LAS VEGAS —

No charges will be filed following a brief investigation of the altercation involving pop star Britney Spears, San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama and a member of the player's security team, Las Vegas police said Friday.

Spears said she was struck by a security guard as she tried to approach Wembanyama near a restaurant in a Las Vegas casino complex on Wednesday night. Wembanyama said a person — he later was told it was Spears — grabbed him from behind.

Spears filed a police report, alleging battery. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department said its investigation is over and “no charges will be filed against the person involved.”

Police say surveillance video shows Spears inadvertently hit herself in the face after her hand was pushed off Wembanyama.

Wembanyama is scheduled to make his NBA Summer League debut for the Spurs in Las Vegas on Friday night. The 7-foot-3 French teen was the No. 1 pick in last month's NBA draft and is entering the league with as much acclaim as anyone since LeBron James in 2003.

Video below: Victor Wembanyama responds to the incident involving Britney Spears

The altercation happened Wednesday night; Spears said she recognized Wembanyama at another hotel earlier in the evening and when seeing him again at the Aria Resort & Casino she “decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success.”

Spears said, “His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face.”

Spears said in posts on Twitter and Instagram that the run-in was “super embarrassing,” and denied grabbing Wembanyama, saying she only “tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.” She also said that she was hopeful of getting an apology from the team or the security guard who she said was involved.

Wembanyama had a different account of the events. He said security advised him to not stop for anyone as he walked into the restaurant, mindful that pausing could cause a stir and allow a crowd to build. He said one person was shouting “sir, sir” to him, “and that person grabbed me from behind,” he said.

He was told hours later that person was Spears. He never saw her, he said, because he never turned around.

NEW YORK CITY — The National Basketball Association announced Tuesday that teams would not play any games on Election Day this year.

The league said that the decision not to play that day was so "the NBA family’s focus on promoting nonpartisan civic engagement and encouraging fans to make a plan to vote during midterm elections."

CNN reported that the league added that teams would share information on the voting processes in their state and registration deadlines leading up to Nov. 8.

According to the Associated Press, 30 teams are scheduled to play on Nov. 7, the night before the midterm elections.

The move for the league to not play on Election Day is a rare one, the news outlet pointed out. Typically the league doesn't play on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, nor do they try to play on the day of the NCAA men’s basketball championship game, the Associated Press reported.

“It’s unusual. We don’t usually change the schedule for an external event,” executive director of the NBA’s social justice coalition James Cadogan told NBC. “But voting and Election Day are obviously unique and incredibly important to our democracy.”

This isn't the first time the NBA has become involved in election-related issues.

The news outlets reported that in 2020, several NBA teams made their arenas available for polling places.

As voters head to the polls, they'll get to vote to see who will fill all 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats that are available, the news outlets reported.

According to CNN, 36 states will be electing governors.

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.

The National Basketball Association announced Thursday that longtime NBA referee Tony Brown died after battling pancreatic cancer.

He was 55.

“We are and have been sustained by the consistent outpouring of love and support through this journey in developing strength, acceptance, and peace,” his wife Tina Brown said in a statement released by the NBA.”We ask that you join us in that spirit as we prepare to celebrate Tony’s life.”

According to the Associated Press, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer last April.

The league said Brown officiated 1,110 regular-season games and 35 playoff games.

“Tony Brown was one of the most accomplished referees in the NBA and an inspiration to his colleagues,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a statement.

Silver said Brown "fought courageously" as he underwent chemotherapy to be able to return to work at the league's replay center this past NBA season.

Brown officiated the 2018 NBA All-Star Games and one game of the 2020 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat during his NBA career, CBS Sports reported.

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.”

DENVER —

Nine people were injured in a shooting early Tuesday in Denver in an area where basketball fans had been celebrating the Nuggets' first NBA title win, police said, and a suspect was taken into custody.

The shooting happened about 12:30 a.m. and three of the injured were in critical condition, the Denver Police Department said in a statement.

