Rick Welts was there, 40 years to the date earlier, when the NBA draft lottery got started.

JJ Redick already says the Los Angeles Lakers need to be in better shape next season after the coach watched his team fade in its first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

LeBron James wasn’t ready to make any decisions about his future in the painful moments immediately after his 22nd NBA season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round playoff exit.

JJ Redick says he enjoys coaching more than he enjoyed playing in his 15-year NBA career.

When Luka Doncic scored 16 points in the first quarter of his playoff debut with his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers’ downtown arena crackled with excitement from fans imagining dream scenarios for their new superstar this spring.

Ja Morant shrugged off a sprained right ankle to score 22 points and add nine assists and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 on Friday night to advance to the NBA playoffs.

Klay Thompson scored 16 of his 23 points in Dallas’ dominant second quarter to get redemption for his dud in Sacramento a year ago, helping the Mavericks beat the Kings 120-106 on Wednesday night to advance in the Play-In Tournament.

Game 82 for every team in the NBA has arrived.

The Los Angeles Lakers said they believe they can win an NBA championship after they wrapped up the Pacific Division title.

Luka Doncic scored 45 points in his first game in Dallas since being traded to the Los Angeles, helping the Lakers wrap up a playoff spot with a 112-97 victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday night.

Luka Doncic entered the court with the Los Angeles Lakers for his first game back in Dallas to cheers in an arena where draped over every seat was a T-shirt with the Slovenian phrase for thank you for everything.

Duke star Cooper Flagg is The Associated Press men's college basketball national player of the year.

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving had surgery on the torn ACL in his left knee, starting a process of recovery that’s likely to continue into next season.

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis has practiced with the club's NBA G League affiliate to get some five-on-five work in as he prepares for a possible return from a left adductor strain.

LeBron James didn’t sound overly concerned about the strained groin that he suffered in the waning minutes of Los Angeles’ loss to Boston.

Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban says he wouldn’t have traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers without receiving much more in return.

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.

The game hasn’t gotten easy for the Los Angeles Lakers since the trade deadline.

KKyrie Irving suffered a left knee sprain and shot free throws for the Mavericks before leaving the floor in obvious pain late in the first quarter of Dallas' 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Two-time reigning Indianapolis 500 winner champion Josef Newgarden has signed with Klutch Sports Group.

Luka Doncic hit deep 3-pointers and fearlessly drove for layups.

Just over three weeks after the trade that stunned the sports world, Luka Doncic and his Los Angeles Lakers will host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Luka Doncic had his best game in a Lakers uniform Saturday night in Denver when he led Los Angeles to a 123-100 win over the Nuggets who had won nine games in a row.

Luka Doncic had his best game yet for the Los Angeles Lakers, leading them to a 123-100 win at Denver that snapped the Nuggets' nine-game winning streak.

The agent for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams says the Los Angeles Lakers should not have failed his client’s physical examination.

Anthony Davis will be sidelined at least two more weeks with the groin injury sustained in his Dallas debut, while the Mavericks say their star forward is making good progress in his recovery.

Luka Doncic couldn’t find his shot in his third game with the Los Angeles Lakers, and LeBron James couldn’t make up for it.

The trade deadline is gone.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has a message to those Dallas Mavericks fans who are still angry, two weeks later: He feels your pain.

Brandon Ingram has a $120 million extension from the Toronto Raptors before ever playing a game for them.

Red Auerbach once got ejected from an All-Star Game for arguing a call.

Luka Doncic scored 14 points in limited playing time during his debut with the Lakers, joining their starting lineup alongside LeBron James and immediately getting into the flow during Los Angeles’ 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Anthony Davis is out at least through the All-Star break after sustaining a groin injury in his debut with the Dallas Mavericks following the seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play in next weekend’s All-Star Game because of a strained left calf.

The Los Angeles Lakers rescinded their trade to acquire Mark Williams from Charlotte after the center failed his physical, a person with knowledge of the circumstances tells The Associated Press.

Anthony Davis left in the third quarter with a lower-body injury and didn’t return in his debut with the Dallas Mavericks after the seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James is sitting out the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against Indiana on Saturday to rest his sore left ankle.

Anthony Davis expects to make his debut for the Dallas Mavericks in their first home game since the seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka Doncic is now expected to make his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night against the Utah Jazz, coach JJ Redick says.

LeBron James got drafted No. 1 again.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd ruled center Anthony Davis out for Thursday night’s NBA Finals rematch against the Boston Celtics.

The final numbers from trade-deadline time: no fewer than eight current and past All-Stars, some of them recent All-NBA selections, some among the league’s highest scorers and even three Olympic gold medalists, all of them headed to new homes.

The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring center Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets in a trade for rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and two draft picks, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press.

Jayson Tatum scored 22 points, Derrick White added 20 and the Boston Celtics showed their championship makeup down the stretch with a 112-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a matchup of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

Joel Embiid had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his first action in a month to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-116 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, who fell to 0-2 since trading star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James says he spent two days in disbelief after the Los Angeles Lakers traded away Anthony Davis, his close friend and teammate for the past 5 1/2 years.

Anthony Davis gave up a $6 million bonus as part of the seismic trade that brought him to the Dallas Mavericks and sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a rare swap of superstars.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ acquisition of Luka Doncic has altered the future of a franchise that had been trying to squeeze one more championship run out of 40-year-old LeBron James’ partnership with Anthony Davis.

