NBA players who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will have to be tested for the virus weekly, according to ESPN.

The network reports that there will be exceptions to the new policy, including for those who have recently recovered from the virus.

Vaccinated players will not have to test for COVID-19 unless "directed by their team physician or a league physician or government authority," the league said in a memo obtained by ESPN.

Face masks will also not be required for unvaccinated individuals in the upcoming season. However, ESPN reports they will be recommended inside in areas where COVID-19 transmission is considered "high."

The National Basketball Players Association reportedly agreed to the policy.

The NBA season begins on Oct. 19.

NEW YORK —

Victor Wembanyama is the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, headed to San Antonio with enormous expectations to become basketball's newest sensation.

The selection of the 19-year-old from France that had been a foregone conclusion for months was announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, followed by chants of "Wemby! Wemby" from a group of Spurs fans waving signs from the first row of seats.

Wembanyama arrives with far more height and hype than most No. 1 picks. Listed at 7-foot-4, he dominated his French league in his final season there, leading all players in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.

Now he makes the move to the NBA, perhaps as the best prospect since LeBron James came out of high school in 2003. Wembanyama brings a package of skills that seem perfect for the modern NBA and too vast for one player, with the size of a center and the shooting and ballhandling ability of a guard.

"Hearing that sentence from Adam Silver, I've dreamed of it so much," Wembanyama said, tears in his eyes as he left the stage with his Spurs cap on and hugged his siblings. "I've got to cry."

Wembanyama was the center of attention throughout the draft process and sat in the middle of the green room — for the short time he was there, anyway. He smiled for young fans who screamed "Victor!" as he walked around the arena, even encouraging one to throw him a basketball that he signed and tossed back up into the stands.

The Charlotte Hornets took Alabama freshman forward Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick.

Gavin Ford insists on not being treated any differently, despite the extraordinary para-athlete living a life that is anything but ordinary.Ford was the first kid in his hometown of North Reading, Massachusetts, to play in the Little League majors division while in a wheelchair."Funny story, actually. My first at bat, first pitch, I got hit right in the neck. Just a fastball right to the neck and I was kind of like: 'Welcome, you're here,'" Ford said while smiling and chuckling.Born with spina bifida, a neurological birth defect in which an area of the spinal column doesn't form properly, Gavin uses every ounce of energy in order to do all of the things he loves to do. He is able to participate in a number of sports from adaptive basketball and lacrosse to surfing and baseball, and his favorite, sled ice hockey. That is all despite years of surgeries and months away from fields, rinks, courts and the ocean."In 2022, out of 365 days of the year, Gavin was bed-bound for 192 of them," said Jen Ford, Gavin's mother.Gavin hopes one day to participate in the Paralympics, but he also has an even more altruistic goal."I learned engineering all this year. I want to be an architect. That's my dream job," Gavin said. "Not every building is accessible, so I don't really want that to be a struggle for anybody because I know I have to struggle with that.""He's amazing, but what I really respect is his willingness to share his opportunity for the benefit of others," Jen Ford said.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentuckians may remember the name Marques Warrick from his days filling the box score at Henry Clay High School in Lexington.

Now three years into wearing a Northern Kentucky University jersey, the Norse guard came back to his hometown to help the next generation of basketball players.

For the second year, Warrick put on a summer basketball clinic for local fifth to eighth graders.

The young ballers went through several different drills working on shooting, dribbling, agility, one on one defense and more.

Warrick remembers going to clinics and camps like this all the time growing up and he wanted to give back to Lexington by helping the next generation of hoopers grow on and off the court.

"What I really want to instill in them so they can take in life is being coachable, being a teachable person where other people can come and have good representation about themselves. Definitely being coachable and being able to learn new things," Warrick said.

Warrick is coming off averaging just under 19 points a game for NKU last season.

He said he looks forward to continue putting on these camps in the future.

Michael Jordan's name is now on one of the NBA's most prestigious trophies.

The league announced six newly designed trophies on Tuesday. They are all named after NBA legends

The new Michael Jordan Trophy will go to the NBA's most valuable player. The bronze trophy features a player coming out of a rock and reaching a crystal basketball.

“I’m incredibly honored to have created the NBA’s MVP trophy in partnership with Michael Jordan,” Mark Smith, retired VP of Innovation Special Projects at Nike,

Jordan won the NBA's MVP award five times during his career.

This season, the defensive player of the year will receive the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy. The rookie of the year will take home the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy. The sixth man of the year will get the John Havlicek Trophy. The George Mikan Trophy will go to the most improved player.

The Jerry West Trophy will go to the new "clutch" player of the year. The media panel will decide on a winner based on nominations from NBA head coaches.

“Our new collection of trophies celebrates some of the greatest and most impactful players in the history of the NBA,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “As we recognize the league’s top performers each season, we also pay tribute to the legends who embody these prestigious awards.”

Nikola Jokic guided Denver to its first NBA title in team history Monday night, as the Nuggets overcame dreadful shooting and a late flurry from Miami's Jimmy Butler to squeeze past the Heat for a frantic 94-89 victory in Game 5.

Jokic had 28 points and 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who missed 20 of their first 22 3-point attempts and seven of their first 13 free throws but figured out how to close out the series on their home floor.

Butler scored eight straight points to help the Heat take an 87-86 lead with 2:45 left after trailing by seven. He made two more free throws with 1:58 remaining to help Miami regain a one-point lead. Then, Bruce Brown got an offensive rebound and tip-in to give the Nuggets the lead for good.

