Jurgen Klopp jokingly ordered his Liverpool players to pay him as much attention as they paid Steve Kerr when the Golden State Warriors coach visited the Reds' training ground.

Kerr won five NBA championships as a player and has been crowned a winner four times as a coach, with the Warriors defeating the Boston Celtics to claim victory in the 2022 NBA Finals.

The American also guided Golden State to 73 wins in the 2015-16 season, breaking the record for the most wins in an NBA campaign.

Kerr took the chance to visit Liverpool's Kirkby base during his off-season, meeting the players and coaching staff after he watched over their training session.

While coaching methods and man-management styles may have been expected to be discussed, Klopp revealed no such conversations took place between the two top bosses.

"We didn't have this kind of conversation, to be honest," Klopp said, when asked if there was a coaching element to their talks. "We had a very private conversation."

Klopp's players, who play Newcastle United on Wednesday, were so awestruck in the presence of Kerr that their German boss hoped they could show as much interest when he addresses them.

"A fantastic guy. It was a pleasure to meet him," Klopp said. "I took a picture when he spoke to a couple of the players and said to the boys, 'If you looked one time as concentrated when I talk to you, it would be really cool'.

"I told him what we were doing. The training grounds for football and basketball look slightly different and he liked everything that he saw.

"The one moment I was really, really happy I didn't become a basketball coach was when he said he has to do press every day. Wow. That would be a killer. But he has a four-month break."

Klopp added: "He is one of the greatest in the game – absolutely outstanding. You can be seen as big as you want in public. Smart people stay still, are very grounded and are just good people. It was a real pleasure to meet them."

RJ Barrett is close to signing a four-year extension with the New York Knicks worth up to $120million, according to reports.

The 22-year-old guard will become the youngest player in Knicks history to earn over $100m from a deal.

However, the news may indicate an end to the franchise's pursuit of Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz.

It had been expected that Barrett would be part of those negotiations, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the player's agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports and WME Sports has advised his client is penning an extension in New York.

Barrett made 70 appearances for the Knicks last season, averaging 20 points per game, as well as 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

The number three pick from the 2019 NBA Draft recorded 3,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 three-pointers before he turned 22, joining an elite group of five to have done so along with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic.

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired veteran guard Patrick Beverley in a trade that sees guard Talen Horton-Tucker and journeyman forward Stanley Johnson head to the Utah Jazz.

The move, confirmed by the teams on Thursday, gives the Lakers an experienced ballhandler and defensive pest as they try to bounce back from a dire 33-49 season.

Beverley played a key role last season with the emerging Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists as the franchise made just its second postseason appearance since 2004.

Beverley, 34, is on the move for the second time this offseason after being part of the blockbuster trade that sent Rudy Gobert from Utah to Minnesota in July.

The rebuilding Jazz, on the other hand, acquire a promising young guard in Horton-Tucker, who better fits their timeline.

A second-round pick in 2019, the 21-year-old has seen a steadily increasing dose of minutes over his three NBA seasons, averaging 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

With Utah trading away another veteran player, the organisation's sights seem decidedly set on the future.

Trade speculation is likely to continue to swirl around three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, as well as other experienced players like Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, the second overall pick of this year's draft, will miss the entire 2022-23 season with a Lisfranc injury sustained in his right foot.

Holmgren suffered the injury in the CrawsOver Pro-Am event on Saturday in Seattle while slipping on the court defending LeBron James.

The game Holmgren was injured in ended up being cancelled because of a slippery court caused by humid conditions combined with a large crowd at the Seattle gym.

"Certainly, we are disappointed for Chet, especially given the excitement he had about getting on the floor with his teammates this season," Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. "We know Chet has a long career ahead of him within our organisation and the Oklahoma City community."

Holmgren and James were a part of a handful of NBA players in the pro-am along with Jayson Tatum, Dejounte Murray, Aaron Gordon and the only player selected ahead of Holmgren in this year's draft, Paolo Banchero.

The Thunder drafted Holmgren after he averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks in 32 games in his lone collegiate season for Gonzaga in 2021-22.

Not only an excellent rim-protector on defense, Holmgren was a solid perimeter shooter for his size, knocking down 39.0 per cent of his three-point attempts.

Despite his thin stature, Holmgren did not appear to have any trouble making the transition to the pro game, averaging 14 points and 8.4 rebounds in five games for the Thunder at the Las Vegas Summer League.

