Kyrie Irving described his Dallas Mavericks debut as an "incredible" experience after playing a lead role in victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
An NBA champion alongside LeBron James seven years ago with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving joined the Mavericks this week after a stint with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Mavs scored a 110-104 road win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday and Irving shot a team-high 24 points.
Asked at courtside how his debut felt, Irving told ESPN: "Incredible. I had natural nerves out here, so I was just trying to play well, but it feels good to get acclimated.
"It's been a long 96 hours to say the least, but I'm just grateful I got to play the game I love with some guys that were selfless out there, and it just feels good."
Luka Doncic is sidelined for now due to a heel problem but is expected back within days, with Dallas now sitting fourth in the Western Conference.
The prospect of linking up with Doncic excites the new arrival, who spoke of what could be expected.
"Just some high-level, high-IQ basketball," Irving said. "It's simple when you play with guys that are selfless and do the little things, and they don't mind other guys being aggressive out there. That's the way the game should be played, a very fast pace, and just doing the little things, details to win.
"We'll take it from day to day. We're trying to get everybody healthy and see where we go from there."
Irving saw lots that pleased him about his new team-mates, saying in a post-game press conference: "I was telling the guys in the locker room I liked how we didn't panic in the last four minutes. We stayed poised. They made their runs, but we made everything tough.
"It just felt good to get this debut out of the way. It's been a long 96 hours, barely any sleep sometimes and just packing my stuff. It was the first time I ever got traded in the middle of the season, so it was new for me.
"But I'm excited that I'm here, and just keep things rolling now."
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 19 points, six assists and five rebounds, and the 30-year-old believes Irving is settling in well.
"It felt like when he came to practice yesterday and came to shoot this morning, you could just tell his energy was great," Hardaway Jr. said.
"He talked to all the guys out there and told us to 'keep doing what you guys are doing, have fun; don't look for me, I'll find a way'.
"He just gave us that confidence. It felt like he'd been here for a while, while he was on the floor with us, so it was great."
Kevin Durant is heading out of the Brooklyn Nets and will join the Phoenix Suns in a stunning trade, according to reports.
The 34-year-old will be a prize catch for new Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who completed his takeover at Phoenix this week and pledged to create a team that is "the best in class".
Nets team-mate T.J. Warren will join Durant in making the switch, ESPN said, with Phoenix giving the Nets three players in Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Jae Crowder, plus four unprotected first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap.
The first-round picks will reportedly be for the 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 drafts.
Durant's exit ahead of Thursday's trade deadline follows the Nets trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, meaning two superstars of the NBA have left Brooklyn within days.
A 13-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP, Durant has averaged 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season.
A knee problem has meant he has not played since January 8, with the Nets going 5-9 in his absence, having won 17 of their previous 19 when Durant featured.
Durant and Irving arrived in Brooklyn together in 2019 but started only 71 regular season games together.
Their exits will mean the Nets have traded their only two players to average above 20 points per game this season.
Durant's move will see him leave a team sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference for the side fifth in the Western Conference.
Jalen Hurts will make some overdue NFL history when he faces off with Patrick Mahomes on Sunday, and the Philadelphia Eagles star made it clear how proud he is of the opportunity to represent a wide range of people in the first Super Bowl matchup of black quarterbacks.
Hurts will look to lead the Eagles to victory over Mahomes' Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII in a mouthwatering clash between two number one seeds at State Farm Stadium.
Mahomes and Hurts are the top two candidates for MVP and, having gone from second-round pick who many doubted could make the grade at the highest level to one of the faces of the league, the former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback is determined to make those who identify with him a part of his journey proud as it reaches a zenith few would have seen coming this early in his career.
"It’s a ton of pride in everything that’s going on right now," Hurts said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"I think when you're thrust into these situations, you're thrust into these opportunities, you don't really realise the impact your doing until you reflect on it.
"I think, to have these opportunities and be able to represent so many different people, people back home in Texas, quarterbacks that maybe they said they couldn't do something or whatever it is, just believers, it’s something I definitely have in my heart when I'm out there playing.