Trailing by three with 15 seconds left, Butler jacked up a 3, but missed it. Brown made two free throws to put the game out of reach and clinch the title for Denver.

Butler finished with 21 points.

This was an ugly, frenetic affair, but the aftermath was something the Nuggets and their fans could all agree was beautiful. Denver is the home of the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in the franchise’s 47 years in the league.

“It was ugly and we couldn’t make shots, but at the end we figured it out,” Jokic said. "I am just happy we won the game.”

The Heat were, as coach Erik Spoelstra promised, a gritty, tenacious bunch. But their shooting wasn’t great, either. Bam Adebayo had 20 for the Heat, but Miami shot 34% from the floor and 25% from 3. Until Butler went off, he was 2 for 13 for eight points.

The celebration surrounding Damian Lillard's record-breaking performance was short-lived.

Lillard set franchise and career marks with 71 points — tied for the most in the NBA this season — and 13 3-pointers in the Portland Trail Blazers' 131 -114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

"I enjoy those moments in the game when I'm just going after people," Lillard said, "when I'm in attack mode."

But soon after the streamers fell to the court and the crowd headed for the exits, Lillard was summoned for a drug test. Turns out, the seven-time All-Star who's unafraid of taking a 3-pointer from half court is afraid of needles.

"I know I've got a lot of tattoos, but when you're doing a blood draw, it's different from tattoos. It brought me down from here to the floor," Lillard said gesturing with his hand raised then dropping it.

And Lillard got tested on the night he tied Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season after Mitchell also scored 71 in a win over Chicago on Jan. 2. His 13 3-pointers were also one shy of the NBA record set by Golden State's Klay Thompson in 2018. Thompson's Warriors teammate Stephen Curry (2016) and Chicago's Zach LaVine (2019) also made 13 3s.

Lillard broke his own franchise mark of 61 points, which he'd done twice, on a 3-pointer with 4:42 left that also topped his previous career record for 3s, which was 11.

Known for his humility, Lillard was unsure how to mark the occasion.

"I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you're hot, you're in attack mode, you're feeling good," Lillard said. "But it's the stuff afterward that I struggle with, like when I walked off the court, was I supposed to be overly excited, or what?"

In the final minutes of the game, the crowd at the Moda Center was on its feet, phones recording the moment, while chanting "MVP! MVP!"

"It really, really was a masterful performance," Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. "It was a piece of art. That was incredible."

Even Mitchell took notice.

"My mom calls me and says @Dame_Lillard tied your record … you gotta get 72 now," Mitchell posted on Twitter with some laughing emojis.

Lillard left the game with 44 seconds left, tied with Mitchell, Elgin Baylor (1960) and David Robinson (1994) for the eighth-most points scored in a game in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain owns the league record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Lillard had 41 points and eight 3-pointers by halftime. It was a career high in a half for Lillard and the most points in a half for any player in the league this season. He had 50 by the start of the fourth quarter.

In the end, he made 22 of 38 shots from the floor and he hit on 13 of his 22 3-point attempts. He was also 14 of 14 from the foul line.

Jerami Grant added 13 points for the Blazers, who led by as many as 23. Portland is part of a cluster of eight Western Conference just four wins apart that are vying for playoff spots.

Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, sitting in last place in the Western Conference with just 13 overall wins and nine straight losses.

"It's not like we didn't give effort, he made some really tough shots," said Rockets coach Stephen Silas, who sat Sengun midway through the third quarter for the rest of the game. "But we need everyone to give effort on the defensive end."

Houston trailed 102-88 heading into the final quarter, but scored the first six points of the period to close the gap to 102-94. Grant's 3-pointer for Portland extended the margin to 108-98.

Lillard's 3, his 11th of the night to tie his career high, made it 113-103 with 6:43 left. He added a driving layup and a free throw. Houston could not catch up.

Lillard started after resting for Thursday night's 133-116 loss to Sacramento. He participated in the NBA All-Star Game and won the 3-point contest the previous weekend.

The Blazers led 73-58 at the break with Lillard the 10th player since the 1996-97 season with 40-plus points in a half. He has 15 games with 50 or more points, sixth-most in NBA history.

SIDELINED

Guards Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. did not play, although Silas said both should be available for the team's short upcoming homestand. Green missed his second game with a strained left groin. Porter has been out 19 games because of a left foot contusion.

TIP-INS

Rockets: It was the third and final meeting between the teams this season. The Blazers won the previous two. Last season, the series ended 2-2. ... Jae'Sean Tate had four fouls in the first half, but finished with 17 points.

Trail Blazers: Portland remained without center Jusuf Nurkic (left calf) and guard Anfernee Simons (right ankle).

UP NEXT

Rockets: Return home to face the Denver Nugget on Tuesday.

Trail Blazers: Visit the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

The conclusion of the men's college basketball season is upon us and that can only mean one thing: it is time for the 'Big Dance.'

March Madness has arrived and will pit the best of the best and some overachieving "Cinderellas" duking it out for an opportunity to be crowned the NCAA men's Division I college basketball champion.

Having originally began in 1939 -- with the women's edition only added in 1982 -- it has become a fixture of every sport fan's calendar and is one not to be missed.

Not only has it become synonymous with shock results and upsets, March Madness has been the springboard for many successful NBA careers, including the Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry and Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis.

Here's all you need to know about the crescendo to the men's college basketball season.

