Philadelphia 76ers

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Brittney Griner stood for the national anthem before her first regular-season WNBA game since being jailed in Russia.
Griner was outspoken for social justice in 2020 and didn&rsquo;t take the court during the pregame anthem. But nearly a year behind bars in Russia changed her.
&ldquo;I was literally in a cage and could not stand the way I wanted to,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Just being able to hear my national anthem and see my flag, I definitely want to stand.&rdquo;
Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots Friday night for the Phoenix Mercury in a 94-71 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.
&ldquo;Not good enough, didn&rsquo;t get the dub,&rdquo; said Griner, who nevertheless couldn&rsquo;t be down in defeat.
&ldquo;I appreciate everything a little bit more, all of the small moments, like, &lsquo;Oh, I&rsquo;m so tired I don&rsquo;t want to go to practice today,&rsquo; that has changed, honestly,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Tomorrow is not guaranteed, you don&rsquo;t know what it&rsquo;s going to look like. I feel a lot older somehow, too.&rdquo;
The 32-year-old center&rsquo;s immediate goal is to play an entire game by the All-Star break in mid-July. She played 25 minutes Friday.
&ldquo;I hope to be exactly where I want to be,&rdquo; Griner said. &ldquo;Just getting back to how I was before all this happened.&rdquo;
Griner made an immediate impact against the Sparks. She fired a pass to Moriah Jefferson, who hit a 3-pointer for Phoenix&rsquo;s first basket. Griner grabbed a couple of rebounds and scored twice in helping the Mercury to an early lead.
&ldquo;How good did she just look? Unbelievable,&rdquo; WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters at halftime.
For the first time since last season, Phoenix coach Vanessa Nygaard opened her pregame comments without announcing how many days Griner had been jailed. Griner has been free since December when she was part of&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-brittney-griner-sports-government-and-politics-54de0cc371615a7165053a76eff17380">a high-profile prisoner swap</a>.
&ldquo;Until the day we got the news in the morning that she was on her way home, no one thought that it was going to happen,&rdquo; Nygaard said. &ldquo;We did our jobs probably with less joy than professional athletes do. It was heavy every day.&rdquo;
Not anymore.
&ldquo;Today is a day of joy,&rdquo; Nygaard said. &ldquo;An amazing, amazing thing has happened.&rdquo;
Griner and the Mercury were greeted with a standing ovation when they came on court for pregame warmups, although the biggest cheers were reserved for the Sparks.
&ldquo;Just taking it in but staying focused because at the end of the day I&rsquo;m at work,&rdquo; Griner said. &ldquo;Can&rsquo;t get caught up in the moment. Kind of feel it, but put it to the side and feel it a little bit later.&rdquo;
Griner hugged Vice President Kamala Harris and first gentleman Doug Emhoff as they left the court after Harris was presented with a No. 49 Sparks jersey. Earlier, Harris posed for photos in the Mercury&rsquo;s locker room.
&ldquo;It was nice to be able to see her face-to-face and thank her for everything,&rdquo; Griner said.
She patted her heart and applauded in return during a brief video welcoming her back to the WNBA.
&ldquo;It was nice to be back on the court for a real game,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The love from the fans when we came out was amazing. I definitely feel it.&rdquo;
Griner scored 10 points in 17 minutes in an exhibition loss to the Sparks last week. It was her first game action since she was arrested at a Moscow airport in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/hub/brittney-griner">February 2022</a>&nbsp;after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.
&ldquo;We brought back this Black, gay woman from a Russian jail and America did that because they valued her and she&rsquo;s a female athlete and they valued her,&rdquo; Nygaard said.
&ldquo;Just to be part of a group that values people at that level, it makes me very proud to be an American. Maybe there&rsquo;s other people that that doesn&rsquo;t make them proud, but for me, I see BG and I see hope and I see the future and I have young children and it makes me really hopeful about our country,&rdquo; the coach said.
Fans arriving early to Crypto.com Arena wore T-shirts with Griner&rsquo;s name and jersey number on them. The 6-foot-9 Griner stopped to photo-bomb a group of young girls posing courtside before the game.
Billie Jean King and wife Ilana Kloss, who are part-owners of the Sparks, were on hand for the opener, as was Magic Johnson, Pau Gasol, Byron Scott, Robert Horry, Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham and South Carolina women&rsquo;s coach Dawn Staley.
Since her release,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-wnba-mercury-4fd64332a21dfe5eb31cad63ec6c61fe">Griner has used her platform to advocate</a>&nbsp;for other Americans being detained abroad. She was already an LGBTQ+ activist since publicly coming out in 2013.
&ldquo;She stands for so many people, so many different kind of people who can be undervalued in our society,&rdquo; Nygaard said. &ldquo;She stands with pride and confidence and has never once has shied away from who she is.&rdquo;
Griner announced in April that she is working with Bring Our Families Home, a campaign formed last year by the family members of American hostages and wrongful detainees held overseas. She said her team has been in contact with the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being detained in Russia on espionage charges.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s an amazing person on and off the court,&rdquo; Phoenix teammate Jefferson said. &ldquo;I think her energy just inspires everybody every single day to show up and be the best version of themselves.&rdquo;

Griner had 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots Friday night for the Phoenix Mercury in a 94-71 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Brittney Griner makes WNBA season debut after being jailed in Russia

