of the season forged intense bonds over the next 12 months, and the result was a surprising run to the NBA Finals. Another Eastern Conference championship banner will be swaying in Miami soon, and there is no doubt that the Heat will enter next season — whenever it starts — believing that they’re among the favorites to win the 2021 NBA title. “This season has been a tremendous season for us, for me,” Dragic said. “We had a lot of bonds together. We go through good times, bad times, but we always stay together. And I think that that’s something that it’s really rare to find.” The Heat went from 10th in the East last season to second in the NBA this season, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — He went to Miami and became a champion. He went back to Cleveland and won another title. He went to Los Angeles and now the Lakers are back atop the basketball world. LeBron James, love him or hate him, is in his own category now. He has led three franchises to NBA titles, something nobody has ever done. His legacy was complete long before Sunday night, when the Los Angeles Lakers became NBA champions for the 17th time by beating the Miami Heat and winning the title to cap a season like none other, in a bubble like none other. But that legacy is just a bit shinier now. “I guess, as Frank Sinatra would say, I did it my way,” James said earlier in these playoffs. That’s not up for debate. He’s got four titles. He’s a four-time NBA Finals MVP, the second to win that many. He’s done it all with the NBA’s biggest target on his back, with every action and every word scrutinized and often criticized. James has become the epitome of the independent superstar athlete,... [More]

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis had surgery to address a lateral meniscus injury in his right knee, and the team said Friday there was no timetable for a return. The 7-foot-3 Latvian injured the knee in the opener of a first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers in August. Porzingis played the next two games before being sidelined the remainder of a series won in six games by the Clippers. The Mavericks ended a three-year run of missing the playoffs behind the European pairing of Porzingis and 21-year-old sensation Luka Doncic. It isn't clear when NBA training camps will start because of the pandemic, but Commissioner Adam Silver has said he doesn't expect next season to begin before January. Porzingis averaged 20.4 points and 9.5 rebounds in his first season with Dallas. He missed all of 2018-19 after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in what ended up being his final game with the New York Knicks in February 2018. The Mavericks acquired Porzingis in a seven-player deal before the trading deadline in 2019 and immediately said he wouldn't play the rest of that season. He signed a $158 million, five-year max contract with Dallas in July 2019. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz got backhanded compliments from NBC's Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth on Sunday night for supposedly not knowing the 76ers had hired Doc Rivers as their coach. Eagles coach Doug Pederson, who knows how to win a championship in Philly, can’t wait to meet the newest member of the city’s coaching fraternity. “I’d love the chance to introduce myself and welcome him to Philadelphia,” Pederson said. Meet-and-greets with Rivers will mostly have to wait because of restrictions in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Rivers, hired last week as the 25th head coach in Sixers history, has spoken by phone with most of the players on a team that was swept out of the Eastern Conference playoffs in the first round. He told them he’s ready to win the franchise’s first NBA title since 1983. The Sixers have socially distanced themselves from the Larry O’Brien Trophy long enough — and Rivers has the experience of holding the trophy that goes to... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Michele Roberts planned on being in the NBA’s restart bubble at Walt Disney World for a few days. Three weeks, at the most. She never left. The executive director of the National Basketball Players Association will be in the bubble from start to finish, meaning she’ll be there when either the Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat get their hands on the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the conclusion of the NBA Finals that resume Friday night. Her reason for staying: Her realization of how much work that could be done on matters relating to social justice and the fight against racial inequality, along with the chance to connect with so many players individually on such a regular basis. “I wouldn’t trade having done this for the world,” Roberts said in an interview with The Associated Press. “You have a chance to interact at a level that I, through the last 6 1/2 years, have never had. We’ve had our meetings, around each other for a day and a half or two days, but this was... [More]

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — NBA star Chris Paul has enrolled in a historically Black college in North Carolina, where he will take a class and encourage students to get to the polls. The Oklahoma City guard has enrolled at Winston-Salem State, across town from Wake Forest, where he played for two seasons before going to the NBA, the Winston-Salem Journal reported. His parents also attended Winston-Salem State. “We are providing transportation to HBCU students to get the polls so we are working on that now,” Paul said recently on ESPN's “First Take,” adding that he's partnered with two other NBA players to help HBCU students get to the polls. During the NBA playoffs, Paul raised awareness of HBCU’s by wearing different shoes representing schools such as Winston-Salem State, North Carolina A&T and N.C. Central.