Format

The process of whittling down 68 teams in Division I has pitfalls for teams around every corner.

The 32 automatic qualifying spots are filled by the teams which win each of the 32 conferences that make up Division I, while the other 36 will be selected to "at-large" berths by the NCAA Selection Committee.

The Selection Committee will reveal the "at-large" teams as part of the entire 68-team field on Selection Sunday, March 12.

The opening round of March Madness is called the "First Four" which sees eight teams -- the four-lowest seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams -- playing in four games to decide the final spots of the bracket. The "at-large" teams face one another while the automatic qualifiers take on each other.

Once the 64 teams have been cemented, the first and second rounds of March Madness take place between March 16-19 across various venues in the U.S.

The next round of the tournament is the regional semifinals -- colloquially called the "Sweet 16" -- which sees the 16 remaining teams compete for a spot in the "Elite Eight" -- the regional final round.

The four teams which make it to the "Final Four" will be the winners of their respective regional bracket.

This year's "Final Four" round will take place on April 1 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

The two winners will advance to the NCAA championship game to be played at the same location on April 3, with the victor being crowned national champions.

Traditions

Since it was organized over 80 years ago, March Madness has become famous for some unique traditions.

Before the action gets underway, it is customary for fans and even non-hoops fans to fill out a single elimination tournament bracket -- a process by which spectators try to predict the outcomes of every game, including the eventual winner.

The process has been something people from all walks of life have tried their hand at, from former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and George H.W. Bush to Jimmy Fallon.

You will also likely see coaches and players from the last team standing cutting down the nets on the court.

The act of cutting down the nets off a basket -- thought to have originated in Indiana high school basketball in 1947 -- has become synonymous with celebration, in particular of a championship victory.

There could be other points throughout the tournament where teams deem it worthy to cut down the nets, whether it be in the Final Four or the Sweet 16, but you will almost definitely see members from the 2023 national champions cutting the nets down at NRG Stadium and keeping threads as a souvenirs.

March Madness is also well-known for its propensity for shocking upsets.

The elimination element of the tournament lends it to unexpected results when higher seeds topple lower seeds. The unsung teams who topple notable programs are nicknamed "Cinderellas." Over the years, there have been plenty to delight neutrals or to break the hearts of bracket fanatics.

Last year's dream run came from unheralded Saint Peter's. With an enrollment of 2,637 students, the university, located in Jersey City, New Jersey, caught the attention of all when it became the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight in NCAA tournament history, upsetting the No. 3 seed Purdue Boilermakers and No. 2 seed Kentucky the way.

From No. 16 seed UMBC Retrievers beating No. 1 seed Virginia Cavaliers in 2018 -- becoming the first and only No. 16 seed to defeat a first seed -- to Lehigh defeating college basketball powerhouse Duke -- at the time, just the sixth win for a No. 15 seed over a No. 2 -- upsets are part of the fabric of the annual madness.

Whether it is hoping for upsets, anticipating the drama, filling out brackets, or watching potential future NBA stars, March Madness has something for us all.

Darius Garland had 24 points and nine assists, Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers never trailed in a 117-94 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Evan Mobley had 20 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots for the Cavaliers. They built a 21-point lead in the second quarter and didn't allow Washington to get closer than seven.

Cleveland (45-28) moved three games ahead of New York and 4 1/2 in front of Brooklyn in the battle for fourth place in the East and home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. The Cavaliers’ next two games are in Brooklyn.

The victory assured Cleveland of its winningest season since 2018, when it last made the playoffs and was swept in the NBA Finals by Golden State. Starting center Jarrett Allen missed his fourth straight game with a right eye contusion.

Bradley Beal scored 22 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Wizards. Washington (32-38) lost for the sixth time in eight games and fell into a tie with Indiana and Chicago for the final East play-in tournament spot.

The Cavaliers only made 4 of 19 3-pointers with Mitchell and Garland combining to miss their first 10 attempts. Caris LeVert had 15 points off the bench and Ricky Rubio added eight points and five assists.

Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma had seven points after missing a game with a sore right knee. Corey Kispert scored 12 points and Monte Morris had 10 points, but Washington committed 17 turnovers that cost it 21 points.

Cleveland swept the three-game season series.

CAUTIOUS COACH

The Cavaliers are closing in on their first playoff berth without LeBron James on the roster since 1998, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff refuses to look too far ahead.

“We’ve got to go out and finish what we’ve started,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s our focus.”

Cleveland lost 10 of its final 13 games last season, including two in the play-in tournament, to finish 44-38 and extend its playoff drought to four years since James’ joined the Lakers.

TIP-INS

Wizards: F Xavier Cooks -- named MVP of Australia’s National Basketball League last month -- signed a multi-year contract before the game. The 6-foot-8, 183-pound Australian went undrafted in 2018 after graduating from Winthrop. “Xavier is coming off a championship run (with the Sydney Kings) and had another excellent season,” coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “He did enough to get noticed.” Cooks is making his NBA debut.

Cavaliers: F Danny Green has only logged 41 minutes over five games since being signed Feb. 15 after his release by Houston. The three-time NBA champion has made 5 of 9 3-pointers with Cleveland. “There are guys who need reps and I’ve been talking to Danny about that,” Bickerstaff said. “I need to get him more five-on-five time.” … F Dean Wade, who made nine starts, has not appeared in five of the last six games.

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Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com

WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner was arrested last month at a Moscow airport after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges.