The shooting happened about a mile from Ball Arena, where the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat on Monday night.

"As far as what led up to this altercation that resulted in the shots being fired, that's still under investigation at this time," police spokesperson Doug Schepman said. "It did occur in the area where we had largest gathering of folks celebrating during the night."

A small crowd was in the area at the time of the shooting, he said, but had "diminished quite a bit at that point." He said the shooting was in an area where a lot of people might have come out of bars after the game.

Police were interviewing witnesses and Schepman described the ongoing investigation as "expansive."

NEW YORK (AP) — Detroit guard Killian Hayes and Orlando's Moritz Wagner were each given multi-game suspensions for their roles in a scuffle. At the same time, the NBA suspended eight Magic players one game apiece Thursday for leaving the bench area during an altercation.

Hayes, who struck Wagner in the back of the head, was given a three-game suspension without pay. Wagner was banned for two games, and the Pistons' Hamidou Diallo was suspended one game by NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars — the former Pistons star player and executive.

The fallout from the game in Detroit on Wednesday night was so large that the suspensions of the Magic players would be staggered, so they have enough available players to play their next game.

Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris, Kevon Harris, Admiral Schofield, Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba, and Wendell Carter Jr. were all suspended for one game.

Wagner hip-checked Hayes into the Detroit bench to begin the altercation. Hayes got up and hit him in the back, and Wagner appeared to be knocked out briefly. Magic players then rushed off their bench area in concern for their teammates.

Anthony, Bamba, Carter Hampton, and Gary Harris will serve their suspensions Friday against Washington. Kevon Harris, Schofield, and Franz Wagner will be suspended for Orlando’s following game on Jan. 4 in Oklahoma City.

The 11 suspensions will result in just over $500,000 in forfeited salary. Hayes will lose the most, about $121,000.