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; If anyone needed any proof of how confident Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers are feeling, it came late in the second quarter of their game against the San Antonio Spurs.
George stole the ball from Zach Collins after a bad pass by Stanley Johnson, dribbled down the court and threw down a windmill dunk to give the Clippers a 20-point advantage.
The dunk was part of a 35-point night by George as the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 138-100 rout on Thursday night.
&ldquo;My body has been feeling pretty good, and I have been working a ton to stay healthy and keep it that way,&rdquo; said George, who is averaging 22.4 points after he missed five games earlier this month due to right hamstring soreness. &ldquo;Everything is kind of falling into place at this point. We&rsquo;re healthy and starting to figure out our rotations.&rdquo;
It was the fifth time this season George has had at least 35 points. He was 14 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc as the Clippers posted their largest winning margin since 2021. It was the 11th time since 2013 they have won a game by at least 38 points.
Kawhi Leonard added 27 points and was 10 of 16 from the field.
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&ldquo;We just have to continue to keep building. We&rsquo;re trending upwards, but we still got a long ways to go, but I like where we&rsquo;re at right now.,&rdquo; Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
Keldon Johnson scored 19 points for San Antonio, while Isaiah Roby had 14 and Keita Bates-Diop 13. The Spurs have dropped nine of their last 10 and 12 of their 14.
&ldquo;We played hard. Got our butts kicked. Hopefully learned some things. Go home and start up again,&rdquo; said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, whose postgame remarks went just 15 seconds.
It was the fifth time this season San Antonio has lost a game by 35 or more points.
The Clippers have won seven of their past nine against the Spurs and swept the four-game season series for the first time since 1996-97.
Los Angeles, which shot 58.4% from the field and made 18 3-pointers, led the entire game. It had a double-digit lead for the final 38 minutes and was up 41-25 at the end of the first quarter.
&ldquo;When they&rsquo;re hitting shots like they were tonight and active on defense, that&rsquo;s what makes them special,&rdquo; said Bates-Diop about George and Leonard.
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ROAD WOES
San Antonio lost for the 18th time in 23 road games and has dropped 10 straight away from home. It is the fifth time in franchise history the Spurs have dropped at least 10 straight road games in a season. Their in-season longest road losing streak is 12 set during the 1985-86 season.
The Spurs&rsquo; overall away losing mark is 22 games, which started in the 1988-89 season and extended to the following campaign.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Fell to 1-8 in the second game of a back-to-back. ... Rookie Jeremy Sochan did not play after sustaining a quad injury during the fourth quarter Wednesday.
Clippers: Luke Kennard returned to the lineup and had five points in 17 minutes. Kennard has missed 20 games this season due to a right calf injury. ... Marcus Morris Sr. did not play due to a rib contusion. ... Norman Powell had 15 points off the bench and Robert Covington added 13. ... Leonard made two 3-pointers to reach 900 for his career.
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Paul George scored 35 points as the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 138-100 rout of the Spurs.