The Dallas Mavericks are acquiring Caleb Martin in a trade with Philadelphia that sends Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-round draft pick to the 76ers.

Luka Doncic says he was just as shocked as the rest of the basketball world when the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka Doncic came to the NBA in 2018 calling LeBron James his idol.

The list of NBA players who might get traded before the 3 p.m. Eastern deadline on Thursday is a long one, according to Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Luka Doncic released an emotional farewell to Dallas on the same day a trade sending him from the Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in a swap for fellow All-NBA player Anthony Davis was finalized.

Beyoncé has won album of the year at the 67th Grammy Awards.

Luka Doncic has been traded by the reigning Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.

The NBA All-Stars have been selected.

NBA coaches are obviously convinced: Victor Wembanyama is one of the league’s very best players.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis strained his abdomen Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in about a week.

Bronny James struggled in the most playing time he has received in his NBA career.

Anthony Davis left the Lakers’ game against Philadelphia in the first half with an abdominal muscle strain.

Anthony Davis had 42 points and 23 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers used a huge first quarter from the All-Star center to build a 23-point lead before beating the Charlotte Hornets 112-107 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.

LeBron James is extending his All-Star records.

Norman Powell scored 22 points, James Harden had a double-double and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 116-102.

Victor Wembanyama had 23 points and eight rebounds, Harrison Barnes scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Lakers 126-102 in Los Angeles’ first game back from two postponements due to the wildfires devastating the area.

The Lakers and the Clippers both went back to work Monday night in Los Angeles’ first two NBA games since catastrophic wildfires killed at least 24 people and destroyed significant sections of their hometown.

Austin Reaves scored the winning layup with one second left after Stephen Curry tied it on a 31-foot 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining, LeBron James had 31 points and 10 assists playing in his NBA-record 19th Christmas Day game, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Golden State Warriors 115-113.

Lakers big man Anthony Davis didn’t return for Los Angeles against Golden State after spraining his left ankle midway through the first quarter.

LeBron James returned to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in a 116-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies after a two-game break.

Anthony Edwards scored 23 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 97-87.

LeBron James has been ruled out of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game at Minnesota on Friday night due to soreness in his left foot.

LeBron James will sit out Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to left foot soreness, the NBA career scoring leader’s first missed game of the season.

A 29-point loss in Minnesota on Monday.

LeBron James is in quite the shooting slump, especially from long distance.

Julius Randle scored 18 points and Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Los Angeles Lakers 109-80.

Dalton Knecht could only shrug when he buried his fourth consecutive 3-pointer and sent the Los Angeles Lakers’ entire arena into a frenzy.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama won't play against the Oklahoma City Thunder as he recovers from a bruised right knee.

LeBron James had 35 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds for his third straight triple-double and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-123 on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis says he has recovered from being poked in the left eye by Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl, and his latest eye injury still hasn’t persuaded him to wear protective goggles.

LeBron James had 21 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in his second triple-double of the season, and the Los Angeles Lakers extended the Philadelphia 76ers’ miserable start with a 116-106 victory.

Lakers star Anthony Davis injured his left ankle late in Los Angeles’ 115-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

Cade Cunningham had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his third career triple-double and the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-103 on Monday night.

When JJ Redick was hired as the Los Angeles Lakers coach, he said one of his early goals was to make Anthony Davis the offensive hub.

Anthony Davis scored 35 points, Austin Reaves added 26 and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns 123-116 on Friday night for their first 2-0 start since 2010-11.

LeBron James and his 20-year-son, Bronny, are about to become the first father and son to play on the same NBA team.

Bronny James played in his first NBA preseason game when the Lakers host Minnesota in the first of Los Angeles’ two games in the Coachella Valley.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis will play at some point during the Los Angeles Lakers’ first two preseason games this weekend.

Boston will get its championship rings on Oct. 22, and the rival New York Knicks will be there for the celebration.

Stephen Curry had only five 3-pointers in his first four games of the Olympics combined.

Grant Hill will be back for another stint as managing director of the U.S. senior men's national basketball team.

With six points in two seconds, the U.S. Olympic team was on its way.

Halfway to its goal of gold, the U.S. has the No. 1 seed going into the medal round at the Paris Olympics.

South Sudan is the 33rd-ranked team in the FIBA world rankings, by far the lowest of any of the 12 nations that will be vying for men’s basketball gold in the Paris Olympics that start this week.

LeBron James saved the U.S. from a stunning loss.

Stephen Curry scored 24 points, Bam Adebayo added 17 and the U.S. beat Serbia 105-79 to improve to 3-0 in its five-game slate of exhibitions before the Paris Olympics.

Anthony Davis scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Tyrese Haliburton came up with a pair of late 3-pointers that helped stop a freefall by the Americans, and the U.S. beat Australia 98-92 on Monday to improve to 2-0 in its five-game slate of exhibitions leading into the Paris Olympics.

The New Orleans Pelicans have opted to wait until 2025 to use the last of the three first-round draft choices they received from the Los Angeles Lakers as part of the 2019 Anthony Davis trade.

LeBron James is now the youngest and the oldest player to make an All-NBA team.

Victor Wembanyama’s latest accolade was like none other.

The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham after just two seasons in charge.

A deep run by the Lakers in the NBA playoffs might have altered any Olympic plans for James.