The Russian Customs Service said Saturday that the cartridges were identified as containing oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The customs service identified the person arrested as a player for the U.S. women's team and did not specify the date of her arrest. Russian media reported the player was Griner, and her agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, did not dispute those reports.

"We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA," Kagawa Colas said Saturday. "As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern."

On Saturday, the State Department issued a "do not travel" advisory for Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine and urged all U.S. citizens to depart immediately, citing factors including "the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens by Russian government security officials" and "the Embassy’s limited ability to assist" Americans in Russia.

Griner, who plays for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, has played in Russia for the last seven years in the winter, earning over $1 million per season — more than quadruple her WNBA salary. She last played for her Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg on Jan. 29 before the league took a two-week break in early February for the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments.

More than a dozen WNBA players were playing in Russia and Ukraine this winter, including league MVP Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley of the champion Chicago Sky. The WNBA confirmed Saturday that all players besides Griner had left both countries.

The 31-year-old Griner has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S., a WNBA championship with the Mercury and a national championship at Baylor. She is a seven-time All-Star.

"Brittney Griner has the WNBA's full support and our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States," the league said in a statement.

A technical issue prevented the national anthem from being played at a basketball game in New Hampshire, so the crowd stepped up. Students at Conant High School sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" themselves before a varsity basketball game last week. The energy carried over into the game and Conant won on senior night!

Related video above: LeBron accused of 'intentional elbow' in recent altercation with Pistons center Stewart

LeBron James' celebration of Thursday's overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers has landed the Los Angeles Lakers forward with a fine from the NBA.

The $15,000 punishment was handed to James "for making an obscene gesture on the playing court," said the NBA in a statement on Friday.

"The incident occurred with 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' 124-116 overtime win against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse," said the NBA statement.

James made the gesture after making a deep three-point shot.

The NBA has consistently fined players between $15,000 to $25,000 for performing a routine popularized by former NBA star Sam Cassell when he was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, reported The Athletic.

James was also warned for using "profane language during media availability in response to league imposed discipline," according to Byron Spruell, who is president of the NBA's League Operations in the NBA statement.

Last weekend, James was ejected after his elbow bloodied the eye of Detroit Pistons player Isaiah Stewart. That altercation then sparked a confrontational reaction from Stewart and an on-court scuffle.

Stewart was subsequently hit with a two-game suspension without pay by the NBA for "escalating" the situation and "repeatedly and aggressively" pursuing James, who himself received a one-game ban for the first time in his 19-year NBA career for "recklessly hitting" the Pistons center in the face.

This is only the second time he's been ejected from a game in his career.

After the Wednesday's win over the Pacers, James said the one-game suspension was "some bulls--t."

It started in 1946 with 11 teams and 160 players. The shot clock was nearly a decade away, the 3-point line was a couple generations away. Buildings were smaller. So were the players. And it wasn’t even called the National Basketball Association.

The NBA, 75 years ago, was different in almost every imaginable way.

Over the coming months, The Associated Press will look back at what the league was on and off the court, how it became what it is and where it’ll be going over the next 25 years as it moves toward the century mark.

The series will recall those humble beginnings, with Ossie Schectman — who scored the first basket in league history — making $60 a game. It’ll show how what was happening in the country seemed to mirror what was happening in the league, from the league’s path toward integrating in the 1950s, to its stance on social issues and race relations today.

In those earliest of years, teams lost plenty of money. Some of the inaugural franchises only had inaugural seasons, folding after Year 1. There was no robust following and the NBA had little to no impact on societal issues.

And all the players were white.

“None of us who were playing at that time knew what this would be,” Schectman, who played for the original New York Knicks, said in a 2010 interview, three years before his death. “We didn’t know if this was going to work out and become something.”

Schectman scored the first basket in Basketball Association of America history; it wasn’t called the NBA until three years later, but the NBA counts those years as part of its own. It was an underhand layup for the Knicks in a game at the Toronto Huskies on Nov. 1, 1946, the first two points of 13.7 million in league history and counting.

In time, Schectman got his answer: The NBA, indeed, would become something.

Today, the 30 NBA franchises are worth at least $100 billion combined, possibly much more than that. The league has a fan base that stretches to each corner of the globe and a reputation for being a leader when it comes to social issues.

Richard Lapchick, the son of former New York Knicks coach Joe Lapchick and researcher on social and racial issues within sport, said the league's platform has always provided an opportunity to be a conduit for change — perhaps never more so than now.

“I genuinely believe that the NBA, with Adam Silver as its current leader, is in this for the right reasons and has the support of the largest integrated labor force in America in terms of percentage of the population," Lapchick said. “They're also very wealthy, so they can use their resources — and this is new — to invest in social justice campaigns in their communities."

There has been a major commitment by players to spark change in recent years, from additional and almost unprecedented levels of support for historically Black colleges and universities, to LeBron James leading a voting rights and registration push that wound up playing a significant role in the 2020 presidential election.

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer believes he knows why basketball tends to make such an impact on society.

“I’ll say something a little silly,” Ballmer said. “How many sports can you really see the players? Football, you’ve got helmets on. Baseball players are quite remote, in center field. Even soccer, hockey, you have guys who are moving super-fast with helmets. People can relate to the players in basketball. You can see them. You can feel them.

“There’s fewer players which means you get more interviews and get to know certain personalities more than you would in just about any other sport,” he added. “Actually, that’s a significantly important aspect of why basketball becomes much more at the forefront of societal change.”