Clippers extend win streak to 4 with 138-100 rout of Spurs

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Aliyah Boston had 11 points and 10 rebounds for her 68th career double-double to keep No. 1 South Carolina undefeated with a 102-39 victory over Coastal Carolina on Wednesday.
Boston, who played just 13 minutes, moved four games away from matching the program&rsquo;s all-time mark for double-doubles held by Sheila Foster established four decades ago.
Freshman Ashlyn Watkins had a career high 16 points and Zia Cooke 14 as the defending national champs improved to 12-0 for a second straight season and fourth time in Dawn Staley&rsquo;s 15 years as coach.
This figured to be a challenge for the Chanticleers (5-6), who have just two players 6 feet or taller while South Carolina had 10.
NO. 3 OHIO STATE 84, NO. 16 OREGON 67
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Rebeka Mikulasikova scored 27 points, Taylor Mikesell added 25 and Ohio State remained undefeated to win the San Diego Invitational.
Ohio State (13-0) is off to its best start since 2011-2012, when the Buckeyes won their first 15 games
Oregon (10-2) was led by forward Grace VanSlooten, who scored 29 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Freshman teammate Te-Hina Paopao, who grew up in Oceanside, California, just outside San Diego, added 17.
NO. 4 INDIANA 67, BUTLER 50
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Mackenzie Holmes scored 17 of her 21 points in the first half, and Indiana completed an unbeaten nonconference schedule with a win over Butler.
Yarden Garzon added 13 points and Sydney Parrish 10 for the Hoosiers (12-0).
Rachel McLimore scored 13 and Sydney Jaynes 11 for Butler (5-7).
Indiana is nearing the program record for most successive wins to open a season: 15-0 in 1972, the first year for women&rsquo;s basketball at the school. The Hoosiers were 14-0 in 2013-14.
NO. 5 NOTRE DAME 85, WESTERN MICHIGAN 57
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Maddy Westbeld scored 10 points in four minutes and Notre Dame started the second half on a 17-0 spree en route to a big win over Western Michigan.
The Fighting Irish (10-1) led 38-30 at the half, but scored on seven of their first eight possessions during the third quarter with a trio of 3-pointers. Westbeld scored a season-high 23 points, including 15 in the third quarter, and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
The Broncos (5-6) missed their first nine shots from the field in the period and saw their three-game winning streak snapped. Lauren Ross led Western Michigan with 15 points.
NO. 8 VIRGINIA TECH 86, HIGH POINT 66
HIGH POINT, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Elizabeth Kitley scored 25 points and dished out a career-best seven assists as Virginia Tech captured a road victory over High Point.
Kitley, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, shot a season-high 78.5% from the floor, making 11-of-14 field goals, and had seven rebounds and four blocks for the Hokies (11-1). Taylor Soule added 24 points and Kayana Traylor chipped in 22 for Virginia Tech.
Claire Wyatt led High Point (2-8) with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point land. Callie Scheier added 11 points and Nakyah Terrell had 10.
NO. 9 UCONN 98, SETON HALL 73
STORRS, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Aaliyah Edwards had 23 points, leading six players who scored in double figures for UConn in its rout of Seton Hall.
Caroline Ducharme and Nika Muhl each had 16 points and were a combined 8 of 11 from 3-point range. Lou Lopez Senechal had 14 points, Aubrey Griffin added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Dorka Juhasz had 10 points and 10 rebounds for UConn (9-2, 2-0 Big East).
Sidney Cooks had 18 points and Lauren Park-Lane finished with 17 for Seton Hall (9-4, 2-1), which had its seven-game winning streak snapped.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma missed his second straight game due to illness. Associate coach Chris Dailey ran the team and improved to 15-0 when filling in for Auriemma.
NO. 13 IOWA 92, DARTMOUTH 54
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Caitlin Clark&rsquo;s 20 points tied her for the quickest men&rsquo;s or women&rsquo;s Division I player to reach 2,000 career points since at least 1999-2000, and Iowa beat Dartmouth for its fifth straight victory.
Clark hit the career scoring mark in her 75th game, tying Elena Delle Donne for the quickest DI player to hit the mark, according to ESPN Stats &amp; Info. And Clark did it in style with her 242nd career 3-pointer.
Clark also had 10 rebounds and six assists. Teammate Monika Czinano, who entered with 1,969 career points in 98 games, also scored 20 points for Iowa (10-3).
Iowa scored 34 points in the first quarter and held Dartmouth to just five points in the second quarter.
Allie Harland led Dartmouth (2-11) with 11 points.
NO. 15 MARYLAND 88, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 51
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Shyanne Sellers scored 18 points, Diamond Miller had 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and four blocks and Maryland beat Purdue Fort Wayne in the final nonconference matchup for the Terps.