"One of the things that most impressed us during the process of selecting Chet was his determination and focus," Presti said. "We expect that same tenacity will carry him through this period of time as we work together and support him during his rehabilitation."

The Los Angeles Lakers are finalising a trade to acquire Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz, according to reports.

Beverley previously spent four years in Los Angeles when representing the Clippers between 2017 and 2021, before impressing with the Minnesota Timberwolves last campaign.

The 34-year-old was influential in the Timberwolves' run to the Western Conference playoffs, where they were beaten by the Memphis Grizzlies, before heading to Utah as part of their trade for three-time all-star Rudy Gobert in July.

However, according to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Beverley is on the move again as the Lakers look to improve a team whose defence ranked 21st in the NBA last season.

Beverley, who was a second-round pick for the Lakers in the 2009 draft before being traded, averaged 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists throughout the 2021-22 campaign.

Guard Talen Horton-Tucker and forward Stanley Johnson are reportedly set to head to Utah as part of the deal, with the Lakers attempting to bounce back after missing out on the playoffs last term.

The Lakers also agreed a two-year contract extension worth $97.1million with LeBron James last week, ending speculation over the 37-year-old's future.

Organiser of the P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League Wayne Dawkins says he’s looking at expanding the league to the rest of the Caribbean in the future.

The P.H.A.S.E 1 E1 CBL was held from August 13-20 at the National Arena in Kingston, Jamaica. It featured four teams comprised of professionals from Jamaica, Barbados, USA and Canada and saw excellent crowd support throughout.

“We want to do big things for basketball in Jamaica and the Caribbean,” said Dawkins in an interview with Sportsmax.TV on Saturday.

“Absolutely. We still have to perfect this and then, as that happens, we can expand it to the rest of the Caribbean but it really starts with the product that we’re able to perfect right here in Jamaica,” he added.

With this in mind, Dawkins also outlined the amount of work that goes into putting on a basketball league.

 “It’s an immense amount of work. You have to recruit players, think about player management, finding and developing staff. Identify venues, all the different production partners, sales, marketing and everything. All those divisions require a lot of coordination and a lot of work,” he said.

Kevin Durant is set to stay with the Brooklyn Nets after franchise and the 12-time NBA All-Star "agreed to move forward with our partnership".

Durant's future has been shrouded in doubt after the 33-year-old superstar reportedly asked for a trade at the end of June.

Nets general manager Sean Marks on Tuesday released a statement making it clear Durant is going nowhere after a meeting in which team owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, and head coach Steve Kerr, were present.

"Steve Nash and I, together with Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday," the statement said.

"We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn."

It was reported this month that Durant had given the Nets an ultimatum over his future, stating that he would only stay if Marks and Nash were fired.

Tsai threw his support behind Marks and Nash, tweeting: "Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets."

Forward Durant is about to enter the first year of his four-year, $198million contract extension with the Nets.

The two-time NBA champion joined Brooklyn in a sign-and-trade deal in 2019 and penned a contract extension with the Nets 12 months ago.

Ex-Golden State Warrior Durant averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists from 55 games last season for a Nets team that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.

Kevin Durant is set to stay with the Brooklyn Nets after franchise and the 12-time NBA All-Star "agreed to move forward with our partnership".

Durant's future has been shrouded in doubt after the 33-year-old superstar reportedly asked for a trade at the end of June.

Nets general manager Sean Marks on Tuesday released a statement making it clear Durant is going nowhere after a meeting in which team owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, and head coach Steve Kerr, were present.

"Steve Nash and I, together with Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday," the statement said.

"We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn."

Jamaica Basketball Association President Paulton Gordon hopes the recently concluded P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League at the National Arena in Kingston will revitalize interest in the sport locally.

“Well, I’m hoping that it gives it a shot in the arm,” Gordon said in an interview with Sportsmax.TV on Saturday.

“Coming out of the pandemic, we wanted an activity that would stimulate interest and create more awareness as it relates to basketball and I think this will do it,” he added.

The league was the first of its kind to be played in the Caribbean and Gordon says he’s glad that Jamaica was able to be a part of history.

“Bringing pro basketball to Jamaica has always been our intention. We decided that we’d try to do a pilot during the summer and, based on the feedback, I think we have accomplished most of our objectives,” he said.

