LeBron James and Bronny James became the first father and son to play in the NBA together on Tuesday night during the Los Angeles Lakers' 110-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 39-year-old superstar and his 20-year-old son played almost 2 1/2 minutes together late in the first half of Bronny's NBA debut. They are also the first father and son to play in the NBA at the same time, let alone on the same team.

Anthony Davis had 36 points and 16 rebounds in a dominant performance for the Lakers, while LeBron scored 16 points and Rui Hachimura added 18.

JJ Redick won his head coaching debut for the Lakers, who hired the 15-year NBA veteran for his first coaching job at any level.

Anthony Edwards scored 27 points for the Timberwolves, who are coming off their best season in 20 years.

Julius Randle had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Donte DiVincenzo had 10 points in their Timberwolves debuts after the trade sending Karl-Anthony Towns to New York three weeks ago.

Davis was phenomenal down the stretch, either scoring or assisting on 13 of Los Angeles’ next 15 points after he returned to the game with 7:09 left. LeBron's 3-pointer put it away.

LeBron officially joined Vince Carter as the only players in NBA history to play in 22 seasons. James is sixth in career games played with 1,493 - not counting his NBA-record 287 playoff games.

Celtics tie 3s record in rout of Knicks

Jayson Tatum continued Boston’s Banner 18 celebration by scoring 37 points and making eight of the Celtics' NBA record-tying 29 3-pointers as Boston rolled to a 132-109 drubbing of the New York Knicks on opening night.

Derrick White scored 24 points, Jaylen Brown added 23 and Tatum had 10 assists for the defending champions, who raised their NBA-leading 18th championship banner to the rafters before the game. Boston led by as many as 35 points before missing its last 13 3-point attempts while trying to break the record.

Jalen Brunson scored 22 points for New York, and new addition Karl-Anthony Towns had just 12 points and seven rebounds.

The new-look Knicks were supposed to be the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, but even after adding Towns and Mikal Bridges over the summer, they were no match for the team that finished 14 games in front last season.

The Celtics hit their 29th 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, then fired up two long airballs and 13 misses in a row from beyond the arc as they went for the record set in 2020 by Milwaukee. The crowd chanted “One more 3!” in the final minutes, but on Boston's last possession Payton Pritchard dribbled out the shot clock without making another attempt.

The Philadelphia 76ers will have to wait a little longer to display its new All-Star lineup after announcing Tuesday that Joel Embiid and Paul George will not play in Wednesday’s season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Embiid sat out the entire pre-season due to a sore left knee and is currently on an individualised rehab plan.

The 2022-23 NBA MVP will also be sidelined for Friday’s game at the Toronto Raptors before being re-evaluated. Philadelphia visits the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

George is also uncertain to play this week after sustaining a left knee bone bruise during the preseason.

The 76ers added the nine-time All-Star in the summer to join fellow All-Stars Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the roster.

George, a nine-time All-Star, will also be re-evaluated later this week.

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla insists his team are under no pressure to win back-to-back NBA championships, as they prepare for Tuesday's season opener.

The Celtics will lift the curtain on the 2024-25 campaign when they face the New York Knicks at TD Garden, where they will raise a record-breaking 18th championship banner.

Boston went a league-best 64-18 through the regular season last term, then cruised through the playoffs with a combined 16-3 record against the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks. 

They start the new campaign as favourites to claim a record-extending 19th crown, with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Jrue Holiday forming an impressive spine.

Mazzulla, however, will not pile any more pressure on his team, the first to deliver the NBA championship to Boston since 2007-08.

"We're all going to be dead soon, and it really doesn't matter any more. So there's zero pressure," he told reporters on Monday. 

"You have an opportunity to carry the organization forward, to double down on the tradition and history of what this organization has. What else would you expect than someone expecting you to win all the time?

"It's not pressure. There's nothing anyone in this circle can do to me that's going to impact my identity and who I am as a person or a coach. 

"We're either going to win or we're not, and 40 years from now, none of you are invited to my funeral and that's it."

While Mazzulla is urging calm, he also expects his players to be ready for a challenging opening fixture against the Knicks, who reached the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.

"I trust who they are. I think they have an understanding of both 'this is what we accomplished' and 'this is what we're trying to do'," he added.

"All the intangibles that go into winning should carry over from one season to another season.

