ADAM SILVER

Mark Cuban in many ways has been the face of the Dallas Mavericks franchise since he bought the club in 2000.

The NBA’s In-Season Tournament starts Friday and runs through Dec. 9.

This season's NBA All-Star Game is going back to its roots with an Eastern Conference-Western Conference format.

The NBA enlisted an actor from “The Sopranos” and borrowed the central theme of the film “Ocean’s Eleven," that being a Las Vegas heist, to hype the inaugural In-Season Tournament that begins Nov. 3.

The NBA has taken steps to try to ensure that its star players appear in more games, particularly nationally televised matchups and the in-season tournament that is being added this year.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he believes all leagues have to continue to keep an incredibly close eye on gambling trends within their sport, mindful of issues that the NFL in particular has had to address in recent months.

Coming soon: the NBA Cup.

The Houston Rockets officially welcomed two of their NBA Draft picks to the team during a news conference on Monday.

The young Houston Rockets are getting even younger with another pair of first-round draft picks.

Victor Wembanyama is the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, headed to San Antonio with enormous expectations to become basketball’s newest sensation.

The NBA and its players have voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement, formalizing a deal that was tentatively agreed to earlier this month.

The NBA will have labor peace for years to come.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he's hopeful that a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players can get done by the end of this week, though he stopped short of predicting that a deal would actually get struck.

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association clearly do not agree on everything, as evidenced by the fact that there’s no new Collective Bargaining Agreement yet.

Ticket prices are predictably high for the Los Angeles Lakers' next two home games, with LeBron James poised to break the NBA scoring record.

The Houston Rockets coach, Stephan Silas, returned to the bench Tuesday following the death of his father, Paul Silas. He was 79.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has said the company does not have plans to stop selling the antisemitic film that gained notoriety recently after Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving tweeted out an Amazon link to it.

Kyrie Irving could return from his suspension and play for the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday after apologizing for hurting the Jewish community when he posted a link to a film with antisemitic material.

Kyrie Irving is eligible to return from his suspension, but Brooklyn Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said before their game against the Los Angeles Lakers he had no update on when the guard would return.

Suspended Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving and the Nets appear to be on a path toward reconciliation.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he has “no doubt” that suspended Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving is not antisemitic.

A person with knowledge of the meeting says suspended Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

The Brooklyn Nets suspended Kyrie Irving for at least five games without pay, saying they were dismayed by his failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.”.

The NBA wants more competitive balance and is seeking an “upper spending limit” that would significantly tighten the rules on how much teams can spend each year on their roster.

LeBron James came to Las Vegas for a preseason game.

Victor Wembanyama understands why some compare him to other players, especially very tall ones who can shoot.

Robert Sarver says he has started the process of selling the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, a move that comes only eight days after he was suspended by the NBA over workplace misconduct including racist speech and hostile behavior toward employees.

Phoenix Suns vice chairman Jahm Najafi has called for team owner Robert Sarver to resign, saying there should be “zero tolerance” for lewd, misogynistic and racist conduct in any workplace.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver was likely spared even stronger sanctioning by the NBA for his racist, misogynistic and hostile words and actions because of one key conclusion by investigators.

Unvaccinated NBA players and team personnel must submit to weekly COVID-19 testing this season.

The NFL essentially is back to normal entering its third season amid COVID-19.

Bill Russell’s No. 6 jersey is being retired across the NBA, a first for the league.

Kevin Durant has again told Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai that he wants to be traded.

WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was convicted and received a 9-year sentence from a Russian judge for drug possession and smuggling.

Alex Rodriguez was standing near his courtside seat, oblivious to a few fans who were snapping a quick photo of the baseball great as they walked by.

The NBA has completed the process of changing the transition take foul rule, ending years of discussion about what to do with the long-maligned tactic.

In Las Vegas, there’s always a big show happening.

The Big 12 is going with an unconventional hire for commissioner in Roc Nation executive Brett Yormark.

U.S. national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe is among a group of leading sports figures who have expressed anger over the Supreme Court’s decision to strip the nation’s constitutional protections for abortion, decrying an erosion of rights that women have had for a generation.

The secret about how Orlando was going to take Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft was incredibly well-kept.

Paolo Banchero has been insisting for weeks that he believes he’s the best prospect in the NBA draft.

The Orlando Magic selected Duke freshman Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

The Golden State Warriors are NBA champions once again, topping the Boston Celtics 103-90 for their fourth title in the last eight seasons.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver canceled plans to attend Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Celtics because of the league’s health and safety protocols.

The NBA commissioner pondered pausing this season when the virus numbers were at their worst for many teams.