“The players are excited; the fans are coming out and entertainment around the games has been good. We’ve gotten good feedback as it relates to the packaging and production of the event from overseas and I think we’re on our way,” he added.

With the presence of both North American and local players in the teams, Gordon says he’s also encouraged by the lack of a skill gap between the two sets of players.

“I had some discussions with some of the coaches and some of the GMs. What I’m happy about is that there isn’t a big disparity between the North American players and our local players. The teams have integrated quite well and, just looking on, there’s not much difference you can see between the skill level of the overseas players and our local players,” he said.

Udonis Haslem has confirmed he will be back for another year, and what will be his 20th season in the NBA.

The Miami Heat forward, who is the franchise's all-time leader in rebounds, has agreed a one-year deal worth $2.9million.

Haslem had raised doubts as to whether he would return or retire, with the Heat putting the offer on the table almost two months ago.

The 42-year-old has ultimately chosen to continue, saying at his basketball camp in Miami on Sunday: "I have decided to follow through with what me and my father had talked about, and I will finish what I started and I will play 20 years.

"I will play this year, because I talked about that with my father and that's what we said we would do.

"It won't be the same. Won't be as easy. But the goal still remains the same. Win. Win a championship. Leave it on the line and hold your head high when it's all over."

Haslem has won three NBA championships with Miami, and made 13 appearances last season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.

Elite 1 Horizon are the champions of the inaugural P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League after defeating Elite 1 Storm 82-71 in the championship game at the National Arena in Kingston on Saturday.

In a rematch of the final preliminary round game which saw the Horizon win in a blowout on Wednesday, the Horizon once again used solid defensive effort to get the job done and end the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.

Guard Bobby Gray was named man-of-the-match for his 26 points, four assists and four steals.

“This means everything. It’s the first one out here, so, it’s very big and I’m happy to be a part of it,” said Gray who was also named International MVP of the tournament.

“Happy that I was with a group of guys that bought in together and we won it,” he said.

The MVP award felt extra special, according to Gray.

“It means a lot man. I stopped playing basketball for a minute then I got back into it because I figured out I was coming out here. I know how much hard work I put in and now it’s all showing,” he said.

Gray’s teammate Nicholai Brown was named local MVP.

For the Storm, guard Joel Bailey led them in scoring with 23 points while also dishing out eight assists.

He put the loss down to an inability to take care of the basketball.

“Just turning over the ball the last couple minutes of the game. That cost us. We should’ve been more careful with the ball,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Elite 1 Rivers beat Elite 1 Waves 88-83 to secure third place.

Guard Patrick Robinson scored 20 points to help the Rivers exact revenge on the Waves who beat them in their final preliminary round outing on Wednesday.

Gemaal Davis led the Waves with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

The Los Angeles Lakers' decision to give LeBron James a two-year contract extension worth $97.1million is as much about the player's brand as his ability, says sport finance expert Dan Plumley.

James had been entering the final year of a contract worth $44.5m. His new deal includes a player option for the 2024-25 season.

The extension takes the 37-year-old to $532m in guaranteed career earnings, which would mean he is the highest-paid player in the history of the league.

Despite his increasing years, James is still one of the top performers in the NBA, averaging 30.3 points per game in the 2021-22 season.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Plumley admitted he is surprised by the short-term nature of the deal not usually seen in US sports, but understands the brand of the athlete is often as important as the ability.

"I think that's now more the case than ever in every professional sport," said Plumley, who is principal lecturer in sport finance at Sheffield Hallam University. "Every team's looking at how they can use their superstars across respective sports.

"Of course, it's about first and foremost what they can do on the court, on the pitch, it's absolutely still about that.

"But the other side of it is what do they bring from a commercial side of things and what's the brand association, and what's the fit like, and how can the club or team leverage some of that against the superstars that they've got?

"It's absolutely the case with LeBron James. Of course it is. But I think it's the case across the board now for a lot of professional teams."

With James approaching 40 by the end of the two-year deal and with a history of injuries, there appears to be significant risk in the investment for the Lakers, but Plumley thinks it will be worth taking if it produces a championship or two.

"I think that there's the risk... but there was also the risk of losing him and losing the asset and losing the brand association and the value that somebody like LeBron James brings with the Lakers and everything else he's got going on in his personal life as well," he said.

"We know he's connected to Liverpool [Football Club, minority ownership] and the wider network that he operates in. So there's that at play where you're balancing the risk.

