Cavaliers' Max Strus is out at least 3 months after having surgery on his left foot
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers forward Max Strus is expected to miss at least the first three months of the season after having surgery Tuesday on his broken left foot.
The Cavaliers said Strus suffered a Jones fracture — a break of the bone that connects the pinkie toe to the base of the foot — during offseason training. The procedure was performed by Dr. David Porter at Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics in Indianapolis in consultation with team physician Dr. James Rosneck.
How does Strus's injury impact Cleveland's Championship Odds? Our full guide to the NBA Eastern Conference best odds has the answer
The Cavaliers said Strus is expected to resume basketball activities in three to four months.
Strus averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 50 games, including 37 starts, during the regular season to help the Cavs finish atop the Eastern Conference.
Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant basketball card sells for a record $12.9 million at auction
DALLAS (AP) — A basketball card autographed by Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant has sold for nearly $13 million at auction, a record for any sports card.
Heritage Auctions said there were 82 bids for the 2007-08 Upper Deck Logoman collection card before it sold Sunday for $12,932,000. That surpassed the $12.6 million paid for a 1952 Topps rookie card of baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle at a Heritage auction in 2022.
It was purchased by a group that included famed “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary, according to the memorabilia company.
The only card of its type, the Jordan-Bryant card features certified autographs of both players along with NBA patches from their game-worn uniforms.
The previous record for a basketball card was the private sale of a Stephen Curry 2009 Panini card for $5.9 million. The top mark at auction was a little more than $3.1 million for Luka Doncic's 2018 Panini rookie card.
Tyrese Haliburton hosts youth basketball camp as recovery from Achilles tendon injury continues
WESTFIELD, Ind. (AP) — Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was back on the basketball court and back on his feet Saturday.
No, he wasn’t running or shooting — it’s far too early for that just two months into his Achilles tendon rehab, an increasingly common recovery in the NBA. But it was progress.
And being at the Indiana Pacers Athletic Center in suburban Indianapolis, surrounded by 300-plus eager youth basketball campers, brought back Haliburton's million-dollar smile, too.
“I'm walking in my boot, getting closer to walking full time in my shoe, so that's exciting," he said. “Every couple of weeks, it's kind of a new benchmark, a new achievement. So it's the small wins right now. There are good days, bad days, so every day is kind of Groundhog Day. I'm just trying to get well."
Saturday was a good day. He had made enough progress to pose for pictures, stand for interviews, and walk, in a protective boot, around the facility.
None of it would have been possible back in late June when this event was initially scheduled. Those plans changed the moment Haliburton's strained right calf quivered during the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Haliburton immediately crashed to the floor, leaving teammates, coaches and fans in disbelief.
He needed help to leave the court and watched the rest of the game from the locker room with his father, John. The Pacers came up short that night, and Haliburton left the arena on crutches, knowing the likely diagnosis — surgery that would cost him all of next season.
The silver lining: Haliburton said he won't rush the recovery and he's rehabbing with Indiana's other prominent injured star, two-time WNBA All-Star Caitlin Clark. She hasn't played since July 15 because of an injured right groin, her third muscle injury this season.
“It sucks she's been hurt as long as she has, but for us to be able to communicate, even with her recovery we lift at the same time so it's like just us two in the weight room,” he said. “I wish she was playing, but I think it's good to have each other to lean on right now."
Haliburton has followed the recoveries of Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who also suffered Achilles tendon injuries in the playoffs and could miss all of this coming season. Tatum recently called the first six weeks after the injury “probably the toughest six weeks of any point in my life.”
At least three Pacers players — Haliburton, Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman — can empathize. Jackson and Wiseman both injured Achilles tendons early last season, and they hope to be ready for Indiana's season opener on Oct. 23 against defending champ Oklahoma City. So they've been providing advice and encouragement.
“We've kind of got a little bit of an Achilles group in our own locker room," Haliburton said. "It means the world to me because you get tired of complaining to the trainers. You know they're just doing their job, they're doing everything they can. But sometimes being able to talk, complain, to those guys means a lot.”
The boxes of letters he has received from well-wishers in Indiana, his home state of Wisconsin, his college home in Iowa and around the nation have helped, too.
So does seeing teammates — old and new. Forward James Johnson flew into town to work the camp. Rookie guards Taelon Peter and Kam Jones were there, too, as was Haliburton's proud and passionate father who was glad-handing and chatting it up with anyone willing to stop.
But perhaps the best medicine for Haliburton was being out in public, spending time with all those smiling kids in their Tyrese Haliburton camp T-shirts.
“A lot of these kids are coming up to me saying ‘I was at this game in the playoffs and at that game,’” Haliburton said, smiling ear to ear. “So I think just showing that I'm not, they might think I'm like this mythical being. I know I thought that when I was their age. So it's cool to be here, in front of the kids, hanging out, spending some time with them. I love being around it.”