"You have to appreciate it. But you've got to know what got you there and if you forget what got you there, you'll never get back."

While the San Antonio Spurs' 2023-24 season was all about experimentation, their upcoming campaign must be about getting results, says Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama was named Rookie of the Year last season after being selected first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Spurs.

He averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last term, but the Spurs still missed the playoffs for a fifth straight year.

After finishing 22-60 last year, San Antonio's young team must take a step forward when they begin 2024-25 against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, believes Wembanyama.

"Last year was just a lot of experimenting," the 20-year-old said. "Here, we want to perform. First minute, first play of the game. It's very different.

"I'm learning, and I'm worried for the opponents in a couple of years." 

Head coach Gregg Popovich, who is entering his 28th season in the role, says players have been encouraged to take more responsibility this term. 

"I think, if anything, it's a little less tolerance," Popovich said. 

"Since the start of camp, we have been a little bit more disciplined in the sense of accountability, knowing that mistakes happen too often, we're telling players they need to understand that by now."

The Denver Nuggets made another big move towards keeping its core together for the long term by agreeing to a new four-year contract with forward Aaron Gordon prior to Monday's extension deadline.

Gordon, a major contributor to Denver's NBA championship run in 2022-23, was the lone player on a veteran contract to be extended at the deadline. Eight members of the 2021 draft class received extensions on their rookie deals, most notably the Houston Rockets' duo of center Alperen Sengun and guard Jalen Green.

Sengun was awarded the largest contract of that group, a five-year, $185 million deal. Green, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft, agreed to a three-year, $106 million extension.

Gordon's new deal is essentially a three-year extension that includes a $37.1 player option for 2028-29, as the 10-year veteran exercised a $22.8 million player option for 2025-26 as part of the agreement.

The 29-year-old, who averaged 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in 73 games last season and is one of the Nuggets' most important defenders, is the second starter Denver has locked up this off-season. The Nuggets handed high-scoring guard Jamal Murray a four-year, $208 million max extension in September.

Green and Sengun have emerged as essential parts of an up-and-coming Rockets team that finished 41-41 in 2023-24, a 19-game improvement over the previous season.

Sengun himself took a big step forward last season by averaging career bests of 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and five assists per game and finishing third in voting for the NBA's Most Improved Player award. The Turkey native was one of six players to average 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists, a list that also includes superstars Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Julius Randle.

Green has averaged 19.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over his first three seasons, and his 4,450 career points are the most of any player of the 2021 class.

Three other teams reached notable extensions with young players. The Orlando Magic signed guard Jalen Suggs to a five-year, $150.5 million deal, Jalen Johnson got a five-year, $150 million contract from the Atlanta Hawks and the New Orleans Pelicans agreed to a four-year, $112 million extension with sharpshooter Trey Murphy.

Suggs, the fifth overall pick in 2021, is coming off his best season, as he averaged 12.6 points in 75 games and shot nearly 40 per cent from 3-point range to help the Magic end a three-year playoff drought.

Johnson is coming off a breakout campaign as well, as the Duke product averaged 16 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists while starting 52 of 56 games in his third NBA season.

Murphy is a career 39.2 per cent 3-point shooter and excelled as a sixth man for a New Orleans team that went 49-33 in 2023-24. The 2021 No. 17 overall pick has averaged 14.6 points per game over the last two seasons.

Others to agree to rookie-scale extensions were Washington Wizards shooting specialist Corey Kispert (4 years, $54 million), Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (3 years, $39 million) and Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (3 years, $18 million).

After an offseason of massive free agent signings, blockbuster trades and the captivating Olympic Games in Paris, the 2024-25 NBA season will tip off on Tuesday.

While player movement and new rosters have grabbed the majority of the headlines since June, the defending champion Boston Celtics remain mostly unchanged and poised to make a run at a repeat.

Jayson Tatum returns as one of the top scorers in the league, and Jaylen Brown is coming off a Finals MVP performance. Tatum, however, barely played for this year’s gold medal-winning Team USA squad – and Brown was left off the roster entirely – despite Boston teammates Derrick White and Jrue Holiday playing key roles in Paris.

These dynamics could cause a lesser team to engage in a power struggle, but the core of this Celtics team appears to be as cohesive as they come, with Brown and Tatum gladly passing the “primary scorer” baton back and forth in their seven seasons together.