Like with many things, the early days were the toughest.

The Philadelphia Warriors — now the Golden State Warriors — won the league’s first title in 1947, over the Chicago Stags. By the time the next season started, four of the 11 original teams had folded; the league added a team from Baltimore and played with eight franchises for the second season.

A 60-game schedule was pared down to 48 to save money on travel. Maurice Podoloff, a hockey executive who was the BAA’s first president and ultimately the first NBA commissioner, was tasked with saving the league and winning a battle with the rival National Basketball League for players and attention.

In May 1948, the battle was won. Four teams left the NBL — Indianapolis, Rochester, Fort Wayne and Minneapolis, who had arguably the biggest name in basketball at the time with George Mikan — for the BAA.

“Maurice Podoloff charted the unknown for the NBA,” the late David Stern, who was the NBA commissioner for 30 years, said when Podoloff died. “He took an idea and nurtured professional basketball through its formative years. It is through the efforts of sporting pioneers like Podoloff that the NBA has become an everyday part of the American sporting scene.”

By 1949, the NBA had turned a corner. The league was up to 17 teams, more than doubling what it was. Teams were turning profits. The rebranding to the NBA was complete. And with the evolution in the boardrooms complete, it was time to evolve on the floor as well.

While the race barrier had been broken — Wat Misaka, a Japanese-American player, was drafted and played for the Knicks in 1947 — it was barely noticed, in part because he played only three games. The first Black players were three years away from joining the league, changing the face of the game for good.

As the country was changing, moving on from World War II and into the civil rights movement, the NBA was in lockstep. Change then led to unrest and division, just as it did in recent years across the U.S. But the NBA pressed on, then and now.

“That’s what this country is all about and should be about,” NBA great and Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West said. “It’s about fair play. And for years, there hasn’t been a lot of fair play in this country. I think the NBA has been a front-liner in that, and it’s great to see.”

BOSTON (AP) — Basketball Hall of Famer K.C. Jones, who won eight NBA championships as a Celtics player in the 1960s and two more as the coach of the Celtics team that took the titles in 1984 and '86, has died. He was 88.

The Celtics said Jones' family confirmed on Friday that he died at an assisted-living facility in Connecticut, where he had been receiving care for Alzheimer's disease for the past few years.

In a statement, the Celtics said Jones was both a "fierce competitor and a gentleman."

"He made his teammates better, and he got the most out of the players he coached," the Celtics said. "Never one to seek credit, his glory was found in the most fundamental of basketball ideals – being part of a winning team. The Celtics family mourns his loss, as we celebrate his remarkable career and life."

In 1955-56, Jones and Bill Russell led San Francisco to back-to-back NCAA championships, the Associated Press reported. Russell and Jones also won Olympic gold medals at the 1956 Games in Melbourne while playing basketball on the U.S. team.

Jones joined Russell in the NBA when the Celtics drafted Jones in the second round of the 1956 NBA Draft, and they both went on to win eight-straight NBA championships from 1959-66.

In 1967, Jones retired, and the Celtics hung his No. 25 from the rafters. After retiring as a player, Jones began coaching, first in college, and then he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971. In 1972, he won another NBA title.

Jones earned three more NBA championships with the Celtics, first as an assistant coach in 1981, and then as head coach in 1984 and 1986.

STILLWATER, Okla. —

Oklahoma State University basketball player Dee Mitchell was surprised with a scholarship while he was working his shift at Walmart, and the heartwarming moment was caught on camera.

The walk-on joined the team back in 2019. He's been paying his way through school while working at a Stillwater Walmart. On Sunday, head coach Mike Boynton had a big surprise for him.

“I thought today was a good opportunity to let him know that he's going to be on scholarship,” Boynton said in a video the university posted on social media. "Nobody has exemplified what I want our program to mean more than you have.”

The team surprised Mitchell with a scholarship. He's been working 40 hours a week on top of his class schedule and basketball practice.

"I didn't know what was going on, it's real surprising, breathtaking. I thought I was in a movie or something,” Mitchell said.

OSU posted a video of the surprise on Twitter. Mitchell's scholarship covers the rest of his time at the university.

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MIAMI —

Related video above: Dogs are being trained to sniff out COVID-19

The Miami Heat are bringing back some fans, with help from some dogs.

The Heat will use coronavirus-sniffing dogs at AmericanAirlines Arena to screen fans who want to attend their games. They've been working on the plan for months, and the highly trained dogs have been in place for some games this season where the team has allowed a handful of guests — mostly friends and family of players and staff.

Starting this week, a limited number of ticket holders will be in the seats as well, provided they get past the dogs first.

"If you think about it, detection dogs are not new," said Matthew Jafarian, the Heat's executive vice president for business strategy. "You've seen them in airports, they've been used in mission critical situations by the police and the military. We've used them at the arena for years to detect explosives."

The first Heat game with ticket holders is set for Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Monday is the first day that season ticket holders will be able to start securing their seats.

The Heat have sold out 451 consecutive games, the sixth-longest streak in NBA history. Sellouts obviously aren't happening this year. The Heat will keep attendance under 2,000 for now, or less than 10% of the arena's typical capacity.

"Please note that seating will be very limited, as we will be observing proper physical distancing," the team said in its letter to season ticket holders.