"I never forget where I come from and most importantly I know there are kids out there watching, always kids that are watching, kids back in Texas, Philly, Florida, Cali, here in AZ, wherever it is, there's always a kid out there watching.
"I heard someone say, I don't know if it was Michael Jordan or Kobe [Bryant], but sometimes you get families and kids that save up all their money just to go to that one game, they may not ever get to see you play in person again, so definitely want to put on a show for them when they come."
Hurts' comments came on the heels of effusive praise from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who unsurprisingly faced several questions about a league first that is over five decades in the making.
Asked why it has taken so long for a Super Bowl with two black quarterbacks, Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl press conference: "You know, there are probably a variety of reasons. Probably none of them good. Because the reality is, there's such great talent at that position, black and white.
"I think we have 11 black starting quarterbacks today. They're some of the best leaders I've ever seen. They're extraordinary. People talk about their talent and their ability to run but they are incredible leaders. They understand the offence they run complex offenses, probably more complex than we've ever run in the past.
"And they really add such an element to the game and I think our game has changed because of their talents. And I think that game has changed on the college level also to develop their talents earlier and that's true for all quarterbacks.
"But I just think it's another example of where diversity makes you better. Think about this league without those 11 great young quarterbacks. Think about the two in the Super Bowl. They make the league better. And that's what we're so proud of."
Kyrie Irving got off to a winning start as the Dallas Mavericks fought out a 110-104 win at the home of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Fresh from his trade from the Brooklyn Nets, Irving shot a team-high 24 points on debut for Dallas.
The Mavs were without Luka Doncic, but the addition of Irving to their ranks meant they had sufficient firepower to overcome the Clippers and rise to fourth in the Western Conference.
Tim Hardaway Jr. weighed in with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds, and his three-pointer with 26.8 seconds remaining effectively slammed the door shut on the prospect of a late Clippers fightback.
It meant Norman Powell's 24-point game off the bench for the Clippers came in vain.
Celtics sink Sixers but suffer Brown blow
Behind 19-of-35 shooting from three-point range, the injury-hit Boston Celtics had too much for the Philadelphia 76ers, with the Eastern Conference leaders scoring a 106-99 win.
Despite Joel Embiid scoring a game-high 28 points and James Harden weighing in with a 26-point game and 11 assists, the 76ers were sunk by a Boston side who had six players in double figures, led by Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon who both hit 19 points.
Worryingly, Jaylen Brown suffered what the Celtics described as a "facial contusion" when banging into team-mate Jayson Tatum as both went after a rebound in the closing stages of the second quarter.
It forced Brown out of the game and could see him sidelined for an extended spell, with reports claiming he suffered a fracture. That came as a fresh blow to a Celtics side who came into the game without starters Marcus Smart, Al Horford, and Robert Williams.
Brown's injury meant he and Tatum combined for only 16 points. Tatum managed just 12 points but added nine assists and eight rebounds.
It ended the double act's streak of 55 straight regular-season games combining for 40 or more points in games played together. That was the longest streak by a pair of team-mates in the NBA since a 60-game run from the 76ers' Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer from 1965 to 1966.
Lillard heroics see Blazers blunt Warriors
Damian Lillard's triple-double helped the Portland Trail Blazers see off the Golden State Warriors, who were again without the injured Stephen Curry.
In Curry's continuing absence, Jordan Poole weighed in with 38 points and Klay Thompson collected a 31-point haul, but reigning NBA champions Golden State went down 125-122 at Moda Center.
Lillard finished with 33 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in a game that was locked at 95-95 heading to the fourth quarter.
Denis Shapovalov suffered defeat at the hands of China's fast-rising Wu Yibing at the Dallas Open.
Wu landed a 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 win against the Canadian Davis Cup winner and former top-10 player in their second-round contest.
World number 97 Wu, who this week became China's second player to reach the ATP top 100, has surged from 1,869th on the ranking list last April and believes he can crack the top 30 by the end of the year.
Speaking after getting the better of Shapovalov, who stands at 27th in the rankings, Wu said: "I've been playing great tennis the past few months. Hopefully I can keep playing good."
Frances Tiafoe cruised into the quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-3 win over fellow American Mackenzie McDonald.