LeBron James is the NBA’s new career scoring leader.With a stepback jump shot with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, James pushed his career total to 38,388 points and broke the record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held for nearly four decades.James outstretched his arms, threw both hands in the air, then smiled. Abdul-Jabbar rose from his seat and clapped. The game was stopped as some members of James' family, including his mother, wife and children, took the floor for a ceremony recognizing the moment.See photos from the record-breaking night in the video player above. Abdul-Jabbar — one of many celebrities and sports stars who made sure they were there to see history — became the league’s all-time leading scorer on April 5, 1984 and wound up retiring in 1989 with 38,387 points. It was a record that some thought would last forever, with very few even coming close. Karl Malone retired 1,459 points behind Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant was 4,744 points shy, and Michael Jordan was 6,095 points away.James passed them all, then caught Abdul-Jabbar, too. The 38-year-old, who finished with 38 points in the Lakers' 133-130 loss — did it in his 20th season. Abdul-Jabbar also played 20 NBA seasons.And now, King James — a moniker he’s had since high school, when he was just a kid from Akron, Ohio — is the NBA’s scoring king, with 38,390 points and counting.“A record that has stood for nearly 40 years, which many people thought would never be broken," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.Abdul-Jabbar held the ball aloft, then handed it to James, the ceremonial passing of the torch. They posed for photos with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, then with one another. James wiped away tears from his eyes, then addressed the crowd.“I just want to say, thank you to the Laker faithful. You guys are one of a kind," James said. “To be able to be in the presence of such a legend as great as Kareem, it's very humbling. Please give a standing ovation to the Captain, please."James then thanked his family and those who have supported him, including Silver and the late NBA Commissioner David Stern.“I thank you guys so much for allowing me to be a part of something I've always dreamed about," James said.At least 16 different players have, technically, been the all-time leading scorer in league history — most of those coming in the opening month of the league’s existence in 1946, when everybody was starting from zero and nine different players were atop the scoring list in the first 16 days.But only six have ended a season officially as the all-time leader: Joe Fulks, George Mikan, Dolph Schayes, Bob Pettit, Wilt Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar.James will be the seventh name on that list, and he’s likely to stay there for a long time. No active player is within 10,000 points of James, who is under contract for two more years and is on pace to become the league’s first 40,000-point scorer sometime next season. “Nobody will ever, ever touch it,” said Cleveland forward Kevin Love, a teammate of James on the 2016 title team. “The scoring record now will never be eclipsed. I don’t care. It will never, ever be touched. It will never happen again.”James could have had the scoring record long ago, if so inclined. But he always preferred passing. James is behind only John Stockton, Jason Kidd and Chris Paul on the all-time assists list. None of them were, or are, close to the scorer that James is. Of that group, Paul comes closest, ranking 38th in NBA history.And Paul is 17,000 points behind the new scoring king.“I hadn’t thought of it that way, but that is very true,” Silver told The Associated Press. “I think it even adds — right? — to this accomplishment for a guy who became a scorer because he determined that’s what was necessary to win. And you’re right, he probably doesn’t get enough credit for his selfless play, because there’s so much focus and attention on him. ... I think it makes it that much more special, that he’d rather be known for his assists than his baskets.”James is the only member of the NBA’s triple-quintuple club: at least 10,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists. There are 44 players to reach five digits in two of those categories.He’ll almost certainly be the NBA’s all-time leader in earnings whenever he retires; when adding in the $97 million he’ll make over the next two seasons, he’ll be past $500 million in on-court salary alone. He’s a 19-time All-Star selection, tying an Abdul-Jabbar record. If he plays in the game on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City, he’ll set a record for appearances.Others, maybe, have been this good. That’s always a debate. But no one has ever been this good, for this long. James — a two-time champion in Miami, a champion in Cleveland in 2016 and a champion with the Lakers in 2020 — is averaging 30 points per game in his 20th season; only three other players have averaged more than 10 points per game this deep into their careers, none of those averaging more than Bryant’s 17.6 in his 20th and final season.“I never did the, ‘OK, if I play this amount of time and I average this’ thing,” James said. “I’ve never done that with anything in my career. I always said, ‘If it happens, it happens.’”It happened.

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.

SAN FRANCISCO —

Golden State forward Draymond Green has been suspended for one game without pay for stepping on the chest of Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis and will miss Game 3 of the Warriors' first-round playoff series Thursday night.

The NBA made the announcement late Tuesday, two days before the series shifts to the defending champions' home court at Chase Center. The NBA made the announcement of a decision by executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars.

"The suspension was based in part on Green's history of unsportsmanlike acts," the release said.

Golden State trailed the best-of-seven series 2-0, the first time during the Stephen Curry era the Warriors have been down by two games in their last 28 playoff series.

In the fourth quarter of the Kings' 114-106 Game 2 win Monday night, Green stomped on the chest of Sabonis after Curry grabbed a defensive rebound.

With the Warriors pushing the ball up court and Sabonis on the ground, Green took a hard step on Sabonis, who stayed down for several minutes as officials reviewed the play.

Sabonis was called for a technical foul for grabbing Green's leg and Green was given a flagrant-2 foul that led to an automatic ejection.

"My leg got grabbed," said Green, referring to a play in Game 1 with Malik Monk. "Second time in two nights. Referees just watch it. I have to land my foot somewhere. I'm not the most flexible person, so it's not stretching that far."

Credited as the Warriors' emotional leader, Green has long walked a fine line of pushing the limits with officials — and has even expressed he now feels they're out to get him.

The 33-year-old Green has been called for six flagrant fouls and 27 technical fouls in 147 career playoff games. He was ejected from a playoff game against Memphis last season.

In 2016, Green was suspended for a crucial Game 5 loss to LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals after accumulating too many flagrant fouls in the playoffs that season. The Warriors wound up losing in seven.