The Celtics finished last season 64-18, then followed with a 16-3 post-season, making them one of the most dominant champions in recent memory. Sports books have forecasted Boston’s win total this season at 58.5, the highest in the league.

With Tatum and Brown still in the heart of their primes, the Celtics will be difficult to dethrone, but Al Horford, 38, and Holiday, 34, may begin to regress. Boston will also closely monitor the status of Kristaps Porziņģis, who underwent left leg surgery in June and may be out until the calendar turns to 2025.

Knicks, Sixers load up to compete in East

The Celtics’ most likely challengers in the Eastern Conference appear to be the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers, both of whom made attention-grabbing acquisitions in the offseason.

The Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein to free agency but made a massive trade to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns. The multi-talented big man joins a stacked starting lineup that includes Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.

New York won 50 games last season before injuries decimated their play-off hopes. This year’s squad is undoubtedly more talented than last year’s, but how quickly can this group gain cohesion after losing three of last season’s top five scorers?

The Knicks will play in the NBA’s tip-off game Tuesday in Boston, where the Celtics will raise another championship banner.

The 76ers were successful in their gambit to accrue salary cap space for last offseason and made a massive addition in signing Paul George to a four-year max contract that includes a player option.

George teams up with former MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey on a team with title aspirations. Philadelphia also added veteran role players this offseason in Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Caleb Martin and Reggie Jackson.

The 76ers are built to contend this season but face a number of durability questions. Embiid announced last week that he will not play on back-to-back nights after missing 45 games last season. George, 34, played 74 games last season but averaged 47 games played over the previous four seasons.

Philadelphia have said that their sole focus will be on having a healthy roster when the playoffs start in April, so Embiid and George could have plenty of rest days during the regular season. 

While Philly and New York appear to be Boston’s most formidable challengers in the East, others are lurking just a tier below.

The Milwaukee Bucks expect the second year of the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard pairing to yield better results under coach Doc Rivers, while Tyrese Haliburton and a young Indiana Pacers team will look to build on last season’s Eastern Conference finals appearance.

James family history

While the Western Conference is loaded with championship contenders, a team likely outside the title conversation has stolen most of the attention this offseason.

The Los Angeles Lakers used the 55th overall pick in June’s draft on Bronny James, making him teammates with his father, LeBron James. The pair will become the first father-son duo to play in the same NBA game.

Bronny struggled in six preseason games, shooting under 30 percent from the field and racking up more turnovers than assists. Even if Bronny spends most of the season in the G League, the Lakers will almost certainly allow him to take the court with his legendary father at some point.

The elder James will celebrate his 40th birthday this season as the future Hall of Famer enters his 22nd NBA season.

While James seems to have defied the aging process over the last several years, Los Angeles will likely ease his workload and give more opportunities to Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and DeAngelo Russell.

James and Davis missed just 17 combined games last season, and the Lakers will need a similarly healthy season to compete in a loaded West.

MVP race: West is best

Luka Dončić won last season’s scoring title at 33.9 points per game and guided the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA Finals appearance.

The Mavs added veteran sharpshooter and long-time Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson in hopes of a title run and will be banking on big growth from second-year center Derek Lively II.

Dončić opens the season as the betting favourite to win MVP, but he will have plenty of competition both for personal accolades and team success.

Nikola Jokić was voted MVP for the third time last season and enters the 2024-25 season as one of the favourites, although he would need a truly spectacular season to overcome voter fatigue and win a fourth MVP in a five-year span.

After the free agent departures of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown and Jeff Green the last two off-seasons, the Nuggets will need contributions from younger players and will hope Jamal Murray’s health improves as the season progresses.

For years, the Oklahoma City Thunder were considered a sleeping giant, and OKC has signalled over the past year that they are ready for contention.

The Thunder were the top seed in the West last season with a 57-25 record, then used the playoffs to identify weaknesses and gain experience. OKC acquired Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein in the offseason, giving them a better-fitting and more flexible roster, and the Thunder enter this season as the favourites in the West.

Hartenstein will miss the first six-or-so weeks of the season after breaking his left (shooting) hand, but once healthy he should help negate a rebounding weakness that doomed the Thunder in the playoffs.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is among the MVP favourites after averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists last season while shooting a career-high 53.5 percent from the field.