Abby Meyers added 14 points and Brinae Alexander had 13 off the bench for Maryland (10-3).
Shyanne Sellers, Miller, Meyers and Alexander were all in double figures by the end of the third quarter when Maryland led 71-35. Amellia Bromenschenkel led Purdue Fort Wayne (4-8) with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
SOUTH FLORIDA 66, NO. 17 ARKANSAS 65, OT
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Elena Tsineke scored all four of South Florida&rsquo;s points in overtime and finished with 23 points lifting the Bulls over Arkansas in the San Diego Invitational.
Maria Alvarez forced overtime against Arkansas by making three free throws with 17 seconds left to tie it at 62-all. Arkansas was trapped in the corner at the other end and wasn&rsquo;t able to get a shot off before the buzzer.
Fankam Mendjiadeu finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for South Florida (11-4).
Erynn Barnum scored 21 points and Daniels added 20 for Arkansas (13-2).
NO. 18 ARIZONA 78, UT ARLINGTON 59
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) &mdash; Esmery Martinez scored 13 points and was part of dominating Arizona rebounding performance with nine boards in a win over UT Arlington.
Lauren Fields, Shaina Pellington, and Cate Reese scored 10 points apiece for Arizona (10-1), which won its third straight game. Maya Nnaji grabbed nine rebounds to go with six points before fouling out at the start of the fourth quarter.
Arizona outrebounded the Mavericks 47-26, including 17-7 on the offensive glass resulting in a 22-4 bulge in second-chance points.
Starr Jacobs scored 15 points, Kayla White 13 and Taleya Jones 12 for the Mavericks (6-6), who lost their first home game this season after four wins.
NEBRASKA 85, NO. 20 KANSAS 79, 3OT
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Jaz Shelley scored 24 points, hitting two of Nebraska&rsquo;s three 3-pointers in the third overtime, and the Cornhuskers handed Kansas its first loss of the season.
Alexis Markowski had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Cornhuskers (10-3), who are now 2-2 against ranked teams with their next two games against ranked Big Ten rivals. Sam Haiby had 12 points in just her third game after an offseason injury and Isabelle Bourne scored 10.
Zakiyah Franklin finished with a career-high 27 points in 54 minutes for Kansas (10-1). Taiyanna Jackson had 18 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, Holly Kersgieter had 12 and 11. Ioanna Chatzileonti had 10 points and Chandler Prater had 10 rebounds as Kansas had a 68-46 advantage on the boards, including 25 offensive rebounds.
NO. 22 GONAZAGA 82, MONTANA 67
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Brynna Maxwell scored 23 points and Kaylynne Truong added 18 and the pair combined to hit nine of Gonzaga&rsquo;s 12 3-pointers to lead the Bulldogs over Montana.
Maxwell made 8 of 12 from the field and 5 of 9 from 3-point range and Truong finished with five rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Yvonne Ejim had 15 points and nine rebounds, Eliza Hollingsworth scored 13 points and McKayla Williams finished with 11 points, five assists and two steals for Gonzaga (12-2).
Carmen Gfeller had 22 points and eight rebounds for Montana (4-7) and Sammy Fatkin added 21 points and five steals. Libby Stump scored 14.
NO. 23 OKLAHOMA 95, FLORIDA 79
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Madi Williams had had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Taylor Robertson added 18 points on six 3-pointers, and Oklahoma defeated Florida at the Jumpman Invitational.
Robertson made 6-of-7 3-pointers and matched her own Big 12 record of 53 consecutive games with a 3-pointer. It marked the 14th time during the current streak that she has made at least five 3-pointers.
Skylar Vann had 15 points and Nevaeh Tot scored 12 for the Sooners (10-1), who have won seven in a row.
Florida&rsquo;s KK Deans made a career-high seven 3-pointers, scored 28 points and had nine assists. Ra Shaya Kyle had 16 points and 13 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double, the fifth in her career. Nina Rickards added 15 points for the Gators (11-2).
NO. 24 BAYLOR 73, LONG BEACH STATE 52
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Caitlin Bickle scored 17 points, Sarah Andrews missed a triple-double by one point and Baylor pulled away for a win over Long Beach State.
Andrews had career highs of 14 assists and 12 rebounds to go with nine points on 2-of-11 shooting. Je&rsquo;Mee Asberry and Bella Fontleroy both had 11 points for the Bears (9-3).
Tori Harris scored 14 points for the Beach (5-5) and Ma&rsquo;Qhi Berry and Kianna Hamilton-Fisher had 10 each.
NO. 25 ST. JOHN&rsquo;S 80, WAGNER 51
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Jayla Everett scored a season-high 24 points to lead St. John&rsquo;s over Wagner and its best start in program history.
St. John&rsquo;s (12-0), ranked for the first time in almost seven years, surpassed the 11-0 start of the 2004-05 team for the best in the history of the program&rsquo;s 48 years.
Kadaja Bailey added 14 points for the Red Storm, who had 11 of 12 players reach the scoring column.
Lina Loceniece scored 13 points for Wagner (5-6) and Zhaneia Thybulle had 10.

