LeBron James has agreed a two-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth a whopping $97.1million.
James, 37, had been entering the final year of a contract worth $44.5m. His new deal, as reported by ESPN, includes a player option for the 2024-25 season.
The NBA great missed the Lakers' final two games of the 2021-22 season after suffering a sprained ankle, although he did enjoy the second-most productive campaign of his storied career in terms of points per game.
He played 56 games overall, averaging 30.3 points per game, only the second time he has averaged over 30 in a season (31.4 PPG for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005-06).
James averaged 8.2 rebounds per game, 6.2 assists and brought three-pointers into his arsenal more than ever, hitting a career-high season average of 2.9 successes and 8.0 attempts per game.
He also became the first player in NBA history to record more than 10,000 career points, rebounds and assists.
During career, James has won four NBA titles with three different teams – the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Lakers.
In each of his championship-winning seasons, James was voted as Finals MVP, while he is also a four-time regular-season MVP, and an 18-time All Star.
The NBA will schedule no matches on November 8, the date of the US midterm elections, in order to encourage voter turnout.
Ahead of Wednesday's full schedule reveal, the organisation confirmed all 30 teams will instead play on November 7, the day before polling booths open.
The move marks a significant break from tradition for the governing body, which typically avoids matches on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.
It comes on the back of increased political involvement from within the league during the 2020 election cycle.
"The NBA today announced that no games will be played on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022," the league said in a statement.
"The scheduling decision came out of the NBA family's focus on promoting nonpartisan civic engagement and encouraging fans to make a plan to vote during midterm elections."
All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives will be contested this November, while more than 30 Senate seats and gubernatorial races will also be in the mix.
It marks the first widespread elections since 2020, when Democrat Joe Biden defeated then-incumbent Republican Donald Trump for the US presidency.
Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers have reached a settlement agreement after the Brooklyn Nets guard filed a grievance to recoup a portion of the nearly $20million withheld during the 2021-22 season, according to ESPN.
Simmons did not play for the 76ers during the 2021-22 season after demanding a trade in light of their messy fallout from their 2021 playoffs exit.
The All-Star missed their training camp and did not play in the preseason, with the 76ers subsequently opting to withhold his salary. As Simmons' holdout extended, even infamously declining head coach Doc Rivers' request to play as a substitute in a drill at training, the 76ers' continued to withhold payments.
Simmons would cite mental health reasons for his absence, and was eventually traded to the Nets in February.
The guard, alongside the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), filed the grievance in April after Simmons' representatives and the 76ers could not reach a settlement, according to reports.
However, a settlement agreement has now been reached after entering into an arbitration process prior to judgement, with both sides agreeing to confidentiality on the exact financial details.
The 76ers had claimed that Simmons was in breach of his contract under the NBA and NBPA collective bargaining agreement for his continued absence.
Simmons is yet to play for the Nets following his trade due to a back injury, but is hopeful of a franchise debut in the 2022-23 season after surgery in May.
Giannis Antetokounmpo says only a "liar" would state that they do not want to play for the Chicago Bulls but he is committed to the Milwaukee Bucks for now.
Antetokounmpo has only ever played for the Bucks in the NBA and signed a blockbuster new long-term deal contract in December 2020.
The two-time NBA MVP is not contemplating leaving Milwaukee but gave a frank answer when asked if playing for the Bulls would interest him.
Antetokounmpo told Fox 32 Chicago Sports: "I think anybody you ask that question that plays basketball, if he said no he would be a liar.
"It's a team that won multiple championships, it's a team that one of the greatest players [Michael Jordan], if not the greatest player, to play this game played for.
"So, it's a no-brainer, everybody would love to play for Chicago. Down the line you never know.
"Maybe I'll play for Chicago, but right now I'm committed to Milwaukee."
The NBA has made the historic decision to retire the number six from all franchises' jerseys to honour the legacy of Boston Celtics icon Bill Russell, who passed away on July 31 at 88 years old.
It is the first time in history that a jersey number has been retired league-wide, and in addition, every jersey and every home court in the 2022-23 season will feature a clover-shaped logo bearing the number six.
Russell holds the record for winning the most NBA Championships, collecting 11 rings from 1957 to 1969 while winning five league MVP awards.