As deep and talented as the Thunder are as currently constructed, they own a staggering amount of future draft capital and could become a juggernaut if they decided to trade for another star player.

The Minnesota Timberwolves turned heads with their run to the West finals last season and stunned the basketball world when they traded Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

The decision to move on from Towns puts more of the offensive load on Anthony Edwards, whose scoring and efficiency have improved each year since being the No. 1 overall pick in 2020.

Minnesota made easy work of the Phoenix Suns last post-season, but the Suns will look to rejoin the contenders’ conversation as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal enter their second season as a teammate trio.

Wembanyama: A matter of time

One of the most prevalent storylines entering 2024-25 is the continued growth of Victor Wembanyama in his second NBA season.

Wembanyama had one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory, with the 7-foot-4 center leading the league in blocks and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Wembanyama followed with an impressive run in the Paris Olympics and has hit all the early checkpoints of a future MVP.

Most experts agree that the San Antonio Spurs aren’t ready to compete for a play-off spot this season, but Wembanyama seems destined to become a top-five player, and his ascendancy could happen sooner rather than later.

Flounder for Flagg?

This year’s rookie class is full of questions, but prognosticators are bullish on several top prospects in the 2025 class, setting the stage for a race for the bottom.

Duke forward Cooper Flagg is projected to be a two-way force and is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the class after playing with Team USA Select Team over the summer.

Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, along with Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper of Rutgers, have also got scouts excited in a draft class considered much deeper than 2024’s crop.

With one or more possible franchise-changers available in the 2025 draft, many of the NBA’s less talented teams will be content to sit at the bottom of the standings this season, especially in the Eastern Conference.

From the Washington Wizards to the Brooklyn Nets to the Portland Trail Blazers, there will be a handful of organisations focused more on the 2025 draft than their 2024-25 record.

The Los Angeles Clippers are expected to begin the season without Kawhi Leonard in the lineup as the star forward continues to rehabilitate from inflammation in his right knee.

The oft-injured Leonard played in his most games last season since 2016-17 with the San Antonio Spurs as he took the court for 68 of the Clippers’ 82 games.

The six-time All-Star, though, sat out Los Angeles’ final eight regular-season contests due to inflammation in the knee and only played in Games 2 and 3 during the team’s first-round play-off loss in six games to the Dallas Mavericks.

Leonard has yet to take on-court contact during training camp and instead has been focusing on rehabbing the knee.

“He has not been a part of what we've been doing on a daily basis,” Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw told reporters on Wednesday.

“I know the company line has been that we're going to be patient with him. He's doing everything that he can to rehab it and strengthen that knee on his own with our medical staff, and we’re just dealing with the guys that we have.”

The two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year led Los Angeles last season with 23.7 points and 1.63 steals per game and was second on the team in rebounding (6.1), blocks (0.87) and 3-point shooting percentage (41.7) while ranking third in assists (3.6).

The Clippers went 51-31 last season and won the Pacific Division for the first time since 2013-14.

With Leonard out indefinitely and Paul George signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason, Los Angeles will turn to former NBA MVP and 10-time All-Star James Harden to lead the way offensively.

Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out for the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers’ preseason due to an ongoing knee issue.

The inflammation in his right knee has prevented him from playing any of their four preseason matches so far, including Monday's 110-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

The injury also saw him miss the final eight games of the last regular season, while he was limited to just two appearances in their six-game, first-round loss to Dallas in the postseason.

Clippers coach Ty Lue confirmed that Leonard will not play in their final warm-up game against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, and he is a doubt for their NBA season opener against the Phoenix Suns on October 23.

Meanwhile, former Clippers star Paul George suffered a hyperextended left knee injury in Monday's preseason 104-89 win against the Atlanta Hawks.

George was playing just his second game since joining the 76ers as a free agent on a four-year max contract, but planted his left leg awkwardly, jarring his knee.

He did not play the rest of the game, but when asked about the injury, he was not too worried.

"I felt that it hyperextended, and immediately it was, all right, I need to get taken out and [looked at], but if you ask me, I'm not too concerned about it," George told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The 76ers begin their NBA season against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 23.

LeBron James is uncertain if he will get the chance to play on the same team as fellow great Stephen Curry before one of the duo retires.