A recap of Wednesday night's women's college hoops slate includes Aliyah Boston notching another double-double for South Carolina.

Boston four double-doubles from tying Gamecocks’ all-time mark

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

RJ Nembhard Jr. had 16 points and six assists, Isaiah Mobley added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Atlanta Hawks 94-90 on Saturday in the NBA Summer League.
Mobley, a second-round pick in this year's draft, grabbed six rebounds on the offensive end and added four assists for the Cavaliers (3-2). Fellow second-rounder Luke Travers pitched in with 14 points and five boards. Cam Young scored 15 points. First-round pick Ochai Agbaji did not play.
Tyrese Martin scored 21 to top the Hawks (2-3). Chaundee Brown Jr. added 17 points. Chris Clemons finished with 16 points, while Tyson Etienne scored 13.
Atlanta's top pick A.J. Griffin &mdash; 17th overall &mdash; did not play.
PISTONS 102, MAGIC 86
Jules Bernard had 22 points and nine rebounds, Charlie Moore had 21 points and eight assists, and Detroit cruised past Orlando.
Bernard sank all three of his 3-point attempts for the Pistons (3-2). Braxton Key added 15 points, while Stanley Umude scored 13. Detroit sat first-rounders Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren for the finale.
Justin James had 18 points to lead the Magic (2-3). Tommy Kuhse added 13 points, while Zavier Simpson and Daniel Oturu scored 10 apiece.
Orlando dropped its final three games without top pick Paolo Banchero. The Magic decided to pull Banchero from the event just hours before a showdown with No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren and Oklahoma City.
TIMBERWOLVES 89, HORNETS 86
Kevon Harris scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting to help Minnesota fend off Charlotte.
Harris hit all four of his 3-pointers for the Timberwolves (2-3). Wendell Moore Jr. had 15 points, while second-round pick Josh Minott scored 12. Marial Shayok had seven points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
JT Thor finished with 28 points and five steals for the Hornets (2-3). Justin Minaya scored 10 points and Mark Williams, the 15th overall pick, had eight points and seven rebounds.
Thor completed a three-point play, then buried a 3-pointer to get the Hornets within 88-86. Jacob Gilyard sank 1 of 2 free throws with 4.9 seconds left and Minott blocked Bryce McGowens' 3-pointer to end the game.
SPURS 90, GRIZZLIES 87
Malaki Branham made five 3-pointers and scored 23 points to help San Antonio turn back Memphis.
Branham, the 20th overall pick, was 5 of 8 from distance to help the Spurs (1-4) notch their first win in their final try. DJ Stewart added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Robert Woodard II had six points to go with 10 rebounds.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. paced the Grizzlies (2-3) with 27 points and 12 rebounds. First-rounder David Roddy added 19 points. Ronaldo Segu and Kennedy Chandler scored 13 and 10, respectively.
Lofton sank a 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining to give Memphis an 87-86 lead. Branham answered with a 3 and Blake Wesley &mdash; the No. 25 pick &mdash; hit 1 of 2 free throws with 4.1 seconds left to cap the scoring. Dakota Mathias missed a 3-pointer on the game's final shot.
BULLS 119, 76ERS 104
Marko Simonovic scored 26 points, Malcolm Hill added 23 and Chicago breezed past Philadelphia.
Simonovic made 11 of 15 shots and grabbed eight rebounds to help the Bulls (4-1) close out with three straight wins. Carlik Jones scored 15 points but had seven of Chicago's 15 turnovers. Dalen Terry, the 18th overall pick, had three points, two assists and two rebounds in nine-plus minutes.
Charlie Brown Jr. led the 76ers (2-3) with 21 points. Grant Riller scored 19. Trevelin Queen had 16 points and seven of Philadelphia's 21 turnovers. Filip Petrusev scored 14.
NETS 102, CELTICS 95
Cam Thomas scored 25 points, David Duke Jr. added 24 and Brooklyn knocked off Boston.
Thomas added six assists for the Nets (3-2), while Duke handed out five. Kessler Edwards scored 15 points and Day'Ron Sharpe had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Juhann Begarin topped the Celtics (3-2) with 25 points. Mfiondu Kabengele scored 18. Second-rounder JD Davison &mdash; Boston's only pick in the draft &mdash; totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds.
KINGS 92, ROCKETS 81
Jeriah Horne scored 20 points to lead Sacramento over Houston
Jared Rhoden pitched in with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Kings (3-2). Sacramento chose to sit No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray for the finale.
Tari Eason, the No. 17 pick in the draft, had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets (2-3). TyTy Washington Jr. scored 15 points, while Daishen Nix had 14 points and seven boards. No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
LAKERS 95, MAVERICKS 84
Cole Swider scored 16 points to spark Los Angeles past Dallas.
Swider sank 4 of 6 from 3-point range for the Lakers (3-2). Jay Huff had 13 points, Javante McCoy scored 12 and Scotty Pippen Jr. 11.
A.J. Lawson had 19 points to lead the Mavericks (0-5) &mdash; the only team without victory in the event. Moses Wright scored 17 with six boards. Jaden Hardy scored 15 but had seven of Dallas' 19 turnovers. Lawson turned it over six times. Jerrick Harding had 11 points and five assists.
HEAT 86, CLIPPERS 83
Kyle Allman Jr. scored 26 points, sinking a go-ahead 3-pointer with 31 seconds left, and Miami rallied past Los Angeles.
Allman added seven rebounds and six assists for the Heat (2-3). Dru Smith had 22 points and Jamal Cain pitched in with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Miami outscored Los Angeles 31-20 in the final quarter
Reggie Perry, Jay Scrubb and Xavier Moon all scored 16 for the Clippers (2-3).