Second seed Tiafoe was playing for the first time since his third-round elimination to Karen Khachanov at the Australian Open last month.
He faced just one break point in the entire match and needed just 59 minutes to deal with the world number 59.
J.J. Wolf, seeded sixth, will face Tiafoe in the last eight after he saw off Romania's Radu Albot in a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) win.
At the Cordoba Open, fifth seed Pedro Cachin was the biggest casualty on Wednesday as he was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien.
Seventh seed Pedro Martinez was also ousted in the first round, while Bernabe Zapata Miralles was sent packing by Tomas Barrios Vera in the last 16, losing 5-7 6-4 6-3.
Fourth seed Sebastian Baez had no such issues with Italy's Luciano Darderi, however, reaching the quarter-finals as a 6-3 6-4 winner.
Rob Gronkowski thinks Tom Brady could have played on until he was 50.
Brady had a short-lived retirement last year but confirmed he was calling time on his playing days for good on February 1.
The 45-year-old heads into retirement with seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVP awards and three NFL MVP prizes to his name among countless records.
Gronkowski played alongside Brady for nine years with the New England Patriots and then linked up with the QB again for two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He thinks Brady could have played at the top level for another five years.
"Yes, I was [surprised] but I wasn't at the same time," Gronkowski said.
"Football is a tough sport. But the only reason why I'm surprised that he's retired is because I think he could have easily played until like 50 years old, just the way he carries himself, the way he takes care of his body, just the way he preps every single week, week in and week out.
"At the same time, not really surprised. He had an unbelievable career. If you really think about a 45-year-old and was top three in passing yards... so he still went out on top, there's no doubt about it.
"Whatever he wants to do, whatever is going to make him happy, I'm going to support that."
Gronkowski, who retired after the 2021 season, is unsure where Brady might have ended up had he decided to continue his career.
"I don't know, wherever he decided but just loves the game of football," he added. "He just loves it so much. So I really wasn't sure what his plans were or anything.
"But I'm just super excited for him and just happy for him in whatever situation, he decides to do anytime."
Patriots chief executive Robert Kraft mooted the possibility of Brady ending his career at New England, potentially on a one-day contract.
Asked if he would be open to such a situation for himself, Gronkowski replied: "I think that offer's only open for Tom.
"I don't know. If it was offered and presented, it would definitely be a possibility. I love New England. I loved my time there. I've learned so much. I love Mr. Kraft. I love the whole organisation.
"Coach [Bill] Belichick, everyone, I've learned so much there over the nine years. So, if that was presented then that would definitely be something to consider. All because of just how much that place means to me for the rest of my life."
Russell Westbrook's spell with the Los Angeles Lakers is coming to an end as he prepares to join the Utah Jazz ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Lakers plan to send Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and a 2027 first-round pick to the Jazz; Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley will go the other way.
The Lakers are also reported to be getting D'Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves, who will receive Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Mike Conley and a second-round pick compensation in return.
Westbrook's Lakers future had been in doubt, with many expecting him to depart before Thursday's deadline.
The Lakers had apparently been keen on using Westbrook in a trade to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets.
But his move to the Dallas Mavericks went through quickly after he requested a trade last week.
Westbrook, the 2017 NBA MVP, was claimed to have engaged in a heated verbal exchange with Lakers coach Darvin Ham at half-time during Tuesday's game against his former team the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which LeBron James broke the all-time NBA points record.
While ESPN reports they "dapped up" before leaving after the game, it was another hint of things not being quite right for Westbrook in LA.
Despite their being questions about his form this season, Westbrook is still ranked fifth for assists (391) this season – Russell, one of the Lakers' new arrivals, is tenth (334), though he is averaging more points per game (17.9 to 15.9).
Westbrook is set to play on his fifth team in as many years, having spent time with the Thunder, the Houston Rockets, the Washington Wizards and the Lakers since 2018.
Belinda Bencic stood firm to reach the quarter-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open while fellow favourites Anett Kontaveit and Jelena Ostapenko headed home.
Bencic clinched her second last-eight spot of the year with a 6-4 7-5 win over Marta Kostyuk, though the world number nine was pushed hard by the Ukrainian, who remains without a top-10 win in her career after failing to see through the second set from 5-3 up.