Brittney Griner hasn’t been forgotten at the NBA Finals.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday that he expects the oft-maligned “transition take foul” to come with stiffer penalties next season.

The last 12 months have been a transformative year in the NBA when it comes to diversity among coaches.

The State Department said Tuesday that it still pushing to have regular contact with WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for nearly three months.

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Max Strus added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals by topping the Philadelphia 76ers 120-85.

Ja Morant scored on a layup with a second left, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to edge the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-109 and grab a 3-2 lead in their first-round Western Conference series.

The season-long celebration of the NBA’s 75th anniversary is winding down.

The NBA plans to keep its next All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, despite its opposition to Utah’s ban on transgender youth athletes playing on girls teams.

Two of the NBA’s most significant dynasties emerged in the second decade of the 2000s.

If the nine months that led to Monday night’s national title game proved anything, it’s that college sports are changing.

The sport Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is leaving is run by an organization he doesn’t much recognize anymore.

Michael Jordan gave way to LeBron James in the NBA of the 2000s, just as traditional forms of communication began to yield to the birth and growth of new media.

Former Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson is suing the Mavericks, alleging that team owner Mark Cuban fired him in retaliation for reporting sexual misconduct by a team executive.

Stephen Curry is heading back to Japan, Rui Hachimura is going home and the NBA is planning to take another step toward normalcy.

Mike Krzyzewski has already turned his attention to the postseason after losing his final home game at Duke.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver didn’t like the circumstances that led to the blockbuster Ben Simmons-James Harden trade.

The Dallas Mavericks are set to retire Dirk Nowitzki's No. 41 against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

Dallas star Luka Doncic has entered the league's health and safety protocols.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says there are no plans to pause the season, even as numbers of players entering the league’s health and safety protocols related to the coronavirus continues to rise.

U.S. sports leagues are seeing rapidly increasing COVID-19 outbreaks with dozens of players in health and safety protocols, amid an ongoing surge by the delta variant of the coronavirus and rising cases of the highly transmissible omicron mutation.

Enes Freedom will now be linked forever to a word he says he fought for his entire life.

Chinese broadcaster and NBA partner Tencent has deleted all references to the Boston Celtics from its platforms, in apparent response to comments Celtics center Enes Kanter made to advocate Tibetan independence.

Several months after COVID-19 vaccinations were made widely available in the United States, vaccination status continues to disrupt professional and college sports.

Adam Silver, the basketball fan, would prefer to see Kyrie Irving on the court again with the Brooklyn Nets as soon as possible.

It started in 1946 with 11 teams and 160 players.

Kahleah Copper scored 20 of her 22 points in the first half and Chicago used a dominant defensive effort to reach a record rout of the Phoenix Mercury 86-50, moving the Sky one victory away from the franchise’s first WNBA title.

The Milwaukee Bucks are staying home for Christmas, which is becoming an annual perk for reigning NBA champions.

The Detroit Pistons selected Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night.

The NBA’s play-in tournament is back for at least one more season.

If Vince Budenholzer had his way, the Milwaukee Bucks would start guarding Chris Paul the minute he walked into the arena.

The NBA may emerge from the pandemic on better financial footing than it first anticipated, though Commissioner Adam Silver is warning that it’s too early to declare things fully back to normal.

The NBA has informed teams that it intends to return to a normal schedule next season, with training camps opening in late September and the regular season set to begin on Oct. 19.

Nikola Jokic was revealed Tuesday as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for 2020-21, making him by far the lowest draft pick ever to win the award.

Marv Albert is retiring after the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals, ending a broadcasting career spanning nearly 60 years.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar appreciates what today’s NBA players are doing in their attempts to make the world better.

LOS ANGELES – Elgin Baylor soared through the 1960s with a high-scoring, high-flying artistry that that became the model for the modern basketball player. With a silky-smooth jumper and fluid athleticism, Baylor played a major role in revolutionizing basketball from a ground-bound sport into an aerial show. Baylor’s second career as a personnel executive for 22 1/2 years with the woebegone Los Angeles Clippers was far less successful, but he remained a beloved basketball figure in Los Angeles and beyond. When the Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960, Baylor became the centerpiece of their Hollywood revival. A Los Angeles County jury unanimously ruled in the Clippers’ favor in March 2011, refusing to award any damages.

No one in the NBA will be considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after receiving the final vaccine dose. Once that happens, rules for some of those individuals will change, the NBA said in a memo sent early Thursday to teams and obtained by The Associated Press. Had they been fully vaccinated, they would not have had to miss any time even after being around someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Toronto’s Fred VanVleet revealed earlier this week that he tested positive for the virus and that his recovery process, at times, was not easy. More than 100 players have tested positive this season, nearly half of them doing so in November just before training camps around the league opened.