Across his career, Russell averaged 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds per game, and at nearly seven-feet tall while being a world-class high-jumper and sprinter, is considered arguably the sport's greatest ever defensive player.
Since 2009, the NBA Finals MVP award has been named after Russell.
While his competitive achievements place him amongst the greatest to ever lace up a pair of basketball shoes, his off-court legacy is just as significant, as he became one of the faces of the American civil rights movement.
Russell was regularly pictured with Martin Luther King Jr, Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the public faces of the campaign for civil rights in the United States, and in 2011, then-president Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his accomplishments both on and off the court.
In a statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said: "Bill Russell's unparalleled success on the court and pioneering civil rights activism deserves to be honoured in a unique and historic way.
"Permanently retiring his number six across every NBA team ensures that Bill's transcendent career will always be recognised."
Tom Brady remembered Bill Russell as a sporting figure with "a great presence" as he recalled striking up a rapport with the Boston Celtics great, who died on Sunday.
NFL superstar Brady told a news conference about his sorrow at hearing of Russell's death at the age of 88.
He had come to know the basketball hero when living in the Boston area, while spending 20 seasons as quarterback with the New England Patriots.
Russell was drafted by the Celtics in 1956 and went on to win 11 NBA titles. He was a five-time NBA MVP and is one of only four players to have been named to all four NBA anniversary teams (25th, 35th, 50th and 75th).
He became the first black head coach of any North American professional sports team, leading the Celtics to back-to-back NBA championships in 1968 and 1969 when he served as a player-coach.
Russell also made a significant impact away from the basketball court, championing the civil rights movement, and Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
Brady said: "I knew him pretty well. I had a lot of time up there in Boston and got to know him and he was a very impactful figure.
"Going back to my early days with the Patriots, in my second year at training camp he came and spoke to the team.
"A really imposing figure, he had a great presence around him and obviously what he overcame in his career was pretty unbelievable. It was a sad day."
Chicago Bulls hero Michael Jordan on Sunday described Russell as a "pioneer" and a "legend", while Obama also paid tribute to "a giant".
The Celtics said Russell's "DNA is woven through every element" of the organisation.
Michael Jordan has hailed Bill Russell as a "pioneer" and a "legend", while the Boston Celtics and Barack Obama also paid glowing tributes to the basketball legend after he died on Sunday.
Russell's family announced that he had passed away peacefully at the age of 88.
One of the all-time greats, Russell won 11 NBA titles, was a five-time NBA MVP and is one of only four players to have been named to all four NBA anniversary teams (25th, 35th, 50th and 75th).
He was the first black head coach of any North American professional sports team, leading the Boston Celtics to back-to-back NBA Championships in 1968 and 1969.
Russell also made a huge impact off the court, championing the civil rights movement and Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
The legendary Jordan said: "Bill Russell was a pioneer – as a player, as a champion, as the NBA's first black head coach and as an activist.
"He paved the way and set an example for every black player who came into the league after him, including me. The world has lost a legend. My condolences to his family and may he rest in peace."
The Celtics said Russell's "DNA is woven through every element" of the organisation.
"To be the greatest champion in your sport, to revolutionise the way the game is played, and to be a societal leader all at once seems unthinkable, but that is who Bill Russell was," the NBA franchise stated.
"Bill was a champion unlike any other in the history of team sports – an 11-time NBA champion, including winning eight consecutive titles, a five-time MVP, an Olympic gold medalilst and the NBA’s first Black head coach.
"Bill Russell's DNA is woven through every element of the Celtics organisation, from the relentless pursuit of excellence, to the celebration of team rewards over individual glory, to a commitment to social justice and civil rights off the court.
"Our thoughts are with his family as we mourn his passing and celebrate his enormous legacy in basketball, Boston, and beyond."
Former United States president Obama posted on Twitter: "Today, we lost a giant.
"As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher – both as a player and as a person.
"Perhaps more than anyone else, Bill knew what it took to win and what it took to lead. On the court, he was the greatest champion in basketball history. Off of it, he was a civil rights trailblazer – marching with Dr. King and standing with Muhammad Ali.
"For decades, Bill endured insults and vandalism, but never let it stop him from speaking up for what's right. I learned so much from the way he played, the way he coached, and the way he lived his life."
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