The second seed will next face Shelby Rogers, who advanced courtesy of a walkover following Kontaveit's retirement through injury after falling 4-1 behind in the pair's decisive third set.
Kontaveit was not the only seed to fall, with Ostapenko slipping to a surprise 7-6 (12-10) 6-1 loss against China's Zheng Qinwen.
Fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova fared better, however, racing to a 6-1 7-5 win against Elise Mertens to keep her campaign alive.
At the Linz Open, top seed Maria Sakkari cruised to a straight-sets success against Varvara Gracheva, while Anastasia Potapova battled to a 7-5 3-6 6-3 victory against Jule Niemeier.
Third seed Irina-Camelia Begu was the highest-ranked player to exit in the last 16 in Austria, suffering a 6-2 6-1 defeat against Danish 20-year-old Clara Tauson.
Patrick Mahomes will look to etch his name into the history books again on Sunday with victory in Super Bowl LVII, and he received inspiration ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs' clash with the Philadelphia Eagles from LeBron James' record-breaking exploits.
James scored 38 points for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, that tally seeing him move to 38,390 in his regular-season career and surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-standing record of 38,387.
LeBron's history-making feat was a hot topic as the Chiefs spoke to the media on Wednesday, with Mahomes effusive in his praise for the man many consider the greatest basketball player of all time.
"Yeah, I mean, first off, I talk to him every once in a while and try to gain as much advice as possible," Mahomes said at a press conference.
"But I think you gain inspiration because, I think, you heard him talking about it last night. It wasn't something that he was chasing.
"It wasn't something that he even thought was possible. He just continued to work every single year, every single day. And he got there and he's still at it, playing at a high level. And so, like I said, it's legendary stuff.
"I mean, there's some records that no one thinks will ever be broken. And to see a guy that puts in the work every single day and gets to that milestone who's not even a scorer first, he's one of the greatest scorers of all time and has the most points of all time. But he's not even a scorer.
"He just continues to work and work and try to win championships, and he's able to reach goals that I don't think anyone ever thought were going to be broken."
Andy Reid's assertion that Patrick Mahomes can do "everything in the game plan" despite his ankle sprain will boost confidence the Kansas City Chiefs can prevail in Super Bowl LVII, but their head coach does not want to be distracted by talk of a dynasty.
Mahomes has led the Chiefs back to the biggest stage despite suffering a high ankle sprain in the Divisional round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Reid and his star quarterback have faced persistent questions about his physical condition, which will seemingly place no limitations on Mahomes at State Farm Stadium on Sunday as the Chiefs look to reclaim the Lombardi Trophy with victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, having last won it in Super Bowl LIV at the end of the 2019 season.
"Yeah, so he's been doing really well with his ankle," Reid said at his Wednesday press conference.
"We had a fast practice a couple days ago, and he moved well. He can really do just about everything, at least everything in the game plan that we've asked him to do. I think he'll be fine today."
For his part, Mahomes insists he will not have a complete picture of what he will be able to do until he steps on the field in Glendale, Arizona.
"I don't think you'll know exactly until you get to gameday," said Mahomes. "I'm definitely in a better spot. I definitely can move around better than I was moving last week or two weeks ago.
"So just trying to continue to get the treatment and the rehab and get to as close as I can to 100 per cent and then rely on some adrenaline to let me do a little extra when I'm on the field.
"It's going to be definitely better, more mobile, be able to move around a little bit better, for sure, and then we'll see on gameday how close to 100 per cent I can be."
Sunday's clash will mark the Chiefs' third Super Bowl appearance in four seasons, with Kansas City losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV a year after their win over the San Francisco 49ers.
However, Reid is not thinking about his team's place in NFL history.
"I'm not really into all that," Reid responded when asked if the Chiefs can be labelled a dynasty.
"I'll let you guys deal with that. It's important in our world as coaches and players you try to get better every day.
"You're only as good as your last game, or your next game I should say. We're striving to focus on this thing and try not to worry about all that stuff.