FILE - Miami Heat forward Meyers Leonard, center, greets his teammates before an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, file)MIAMI – The Miami Heat have turned Meyers Leonard's contract into an opportunity to see if Trevor Ariza can help them for the rest of this season. AdThe Heat also said they wish Leonard and his wife Elle “the best of luck in the future.”“He's going to do everything that he possibly can to grow and get better from everything this week," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Ariza has not played an NBA game since March 10, 2020, but the Heat clearly felt he was worth the low-risk gamble. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver fined Leonard $50,000 and barred him from being around the Heat for one week.

They are the first NBA team to acknowledge a widescale receipt of the vaccine by members of a club. “In my opinion, the more people we can encourage to get vaccinated, the better off all of us are going to be," Van Gundy said. AdMany of the Pelicans’ players fall into that category, despite being NBA players and elite athletes. The NBA has been holding Zoom calls with teams for the past several weeks, educating players and staffers on the vaccine. “We need to understand where that comes from,” Van Gundy said.

FILE - Miami Heat forward Meyers Leonard, center, greets his teammates before an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, in Miami. Leonard made an ethnic slur while streaming a video game, a comment that was quickly condemned by the NBA shortly after it learned of the matter Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, file)MIAMI – The NBA has fined Meyers Leonard $50,000, the maximum allowed by league policy, and suspended him from using all Miami Heat facilities and activities for one week in response to his use of an anti-Semitic term. Commissioner Adam Silver, in announcing those sanctions Thursday, also said that he believes Leonard “is genuinely remorseful” for using the slur. “Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society,” Silver said.

(AP Photo/John Locher)Nobody knew exactly what to say in Oklahoma City around 7:10 p.m. local time on March 11, 2020. The NBA was the first major league to stop play. A day later, so did the NHL, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. We had no idea the true impact of what happened.”AdThe global fight against COVID-19 didn’t begin that night in Oklahoma City, of course. Sports are games, and games are charted with numbers, and the numbers from the past year are incalculable.

No players, coaches or game officials tested positive for COVID-19 while in Atlanta, the NBA said Monday after the final tests were processed and results were returned to the league and the teams involved. A barber both saw before going to Atlanta tested positive, and that meant Embiid and Simmons were potentially exposed to the virus. “All players, coaches, and game officials were tested for COVID three times after arriving in Atlanta, including a final test immediately prior to last night’s All-Star Game," the league said in a statement Monday. All players and coaches who were involved in the game arrived in Atlanta on Saturday and left late Sunday following the game. But the league and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver insisted throughout the planning for the game that players would be safe in Atlanta.

FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2020, file photo, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver unveils the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award during a news conference in Chicago. But otherwise, things may largely appear back to normal — with the NBA eyeing a return to the 82-game schedule, starting in October and ending in June. “Last season and this season has required a significant investment on the part of the team owners," Silver said. “One thing we've all come to understand over the last year is that the virus is firmly in charge," Silver said. “My sense is most will ultimately decide that it’s in their interest to get vaccinated," Silver said.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, shoots as Phoenix Suns forward Dario Saric defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)ATLANTA – It's the NBA All-Star Game almost no one seemed to want. "It’s the All-Star Game, so there’s going to be some shenanigans out there. Team LeBron will play on behalf of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, while Team Durant represents the United Negro College Fund. Trae Young, a starter in 2020, was snubbed this season despite averaging 26.4 points — the most of any player not selected for the All-Star Game.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)MIAMI – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has heard all the reasons why the league should not have an All-Star Game in Atlanta next weekend. “It’s the largest factor, the amount of engagement we get from our fans around All-Star,” Silver said. And we looked at the All-Star Game the same way. “It was not under active consideration before the pandemic,” Silver said. All our attention is on getting the business back to being fully operable as quickly as possible.”Ad___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

FILE - In this Nov. 23, 2015, file photo, Utah Jazz guard Elijah Millsap brings the ball downcourt against the Oklahoma Thunder in the second half during an NBA basketball game in Salt Lake City. Former Jazz player Millsap alleged this week that Utah executive Dennis Lindsey made a bigoted comment to him in 2015. “And in this case, the investigation is being conducted in partnership and in coordination with the Utah Jazz." The incident in question came from an April 2015 exit meeting, which Millsap — the brother of longtime Utah standout Paul Millsap — said was also attended by Jazz coach Quin Snyder. “I’ve never heard anything remotely close to that from Dennis,” Snyder said.

Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse talks to players during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Minneapolis. Assistant coach Sergio Scariolo was promoted to coach the team's game in Tampa, Florida, against the Rockets. Scariolo had been away from the Raptors while coaching Spain in FIBA's EuroBasket 2022 qualifiers and just cleared quarantine Friday. Ad“I don't know how many hundreds or thousands of games he's been a head coach," Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said about Scariolo. Webster said the team isn't certain if Siakam's issue is related to the issue with the coaching staff.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives past Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)NEW YORK – Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was selected Wednesday to replace injured Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis in the NBA All-Star Game. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver choose Booker to take Davis' spot a day after Booker was snubbed by the league's head coaches for a reserve spot in the March 7 game in Atlanta. “Devin Booker is the most disrespected player in our league!!! Booker and fellow All-Star Chris Paul have helped Phoenix to a 20-10 record, fourth-best in the NBA.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) goes to the basket in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in New Orleans, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)New Orleans forward Zion Williamson now can be called an NBA All-Star, and only three others in the game’s 70-year history have gotten there at a younger age. Phoenix’s Chris Paul is an All-Star for the 11th time, and Brooklyn’s James Harden is one for the ninth consecutive year. The rest of the reserves include Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic from the Eastern Conference, along with the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Paul George, Utah teammates Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, and Portland’s Damian Lillard from the Western Conference. But this will be his first time in the All-Star Game itself.

(AP Photo/Jim Mone)The voters have spoken: They wanted LeBron James of the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers to be an All-Star captain, again. James and Durant were revealed Thursday as the leading fan votegetters in the Western and Eastern Conferences for the All-Star Game, meaning they’ll be captains for the matchup in Atlanta on March 7. James will start for the 17th time, extending his record, and Durant is an All-Star for the 11th time. James — the leading overall votegetter this year, with more than 5.9 million votes from fans — and Durant will then pick their teams, with the rosters for Team LeBron and Team Durant to be revealed March 4. The game has been criticized by some of the league’s top players, James included, who voiced concerns about having it during a pandemic.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) shoots as Utah Jazz center Derrick Favors (15) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)MIAMI – USA Basketball is casting a wider-than-usual net in its roster selection for this summer's rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, two people with knowledge of the situation said Saturday. The additions mean at least 60 players could be on the player-pool list that will be released by USA Basketball in the coming weeks. ESPN first reported that USA Basketball has sent approximately 60 invitations to be part of the player pool. USA Basketball is planning a training camp and exhibition games.

4 Texas' scheduled basketball game at Iowa State on Wednesday night has been postponed. N.C. State announced a cluster of cases associated with Wolfpack athletics on Wednesday, though it didn’t specify which programs were involved. A day later, the ACC announced that the Wolfpack's home men’s basketball game Saturday against Georgia Tech would be postponed. That marked the first home game this season that the Packers played in front of any paying spectators. The Cornhuskers’ home game against Minnesota on Wednesday and game at Iowa next Sunday have been postponed.

Utah's game in Washington on Wednesday was postponed because contact-tracing issues among the Wizards meant they wouldn't have eight available players for that matchup. “I'm for whatever the NBA wants us to do," Washington coach Scott Brooks said. When teams started testing in late November prior to the start of training camps, 48 players had positive COVID-19 tests. There were at least 36 players in the league dealing with virus-related issues or protocols when Tuesday began, based on information released by teams. Counting the two new postponements and another on Dec. 23 between Oklahoma City and Houston, the league has seen six games moved because of virus issues.

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2020, file photo, the Olympic Symbol is reinstalled after it was taken down for maintenance ahead of the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, in the Odaiba section in Tokyo. Your 2020 year-end sports quiz awaits. Like much else these days, quizzes will be graded on the curve:JanuaryThe IOC sets conduct guidelines for athletes at the Tokyo Olympics. JulyThe renamed Washington Football Team might get another rebrand. ___Answers: January (b); February (a); March (b); April (a); May (c); June (b); July (c); August (a); September (a); October (b); November (b); December (c).

The Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat tip off to start during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, in Tampa, Fla. The Raptors are playing their home games in Tampa as a result of Canada's strict travel regulations stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Familiarity is where we thrive,” said Teresa Resch, the Raptors’ vice president of basketball operations and one of the guiding forces behind the team’s move to Tampa. “The Toronto Raptors and their fans will not be disappointed here in Tampa Bay,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor saidThe last time Tampa was on the NBA’s schedule prior to this season was in 2010, when Miami and Orlando were supposed to meet there in a preseason game. At least 17 times in the next 2 ½ months, the Raptors will be calling a court in Tampa home.