NBA player Malik Beasley is no longer a target in federal gambling probe, according to report
NEW YORK (AP) — Federal investigators no longer consider NBA free agent Malik Beasley a target in their gambling probe, Beasley's attorneys told ESPN .
Attorneys Steve Haney and Mike Schachter said they've had what the report called “extensive” conversations and meetings with Eastern District of New York authorities.
“Months after this investigation commenced, Malik remains uncharged and is not the target of this investigation,” Haney told ESPN. “An allegation with no charge, indictment or conviction should never have the catastrophic consequence this has caused Malik. This has literally been the opposite of the presumption of innocence.”
Lawyers for Beasley didn’t immediately respond to emails and phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment, and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn declined to comment.
The AP reported in late June that Beasley was under investigation, coming 14 months after the NBA banned Toronto's Jontay Porter after he was linked to a prop-bet investigation. Porter eventually pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud.
Beasley's ties to the investigation were particularly ill-timed considering he joined the Pistons last year on a one-year, $6 million deal in hopes of cashing in this summer as a free agent. He went on to become just the fifth player in NBA history to make at least 300 3-pointers (a franchise-record 319) in a season while averaging 16.3 points for a playoff team.
Jaylen Brown's father arrested in Las Vegas in parking lot stabbing incident
BOSTON (AP) — The father of Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with attempted murder after reportedly stabbing another man in a parking lot.
According to TMZ, Quenton Marselles Brown admitted dinging the victim’s car with his door when he got out of his Lincoln Navigator. An argument ensued and Brown stabbed the victim in the back and stomach, the website reported.
Court documents listed Brown as an inmate in the Clark County Detention Center on attempted murder charges. A person with knowledge of the incident, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it, confirmed that the man arrested is Jaylen Brown’s father.
The Associated Press requested the police report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department but was told it wasn’t immediately available.
The Celtics declined to comment.
Bucks boost their depth by signing former Clippers wing Amir Coffey
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Veteran wing Amir Coffey has signed with the Milwaukee Bucks after spending six seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Bucks announced Wednesday.
Coffey, 28, had spent his entire NBA career with the Clippers. He averaged career highs last season in scoring (9.7), minutes (24.3) and games played (72).
The 6-foot-7 Coffey also had 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game last season while shooting 47.1% from the floor and 40.9% from 3-point range. He has made 13 starts each of the last two seasons.
Coffey has career averages of 6.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He has shot 45.5% overall, 38.4% from 3-point range and 83.7% from the foul line over the course of his career.
Cavs forward Larry Nance Jr. will debut a digital show on the ties between the NBA and soccer
CLEVELAND (AP) — Larry Nance Jr. is going to shed some light on why so many NBA players have become big fans of international soccer.
The Cleveland Cavaliers forward has teamed up with the Men in Blazers Media Network to launch a digital show called “Switch the Play,” a weekly program that will feature those NBA players who are soccer aficionados and discuss happenings in the game.
The first episode, featuring Alex Caruso of the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, debuts Thursday.
“I entered the NBA in 2015, and I was probably one of only a couple of guys in the league that could tell you who won the Premier League the previous season,” Nance said. “Now, soccer is a constant conversation starter in the locker room. Soccer’s popularity has grown so much over the past 10 years, as has the international influence on the NBA creating more and more players that follow the game consistently."
The ties between soccer and the NBA have never seemed to run so deep.
Many of basketball's top stars — Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Luka Doncic, James Harden, Joel Embiid and more — make no secret of their fascination with soccer. Wembanyama was on the field for a Paris Saint Germain-Manchester City game in Paris last winter when he and the San Antonio Spurs were there for a pair of games against the Indiana Pacers . The Spurs center also went viral this summer for taking part in pickup soccer games around the world.
The fandom goes both ways: Soccer icon Lionel Messi and other Inter Miami stars were at a Miami Heat game in 2024, Real Madrid stars Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe are regulars at NBA games and Butler said last season he's lost count of how many jerseys he's exchanged with soccer standouts at NBA games.
The NBA even modeled its NBA Cup in-season tournament in part around what has worked in European soccer regarding in-season trophy play.
“This show will give stars from around the league the opportunity to let fans hear them talk about their soccer fandom, parallels in the two games, and how we see it as professional athletes,” Nance said.
Nance played soccer until he was 16 and is now part owner of Premier League club Leeds United — becoming an investor in 2023 along with Indiana guard T.J. McConnell. Now 33, he is entering his 11th NBA season with career averages of 7.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Nance signed with Cleveland as a free agent in July. It's his second stint with the Cavs; he was previously with the club from 2018 through 2021.
Sale of Boston Celtics is finalized, with Bill Chisholm taking control of the NBA’s most-decorated franchise
BOSTON (AP) — Sale of Boston Celtics is finalized, with Bill Chisholm taking control of the NBA’s most-decorated franchise.