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum emerged as a bona fide star, Jaylen Brown showed he can be a consistent presence in the lineup and Kemba Walker helped the Celtics put the failed Kyrie Irving experiment behind them. But following their Eastern Conference finals loss to Miami, it’s clear there is still work to do in Boston after the Celtics squandered their best opportunity yet under coach Brad Stevens to make it to the NBA Finals. Stevens said he heads into the offseason lamenting only the outcome and not the effort by his players during the abnormal season. “My regret is not what we put in. My regret is not how we prepared or worked or how hard our guys worked or how committed they were to playing and staying together,” he said. “You look back at those first couple of games (against Miami) and it put us in a tough spot. I just think that ultimately we had our chances and we didn’t take advantage of it enough.” The Celtics returned from the COVID-19-caused hiatus and emerged as one of the hottest... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Doc Rivers says he’s out as coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, though did not specify if he chose to leave on his own or if he was fired. Rivers announced in a statement posted to Twitter that he is not returning as coach. The move comes about two weeks after the Clippers wasted a 3-1 series lead and lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. Rivers spent seven seasons with the Clippers, making the playoffs in six of them — major success for a once-woebegone franchise. This season's team, with the summer 2019 additions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, was expected to compete for a championship. But losing three closeout opportunities to the Nuggets cost the Clippers a chance to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the West finals, and surely played a role in Rivers not remaining as coach. “When I took this job, my goals were to make this a winning basketball program, a free agent destination, and bring a championship to this organization,”... [More]

DENVER (AP) — With bags on his back, Nikola Jokic playfully swerved his way through the crowd of family and friends gathered at the airport terminal. The Denver Nuggets finally returned home after their longer-than-many-anticipated stay inside the NBA bubble. Arriving with them, a new reputation — the comeback crew. The Nuggets overcame a pair of 3-1 series deficits in advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2009. Their extended stay at Disney in Florida ended when LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers sent them packing after Game 5. Still, they accomplished something historical in becoming only the third team in the U.S. major pro sports to rally from a pair of 3-1 deficits in the same playoffs. They joined the 1985 Kansas City Royals and 2003 Minnesota Wild. “People around this country, around the world, who were watching the playoffs, this group of guys, you would be hard-pressed to find a better story coming out of this bubble,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — It was June 30, 2019. The Miami Heat had an evening all planned out for their recruitment of free agent Jimmy Butler, down to every detail. They greeted him with music from Irish singer Dermot Kennedy, one of his favorites. A buffet dinner was set up, tables overlooking the water of Biscayne Bay. They had players-turned-executives Shane Battier and Alonzo Mourning there to talk about what it’s like to be part of the Heat. And then it was time to go inside, break into a smaller group, get down to business and give him the sales pitch. Butler never let Heat President Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra even get started. There was no need. He’d already picked Miami. He just hadn’t told them yet. “I was like, ‘I’m home,’” Butler said. The machinations of a sign-and-trade followed before things could be official, but just like that, the Heat had a new star and newfound hope. Season 1 of the Butler era in Miami will end on a stage that he’s never been before — the... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley was in jail Sunday on charges of drug possession and receiving and concealing stolen property, after his arrest the night before. The Athletic first reported Beasley's arrest Saturday night at his home in Plymouth, a suburb of Minneapolis. ESPN reported that police obtained a search warrant for Beasley's home after a complaint that he brandished a weapon at a person and officers found marijuana and guns in the home. “We’re aware of the situation involving Malik and in the process of gathering more information,” Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders said. Beasley participated in voluntary workouts at the team facility earlier this year. He has not taken part in group workouts that began this week for teams that didn't qualify for the NBA's restart in Florida after the four-plus-month pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 23-year-old Beasley will be a restricted free agent when the season ends. The 19th overall pick in the 2016 draft by Denver, Beasley averaged 20.7 points in 14 games for Minnesota after being acquired in a trade with the Nuggets in February. Beasley's attorney, Steve Haney, did not immediately respond to a phone message left Sunday by The Associated Press. ___ More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/NBA