"That's good when you retire, kind of go 'hey, they said we were a dynasty', but right now we don't let that get in here [pointing at head], stay away from that."
Roger Goodell expects there to be an emphasis on rule changes aimed at removing techniques that lead to concussions during the NFL offseason.
The NFL saw concussions rise 18 per cent during the regular season. In that regard, the campaign was defined by the saga of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered two confirmed concussions and one suspected concussion during the year.
Tagovailoa's concussion evaluation during the Dolphins' Week 3 win over the Buffalo Bills in September prompted a change to the league's protocol, with ataxia – impaired balance or coordination – added to the NFL's list of "no-go symptoms".
Goodell attributed that rise in part to the changed definition but indicated rule changes could be coming to "take the head out of the game".
Asked at his pre-Super Bowl press conference what more can be done to prevent concussions, he replied: "I think a lot of the things we have done. Any time we can change the protocols to make it safer for our players, we're going to do that.
"I think that's a reason why concussions went up this year, because we had a broader description.
"Ultimately you want to try to take that head out of the game. You want the rules to make sure you're avoiding the techniques that are contributing to those kind of injuries."
The NFL's competition committee will discuss potential rule changes during the annual league meeting in Arizona in March, and Goodell anticipates that changes to techniques will probably "head the list" of proposed rule alterations from teams.
Goodell rejected the idea, though, that the expansion to an 18-week, 17-game regular season has had an influence on the rise in concussions.
"Total injures were down six per cent this year," said Goodell when asked if the league may need to re-evaluate the extension to the season.
"On Week 18, the injury rate is absolutely no different than any other week, so I'm not sure I accept your premise that we need to re-evaluate.
"It's hard to draw conclusions from one year."
Alexander Bublik failed to bring an end to his woeful 2023 form on his return to the Open Sud de France.
Bublik's only career title to date came in Montpellier last year, but he will not defend his crown after losing in three sets to Gregoire Barrere in the first round on Wednesday.
That remarkable 6-4 6-7 (12-14) 7-6 (7-3) reverse represented Bublik's seventh loss in seven singles matches so far this season.
The 25-year-old, who has fallen to 50th in the rankings, has lost nine in a row going back to last year.
Bublik worked hard to stay in Wednesday's match in the second set, fending off three match points in the tie-break, but he could not show the same resilience in the decider as Barrere prevailed.
With the champion out, those hoping to take the title this week found life a little easier elsewhere.
Both Jannik Sinner and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina benefited from walkovers, albeit the Spaniard first had to dig in to level his match against Ugo Humbert, who had taken the opener 6-1.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has stepped back from overseeing the day-to-day running of Formula One.
Ben Sulayem's stint as FIA president, a role to which he was elected in December 2021, has seen him come into conflict with F1 and its teams on several occasions.
The 61-year-old was criticised after the FIA delayed an agreement to increase the number of sprint races from three to six for the 2023 season, as well as for the governing body's push to ban drivers from wearing jewellery during races.
In January, Ben Sulayem became embroiled in a row with F1 owners Liberty Media over the competition's commercial rights, while historic sexist comments made by the FIA president were also reported last month.
In a widely reported letter to the 10 F1 teams, Ben Sulayem said he will now focus purely on "strategic matters", with director of single-seater racing Nikolas Tombazis placed in charge of "day-to-day" operations.
An FIA statement said the move from Ben Sulayem – who made regular podium appearances last season – was a planned one.
"The president's manifesto clearly set out this plan before he was elected – it pledged 'the appointment of an FIA CEO to provide an integrated and aligned operation', as well as to 'introduce a revised governance framework' under 'a leadership team focused on transparency, democracy, and growth'," the statement read.
"The FIA president has a wide remit that covers the breadth of global motorsport and mobility, and now that the structural reorganisation in Formula One is complete, this is a natural next step."
The Ryder Cup will not be "devalued" if LIV Golf Invitational Series players are barred from taking part, insists Justin Rose.
The build-up to this year's tournament in Rome has been overshadowed by debates surrounding the eligibility of players who signed up for the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf circuit.