Coach Steve Kerr and general manager Bob Myers have long supported Green's fiery nature that leads to technical fouls. Myers even sat with Green next door to Oracle Arena at the Oakland Coliseum when Green was suspended for that 2016 game.

In November 2018, Green was suspended by the Warriors for conduct detrimental to the team. Green had secured a rebound in an overtime loss to the Clippers and with Kevin Durant calling for the ball Green instead dribbled the length of the court into traffic and lost control as the Warriors failed to get a shot off. Durant was shown on camera visibly upset. The two got into it afterward, according to reporters on the scene.

KINGS COUNTY, N.Y. —

New York City plans to soon lift one of its COVID-19 vaccine requirements for indoor activities, but Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who is unvaccinated, still won't be able to play home games due to the city's workplace vaccine mandate, a city official confirmed to CNN.

However, Irving would be able to attend home games as a spectator.

News of the restrictions were first reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania.

On Sunday, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced that provided the city's COVID-19 numbers continue to go down, he plans to lift the city's requirement to show proof of vaccination for indoor activities such as dining, attending gyms and entertainment facilities for those ages 5 and older starting March 7.

The move was part of a general relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions as the omicron wave of cases has sharply receded over the past month. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday students will no longer be required to wear masks in schools, and Adams said he plans to remove the school mask mandate next week.

However, the city still has a mandate requiring all workers who perform in-person work or interact with the public to show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

"Businesses may not allow any unvaccinated workers to come to their workplace," the city's website explains.

The city does allow an exception for non-NYC resident entertainers and professional athletes. That means unvaccinated players on other NBA teams are still allowed to play against the Nets at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver noted that paradox on ESPN's "Get Up" two weeks ago, saying the city rule "doesn't quite make sense to me."

"This law in New York, the oddity of it to me is that it only applies to home players," Silver said. "I think if ultimately that rule is about protecting people who are in the arena, it just doesn't quite make sense to me that an away player who is unvaccinated can play in Barclays but the home player can't. To me, that's a reason they should take a look at that ordinance."

He added that about 97% to 98% of NBA players were vaccinated.

As an unvaccinated player, Irving — a seven-time NBA All-Star — made his return to the Nets in January, playing in only road games due to the city's mandate. Irving has played in 15 games this season, averaging 25.1 points per game and 5.3 assists. The Nets are 32-29 on the season.

The NBA directed comments to the mayor's office. CNN has reached out to the Nets for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Alex Len and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, the only two active Ukrainian players in the NBA, released a joint statement after Russia invaded their home country.

"We categorically condemn the war," they say in the statement. "Ukraine is a peaceful, sovereign state inhabited by people who want to decide their own destiny."

They go on to say that they hope the war ends as soon as possible.

"Dear fellow Ukrainians, hold on! Our strength is in unity. We are with you," Len and Mykhailiuk's joint statement says.

Len plays for the Sacramento Kings and Mykhailiuk plays for the Toronto Raptors.

The Sacramento Kings held a moment of silence Thursday. Len's fellow teammates stood with him at center court as they reflected on the war.

The NBA revealed on Thursday a newly designed Kobe Bryant Trophy which is awarded to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the NBA All-Star Game.

Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in January 2020.

The trophy was renamed in the basketball legend's honor after Bryant's death, and it has been revamped with the help of artist Victor Solomon to pay tribute to specific areas of his career, as well as the achievement of being selected as an NBA All-Star.

The new multi-tiered trophy, which will be awarded on Sunday, Feb. 20 at the 2022 All-Star Game, is supported by an eight-sided base, to represent Bryant's No. 8 jersey number as well as the eight decades that the All-Star Game has been around.

The 18 stars around the base of the trophy represent Bryant's 18 All-Star selections, while its two-inch base height is a nod to his 2002 All-Star MVP.

On the first level -- which is seven inches in height to represent Bryant's 2007 All-Star Game MVP -- there are 24 stars adorning the outside which signify Bryant's No. 24 jersey number and each All-Star selected to the game.

