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James extends his All-NBA appearance record
NEW YORK | LeBron James is now the youngest — and the oldest — player to make an All-NBA team. And Dallas’ Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are in position to make around $1 million per game a few years from now.
Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander were the only unanimous first-team selections on this season’s All-NBA team, which was revealed by the league on Wednesday night. They were joined on the first team by Doncic, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boston’s Jayson Tatum.
On the second team: New York’s Jalen Brunson, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard and James’ Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Anthony Davis.
The third team had James, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Phoenix’s Devin Booker.
The NBA changed the rules starting with this season and All-NBA voting is now positionless — as opposed to having two guards, two forwards and one center on each of the teams, a formula that had been in place since the 1950s. Players also had to appear in a minimum number of games, in most cases, to be eligible for award consideration from the panel of 99 broadcasters and writers who served as the voting panel.
For James, who was the youngest player to make All-NBA when he was voted onto the team for the 2004-05 season, another selection only added to his list of accomplishments.
The 20 All-NBA overall picks extended his record, a total that’s now five more than Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His 20 consecutive selections is obviously another record, and he’s the first player to be age 39 or older during what became an All-NBA regular season.
Abdul-Jabbar and Duncan were both just a few days from turning 39 when the regular seasons ended in what became their final All-NBA campaigns, Abdul-Jabbar’s being 1985-86 and Duncan’s being 2014-15. James — the NBA’s career scoring leader — played in 71 games this season, the last 42 of those coming after he turned 39.
And for Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander, the All-NBA nods mean they are poised for supermax extensions that can be signed in 2025, both of which would set records.
Doncic can sign a five-year deal worth about $347 million, starting at nearly $60 million in 2026-27 and ending at about $79 million in 2030-31. Gilgeous-Alexander will be eligible to sign a four-year extension worth about $294 million. His would start in 2027-28 at around $65 million — and the final year, 2030-31, would see him earning just over $81 million, or nearly $1 million per game. It would be the first time an NBA player’s annual salary has topped $80 million.
Also seeing major financial boosts from their All-NBA selections were Edwards and Haliburton, both of whom agreed to extensions last summer that were to be worth about $205 million — and now will be worth about $245 million over the next five seasons.
Durant made All-NBA for the 11th time, tying for the 12th-most in NBA history.
MLB says robot
home plate umpires unlikely for 2025
NEW YORK | Major League Baseball says robot home plate umpires are unlikely for 2025.
“We still have some technical issues,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday at a news conference following an owners meeting. “We haven’t made as much progress in the minor leagues this year as we sort of hoped at this point. I think it’s becoming more and more likely that this will not be a go for ‘25.”
MLB has been experimenting with the automated ball-strike system in minor leagues since 2019. It is being used at all Triple-A parks this year for the second straight season, the robot alone for the first three games of each series and a human with a challenge system in the final three.
“There’s a growing consensus in large part based on what we’re hearing from players that the challenge form should be the form of ABS if and when we bring it to the big leagues, at least as a starting point,” Manfred said. “I think that’s a good decision.”
After instituting a pitch clock in 2023, MLB slowed innovation this year, with only small rules adjustments.
“One thing we did learn with the changes that we went through last year, taking the extra time to make sure you have it right is definitely the best approach,” Manfred said. “I think we’re going to use that same approach here.”
Manfred said discussions have not taken place with the players’ association on the shape of an automated strike zone. There is little desire to call the strike zone as defined in the rule book as a cube. The ABS currently calls strikes solely based on where the ball crosses the midpoint of the plate, 8.5 inches from the front and the back.
“We have not started those conversations because we haven’t settled on what we think about it,” Manfred said.
MLB’s meetings with players revealed a preference for a challenge system in order to continue to incentivize catcher framing skills.
“Originally we thought everybody was going to be wholeheartedly in favor of the idea if you can get it right every single time, that’s a great idea,” Manfred said. “One thing we’ve learned in these meetings is the players feel there could be other effects on the game that would be negative if you use it full-blown.
“Players feel that a catcher that frames is part of the — if you’ll let me use the word — art of the game, and that if in fact framing is no longer important, the kind of players that would occupy that position might be different than they are today,” Manfred said. “You could hypothesize a world where instead of a framing catcher who’s focused on defense, the catching position becomes a more offensive player. That alters people’s careers. Those are real, legitimate concerns that we need to think all the way through before we jump off that bridge.”
UNIFORMS
John Slusher, Nike’s executive vice president of global sports marketing, spoke to owners about the company’s much-criticized new uniforms, which will be altered for 2025. MLB and Nike announced on May 3 that uniforms will have larger lettering on the back of jerseys and individual pants customization will be available to all players beginning in 2025.
“I think they appropriately took responsibility for the issues with respect to the new uniforms and the rollout of those uniforms,” Manfred said. “It’s the first time the owners had had heard this directly from Nike. They had been consistent with me about taking responsibility.”