Check out this recap of Saturday's NBA Summer League action.

Nembhard, Mobley lead Cavs past Hawks 94-90 in Summer League

If your game warrants the spotlight early in your career, chances are the lights will gleam brighter, and with that comes expectations. Some college players lived up to the hype that surrounded them at the next level, but there are quite a few whose success didn't translate to the NBA.
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Who is the best college player that never became a star in the NBA?
Alex Kennedy: Jimmer Fredette became a household name while at BYU, averaging 28.9 points and 4.3 assists. In 2011, he was the Consensus National College Player of the Year and led the nation in scoring. His games were must-watch TV due to his seemingly unlimited three-point range. He even transcended the sports world and briefly became part of the pop culture lexicon; for example, at the height of Jimmer Mania, Lil Wayne name-dropped him in a song (&ldquo;I got a chopper and a trimmer shootin&rsquo; like Jimmer&rdquo;). He was the 10th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft (ahead of Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Jimmy Butler, etc.), but he never averaged more than 7.6 points in the NBA. Fortunately for Jimmer, he&rsquo;s thriving in China, where he&rsquo;s dropped 75 points, averaged 37.6 points and made three All-Star appearances.
Spencer Davies: In my lifetime, I&rsquo;m picking two: Michael Beasley and Emeka Okafor. People have to understand just how dominant Beasley was in his lone season at Kansas State, collecting accolade after accolade as a freshman for the Wildcats, as he averaged over 26 points and 12 rebounds per game on 53% from the field! He showed flashes of greatness in the NBA early in his career, but not the kind of superstardom that followed him in the NCAA. As for my other pick, it&rsquo;s crazy remembering how the big question in 2004 was who would be the No. 1 pick: Okafor or Dwight Howard? While the latter was a high-school phenom, the former outworked every big man on the national stage for Jim Calhoun&rsquo;s UConn Huskies en route to an NCAA championship in his junior year prior to entering the draft. Okafor had imposing size and was a walking double-double who blocked every freaking shot in sight. In the NBA, he had his moments; none like Howard, though, who now has an NBA championship on his laundry list of achievements and just passed Walt Bellamy to move up to No. 11 on the league's all-time rebounding list.
Chris Sheridan: The best college player who never became a star in the league was Hank Gathers, who died while playing for Loyola Marymount. He was the No. 1 draft prospect and one of just three players in NCAA history to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding in the same season (the others were Xavier McDaniel and Kurt Thomas). He averaged 32.7 points and 13.7 rebounds. He once had 48 points and 13 rebounds against LSU&rsquo;s Shaquille O'Neal and Stanley Roberts. He collapsed after dunking in a game and passed away due to a heart issue.&nbsp;
Jannelle Moore: The best college player who never became a star in the NBA is, tragically, Len Bias. He had the athleticism and skill. He gave Michael Jordan fits in college and would have been his biggest rival in the pros.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_2079728_lg.jpg" alt="" />
Imman Adan: Compared to Larry Bird entering the league and described as a &ldquo;very good scorer with [a] complete offensive repertoire,&rdquo; Adam Morrison was none of that in the NBA. In college, the 6-foot-8 forward out of Gonzaga was a star, averaging 28 points on 43% from three in his final year, making him a finalist for the Naismith Trophy. The NBA did not come as easily to the slow-footed Morrison, who struggled to adapt to the speed of the league. The effortless shooting stroke he had in college seemed to dissipate as well, as he never averaged more than 11 points or shot better than 34% from deep. After tearing his ACL in his left knee and missing his entire sophomore year, what little burst of athleticism he did have vanished, making his NBA career a short (but eventful) one, winning two rings while riding the Lakers&rsquo; bench before retiring at 28.
Ethan Fuller: I'm going to play with a looser definition of "star" for this one and rule out guys like Christian Laettner and Marcus Camby, who did win NBA league awards. Instead, let's go with Joe Smith, who won Naismith Player of the Year at Maryland in 1995. The 6-foot-10 Smith obliterated teams, averaging 20.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game as a sophomore. He then went first overall to the Golden State Warriors in the 1995 NBA Draft. But Smith never found his footing and ended up playing for 11 NBA teams.
Jonathan Concool: Adam Morrison. Morrison averaged over 28 points per game as a junior at Gonzaga University, and led the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 before suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Bruins in the final seconds. Morrison took home five awards that season with Gonzaga, including WCC Player of the Year, but that&rsquo;s just about where the positives stop for Morrison&rsquo;s basketball career. He went on to get drafted third overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in 2006 and was out of the league by 2010, with career averages of 7.5 points per game on 37.3% shooting from the field.
Nekias Duncan: I&rsquo;d go with Jimmer Fredette. He absolutely lit it up for BYU &mdash; Mormon Steph, if you will &mdash; and almost none of it translated to the NBA across multiple stints.
Kelsea O&rsquo;Brien: People forget just how small the NBA is, and how good the end-of-bench players were in college and high school. These guys were monsters. They still are! Their only downfall is that they are playing against and alongside even bigger monsters. I&rsquo;m going to go in a different direction here, though, and choose Cheryl Miller. One of the greatest women&rsquo;s basketball players of all-time, and because of ACL injuries, she never got the chance to go pro. Her professional career will always be one of the biggest &ldquo;what ifs&rdquo; in sports history.

