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Butler, 38, played from 2002-2016 with his longest NBA stints coming with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (four seasons) and Heat (three seasons). He also spent time with the Clippers, Bulls, Pacers, Wizards, Raptors and Spurs. He most recently participated in the inaugural season of Ice Cube’s Big3 League. LaBelle, 31, was an R&B singer signed to Epric Records who finished 12th on “American Idol” back in 2003. MORE: NBA community mourns death of player agent Henry Thomas...

Collins became the league's first openly gay player when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets last Sunday, and his No. 98 jersey has been the top seller on NBAStore.com. He chose the number in tribute to Shepard, who was killed in a gay hate crime in 1998. Collins met Shepard's parents on Thursday when the Nets played in Denver. The league says Friday the donations will total no less than $100,000, and it will also auction off Collins' autographed, game-worn jerseys to benefit the same organizations....

There was a lot more debate over this year’s No. 1 overall pick than there was last year with Zion Williamson. Ultimately, the Timberwolves went with Anthony Edwards. James Wiseman fell to the Warriors at No. 2 and LaMelo Ball dropped to the Hornets at No. 3. All but two teams, the Lakers and the Rockets, added players through the draft. The Hornets and the Pistons added the most with four selections each....

Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Made three-point shot (+0.5 points), rebound (+1.25 points), assists (+1.5 points), steals and blocks (+2 points), double-double (+1.5 points – max one per player) and triple-double (+3 points – max one player). MORE NBA DFS: Thursday FanDuel lineup Thursday night’s NBA DraftKings Picks: NBA DFS lineup for GPP tournaments Thursday night main slate, $50,000 budget...

The NBA announced the competitors for its annual All-Star Saturday Night Dunk Contest, with four players casual fans may not know just yet. NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND: Game uniforms | Weekend details | Reported 3-point contest participants Nets center Mason Plumlee, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine and Magic guard Victor Oladipo will battle for the slam dunk title at Brooklyn’s Barclays Arena on Feb. 14. All four players were named as participants in a report last week....

(Update: It appears the NBA apparently recinded Green’s first-quarter technical, giving it to Warriors coach Steve Kerr). The Warriors committed 12 first-quarter fouls. Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala all had two fouls after the first quarter. MORE: Game 4 live blog Green’s outburst came after a jump-ball situation in which he was tied up with Cleveland’s Iman Shumpert with 1:55 left in the first quarter and called for a foul....

The Warriors rolled through the West playoffs at 12-0 last year, but lost five games this time and went to a Game 7 against Houston in the conference finals. Cleveland had been 12-1 before the Finals last year, but needed two Game 7s — in the first round against Indiana and in the conference finals against Boston — this year to reach the Finals. We are getting the same Finals yet again, but at least we were close to getting some different representatives....

In 2016, the Cavaliers split their games at home before completing the unlikeliest of comebacks. In 2017, they lost Game 3 and bounced back in Game 4 with a historic offensive showing, only to then lose Game 5 in Golden State despite a 41-point performance from LeBron James. Will history repeat itself, or are the Cavaliers destined to be swept? Here are three things to watch for in a must-win Game 3 for the Cavaliers…...

Toronto closed out the Warriors with a 114-110 win at Oracle Arena on Thursday in Game 6 of the Finals to win their first title in franchise history. Kyle Lowry scored 26 points to lead the Raptors to the victory while Pascal Siakam chipped in 26, as well. Klay Thompson finished with 30 points in the losing effort, but left in the third quarter with a knee injury. The Warriors were going for their third straight championship and fourth in the last five seasons....

After Toronto defeated Golden State in Game 6 Thursday to win the franchise’s first championship, Stephen Curry’s father, Dell, told ESPN the Warriors’ mood was upbeat. “To do it for five years, with the circumstances we had, and still be in it, I can’t believe it,” Dell Curry said. “We’ve celebrated more tonight, during a loss, than ever. Because we knew how hard it is. “We lost, but it’s still a win....

The total has seen a drastic adjustment from Game 1’s 204. The series opener needed overtime to get OVER (it was tied 98-98 after regulation), and Game 2 stayed UNDER 199 despite going into OT. So, yes, the pace of both games so far has been dead UNDER, and the Game 3 number opened 194.5. More: Current Game 3 lines | Preview and pick UNDER bettors were victimized by a bad beat in Game 1, and so too were Cavs backers, as Cleveland was a 6-point underdog with a chance to win with the last shot in regulation....

That task seems all the more daunting given James’ great record in elimination games and propensity to put it on for his city. He’s been incredible enough to warrant discussion as NBA Finals MVP even if the Cavs lose, and you know he won’t go quietly. MORE: LeBron’s greatest Finals games ever | Must-see photos from the NBA Finals Here’s everything you need to know for Game 6: What time is Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Cavs and Warriors?...

Patrick Patterson will join the revamped Los Angeles roster featuring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The 30-year-old forward agreed to a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Clippers, according to a report from ESPN, which cites unidentified league sources The news comes a couple of weeks after Patterson and Oklahoma City agreed to a buyout. The Thunder inked Patterson to a three-year, $16.4 million deal in July 2017. He appeared in 145 total games with the team, averaging 3....

According to an ESPN report, Middleton agreed to a five-year, $178 million deal with the Bucks on Sunday. Middleton was named to his first All-Star team last season despite taking a small step back in scoring (18.3 points per game vs. 20.1 in 2017-18) with Mike Budenholzer taking over the team. He averaged a career-high in rebounds (6.0) and assists (4.3) and remained very efficient at putting the ball in the bucket, as he has shot better than 45% from the field, 38% from the 3-point line and 87% from the free-throw line in his career....

According to multiple reports, San Antonio landed free agents Marcus Morris and DeMarre Carroll over the weekend. The Athletic broke the news of ex-Celtic Morris, noting he’ll join the Spurs on a two-year, $20 million deal. Carroll’s move had already been set, but ESPN reported a change in the initial agreement of a two-year deal worth $13 million. The report noted the team and Carroll’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, “reworked” the deal to make it three years at $21 million....

After last year’s wild chase for Kawhi Leonard, this round of free agency looks disappointing on paper. Still, there always seems to be at least a few wild trades or signings that send the NBA Twitterverse into a frenzy. When it comes to the offseason, chaos is the expectation. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this year’s free agency period, including the top available players. MORE: When does the 2021 NBA season start?...

With multiple subscription options, fans are provided with access to broadcast or stream live NBA games for all teams around the league, with some restrictions. These restrictions exist within the regional markets of the 28 cities that host the NBA’s 30 franchises, as regional sports networks (RSNs) often carry exclusive rights to broadcast games, which cannot be viewed on NBA League Pass or NBA TV within that market. With the exception of nationally-televised games, NBA blackout rules often limit the ways in which fans can watch teams within their home market....

The shirts, which retail for $24.95, come from a partnership the league has with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). MORE: Every NBA team’s biggest draft regret “Professional sports showing up for LGBT people is one of the biggest cultural developments of the last decade, and really the last five years,” GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard told Outsports. “The NBA has been showing up for LGBT youth and for GLSEN for a number of years....

AccuScore data leans much more heavily towards the road team than the books do. As opposed to the 40 percent chance Vegas odds give Memphis, AccuScore simulations indicate a 51 percent chance of winning. AccuScore would have listed the Grizzlies as slight -105 favorites. On the spread, the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook has Charlotte listed as 3-point favorites. Memphis covered a +3.5 spread in 61.1 percent of AccuScore simulated games....