Manfred said Nike said it will address “the letters, the non-customized pants, the sweat through and the lack of matching of the grays.”
WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Manfred said Houston, Miami, San Juan and Tokyo will be sites for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The final will be in Miami for the second tournament in a row, after 2023.
BASEBALLS
MLB has switched efforts to develop a tackier baseball and now is working with Rawlings, its supplier since 1977. MLB had been collaborating with Dow Chemical.
“Dow has kind of cried uncle,” Manfred said. “They spent a ton of money and worked with us. They were great partners, had a lot of good ideas and we just were not able to come up with a ball that was playable. We’re now focusing our efforts on a tacky ball with the Rawlings people.”
REGIONAL TELEVISION STRATEGY
MLB is strategizing on a broadcast strategy to cope with the decline in cable television.
Diamond Sports, which has been in bankruptcy proceedings since March 2023, has rights to 12 MLB teams.
“If I were a betting man, I think that Diamond continues to operate and pay our teams through the ‘24 season,” Manfred said.
Manfred said there are two issues: whether MLB should take control of local rights from clubs and if that occurs, how to distribute revenue to clubs.
“For it to have any steam, the conversation about nationalization, I think it’s dependent on getting in the relatively short term some body of rights: 14, 15, 16, 17 clubs, and you’d start down the path from there,” Manfred said. “I’m not so naive as to believe two weeks from tomorrow I’m going to have all 30.”
SEASON STATS
The strikeout rate of 8.38 per team per game is down from 8.61 last year and the .240 big league batting average is down from .248 for last season and on track to be the lowest since 1968.
“Strikeout rate was down a little bit. That’s a positive,” Manfred said. “Batting average was down a little bit. That’s not necessarily a good thing if you’re looking for action in the game. But, again, it’s a part of a season and you just don’t know whether it means anything at this point.”
AMATEUR DRAFT
Manfred said the attention given to the debuts of Baltimore second baseman Jackson Holliday and Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes was partly due to the decision to hold the amateur draft in conjunction with the All-Star Game starting in 2021 and broadcasting minor league games on MLB.tv.
“Over the long haul for players in terms of developing their individual brands, it’s a real improvement,” he said.
Cavaliers fire coach J.B. Bickerstaff despite playoff appearances
CLEVELAND | J.B. Bickerstaff won and still lost his job.
He dragged the Cleveland Cavaliers through some turbulent seasons, getting them back to the playoffs and deeper into the postseason than they’ve been without LeBron James on the roster in more than 30 years.
It wasn’t enough.
Bickerstaff was fired as Cleveland’s coach on Thursday despite the Cavs improving in each of his four seasons and making it to the second round of the playoffs this year despite numerous injuries.
His dismissal came one week after the Cavs were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals while playing the final two games without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell or center Jarrett Allen.
Bickerstaff was successful, but other issues apparently led Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and president of basketball operations Koby Altman to make a move that at face value might seem extreme or even unfair.
The coaching change could trigger a summer shift for the Cavs, who are hoping to sign Mitchell to a long-term contract extension and could make major moves while being tied to whatever James ultimately decides to do.
James, who can opt out of his contract with the Lakers, attended Cleveland’s final home playoff game, raising speculation about him making another homecoming and playing a third stint with the Cavs — maybe a final career act.
That’s down the road.
In the short term, the Cavs have begun their search for a replacement for Bickerstaff.
“J.B. is a well-respected NBA coach and an incredible human being,” Altman said in a statement. “Over the past four years, he helped establish a culture that progressively drove players to become the best versions of themselves. Decisions like these are never easy, particularly when you look back at where this franchise rebuild started under his leadership.
“The NBA is a unique business that sometimes requires aggressive risk-taking to move a franchise forward and ultimately compete for championships.”
Altman will hold a media availability on Friday.
The Cavs are expected to interview candidates with NBA head coaching experience and perhaps some high-caliber assistants. They have to hope it goes better than their last search, when they hired Michigan’s John Beilein, who resigned at the All-Star break in 2019 and Bickerstaff took over.
While Bickerstaff was credited with building a strong culture, he had his flaws.
He struggled with in-game adjustments. His offense was often stagnant and there’s a strong belief there should have been more development in guard Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, who along with Mitchell and Allen give the Cavs one of the league’s best young core of players.
But Bickerstaff helped the team navigate around numerous injuries. Garland (broken jaw) and Mobley (knee surgery) missed six weeks and Cleveland went 18-2 without them. And despite not having Mitchell and Allen, who suffered a rib injury in the opening round, the Cavs pushed the Celtics before losing the series in five games.
In his first full season, Bickerstaff, who was under contract through 2026, went just 22-50 with one of the league’s youngest rosters. They jumped to 44 wins in his second year before losing in the play-in tournament game while showing major strides.
After acquiring Mitchell via trade in 2022, the Cavs went 51-31 last season and had home-court advantage in the first round before getting knocked out in five games by the New York Knicks. The early exit put added pressure on Bickerstaff to do more this season.