The coronavirus-sniffing dog idea has been put into place at airports in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Helsinki, Finland, in recent months. At Heat games, fans arriving for the game will be brought to a screening area and the detection dogs will walk past. If the dog keeps going, the fan is cleared; if the dog sits, that's a sign it detects the virus and the fan will be denied entry.

Other protocols the Heat will use: A health screening questionnaire will be mandatory for all guests, masks must be worn continually and only soda and water will be sold. All transactions will be cashless and if a fan feels ill during a game, isolation rooms will be available.

And if a fan is allergic to or afraid of dogs, the Heat are offering an option to skip the dog screening and submit to a rapid antigen test instead. The Heat say those tests can be processed in less than 45 minutes.

The move comes at a time where some arenas in Florida — such as Amalie Arena in Tampa, home of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning and temporary home of the NBA's Toronto Raptors — are not allowing any fans, despite doing so earlier this season. The NHL's Florida Panthers, who play about a half-hour north of Miami, have allowed fans.

It also comes during a month when the NBA has postponed 19 games because of virus-related issues such as positive tests or multiple players on a team being flagged by contact tracing.

And this weekend, the entire University of Michigan athletic department announced it was pausing activities after several positive tests for the new COVID-19 variant that transmits at a higher rate.

Dogs have a superior sense of smell, which is why they're often used by law enforcement to find everything from drugs to bombs to missing people. Medical researchers have long reaped the benefit of canine sniffing, training some dogs to detect when a human is dealing with things like too much stress, too little blood sugar and even certain cancers.

"Researchers are finding that specially trained dogs can detect COVID on humans quickly and accurately," Jafarian said.

LEBANON, Ohio —

A 10-year-old and his family were kicked out of a youth basketball league after his mother, attending the game, refused to wear her mask over her nose.

The family, from Lebanon, wants the league's decision reversed and said the incident never should have gone as far as it did.

Jennifer and Mike Chaney's son Connor plays for Kings Basketball Association, part of the Cincinnati Premier Youth Basketball League. Mike Chaney is the assistant coach for the team, or at least he was one week ago.

Last Sunday, Jennifer Chaney was watching her son's game against Sycamore and livestreaming via Facebook live to family and friends who could not attend due to COVID restrictions.

Chaney said she was wearing her mask below her nose, only covering her mouth when a spectator from the other team approached her and told her to wear her mask correctly. She said a man, who did not identify herself, approached her a few minutes later.

"He goes, 'Well, is there a reason that you're not wearing your mask the right way?' I said, 'There actually is. I have a medical reason for that,' and he said, 'Well, what is that?' And I said, 'Well, I don't have to tell you that,'" Jennifer Chaney said.

She said the man left her alone but spectators from the opposing team continued to yell at her during the first half of the game to put her mask over her nose. She said she was also practicing social distancing and did not feel she was endangering any other guests.

At halftime, the league president Ben Goodyear showed up.

"Ma'am you need to leave please," he Jennifer Chaney. "Take your kid with you and leave please."

He then told her, "You're not wearing your mask. I'm the league president."

"I don't give a s*** who you are," she replied.

Chaney's Facebook live video continued as she left the gym.

You can hear fans yelling at her for continuing to wear her mask under her nose.

"You got a power problem," Jennifer Chaney said. "I ain't bothering anyone down there. Yeah you do. You got a power problem. And you don't even know if I have a medical condition, dumb a**."

At the same time, the Chaneys said Goodyear instructed Mike and Conner to leave the court and told them they were being kicked out of the league.

"We had to get Connor off the court so emotionally, he's very upset," Mike Chaney said. "He starts crying, not understanding why and I'm honestly not understanding why either."

Connor's parents want the league to reverse its decision on expelling the family from the league and allow Connor to finish the season.

The family said Connor has been watching the games virtually at home and wants to play with his friends again.

The family also provided WLWT with a physician's note, attesting to Jennifer Chaney having a medical condition that exempts her from wearing a mask. She said she has been treated for the condition for several years.

The league's COVID-19 rules, listed online, clearly state that spectators are required to wear face coverings. The league president told WLWT the league's rules "do not grant medical exemptions."

The state's order on youth sports, released by the Ohio Department of Health, reads that spectators are required to wear face coverings but individuals can be exempt due to medical conditions.

Cincinnati Premier Youth Basketball League COVID-19 rules:

"Everyone entering the gym is required to wear a cloth face covering and follow social distancing guidelines at all times. Anyone not wearing a face covering will not be allowed in the gym. Anyone who removes their face covering will be required to leave the facility immediately. Players can remove their mask for warmups and the game.

"Plastic masks or face shields are not permitted."

Statement provided by president Ben Goodyear:

"In accordance with the State of Ohio Department of Health Covid-19 Sports Order, the CPYBL has established clear Covid-19 guidelines for all participants, including coaches, players, parents/spectators. The guidelines require all game attendees to wear a mask at all times. In this case, the parent was given multiple opportunities to wear her mask but she refused. Therefore, she was asked to leave the gym. At no time, did she ever alert gym or league personnel that she had a medical condition. However, league rules do not grant medical exemptions. We did this because the CPYBL takes the safety of players, coaches, officials, and fans very seriously. To be clear, her ejection from the gym was the result of her refusal to wear a mask. Her expulsion from the league was the result of her multiple violations of the CPYBL Parent Code of Conduct."