Curry and James teamed up for the first time to help Team USA win gold at the Paris Olympics this summer.

But with 39-year-old James and 36-year-old Curry in the twilight of their careers, the chances of them teaming up at another Olympics are slim.

Indeed, with James committed to the Los Angeles Lakers and Curry to the Golden State Warriors, the best fans can likely hope for is a joint All-Star appearance. 

"I have no idea," James said ahead of the Lakers facing the Warriors in preseason.

James and Curry formed a thrilling NBA Finals rivalry between 2015 and 2018, facing off against each other 22 times.

"It was everything and more," James said of teaming up with Curry at the Olympics.

"I was super excited to be able to finally team up with him in a win-or-die type atmosphere. That's what it was, being a part of the Olympics.

"It was everything that I dreamed of and aspired to want to be a part of that team, along with Steph. Great memories. Something that I'll remember from my basketball career for the rest of my life, for sure.

"I understand what Steph has done for this game. I understand what he's done for his organisation, what he's done for the community, people all over the world.

"Just by his approach to the game and how he is as a man. How he is as a family man. How he is as a husband, a dad, a son, all that stuff.

"So when you have that type of respect for somebody and then you get to be around them every day and you see the way they work and how they treat their craft, it's a pretty cool thing. You're able to just respect that and not take it for granted."

Klay Thompson admitted to getting butterflies ahead of making his Dallas Mavericks debut on Thursday, before predicting his stint with the team will be "special".

Thompson was at the centre of the Golden State Warriors' dynasty before leaving the franchise in July, winning four NBA championships in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. 

Having been drafted 11th overall in 2011, Thompson left the Warriors as the player with the fourth-most games played in team history (793) and the sixth-most points (15,531).

He penned a three-year, $50million deal with the Mavs ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, and his first preseason appearance for the team came in a 107-102 loss to the Utah Jazz.

Thompson scored 10 points in 18 first-half minutes at American Airlines Center, before revealing his pre-game nerves were the worst he had experienced since his first trip to the NBA Finals.

"I haven't been that nervous, I don't think, since the 2015 Finals Game 1," Thompson said after the game.

"It felt so good just to go out there and play and work those jitters out. 

"It was a new experience, and it's a natural feeling when you've been somewhere so long and to be somewhere new in a new environment. 

"To finally put the uniform on, it felt amazing. I'm just excited to experience a new chapter. It's going to be special. I just know it."

Dallas' next preseason game sees them face the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, before they take on the Milwaukee Bucks in their final run-out before the new campaign.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann says football's decision-makers must introduce longer breaks between competitions, with players threatening to strike over the packed schedule. 

Debates over fixture congestion at the elite level have intensified in recent months, with FIFA's decision to organise an expanded Club World Cup a particularly thorny issue.

The inaugural 32-team tournament – which will be held in the United States at the end of the club season – will add another seven matches to some teams' fixture lists, while UEFA has also added two extra matches to the first phase of the Champions League.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri recently talked up the prospect of players taking strike action over a lack of rest time, but Nagelsmann does not envisage the number of games being reduced.

Speaking ahead of Friday's Nations League clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Germany boss called on organisers to look to American sports for inspiration when it comes to recovery times.

"I have often said that I won't complain about the calendar. A lot of matches are financing this sport," Nagelsmann said at his pre-match press conference.

"You have to have a healthy balance. I don't think there will be fewer games in the future. 

"There will be more matches and we should be talking about how to structure the breaks [between competitions]."

Pointing to the way the NBA and NFL manage player workloads, he added: "NBA players play 85 games or so but then have a long break. 

"The NFL has a long break. We don't have that in football. The players just don't get any break."

LeBron James said sharing the court with his son Bronny was one of the greatest things a father could wish for after the pair teamed up for the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

On his 20th birthday, Bronny – the 55th overall pick in this year's NFL Draft – appeared alongside his father in the second quarter of the Lakers' preseason game against the Phoenix Suns.

They became the first father-son duo to ever play in any NBA game as the Lakers were beaten 118-114.

LeBron finished with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, five rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes in the Lakers' 118-114 loss, while Bronny missed his only shot attempt in 13 score-less minutes and had two boards with four turnovers.

"For a father, it means everything," LeBron James said after the game in Palm Desert, California.