The 45-year-old Bickerstaff went 170-159 in the regular season and 6-11 in the playoffs with Cleveland, which defeated Orlando in seven games before losing to Boston. Their series win over the Magic was the franchise’s first without James on its roster since 1993.
The Cavs went 48-34 this season — and stayed among the top teams in the Eastern Conference — amid a rash of major injuries that forced Bickerstaff to juggle his lineup on an almost daily basis and throughout the postseason.
Gilbert may be looking for a stronger voice and perhaps a coach to satisfy Mitchell, a six-time All-Star who is under contract through the 2026 season and eligible to sign a deal worth roughly $200 million this summer.
Mitchell has given no indication he wants out of Cleveland.
Toronto awarded WNBA’s first franchise outside U.S.
Toronto has been awarded the WNBA’s first franchise outside the United States, with the expansion team set to begin play in 2026.
Larry Tanenbaum-led Kilmer Sports Ventures is paying $115 million for the team. Tanenbaum also is the chairman and a minority owner of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the Toronto sports giant that also owns the NHL’s Maple Leafs and NBA’s Raptors, along with Toronto’s MLS and Canadian Football League franchises.
“Growing internationally, I’ve been trying to think through next steps on a global platform,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press ahead of the official announcement Thursday. “It helps us reach new audiences and bring in new partners. The thing I love about going to another country is that the young girls and boys get to see professional basketball for women is important, too.”
Toronto will be the WNBA’s 14th franchise, with the expansion Golden State Valkyries to start play next year.
“Our Toronto sports franchises are thriving but, we have been missing one critical piece — women’s professional sports,” Tanenbaum told the AP. “The world is finally taking notice of something that’s been there all along — the immense talent, passion and competition in women’s sports. So, once again, I saw an opportunity and knew we were in the right place at the right time to bring Canada’s first WNBA team to Toronto. And now we have, making sports history.”
Toronto will play in the 8,700-seat Coca-Cola Coliseum at Exhibition Place, home of the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies, and occasionally move to Scotiabank Arena, which seats nearly 20,000. Tanenbaum said the team will play some games in Vancouver and Montreal.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the press conference in Toronto, along with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.
“This landmark deal will give opportunities to our remarkable athletes across the country, and on the biggest stage,” Trudeau said. “I can’t wait to see our Canadian women win on the court.”
Kilmer Sports Ventures, created as a stand-alone company to operate the team, has committed to building a practice facility. But until that is ready, it will train at University of Toronto’s Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. Tanenbaum said they’ll solicit public input for the name of the team.
“Women’s sports is good business,” Tanenbaum said. “Just look around — it’s not a moment, but a movement and it’s just the beginning. The investment that we’ll put into the franchise will also be no different than the other franchises.”
Engelbert said WNBA exhibition games in Canada the last two seasons showed the passion of the fans in the country for women’s basketball.
“When I was up for the preseason game, Kia (Nurse) and I did a youth clinic. The reaction from young girls to Kia and what she stands for, they so admire her,” Engelbert said.
Nurse is one of a handful of Canadian players playing in the WNBA, with more on the way.
“No doubt it’s helpful to have household names,” Engelbert said.
The commissioner expects the league to reach 16 teams by 2028.
“We’ve already had a lot of interest, and it got more tangible and serious from a fair amount of cities after the draft,” Engelbert said. “We are in a good position to get to 16 by certainly ‘27-28.”
Canada beats Slovakia, Switzerland tops Germany at hockey worlds
PRAGUE | Nick Paul scored two goals as defending champion Canada beat Slovakia 6-3 to reach the semifinals at the ice hockey world championship on Thursday.
Dylan Guenther had a goal and an assist and Jared McCann, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Brandon Tanev also scored for 28-time champion Canada in the quarterfinal.
McCann and Dubois scored in a 90-second span early in the opening period, before Peter Cehlarik made it 2-1 when Brandon Hagel deflected the Slovakian’s pass into his own net.
Canada extended its lead to 5-1 with Paul’s second-period goal followed by two goals within 20 seconds in the third — Guenther first and then Tanev.
Slovakia was not done, though.
Milos Kelemen netted Slovakia’s second goal before Marek Hrivik used a five-on-three advantage to reduce Canada’s lead to 5-3 before Paul’s second into an empty net.
Switzerland eliminated Germany in the other quarterfinal by edging last year’s runner-up 3-1 in Ostrava.
Christoph Bertschy led the Swiss with two goals. He gave the Swiss a 1-0 lead with a short-handed goal before New Jersey Devils forward Nico Hischier added the second.
Dominik Kahun reduced the lead to 2-1 midway through the middle period on a power play before Bertschy added his second into an empty net in the third.
In the remaining quarterfinals later Thursday, the United States faces the Czech Republic in Prague, while Sweden plays Finland in Ostrava.
—From AP reports