"From the playing side of things, yes, the injury risk is there but I think the Lakers felt that it was enough to get the next two years where they could potentially win something again with LeBron, and that risk was far lower than losing him. I think that's where they've ended up at.

"With the NBA, we know that careers can go a little bit later versus other sports. I think when you balance that off, the Lakers have obviously arrived at the decision that it's better to keep him now for a couple of years than potentially lose him."

In terms of the wider future of the NBA, Plumley understands there is danger in seeing deals increase in size, but believes basketball and other US sports will be safe from significant damage due to their closed nature and draft system.

"I think there's always the danger that you see figures like this, and we know that the salary cap is there, and there will always be a limit on this," Plumley added.

"But we've seen increases in the salary cap over time, which is not unusual when you think about the amount of money coming in. So if there's more money coming in, then there's an argument to raise the salary cap.

"I think what teams will always be suggesting and the way that side of things has gone is that there's an expectation that they need to keep raising the salary cap. And that's always okay if you've got the money coming in to support it, so I think that will be the trade-off.

"It's always a risk in any professional team sport. They are reliant on broadcasters and they're reliant on commercial partners to generate that revenue at the league level. And while that's okay and growing, these little increases in salary caps have been okay.

"The question always is 'where's the benchmark?' And if the benchmark has gone higher, because this is the biggest contract we've ever seen, then others will start to look towards that as the new benchmark. And I think that's just the risk in the background that you run.

"American sports are a little bit more protected in that sense, because of the nature of their league systems."

Elite 1 Horizon and Elite 1 Waves both secured wins on day three of the P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League at the National Arena in Kingston on Wednesday.

In the first game, the Waves got past the Elite 1 Rivers by a score of 91-75 to close the preliminary round with a 1-2 record and confirm a winless preliminary round for their opponents.

Forward Xander Bowers was named man-of-the-match after leading the way for the Waves with 21 points, four steals, three assists and three blocks. Gemaal Davis also contributed 20 points for the winners.

“Just playing at our pace,” was Bowers’ response when asked what the key to victory was for his team.

“Our coach has been preaching playing at our pace, staying patient and taking care of the ball,” he added.

When asked about his own performance, he felt he could’ve been even better.

“I thought I did okay. I could’ve been a little more aggressive in the second and third quarters. I feel like I started off well and I ended well.”

The same two teams will square off in the third-place playoff on Saturday and Bowers says more of the same should result in a win for the Waves.

“We have the confidence and we know we can beat them now. The key is going to be playing at our pace and being able to take care of the ball and get good shots,” he said.

The second game of the day was a preview of Saturday’s championship game between the unbeaten Horizon and Elite 1 Storm.

What was expected to be a tight encounter proved to be anything but as the Horizon produced a suffocating defensive display to send a message to the Storm ahead of Saturday with a comprehensive 106-84 victory.

Forward Anton Ivey was man-of-the-match with 23 points and eight rebounds while guard Bobby Gray also chipped in with 19 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.

Ivey credited his team’s defense as the catalyst for this statement-making win.

“Our gameplan was defense and we picked it up in the second half,” he said.

He then made no secret of the plan going into Saturday’s finale.

“Same gameplan, defense. We have to do the same things but execute better in the first half,” Ivey said.

The Horizon finished the preliminary round with a perfect 3-0 record while this loss means the Storm finish 2-1.

The Los Angeles Lakers will honour Spanish legend Pau Gasol when they retire his number 16 jersey next year.

A ceremony will take place on March 7, 2023 when the Lakers host the Memphis Grizzlies.

Gasol played for the Lakers between 2008 and 2014, having arrived from Memphis, appearing in three NBA Finals and winning two championships alongside Kobe Bryant.

Three of his six All-Star appearances came during his time in Los Angeles, before he left for the Chicago Bulls in 2014.

After time with the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks, Gasol returned to Europe for a second spell with Barcelona, where his career had begun, before retiring in October last year at the age of 41.

Following the announcement, Gasol took to Twitter to thank his former franchise, writing: "Beyond thankful and honoured!!!"

Gasol had an average of 17.7 points per game during his time with the Lakers, as well 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks in 429 appearances.

He will join a number of legends, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant and Magic Johnson, in having his jersey retired by the Lakers.

Whenever people talk about the NBA, one name is rarely far away from any conversation.

