MIAMI — The first game on the Miami Heat schedule was a long-awaited one Monday involving team president Pat Riley’s fired shots and veteran Jimmy Butler’s considered reaction.

Butler, just as he should, took it all off the schedule.

“Normal hair, no shenanigans,’’ he said at the team’s media day, meaning there was no wig, ...Read more

DENVER — For Cory Slater, it was love at first swipe. As Dikembe Mutombo stuck his left hand on Shawn Kemp’s hip and his right hand on history, blocking his eighth Seattle shot in the Nuggets’ iconic Game 5 win over the top-seeded SuperSonics, a kid in New Jersey knew he’d found his team and his player. His moment and his muse.

“I’m...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Who knew D'Angelo Russell would deliver the best moment from Lakers media day?

The smart money Monday probably would've been bet on LeBron James talking about playing with his son, Bronny. Maybe you'd have splashed some down on Anthony Davis talking about trying to win his first defensive player of the year or Austin Reaves ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — He was the missing piece. The best defender. The Hall of Fame glass-master.

There’s no way the 76ers reach the NBA Finals in 2001 without the deadline addition of Dikembe Mutombo. He was the centerpiece of a trade that sent principals Toni Kukoc and Theo Ratliff to Atlanta, but it’s astonishing how little credit Mount ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls guards lined up for a photo shoot Monday at the Advocate Center, but one was missing.

“Where’s Ayo?” someone yelled.

Ayo Dosunmu quickly emerged from a small, enclosed photo booth, joined his teammates and bent to tie his shoes before the group shot.

It was a perfect reminder of what could be in store for ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The goal, Kawhi Leonard said Monday at the Clippers’ media day at Intuit Dome, is to play in the team’s regular-season opener against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 23 in Inglewood.

Leonard continues to deal with inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee, leading some uncertainty about when he’ll be healthy enough to ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James was staring his basketball mortality in the face.

His team had been swept in the Western Conference finals the previous spring and his body was showing undeniable signs of age, the mileage mounting while James’ willingness to keep fighting seemed to lessen.

“I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest,” he ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — So here are your 2024-25 Philadelphia 76ers:

Joel Embiid is 30. His backup, Andre Drummond, is 31.

Paul George is 34. So is his friend Reggie Jackson, one of the team’s backup point guards.

Eric Gordon is 35. Kyle Lowry is 38.

“We’re old,” George said Monday. “I get it.”

It was a bone-dry one-liner in response ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — In case Glen Taylor didn’t see my Slack message at the Minnesota Star Tribune, here it is:

Glen: I get it.

I understand why you don’t want to sell your hoops organization.

No one has any idea whether you — owner of the Lynx, Timberwolves and a certain local newspaper — will win your dispute against prospective buyers ...Read more

NEW YORK — Tom Thibodeau can’t comment directly on players involved in incomplete trades.

So when a reporter asked the Knicks head coach about Donte DiVincenzo, the franchise’s all-time single-season 3-point leader who was traded alongside Julius Randle as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns deal, during his Monday media day press conference, ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — After months of speculation and anticipation, the WNBA has finally announced the date of the Golden State Valkyries’ expansion draft.

The Valkyries, led by general manager Ohemaa Nyanin, will put together much of their inaugural roster on Dec. 6 in an event aired on ESPN.

Golden State, the WNBA’s first expansion team ...Read more

NEW YORK — Game 1 at Barclays Center went how the Liberty wanted it to.

As expected, the Las Vegas Aces kept the game close throughout and stayed within striking distance. But Breanna Stewart‘s offensive outburst kept her team in front for the entire game. And when the Liberty needed a boost down the stretch, Sabrina Ionescu delivered with ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Time to ask an impertinent question: Do we know for certain that a WNBA franchise would succeed in Philadelphia?

The 76ers and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said Thursday that they not only want a WNBA team here but have discussed the possibility with the league’s decision-makers. Where would the team play? Glad you asked: at the ...Read more

The Los Angeles Lakers stood pat roster-wise this summer, bringing back the group that had to come out of the play-in round again last spring and then got bounced in the first round by Denver.

Is this wise? (Fans, don’t all shout “NO!” at once.)

Vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka is essentially ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — I always found myself defending Karl-Anthony Towns, while wondering why he always needed defending.

Great person. Great teammate. Great offensive player who improved defensively the past two years.

Now, there is no reason to defend Towns. He proved his value on the trade market.

Friday night, the Timberwolves dealt Towns to ...Read more

NEW YORK — This blockbuster move wouldn’t have been possible without Shake Milton.

When the Knicks traded Bojan Bogdanovic and five first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges, they faced a hard cap dilemma: get locked into the $188.9 million second apron for taking back more salary than they sent out or perform salary-cap ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Just a few days before they open training camp on Tuesday, the Timberwolves made a stunning, franchise-altering move.

The Wolves traded mainstay center Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks for All-Star Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick from Detroit.

An NBA source confirmed the trade.

The move is a ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Julius Randle era at Madison Square Garden has come to an end, and for north New Jersey native Karl-Anthony Towns, homecoming is here early.

The Knicks traded Randle, a three-time All-Star, Donte DiVincenzo, the franchise’s all-time single-season 3-point leader, and a future first-round pick to the Timberwolves in exchange ...Read more