Who is the best college player that never became a star in the NBA? We asked our BasketballNews.com staff to weigh in.

Roundtable: Who's the best college player that never became a star in the NBA?

Shaq admitted that he's jealous of the lucrative contracts today's NBA players are getting, and explained his criticism of Rudy Gobert.

Shaquille O'Neal admits he's 'jealous' of today's lucrative NBA salaries

It's the NBA All-Star Game almost no one seemed to want.
Certainly not the players, who scoffed at the notion of playing an exhibition game in the midst of a pandemic.
The city of Atlanta, picked as a replacement for original host Indianapolis, didn't seem so thrilled with the idea, either.
<a href="https://twitter.com/KeishaBottoms/status/1361792881493688324" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The mayor urged fans to stay away</a> from an event renowned for wild parties and packed streets. Police scheduled 12-hour shifts and canceled off days in an attempt to <a href="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/entertainment-news/atlanta-concern-nba-all-star-weekend-parties-covid-violence/85-4cf1545f-7532-4e2c-9dce-f92840ab8057" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crack down on any events</a> that could lead to a surge of COVID-19 cases.
But the league pressed forward, eager to improve its bottom line and its brand by televising the popular midseason showcase around the world.
The NBA's best will take the court Sunday in a one-night-only, hastily arranged event at a mostly empty State Farm Arena, where only a limited number of invited guests will be allowed to watch in person.
&ldquo;All-Star is part of our league. It's no different than all the other games we play,&rdquo; Commissioner Adam Silver said. "It begins and ends with the fans. This is an event the fans love to see. They love to see the players come together.
&ldquo;But,&rdquo; he quickly added, &ldquo;nothing comes without controversy in a pandemic.&rdquo;
The league's biggest stars, led by LeBron James, would have preferred getting some much-needed time off during the six-day break.
<a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-02-04/lebron-james-criticizes-plan-to-hold-nba-all-star-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James even went so far</a> as to call it &ldquo;a slap in the face&rdquo; to players who had little time to recover from last year's interrupted season, which was completed in a central Florida bubble, and are still dealing with burdensome protocols intended to stifle the coronavirus as much as possible (but still weren't enough to prevent the postponement of 31 games in the first half).
Now that it's game on, James is trying to make the best of the situation, using the All-Star platform to carry on with his efforts to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-georgia-los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-nba-all-star-game-5418024f78cfa17acd3aa175fceda916" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expand voting rights &mdash;</a> a fitting gesture with the game being held in a state that was one of the focal points of the 2020 election.
&ldquo;Look what we made happen, what our voices made possible,&rdquo; the Los Angeles Lakers star says in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUW4-WiHUB4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a 51-second ad</a> that was set to air for the first time during the game. &ldquo;And now, look what they&rsquo;re trying to do to silence us, using every trick in the book and attacking democracy itself. Because they saw what we&rsquo;re capable of, and they fear it.&rdquo;
Some things to watch for in Sunday's All-Star Game:
TEAM LEBRON VS. TEAM DURANT
This will be the fourth straight year to feature a format where the two top vote-getters served as captains and drafted their teams from the All-Star selections.
James has handled the duties all four times, going 3-0 in his previous stints &mdash; including <a href="https://apnews.com/article/f795a785b30cc9708ba0cca0d063f452" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last year's 157-155 thriller</a> in Chicago. Brooklyn's Kevin Durant got the nod for the first time, though he won't be able to play in the game because of an ailing hamstring.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-joel-embiid-los-angeles-lakers-giannis-antetokounmpo-jayson-tatum-78738d16628d75e212e4356ec687d93a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James used the top draft pick</a> on two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who captained the squad that went against Team LeBron the last two years. They are joined in the starting lineup by Stephen Curry of Golden State, Luka Doncic of Dallas and Nikola Jokic of Denver.
Durant selected Nets teammate Kyrie Irving with his first choice, rounding out the starting lineup with Joel Embiid of the 76ers (now ruled out due to COVID contact tracing), 2020 All-Star MVP Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers, Bradley Beal of Washington and Jayson Tatum of the Celtics.
&ldquo;I just try to pick players that can complement one another,&rdquo; James said. "It&rsquo;s the All-Star Game, so there&rsquo;s going to be some shenanigans out there. But for the majority of the game, we&rsquo;re going to try to play the right way and come out with a win.&rdquo;
MAD SKILLZ
With only one night to get in all the events, two competitions will be held shortly before the All-Star Game tipoff.
The Skills Challenge, a test of ball-handling, passing and shooting ability, will feature Doncic, Portland's Robert Covington, Chris Paul of the Suns, Julius Randle of the Knicks, Indiana's Domantas Sabonis, and Nikola Vucevic of the Magic.
Taking part in the 3-point shooting contest are Curry, Tatum, Boston's Jaylen Brown, Zach LaVine of the Bulls, and a pair of Utah guards, Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley.
Conley was a replacement for Phoenix star Devin Booker, who can't participate because of an injury.
HIGH FLYERS
The Slam Dunk showdown will take place at halftime between Portland's Anfernee Simons and a pair of rookies: New York's Obi Toppin and Indiana's Cassius Stanley.
"I've been watching a lot of dunks the past couple of days," Toppin said. &ldquo;I'm going to try to do some stuff that hasn't been done yet in the dunk contest.&rdquo;
He got a few tips from his father, who was a well-known streetball player in Brooklyn.
&ldquo;I talked to him about some of the dunks," Toppin said. &ldquo;He's basically telling me which ones are a little crazy.&rdquo;
GOOD CAUSE
The NBA and the players union are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-race-and-ethnicity-nba-all-star-game-6193a11b376d1b2a700079d35dc07260" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donating more than $3 million</a> to aid historically Black colleges and universities, much of it decided by the outcome of the game.
Team LeBron will play on behalf of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, while Team Durant represents the United Negro College Fund.
Both organizations will receive $500,000 to start. Another $450,000 will divvied up based on the winners of the first, second and third quarters. Finally, the team that reaches the target score to win the game will ensure $300,000 for its cause.
LEFT OUT
The Atlanta Hawks, who are hosting the game for the third time and first since 2003, were shut out of festivities in their home arena.
Trae Young, a starter in 2020, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-atlanta-hawks-guard-trae-young-biggest-2021-all-star-snub-coach-votes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was snubbed this season</a> despite averaging 26.4 points &mdash; the most of any player not selected for the All-Star Game.
The Hawks also were left out of the skills, 3-point and dunking competitions. Their only All-Star selection was DeAndre Hunter to the Rising Stars, but that was merely symbolic since the game won't be played and Hunter is recovering from knee surgery.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The NBA's best will take the court Sunday in a one-night-only, hastily arranged event at a mostly empty State Farm Arena