Excerpt from the Ohio Department of Health's Sept. 25 order which provides requirements for youth, collegiate, amateur, club and professional sports:

"Spectators must wear face coverings at all times except for one of the reasons stated in the Director's Order for Facial Coverings throughout the State of Ohio, signed July 23, 2020, or as it may thereafter be amended. The Order's exemptions include, but are not limited to: 1. The individual is under 10 years of age; 2. The individual has a medical condition, including respiratory conditions that restrict breathing, mental health conditions, or disabilities that contraindicate the wearing of a facial covering."

American Molly Seidel, a relative newcomer to the marathon stage, took home the bronze in the women's Olympic marathon.

She won the bronze medal in 2:27:46 of the women’s Olympic Marathon event in Tokyo.

It was Seidel's third marathon run.

Seidel is the third American woman to medal in the Olympic marathon, only after Deena Kastor won bronze in Athens in 2004 and Joan Benoit Samuelson who won gold in Los Angeles in 1984, according to reports.

Peres Jepchirchir led a 1-2 Kenyan finish in the women’s marathon, withstanding the heat and humidity while running through the streets of Sapporo.

Jepchirchir finished in a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes, 20 seconds in a race moved up an hour to avoid the heat. A smattering of fans lining the course applauded as the Tokyo Games moved north for the marathons and race walks. Her teammate Brigid Kosgei was second.

Men's basketball

Nothing about the summer was easy for the U.S. men’s basketball team, and neither was the gold-medal game.

The Americans expected nothing less.

And in the end, their Olympic reign continues.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points and joined Carmelo Anthony as the only three-time men’s gold medalists in Olympic history and the U.S. held off France 87-82 on Saturday to win the title at the Tokyo Games — ending a summer that started with sputters but closed with celebration.

Women's golf

Nelly Korda has given the Americans a sweep of gold medals in golf, holding on for a one-shot victory in a thrill-a-minute finish to the Olympic women’s golf competition.

Korda led by as many as three shots on the back nine. In the end, she needed two putts from just inside 30 feet on the 18th hole for par and a 2-under 69.

Mone Inami of Japan made bogey from a plugged lie in the bunker on the 18th hole and faced a playoff against Lydia Ko of New Zealand for the silver medal.

For the 23-year-old Korda, it was another glittering moment in her dream season. She won her first major championship six weeks ago and rose to No. 1 in the world for the first time. Now she has an Olympic gold medal and leaves no doubt who’s the best in women’s golf.

Xander Schauffele won the gold for the men last Sunday.

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Meanwhile, the U.S. women's basketball team will be playing for a record seventh gold medal Saturday night when the Americans play Japan at the Tokyo Games.

Track and field competition comes to a close on Day 15 of the Olympics and Allyson Felix, fresh off her record-setting 10th medal, will try to pass Carl Lewis as the most decorated American runner if she participates in the 4x400 meter relay. The U.S. men's team will also try to medal in the 4X400 relay, and Vashti Cunningham is expected to contend for a gold medal in the women’s high jump.

The U.S. baseball team featuring Todd Frazier and Edwin Jackson plays Japan in the gold medal game, while the U.S. women's volleyball and water polo teams also play in the finals.

Here are some things to watch:

Women's basketball

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi will try to lead the U.S. women's basketball team to a seventh consecutive gold medal when the Americans play Japan in the Olympic final.

Bird and Taurasi will be going for a record fifth gold — an achievement no other basketball player has ever accomplished.

Japan has already assured itself the first Olympic medal in women’s basketball in the country’s history. Coach Tom Hovasse had said when he was hired a little over four years ago that his team would be playing against the Americans for gold at the Tokyo Games.

His team proved him right.

Track & Field

Allyson Felix became the most decorated female track and field athlete in Olympic history with a bronze medal in the 400 meters and said after her run she expects to be part of the women's 4X400 relay team.

If she is and the Americans medal, it would be the 11th of Felix's career and move her past Carl Lewis as the most decorated track and field athlete in U.S. history.

At 35 years old, Felix knew coming into Tokyo that collecting any hardware would be the biggest challenge of her career.

"I always believe in myself. I trust my training," Felix said. "But of course I’m also a fan of the sport, I hear the chatter. I think people thought that it was a longshot for me to even be on the U.S. team and I knew I wasn’t a pick for the medals. But, you know, just give me a shot."

The relay participants aren't announced ahead of time but the women's squad could consist of Sydney McLaughlin, who set the world record in the 400-meter hurdles, and Dalilah Muhammad, who finished second.

Women's volleyball

The U.S. seeks its first gold medal ever in women’s volleyball when the Americans take on Brazil in the finals.

The United States has won three silver medals and two bronze since 1984, but has never stood at the top of the podium at the Olympics. The Americans lost to Brazil in 2008 and '12 and to China in 1984.

U.S. coach Karch Kiraly is looking to join China’s Lang Ping as the only Olympians to win gold as a player in volleyball and also a coach. His team is led by three-time Olympians Jordan Larson and Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson, who have already won silver and bronze medals.

Women's water polo

The U.S. women's water polo team goes for its third straight gold medal when it faces Spain in the final at the Tatsumi Water Polo Centre.

The U.S. is hoping to join the men’s teams from Britain (1908-1920) and Hungary (2000-2008) as the only countries to win at least three straight water polo titles at the Olympics.

Hungary has earned the country’s first medal in women’s water polo, beating the Russian team 11-9 for bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.

Vanda Valyi scored three times for Hungary, which finished fourth in each of the last three Games. Rita Kesthelyi had two goals.