“Coming in second is not the objective, and it’s not acceptable,” private equity mogul Bill Chisholm said Tuesday after taking control of the team from Wyc Grousbeck. “The ultimate yardstick is winning championships. Wyc’s got two, and we’re going to get more, and he and I together are going to help drive that.”
Check our full pre season guide to the best NBA Championship odds, including how Celtics owner change has influenced their odds
Chisholm leads a group that bid $6.1 billion for the Celtics — a record price for an American professional sports franchise. The NBA unanimously approved the deal last week, and all that was left was for the money to change hands on Tuesday.
“We are committed to building on the legacy of the Celtics and raising banners," Chisholm said. “And I can’t wait for the team to get back out there this fall.”
A Massachusetts native, Chisholm said his earliest Celtics memories are of the Dave Cowens, JoJo White and John Havlicek teams that won two NBA titles in the 1970s, but he really fell hard for the teams with Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale that added three more banners to the Boston Garden rafters in the '80s.
“I became a rabid fan during the Bird, McHale, Parish era. That was my team,” Chisholm said in an interview with The Associated Press shortly after the deal was finalized. “How can you be a teenager in Massachusetts, or New England, with that group and not end up being a lifelong Celtics fan?”
The team was put on the market last summer, soon after Tatum and Brown vanquished the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals. Chisholm won the bidding in March and leads a group that now has majority ownership control of the team, with full control coming by 2028 at a price that could bring the total value to $7.3 billion.
That’s the highest price ever paid for a team in the four major North American sports, though a piece of the Los Angeles Lakers changed hands this summer at a price that would value the entire franchise at $10 billion.
Other investors include Aditya Mittal, Bruce Beal, Andrew Bialecki, Dom Ferrante, Rob Hale, Mario Ho and Ian Loring. Sixth Street is also a “major participant” in the investment group, the team said in a news release.
Grousbeck and co-owner Steve Pagliuca led a group that bought the Celtics in 2002 for $360 million and presided over an era in which the Celtics won two NBA titles, lost in the finals two other times and made the playoffs in 20 of 23 seasons. The team’s most recent title came in 2024, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Team president Rich Gotham, general manager Brad Stevens and coach Joe Mazzulla are all expected to remain in their positions. Chisholm will represent the team in league matters as governor, with Grousbeck staying on as co-owner, CEO and alternate governor to run the day-to-day operations alongside Chisholm.
“We’ve got a really solid core to the roster. We’ve got, I think, the best basketball people that there are. And we’ve got a really talented business operations team,” Chisholm said. "And then we’ve got a leader like Wyc. I mean, why would you go make major changes to that?
“I think there are things we can always improve on,” he said. “But that is a really, really good place to start.”
Grousbeck said he can already tell that Chisholm understands the significance of owning one of the NBA’s charter franchises, with its unmatched 18 championships and a history of Hall of Famers from Red Auerbach, Bob Cousy and Bill Russell to Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
“It’s an unbelievable responsibility, and an unbelievable thrill,” Grousbeck said. “But it’s a huge challenge because the greats built it. And we’re just here trying to maintain the legacy, which is a great honor.”
Chisholm takes over the team in a bit of a transition just two seasons after its latest title.
Tatum is recovering from surgery to repair the ruptured right Achilles tendon injury he suffered in Boston’s Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the New York Knicks, dooming the Celtics' hopes of a repeat. Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis — key parts of the title-winning team — were traded to avoid the NBA's punitive second apron payroll tax.
Grousbeck said the days of outspending opponents to win championships are over.
“We had our two years at supermax, 100 mph, and now you take a year to reset a little bit, which every team will be doing,” Grousbeck said. “And we’ll be back. We’re coming back as hard as we can.”
John Wall, 5-time All-Star, retires after 11 NBA seasons
John Wall is retiring after 11 NBA seasons.
Wall, 34, played most of his career with the Washington Wizards after they made him the first overall pick in the 2010 draft out of Kentucky. The five-time All-Star point guard finishes his NBA career with averages of 18.7 points and 8.9 assists per game.
“Today, I’m stepping off of the court, but not away from the game,” Wall said in a social media post on Tuesday. “Basketball will always be in my life, and new opportunities present themselves. I feel now is the time to walk confidently into my next chapter.”
Wall played most of his career with the Washington Wizards, but also played for the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. In his best season, he averaged 23.1 points and 10.7 assists for the Wizards in 2016-17 and was named All-NBA third team.
Wall was one of the fastest, most athletic point guards during his prime — he was the 2014 Slam Dunk champion. He was an elite defender, making the All-Defensive second team in 2015.
Injuries plagued the second half of his career. He never played more than half the games in any of the past six seasons and he didn’t play the last two years.