LeBron James is once again the talk of basketball after reports emerged on Wednesday he had agreed a two-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth an eye-watering $97.1million.

The 37-year-old had been entering the final year of a contract worth $44.5m. His new deal includes a player option for the 2024-25 season according to ESPN, citing Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.

James' deal takes him to $532m in guaranteed career earnings, which would mean he is the highest-paid player in the history of the league, ahead of Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.

Apart from having four NBA championships, four Finals MVPs, four NBA MVPs, 17 All-Star selections and three All-Star MVPs, what has James done to earn such a lucrative deal?

Stats Perform has taken a trip down memory lane to remind ourselves just why he is still the hottest property in the NBA.

Breakout in Cleveland

As the first pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, it was hardly surprising that James impressed from the start with the Cavaliers, averaging 20.9 points per game (PPG) in his debut season from 79 games.

It was the 2005-06 season where he really exploded, though, averaging 31.4 PPG in the regular season, which remains his highest ever for a campaign, before recording 30.8 PPG in the playoffs, where the Cavs were eliminated in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals by the Detroit Pistons.

James took Cleveland to the postseason for five straight seasons, agonisingly losing the 2007 Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, before taking the mantel again in 2009 as he put up 35.3 PPG in 14 playoff outings before Conference final heartbreak against the Orlando Magic.

He had become a superstar in his home state of Ohio, though it seemed like championship glory was always going to elude him in Cleveland and so in 2010, it was time for a decision.

LeBron brings the Heat

The television event titled 'The Decision' did not go down universally well, it is fair to say, as James dramatically revealed he was leaving the Cavs for the Miami Heat.

However, it turned out to be the catalyst for him to reach the next step as he was undoubtedly surrounded by more talent in Miami, and before long, much-deserved silverware.

Linking up superbly night after night with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, James reached the Finals every year in Florida, winning his first championship in 2012, before following it up in 2013 with another.

His numbers were ever so slightly lower at the Heat than they had been in Cleveland, though that clearly owed to having more help from the likes of Wade and Bosh.

James' first title win 2012 saw him average 30.3 PPG during the postseason, and led the way as he got some revenge on the Spurs in 2013, excelling in Game 7 to win his second championship.

The Cavalier returns home

In 2014, James came back to Cleveland with the desire to take his team to the promised land with him this time, and he did just that.

Just as he had in Miami, James went to the Finals every year of his second spell with the Cavaliers, and every year they played against the dominant Golden State Warriors.

After losing 4-2 in 2015, they returned to get revenge in 2016 as James starred on their way to an almost Hollywood-ending win against the Warriors, securing their first NBA championship.

They were unable to repeat the trick as the Warriors beat them in both the 2017 and 2018 Finals, but reaching four Finals in a row was still more than Cavs fans could have realistically expected.

Unfortunately for them, James was getting itchy feet again.

L.A. dreams not always what they are cracked up to be

James himself had a solid enough start to life in Los Angeles, posting 27.4 PPG for the Lakers in 2018-19, though injury issues sustained by him and several of his new team-mates led to a wobbly season, and therefore, no postseason for the first time for James since 2005.

Inevitably, he came roaring back the following year and in spite of the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, James and the Lakers returned to win the "bubble championship", the fourth title of his career with a third different team.

However, the 2020-21 campaign was one to forget as James recorded his lowest PPG for a season (25.0) since his rookie year, before the Lakers were dumped out of the playoffs in the first round by the Phoenix Suns.

Was it all over for LeBron? Not likely. He responded to that setback by scoring 1,695 points in just 56 games last season at an average of 30.3 PPG, his best regular season return since 2005-06.

James also reached a notable landmark in March, becoming the first player in NBA history to record 10,000 assists and 10,000 rebounds in a career.

Unfortunately for him, his team-mates were unable to match those efforts and the Lakers again failed to even make the playoffs, which could be why they were so desperate to find the funds to tie James' immediate future down.

His PPG has been higher in the playoffs than the regular season at every team he has played barring the Heat, where it was identical (26.9), proving the extent to which he is a clutch player and why it is imperative that the Lakers reach the postseason next year to make the most of the time they have left with him.

Injuries permitting, it is also practically certain he will overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer next season (currently 1,325 points behind).

Now that his new deal is agreed, you can be sure when that landmark arrives, LeBron will be wearing the same Lakers jersey Kareem did so famously.