The second level of the trophy is nine inches in height, a nod to Bryant's 2009 All-Star Game MVP, and is surrounded by 10 stars to represent Bryant's USA Basketball No. 10 jersey and the 10 All-Star Game starters.

The third level is 11 inches in height to commemorate his 2011 NBA All-Star Game MVP award, and is circled with five stars to showcase his five NBA championships as well as the "unity of an NBA team."

The fourth and final tier is adorned with a final star -- two inches in height to represent Bryant's two Bill Russell Trophies as the NBA Finals MVP -- to commemorate his 2007-08 NBA MVP award.

As well as the new Kobe Bryant Trophy, four other trophies awarded over All-Star Weekend have undergone new designs to commemorate the NBA's 75th anniversary.

"For the past few years, the NBA and I have proudly and tirelessly worked to reconsider what a trophy is, has been and could be," Solomon said.

"Redesigning the All-Star trophies gave us a special opportunity to create event awards worthy of the energy and excitement the moment creates, while introducing the full collection's visual, aesthetic language.

"The occasion also gave us the privilege and responsibility to develop an entirely new silhouette worthy of being named 'The Kobe Bryant Trophy' for the Kia NBA All-Star MVP for which, in the spirit of its namesake, we threw out all conventions and challenged ourselves to reorient how we thought about 'the game.'"

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.”

The National Basketball Association postponed Wednesday's season opener against the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder due to the Rockets not having enough players to play due to COVID-19.

The league said that three Rockets players had COVID-19 tests come back that were positive or inconclusive. After contact tracing, the four Rockets players were quarantined.

The league also announced that Rockets superstar James Harden would be unavailable due to a violation of the Health and Safety Protocols.

According to ESPN, the league was investigating whether or not Harden had violated the league's COVID-19 protocols when a video circulated online of him partying maskless at a club.

"All other Rockets players were tested again today, and all returned negative results," the league said.

According to the league, eight players have to be available for a game to take place.

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.

NEW YORK —

Eighteen former NBA players were charged Thursday with pocketing about $2.5 million illegally by defrauding the league’s health and welfare benefit plan in a scam that authorities said involved claiming fictitious medical and dental expenses.

"The defendants' playbook involved fraud and deception," U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss told a news conference after FBI agents across the country arrested 15 ex-players and one of their wives in a three-year conspiracy that authorities say started in 2017.

According to an indictment returned in Manhattan federal court, the ex-players teamed up to defraud the supplemental coverage plan by submitting fraudulent claims to get reimbursed for medical and dental procedures that never happened.

Strauss said prosecutors have travel records, email and GPS data that prove the ex-players were sometimes far from the medical and dental offices at the times when they were supposedly getting treated.

In one instance, she said, an ex-player was playing basketball in Taiwan when he was supposedly getting $48,000 worth of root canals and crowns on eight teeth at a Beverly Hills, California, dental office in December 2018.

The indictment said the scheme was carried out from at least 2017 to 2020, when the plan — funded primarily by NBA teams — received false claims totaling about $3.9 million. Of that, the defendants received about $2.5 million in fraudulent proceeds.

Strauss said each defendant made false claims for reimbursements that ranged from $65,000 to $420,000.

A request for comment to the league wasn't immediately returned.

Michael J. Driscoll, the head of New York's FBI office, said the case demonstrated the FBI's continued focus on uncovering health care fraud scams that cost the health care industry tens of billions of dollars a year.

Strauss said the conspiracy was led by Terrence Williams, who began his career as a first-round NBA draft pick in 2009. The indictment said he submitted $19,000 in fraudulent claims to the plan in November 2017 for chiropractic care. The claims led to a $7,672 payout for Williams.

The indictment said he then recruited other former NBA players to defraud the plan and offered to provide fraudulent invoices from a chiropractor and dentist in Southern California and a wellness office in Washington state.