The United States have already said their team will not feature any LIV Golf players, while the chances of any European LIV Golf participants qualifying could be limited by this week's arbitration hearing to establish whether they can play on the DP World Tour.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Europe's three-time Ryder Cup champion Rose backed the tournament to cope with the absence of some of golf's biggest names.
"There is so much strength in depth, I don't think it will be devalued," Rose said.
"People like watching Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter. They bring a lot of passion. They will be missed for sure, but it is what it is.
"You have the powers that be, the traditional people who still have control of golf, and you have an upstart league that is trying to bring in a fresh idea and rival product.
"It's all good either way, they just can't both fit together in this scenario."
Rose, who ended a four-year PGA Tour title drought by winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Monday, gave genuine consideration to an offer from LIV Golf, but the tour's inability to award world ranking points led to him rejecting the chance to join.
"There have been moments where it all sounds pretty good on paper," he said of LIV Golf. "The concept itself has been around for seven years and there are elements where it sounds really, really cool.
"There was never a moment in time when all the top players could get behind it because there were too many unanswered questions, specifically around world ranking points, that was the major hurdle I faced with the decision.
"I couldn't get away from the fact I wanted to play major championship golf. I don't have exemptions down the line so my clean way into the majors is maintaining a good world ranking.
"So that became a null and void, a non-negotiable, from my point of view."
Ons Jabeur is taking some time out to undergo "minor surgery", she revealed on Wednesday.
Jabeur reached the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open last season but was unable to build on that strong finish to 2022 at the start of this year.
The Tunisian exited the Australian Open in the second round, having complained of a knee injury.
Jabeur said after her defeat to Marketa Vondrousova she would need "time to recover and get healthier", and she has not been seen on the WTA Tour since.
The Qatar Open was due to see Jabeur's return next week, but an Instagram post has now confirmed she will miss both that tournament and the subsequent Dubai Tennis Championships.
"In order to take care of my health situation, my medical team have decided that I need to get a minor surgery in order to be back on the courts and perform well," she wrote.
"I will have to retire from Doha and Dubai, and this is breaking my heart.
"I would like to say sorry to all the fans out there in the Middle East that waited for this reunion.
"I promise I will come back to you stronger and healthy."
LeBron James brought the NBA to a standstill on Tuesday. Even the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was paused.
With 38 points at Crypto.com Arena, James moved to 38,390 in his regular season career, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-standing record of 38,387.
The four-time champion has been the league's pre-eminent star across stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and the Lakers.
Now, across basketball history, he stands alone.
It is a remarkable achievement and only becomes more impressive when delving into the numbers behind James' new record.
Beating the Thunder
The Thunder may have put a slight dampener on James' big night by winning Tuesday's game, but the 38-year-old actually has more career points than Oklahoma City's entire active roster combined (21,900).
Indeed, the Thunder are merely one of five rosters James can better, along with the Indiana Pacers (36,515), the Orlando Magic (33,164), the San Antonio Spurs (32,364) and the Houston Rockets (28,642).
Had James not got over the line on Tuesday, he would have done instead against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday – and that would have been fitting, too.
James has scored more points against the Bucks (1,751) than against any other team. In fact, the Thunder (994) are the team he has scored the third-fewest against – more only than against the Lakers (829) and the Cavaliers (580), two teams he represented.
The Lakers forward scored at least 1,000 points against each of the other 27 teams, while he has scored 1,000 in each of his 20 NBA seasons. That is another record he has taken from Abdul-Jabbar (19).
James would have no doubt enjoyed being able to achieve this legendary feat in front of a home crowd, but he has actually scored more points on the road (19,251 in 694 games) than at home (19,139 in 716).
Unsurprisingly, however, Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is the arena to have seen the most James points (11,670). The Lakers' Crypto.com Arena (4,649) nudged ahead of the Heat's Miami-Dade Arena (4,613) into second place on Tuesday.
Wade's helping hand
In that home crowd in LA, sitting in front of Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, was Dwyane Wade, a two-time title-winning team-mate of James' on the Heat.
Wade also joined James on the Cavaliers for a season and, although now retired, has assisted more points for the new all-time scoring leader than any other player (776).