Men's baseball

Mike Scioscia is one win from matching mentor Tommy Lasorda, the only manager to lead the United States to a baseball gold medal.

But host Japan, which stopped its major league season during the Tokyo Olympics, is the favorite in the gold medal game.

The U.S. is a mixture of prospects mostly from Double-A, career minor leaguers and released veterans. The Americans overcame a blown ninth-inning lead in a 7-6, 10-inning loss to Japan to reach the final by beating the Dominican Republic 3-1 and South Korea 7-2.

Nick Martinez will start for the U.S. The 31-year-old right-hander pitched for Texas from 2014-17, then spent three seasons with the Pacific League’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters before switching this season to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Martinez got the opening-round win over South Korea, allowing one run and four hits in five innings with nine strikeouts. He is familiar with Yokohama Stadium from his time in Japan.

An Australia team that beat Team USA in a pre-Olympics exhibition was no match for the Americans in a tournament elimination game.Breanna Stewart scored 23 points and filled up the box score with crooked numbers as the Americans won their Olympic quarterfinal with Australia by a 79-55 score in Japan.Their 53rd-straight Olympic win sets the Americans up for a semifinal fight with Serbia.Team USA went down 5-2 very early but Stewart took over, scoring 10 points in a 14-1 run leading into a timeout. She'd finish the first half with 20 points.The Americans led 26-12 after one quarter, Stewart well on her way to upping the ante following 9, 15, and 17 points in her first three games of the Olympics.Australia, of course, didn't quit and opened the second quarter with a 13-2 run spurred by a 3-point play from Stephanie Talbot and a straight-up 3-pointer from Leilani Mitchell, who had nine points in the first half.It was a red herring, though, as Team USA dominated at both ends of the floor. The Americans held Australia to 30 percent shooting, blocking five shots while dishing out 24 assists (led by Chelsea Gray's eight). Coach Dawn Staley got everyone in the game, but it was all about Stewart. She shot 8-of-10 from the floor including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, grabbing five rebounds to go with two blocked shots, a steal, and three assists. Stewart also drew six fouls.Brittany Griner had the highlight of the game, one of her two blocks and emphatic standing denial. She ended with 15 points, two steals, two blocks, and eight boards.Related video — Olympic Drill: 3x3 Basketball

CINCINNATI — This is not a story about any type of physical limitation, or condition.

I am purposely choosing not to include any “diagnosis." That’s not what this story is about.

"Caring,” said La Salle basketball coach Pat Goedde. “Gavin is all about that. Everything he talks about is opportunity."

You can often find Gavin Reupert at a La Salle basketball or football practice.

The senior has been the student manager for the football team his entire high school career. He took the same job with the basketball team this season.

"With him becoming the student—” said Goedde, before stopping. “I hate calling him the student manager. He's one of the guys. He's on the team.”

Gavin was never able to be the one with a jersey on, though… That is, until one game, this month.

"It was surreal,” said Reupert. “I never expected this opportunity."

That word has been mentioned twice, now.

Indeed, that is what this story is about. Opportunity.

"He's earned this opportunity,” said Goedde. “It isn't like we’re giving him something. This is something he has earned."

"Thursday when I was walking out of school,” recalled Reupert. “Coach called me and said to stop by the trainer's room. He gave me a jersey and said to start practicing.”

That’s exactly what Gavin did. Goedde told Gavin he was going to get in the game the following night; and was going to attempt a shot.

Gavin practiced that exact shot for hours, leading up to Friday’s game.

"It's basically a game of angles. I just hit it at the right spot,” explained Reupert, in regard to shooting a “bank” shot.

He didn’t make every practice shot he took; but when his opportunity came, he was certainly prepared.

Friday night came, and Gavin was in the starting lineup.

“I had butterflies in my stomach,” said Reupert.

As soon as the ball was tipped to start the game, a teammate dribbled the ball toward La Salle’s basket and passed to to Gavin Reupert.

Four years of hard work and dedication earned him this one shot.

And one shot is all it took.

Gavin made his first attempt.

“It felt like a sense of relief. I made the first try,” said Reupert.

Gavin is not defined by what some may think would hold him back.

“My parents said, ‘No.’ I was highly capable of doing much more,” explained Reupert. “Look where I am today.”

"He will go down in history. Two points and one-for-one [shooting], 100% – Nobody else has done that in the history of La Salle High School. I can guarantee that,” said Goedde.

Gavin Reupert plans to be a student manager at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati starting next year.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jeremiah Davenport had a career-high 27 points, Tari Eason had 20 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, and Cincinnati rolled past Tulane 91-71 on Friday.

Mika Adams-Woods had 16 points and seven assists for Cincinnati (9-8, 7-5 American Athletic Conference). Mason Madsen added 11 points and six rebounds.

The 91 points were a season best for Cincinnati, which also achieved a season-high 23 assists.

Jaylen Forbes scored a career-high 37 points for the Green Wave (9-11, 4-11). Sion James added 13 points.

The Bearcats improve to 2-0 against the Green Wave on the season. Cincinnati defeated Tulane 64-61 on Feb. 7.

The United States handily won their men's basketball match against Iran, showcasing the country's strength in both offense in defense.Team USA dominated the court, defeating Iran with a final score of 120-66. Team USA is the most successful nation in men's Olympic basketball, having won all but four Olympic gold medals since basketball was introduced as a sport at the Games in 1936.This is a breaking story and will be updated.