"For someone who didn't have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have an influence on your son...

"Be able to have moments with your son, and ultimately, to be able to work with your son... I think that's one of the greatest things that a father can ever hope for or wish for."

LeBron almost delivered an assist for Bronny, who narrowly missed a 3-pointer off a dribble handoff from his father.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said: "I was really hoping that wing 3 on the little side had gone in. That would have been a cool moment, but they'll have a lot of moments together, I'm sure.

"I just wanted to get them a chance to play together in preseason, within the flow of the game," Redick said. "I'm thrilled that I get to be a part of this. I really am. 

"It's cool as a basketball fan. I think it speaks to LeBron's longevity, but also his competitive stamina that he's able to still be doing this in Year 22. 

"It speaks to the work that Bronny has put in to get to this point and really just the fatherly care and love, and certainly the motherly care from Savannah as well. Bronny's such a great kid and he's a pleasure to be around."

Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest while a freshman at USC last July, and he feels that experience helped him shut out the noise on his historic outing.

"It's just taking everything that has happened to me during this year, getting up and continuing to work every day," he said. 

"It's just about finding fuel every day to get up and start working. JJ has really emphasised the defensive end and being a pest on defense. So that's what I've been trying to focus on when stepping on the floor."

It will be a birthday to remember for Bronny James - and for his father, as well.

LeBron James and Bronny made NBA history, becoming the first father and son to play in an NBA game at the same time in the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday in Palm Desert, California.

Not only did they become the first father-son duo to play in any NBA game, they played as team-mates.

Bronny entered the game as a substitute at the beginning of the second quarter to join his dad on the court.

The memorable moment also came on Bronny's 20th birthday.

The older James will turn 40 in December, but is still at the top of his game. He's set to begin his record-tying 22nd season in the NBA after averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds in 71 games for the Lakers in 2023-24.

Bronny, who was selected with the 55th pick in this year's draft, is expected to spend much of this season in the G League, but will almost certainly have an opportunity to play alongside his father with the Lakers at some point in the 2024-25 season.

Julius Randle says he is happy to be at the Minnesota Timberwolves where he "feels wanted" but admitted feeling shocked by the New York Knicks trade.

He was part of a blockbuster trade, joining the Timberwolves with Donte DiVincenzo, as Karl-Anthony Towns headed the other way in a deal that was completed earlier this week.

Randle was a three-time All-Star with the Knicks as their starting power forward, a Most Improved Player winner and a two-time All-NBA selection.

Last season, he averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, though he did not play in the playoffs after dislocating his shoulder on January 27 and opted to undergo surgery in April after two months of rehab.

Although he had initially been looking forward to another shot at the playoffs with the Knicks, he is now invigorated about joining another championship contender.

"It was a lot of emotion," Randle said. "You spend a lot of time living in one place, you know, New York, going there five years ago... A lot of blood, sweat, and tears put into that organization and uniform. Initially, it's always going to be a shock.

"You want to be somewhere where you feel wanted. I feel wanted here. At this point in my career, I've accomplished a lot of great things on an individual level, but I want to win a championship. This is a perfect opportunity to do that.

"[The trade] was a breath of fresh air. I'm excited to bring everything I've learned here over the past five years and help these guys out. My only thing here is I just want to help.

"I want to help [Anthony Edwards]. I want to help Rudy [Gobert], Naz [Reid] - all those guys. I want to help win a championship, and that's the only thing that matters."

The Timberwolves start their season against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 22, with their preseason beginning against the same opponent on Friday.

Karl-Anthony Towns bade farewell to the Minnesota Timberwolves as he completed a trade to the New York Knicks.

In a three-team trade also involving the Charlotte Hornets, Towns has joined the Knicks with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo heading the other way.

Towns, a four-time NBA All-Star, averaged 19.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last season.

Having joined the Timberwolves in 2015, Towns said goodbye in an emotional social media message.

"To the Timberwolves Family: Nine years ago, I arrived in Minnesota as a young man with a dream," he said.

"Little did I know that this place would become my home, and its people would become my family.

"Your love, support, and unwavering loyalty have fuelled my journey and inspired me to be the best player I could be. You'll always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for everything."

Towns could well meet his old team on October 13, with the Wolves and Knicks slated to play each other in preseason.