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Bam Adebayo has not wanted much credit for anything this season, always deferring to others in the Miami Heat locker room when things are going well. Things didn’t go well Friday night. And Adebayo wanted — demanded, really — all the blame. His stat line — 13 points, eight rebounds, eight assists on 5-for-11 shooting — certainly didn’t look as abysmal as Adebayo made his effort sound after Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, when Miami fell apart in the third quarter and saw its series lead trimmed to 3-2 after a 121-108 loss to the Boston Celtics. But he didn’t like much of anything about his night and headed back to the hotel following the game vowing that he would find a way to be better in Game 6 on Sunday. “I put that game on me,” Adebayo said. “It’s not my teammates’ fault, it’s not my coaches’ fault. It’s me. I missed too many shots I should have made. Put that one on me.” No matter what the subject matter was within the handful of questions he... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls weren't on Billy Donovan's radar when he and the Oklahoma City Thunder parted ways after five successful seasons. Things sure changed in a hurry. “I wasn’t looking at anything," Donovan said. "It was five great years in Oklahoma City. I think it’s always emotional when you leave a place that you enjoyed working with the people you were working with. I was around some terrific people in the organization, tremendous players. You’re just kind of decompressing. So this kind of came out of left field for me.” The Bulls introduced Donovan as their coach on Thursday, two days after they announced they landed arguably the most attractive candidate on the market to help turn around a struggling team with new management. Donovan goes from working with stars such as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and Paul George and Chris Paul to trying to lift a franchise with one playoff appearance in five seasons. He was 243-157 with the Thunder and led them to the playoffs... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Celtics forward Gordon Hayward and wife Robyn are parents for a fourth time. Robyn Hayward announced the birth of the couple's first son — Gordon Theodore Hayward — on Wednesday, a couple hours before the Celtics would face the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. Hayward had originally planned to leave the bubble for the birth, but remained with the Celtics. He got some unplanned time off earlier in Boston's postseason run because of a sprained ankle, and spent some of that with his wife and daughters before returning to the NBA campus. “I think his ankle’s fine right now," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Wednesday after the birth was announced. “I don’t think he’s thought about it all afternoon obviously. ... Very, very happy to hear the news." Robyn Hayward said the baby — who was already wearing Celtics apparel Wednesday with his father's name and number on the back — will go by Theo, despite his father's preference that he go by GT. “Our little man is finally here!" she wrote. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

New Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair said he is looking forward to working with coach Luke Walton to revive a franchise that has the longest current playoff drought in the NBA. McNair was hired last week after a long tenure as an executive in Houston to replace Vlade Divac. He backed Walton publicly during his introductory news conference Wednesday. “I’ve got to know him the last few days, we’ve had some good conversations,” McNair said. “I’ve heard great things. So far I think we’ve had a great rapport. Luke’s going to be our coach next year. I’m really excited to work with him. I think we’re aligned with our vision and we’re gonna start implementing it.” Walton is the team’s 10th coach since the Kings last made the playoffs in Rick Adelman’s final season in 2005-06. Sacramento went 31-41 in Walton's first season at the helm. McNair and Walton will work together to end the 14-year playoff drought that is one year off the longest one in NBA history. “I understand the frustrations... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — It didn’t take Jae Crowder very long after joining the Miami Heat to figure out who the veteran leader of the team was. “Udonis Haslem,” he said. Correct. But who was the person that taught Haslem how to be that locker-room voice, that sage, “the O.G.” as the Heat call him? That would be Corey Crowder. Jae Crowder’s father. Haslem and Jae Crowder are now Heat teammates, competing in the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. Corey Crowder is living in Fort Myers, Florida, a couple hours west of Miami, a couple hours southwest of Lake Buena Vista — the site of the NBA’s restart at Walt Disney World. And nearly two decades ago in France, Corey Crowder took a young rookie under his wing to show him the ropes. That rookie was Udonis Haslem. “It’s an awesome story, when you think about it,” Corey Crowder said. This tale of things going full circle starts 18 years ago in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, about 200 miles southeast of Paris. Haslem was a 22-year-old... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jae Crowder will tell anybody who asks that the Miami Heat are extremely well-prepared for whatever comes their way in the Eastern Conference finals. He can say the same about the Boston Celtics, too. Crowder and fellow Heat teammate Kelly Olynyk are both in the East title series for the second time. Their first time was in 2017 — when they were Boston teammates under coach Brad Stevens. And it isn’t hard for Crowder to see the similarities between Stevens and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “Oh, the No. 1 thing that sticks out to me is the attention to detail,” Crowder said. “Both coaches have preached that and pushed that with their teams, respectively. You need that at this level. You need that at this time of the year, because both teams really know exactly what they’re trying to get to. It’s just about the level of detail that you’re doing it and how much you’re imposing your will.” The Celtics lost that 2017 series to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and neither Olynyk... [More]

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Meyers Leonard was bent forward at the waist, standing a few feet away from Miami coach Erik Spoelstra on the Heat sideline, screaming with every bit of the volume that his deep and booming voice can generate. This is his role right now for the Heat. His only role. Leonard is in a tough spot these days; a full-time starter during the regular season, he is now out of the rotation as the Heat have made their run to the Eastern Conference finals. It is a bitter pill for him to swallow — yet to his credit, he hasn’t acted the least bit bitter about his current reality. “My team knows this, and our coaching staff knows this,” Leonard told The Associated Press. “I would do anything to be out there. And I’d be lying if I said that I’m not competitive as hell. I wish I was impacting the game on the floor. I’m not, but as a person and as a player, I want what’s best for everybody.” So for now, the 7-foot, 260-pound, chiseled center is the tallest, strongest and best-paid... [More]