Eric Snow (630) is second on that list, with Mario Chalmers (591) third and Mo Williams (501) fourth, followed by Kevin Love (486) and Kyrie Irving (469).
Russell Westbrook has only been playing with James in LA since 2021, but he is ninth on 375. Anthony Davis (269) is 11th and Chris Bosh (267) 12th.
Ricky Davis assisted James' first NBA points and 42 altogether. Davis, who retired in 2010, was the first of 148 different players to assist James.
But the bulk of James' points have been unassisted, of course. His 26,855 unassisted points alone would rank him 13th in the all-time list, ahead of Kevin Durant (26,684), who is second to the Lakers man among active players.
James has scored 10,882 points from layups, 8,074 from two-point jump shots and 8,047 from free throws. Of the rest, 6,711 have come from three-pointers, 4,190 from dunks, 310 from hook shots and 176 from tip-ins.
Another Lakers record
The record was reached with a fadeaway jumper, and several members of Lakers royalty were in the house to see it – including Abdul-Jabbar.
James followed Abdul-Jabbar as the seventh different player to lead the NBA in all-time scoring since the end of the league's first season in 1946-47.
Four of those seven have now represented the Lakers, with James and Abdul-Jabbar joined by George Mikan (1952-53 to 1957-58) and Wilt Chamberlain (1965-66 to 1983-84). Chamberlain took ownership of the record while a Philadelphia 76er, before playing for the Lakers.
Chamberlain succeeded Bob Pettit, one of the remaining three who did not turn out for the Lakers. Joe Fulks, the leading scorer in the NBA's first season, and Dolph Schayes are the others.
Luka Doncic, just 23 and with 8,531 points through 311 career games, is perhaps the most credible challenger to James' crown. James had 8,319 points through 311 games, albeit he was only 22.
Matching James' longevity is a huge ask; either way, he will be number one for a long, long time.
Time spent at the top is a record Abdul-Jabbar can at least retain for now, having ranked first in scoring for a mammoth 14,187 days. The NBA was only 13,671 days old when he took the record, meaning he led the league for more than half of its existence.
Still more to achieve
That is not the only Abdul-Jabbar mark that remains, with the 75-year-old out in front on 57,446 minutes played. James (53,743) is third, while he is tied for ninth in games played (1,410) – a statistic led by Robert Parish (1,611).
Abdul-Jabbar is the man to beat for MVP awards, too, with six, and James' four appear unlikely to be added to now, given his age and the Lakers' woes.
James should pass Abdul-Jabbar for All-Star selections, though, as the pair are tied on 19, while the modern great already has a leading 13 All-NBA First Team selections.
In the playoffs, James already topped the charts for points (7,631) and games played (266), although the 'GOAT' debate will rage on as Michael Jordan has the edge in Finals MVPs (six to James' four).
Among players with 500 or more games, Jordan (30.1) is also the leading man for points per game in the regular season, even if James (27.2 in fifth) is averaging 30.2 this year, the third-highest mark of his career.
At that rate, even if James cannot reel in Jordan, he should be able to establish a considerable buffer to any and all pretenders to his new crown.
Bundesliga strugglers Hoffenheim have appointed Pellegrino Matarazzo as their new head coach.
Hoffenheim have taken two points from their past nine games and are just three points above Stuttgart in the relegation play-off place.
After parting company with Andre Breitenreiter on Monday, Hoffenheim have turned to American-born Matarazzo, who was sacked by Stuttgart four months ago.
Matarazzo previously spent two and a half years at Rhein-Neckar-Arena working as under-17 coach and then assistant coach of the first team.
"As I've been living in the region since 2017, I've witnessed TSG's development first-hand even after my exit," Matarazzo said after his appointment was confirmed on Wednesday.
"The situation is undoubtedly demanding. I'm convinced of the team's quality and will approach the task full of verve and with great confidence.
"TSG is synonymous with offensive, courageous and fresh football. I want to quickly get the team back to playing the kind of football that has set them apart for many years."
Matarazzo will oversee his first training session on Wednesday and will be in the dugout for the first time as head coach for Saturday's home match against Bayer Leverkusen.
United States president Joe Biden has praised LeBron James for "inspiring the nation" after surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time regular season NBA scoring record.