At least 10 of the ex-players paid kickbacks totaling about $230,000 to Williams, according to the court papers. A lawyer who has represented Williams in the past declined to comment.

What was then the New Jersey Nets picked Williams as No. 11 in the 2009 draft. He went on to play with four franchises — the Nets, Boston, Houston and Sacramento — over four seasons as a role player, averaging 7.1 points per game. He was waived by Boston two days after his 26th birthday in 2013 and hasn’t appeared in the league since.

Among those charged was Tony Allen, a six-time All-Defensive team selection and a member of the 2008 champion Boston Celtics. His wife was also indicted. Notably, Allen is set to have his jersey retired by the Memphis Grizzlies later this season. Tony Allen was not in custody as of Thursday afternoon.

For the most part, though, the ex-players charged had journeyman careers playing for several different teams and never reached anywhere close to the enormous stardom or salary that top players command.

Still, the 18 players combined to make $343 million in their on-court NBA careers, not counting outside income, endorsements or what any may have made playing overseas.

Strauss declined to speculate on their motivations or financial situations, saying to do so would go beyond the facts in the indictment.

Another former player charged in the scheme was Sebastian Telfair, a one-time high school star in New York who was highly touted when he turned pro, though his NBA career with eight franchises never brought the stardom some had expected.

Those charged also included four NBA champions. Glen Davis, along with Allen, was part of that 2008 title team in Boston. Shannon Brown won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Melvin Ely won a title with San Antonio in 2007.

Among others who were charged, Anthony Wroten, Ruben Patterson and Darius Miles were the only players who averaged double figures for their NBA careers.

Wroten averaged 11.1 points in 145 career games. Patterson averaged 10.7 points per game with six different teams. Miles, the No. 3 pick in the 2000 draft, averaged 10.1 points per game and played with four different franchises.

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal authorities say 18 former NBA players, including a former University of Cincinnati All-American, have been charged with defrauding the league's health and welfare benefit plan out of about $4 million.

A news conference was held Thursday to announce the charges brought in an indictment in Manhattan federal court.

The indictment said the ex-players and a 19th individual engaged in a widespread scheme to defraud the plan by submitting false and fraudulent claims to reimburse medical and dental expenses that were never incurred.

According to the Associated Press, the scheme occurred from at least 2017 to 2020.

The AP reported that the false claims totaled about $3.9 million, with the 19 defendants allegedly received about $2.5 million in fraudulent proceeds.

One of the former NBA players was allegedly Ruben Patterson, who was a Third Team All-American during his time with UC from 1996-1998.

The list of former players also includes Jamario Moon, Glen "Big Baby" Davis, and Sebastian Telfair.

NBC News reported the rest of the defendants include Terrence Williams, Alan Anderson, Anthony Allen, Desiree Allen, Shannon Brown, William Bynum, Christopher Douglas-Roberts, Melvin Ely, Darius Miles, Milton Palacio, Eddie Robinson, Gregory Smith, Charles Watson Jr., Antoine Wright, and Anthony Wroten.

No current major league stars were charged, the AP reported.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Becky Hammon would have preferred a victory over history after becoming the first woman to coach an NBA team.

The assistant coach took over the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter after coach Gregg Popovich was ejected in a 121-107 loss to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

“I try not to think of the huge picture and huge aspect of it, because it can be overwhelming,” Hammon said. “I really have had no time to reflect. I have not had time to look at my phone. So, I don’t know what’s going on outside the AT&T Center.”

Hammon and the Spurs already had a lot to contend with against the defending league champion Lakers.

James celebrated his 36th birthday with 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds in the Lakers’ third double-digit victory. The teams will complete the two-game set Friday night.

“(I was) trying to get the guys in the right spots,” Hammon said. “Trying to get them motivated. Obviously, it’s a learning situation for all of us, but I would have loved to have walked out there with a win with the guys.”

Popovich was ejected by official Tony Brown with 3:56 remaining in the second quarter. Popovich screamed at Brown and entered the court following a non-call on DeMar DeRozan’s attempted layup and a subsequent attempted rebound by Drew Eubanks.

As he exited the court to applause from several of the team’s family members in attendance, Popovich pointed a finger at Hammon and had a succinct message.

“You got ’em,” Hammon said. “See? He doesn’t treat us any differently than he does you guys.”

Said LeBron James: “Obviously she’s been paying her dues over the last few years and Coach Pop has given her the opportunity. ... It’s a beautiful thing just to hear her barking out calls, barking out sets. She’s very passionate about the game. Congrats to her and congrats for our league.”

Hammon took over the team’s huddles during timeouts and walked the sideline following Popovich’s ejection. Hammon was the first full-time female assistant coach in league history.

“Well-deserved,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “I’ve talked to her before and she really knows her stuff and obviously she’s here for a reason. She’s equipped, intelligent (and the) guys have great respect for her. She’s going to be a great coach one day.”

A three-time All-American at Colorado State, Hammon played for the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars in the WNBA as well as overseas before retiring to join Popovich’s staff in 2014.

“Even in timeouts with Pop as head coach, she is quick on her feet,” DeRozan said. “She tells us about defensive assignments, offensive sets we should run. Seeing her in the forefront, it would have definitely been cool to have won for her.”

The Lakers contributed to Popovich’s frustration and the Spurs’ fortunes didn’t get much better after the veteran coach exited.

Dennis Schroder had 21 points, Anthony Davis had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers. Wesley Matthews was 6 for 6 on 3-pointers in scoring 18 points off the bench.

The Spurs opened with a 9-2 run, including an uncontested drive through the lane by Keldon Johnson for a two-handed slam. The Lakers responded with an 11-0 run that promoted a timeout by Popovich.

The Lakers took their first double-digit lead at 35-25 on Kyle Kuzma’s 3-pointer with 1:14 remaining in the first quarter.

Dejounte Murray had a career-high 29 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

“At the end of the day, it don’t mean nothing. We lost,” Murray said.

DeRozan added 23 for the Spurs, who lost their second straight after opening the season with two consecutive wins.

TIP-INS

Lakers: PG Alex Caruso missed the game for “health and safety protocols,” as mandated by the league. Lakers coach Frank Vogel did not elaborate on Caruso’s status. … James was listed as questionable after spraining his left ankle sprain in the Lakers’ 115-107 loss to Portland on Monday. James played 35 minutes against the Spurs after scoring 29 points in 36 minutes against the Trail Blazers.

Spurs: Popovich said the Spurs will monitor Aldridge’s knee soreness on a day-to-day basis. … Tim Duncan took over last season when Popovich was ejected against Portland on Nov. 16, 2019. The Hall of Famer opted not to return as assistant this season.

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.

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have completed details for the March 7 All-Star Game in Atlanta, saying it will generate more than $2.5 million for historically Black colleges and COVID-19 relief efforts.

The game has been criticized by some of the league's top players, who voiced concerns about having it during a pandemic.

But the charitable elements were a major factor in the league pressing on.

Commissioner Adam Silver says the game gives the league a platform to shine a light on HBCUs and the ongoing need for resources in the fight against COVID-19.

"NBA All-Star in Atlanta will continue our annual tradition of celebrating the game and the greatest players in the world before a global audience," said Silver in a press release. "In addition to the festivities on the court, the All-Star Game will honor the vital role HBCUs play in our communities and focus attention and resources on COVID-19 relief, particularly for the most vulnerable.”

In accordance with the league's current Health and Safety Protocols, additional measures including private travel to and from Atlanta, the creation of a “mini-bubble” environment within a single hotel for players and coaches, and enhanced PCR testing, were established.

The league added that there will be no fan activities, ticketed events, or hospitality functions as part of All-Star weekend to protect the well-being and safety of the greater Atlanta community amid a pandemic.