Los Angeles Lakers forward James entered Tuesday's game with the Oklahoma City Thunder needing 36 points to break Abdul-Jabbar's record, which had stood for 39 years.
The four-time MVP moved past Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 career points to go outright number one with a 14-foot fadeaway jumper late in the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena.
James' game-high 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting with three steals were not enough to prevent the Lakers from losing 133-130 to the visiting Thunder.
But it was job done on an individual level as he strengthened his case as being the greatest basketball player of all time – a debate that will rumble on for some time.
A number of sports stars and wider global figures have paid tribute to James, who now has 38,390 career points to go with the four NBA titles won with three different teams.
"LeBron, congratulations. With your whole heart and soul you broke a hell of a record. You elevated the game," US president Biden said in a video message.
"More than that, like Kareem, Bill Russell and others who came before you, you challenged and inspired the nation to be better, do better and live up to our full promise."
James rose with both arms in celebration after making history and posed for photos with 75-year-old Abdul-Jabbar, who was in attendance in Los Angeles.
Fellow Lakers great Magic Johnson said: "I never thought that Kareem's scoring record would be broken by anybody.
"It means more to myself and to our fans because you're wearing that purple and gold and broke it as a Laker.
"This historic moment is so special because we will never see another LeBron James."
James has 7,314 points across five seasons with the Lakers, having previously scored 23,119 in 859 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers and 7,919 in 294 for the Miami Heat.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver added: "It's a towering achievement that speaks to his sustained excellence over 20 seasons in the league.
"And quite amazingly, LeBron continues to play at an elite level and his basketball history is still being written."
James is averaging 30.2 points per game this season, which is the seventh-best record in the division, narrowly ahead of Kevin Durant (29.7) and Stephen Curry (29.4).
Golden State Warriors guard Curry and Brooklyn Nets forward Durant also congratulated James on his remarkable achievement.
"Your sustained level of play for 20 years, reaching this pinnacle of scoring in basketball, it is unbelievable," Curry said.
"Way down the road, when we're reflecting back on our careers, we'll be able to be at that level knowing what it was like to battle at the highest level."
Durant added: "It's even funny to just even say that, coming from where you have come from, how hard you grinded for this long.
"It's been an inspiration since day one. Much love and keep setting the bar high."
Devin Booker's return after a month and a half layoff inspired the Phoenix Suns to a 116-112 win over the Brooklyn Nets despite Cam Thomas putting up over 40 points for a third straight game.
Tuesday's game was Booker's first since suffering a groin injury in a defeat to the Denver Nuggets in late December, with the Suns enduring a mixed time in his 21-game absence, including a run of six consecutive losses.
But Booker was back into the swings of things against the Nets, scoring 19 points on six-of-15 shooting while adding six assists in 26 minutes to help the Suns to another win.
Booker was delighted to be back, telling reporters after the game: "That's all I want right there, man.
"Just competition, being back out there with the band, feeling that energy, feeling that presence. The team has it rolling right now, so just inserting myself in a way that wasn't disruptive and try to keep the flow that they have."
Suns coach Monty Williams feels Booker's desperation to win is the key to the positive effect he has on his team-mates, saying: "Devin's attitude is always he just wants to eat. Kill and eat. That's how he operates. And he's a winner. And he wants to do everything he can to win the game.
"I thought the guys got a great deal of energy from him tonight just being on the floor. Everybody's excited that he's back."
Booker's winning return to the court was nearly derailed by another spectacular effort from Thomas, who at 21-years-old became the youngest player to ever score 40 points in three consecutive games.
The guard racked up a career-high 44 points against the Washington Wizards on Saturday and then another career-best 47 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, before his 43-point effort in the defeat to Booker's Suns.
While he was frustrated two of those games ended in defeats, Thomas is enjoying the historic form he finds himself in, stating: "It's real surreal. I'm just glad to have my name in the history books, being this young.
"Obviously, I'd rather have the win because it sounds better when you have these 40-point games with the two [games] that we lost.
"But it's just good to have my name in history, I'm just going to embrace it. Just be proud of all the hard work you put in."
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