NBA All-Star 2021: The game no one seemed to want

NBA All-Star 2021 will take place on Sunday, March 7 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, reaching fans in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages on their televisions, computers, mobile phones and tablets. This marks Atlanta&rsquo;s third time hosting the league&rsquo;s annual global celebration of basketball.
TNT&rsquo;s NBA All-Star coverage in the United States will begin at 5 p.m. ET with TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax, followed by the Taco Bell Skills Challenge and MTN DEW 3-Point Contest starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. NBA All-Star Game coverage on TNT will begin at 8 p.m. ET, with the AT&amp;T Slam Dunk Contest taking place at halftime. ESPN Radio coverage in the U.S. will begin at 7 p.m. ET.
Below are facts and figures about NBA All-Star 2021:
NBA All-Star Game
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">4 &ndash;&nbsp;The Phoenix Suns&rsquo; Chris Paul is the third player to be named an All-Star with&nbsp;four&nbsp;different franchises, joining Moses Malone and Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">9 &ndash;&nbsp;The LA Clippers&rsquo; Paul George&nbsp;made a record&nbsp;nine&nbsp;3-pointers on his way to 41 points in the 2016 NBA All-Star Game while representing the Indiana Pacers.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">17 &ndash;&nbsp;The Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; LeBron James has been selected as an NBA All-Star&nbsp;17&nbsp;times, third most in league history behind Kareem Abdul Jabbar (19) and Kobe Bryant (18).&nbsp; James is also set to start the All-Star Game for the&nbsp;17th&nbsp;consecutive year.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">20 &ndash;&nbsp;At&nbsp;20&nbsp;years old, the New Orleans Pelicans&rsquo; Zion Williamson is set to become the fourth-youngest player to play in the NBA All-Star Game, behind Kobe Bryant, James and Magic Johnson.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">27.3 &ndash;&nbsp;The Milwaukee Bucks&rsquo; Giannis Antetokounmpo has the highest scoring average in NBA All-Star Game history at&nbsp;27.3&nbsp;points per game.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">58 &ndash;&nbsp;As part of the game production,&nbsp;58&nbsp;cameras will be positioned around the arena, including more than 30 in robotic form in the tunnel, practice court and locker room.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">70 &ndash;&nbsp;This is the&nbsp;70th&nbsp;edition of the NBA All-Star Game, which was first played in 1951.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">385 &ndash;&nbsp;James is the leading scorer in NBA All-Star Game history with&nbsp;385&nbsp;points.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">7,424,951 &ndash;&nbsp;NBA All-Star Voting 2021 presented by AT&amp;T set a single-day record with&nbsp;7,424,951&nbsp;fan votes cast on Jan. 28.</li>
</ul>
AT&amp;T Slam Dunk Contest
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">1 &ndash;&nbsp;In the final round, the two competitors who advance that far will perform&nbsp;one&nbsp;dunk each and the winner will be determined by &ldquo;Judges&rsquo; Choice&rdquo; instead of individual score.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2 &ndash;&nbsp;Two&nbsp;Slam Dunk participants, the Portland Trail Blazers&rsquo; Anfernee Simons and the Pacers&rsquo; Cassius Stanley, have NBA G League experience.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3 &ndash;&nbsp;Nate Robinson is the only player to win Slam Dunk&nbsp;three&nbsp;times (2006, 2009, 2010).&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">7 &ndash;&nbsp;This year&rsquo;s five Slam Dunk judges (Dee Brown, Jason Richardson, Josh Smith, Spud Webb and Dominique Wilkins) won a combined&nbsp;seven&nbsp;Slam Dunk titles.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">44 &ndash;&nbsp;Stanley recorded a maximum vertical leap of&nbsp;44&nbsp;inches in the 2020 NBA Draft Combine, tied for the third-highest mark since 2000.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">107 &ndash;&nbsp;Slam Dunk competitor Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks led Division I college basketball in dunks last season with&nbsp;107.</li>
</ul>
MTN DEW&nbsp;3-Point Contest
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3 &ndash;&nbsp;The 3-Point Contest will feature two shots in the deep &ldquo;MTN DEW Zone&rdquo; that are worth&nbsp;three&nbsp;points each.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">6 &ndash;&nbsp;The&nbsp;six-player field&nbsp;will be composed entirely of 2021 NBA All-Stars &ndash; Devin Booker of the Suns, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls and Donovan Mitchell of the Jazz &ndash; making it the first 3-Point Contest in which each participant is a current All-Star.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">7 &ndash;&nbsp;Curry, the 2015 champion, will compete for the&nbsp;seventh&nbsp;time, tying Dale Ellis for the second-most appearances behind Craig Hodges (eight).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2,664 &ndash;&nbsp;Curry has made&nbsp;2,664&nbsp;career 3-pointers, second most in NBA history behind Ray Allen (2,973).</li>
</ul>
Taco Bell&nbsp;Skills Challenge
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2 &ndash;&nbsp;Steve Nash and Dwyane Wade are the only&nbsp;two-time winner of the&nbsp;Skills Challenge.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">5 &ndash;&nbsp;Chris Paul is making his record&nbsp;fifth&nbsp;appearance in the&nbsp;Skills Challenge and his first since 2011.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">22 &ndash;&nbsp;Dončić, who turned&nbsp;22&nbsp;on Feb. 28, is the first player in Mavericks history to be voted as an NBA All-Star Game starter in two consecutive years.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2013 &ndash;&nbsp;Robert Covington, who entered the NBA in&nbsp;2013,&nbsp;attended Tennessee State, an HBCU in Nashville, Tenn.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star in Atlanta
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;This is the&nbsp;third&nbsp;NBA All-Star in Atlanta, which previously hosted in 1978 and 2003.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">27 &ndash;&nbsp;The Buffalo Braves&rsquo; Randy Smith scored&nbsp;27&nbsp;points to lead the Eastern Conference past the Western Conference 133-125 in the 1978 NBA All-Star Game, the first time that Atlanta hosted.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">300 &ndash;&nbsp;The teams combined for&nbsp;300&nbsp;points in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, where the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 155-145 in the only double-overtime game in All-Star history.&nbsp; Kevin Garnett scored a game-high 37 points and Michael Jordan had 20 points in his final NBA All-Star Game.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star Entertainment
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">12&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;All-Star entertainers have earned a&nbsp;combined&nbsp;12&nbsp;GRAMMY Awards during their careers.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">7 &ndash;&nbsp;Gladys Knight, a&nbsp;seven-time GRAMMY Award winner, will sing the U.S. national anthem at NBA All-Star 2021.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3 &ndash;&nbsp;Three-time GRAMMY Award winner and Florida A&amp;M University alum Common will introduce the Clark Atlanta University Philharmonic Society Choir, which will perform an original rendition of &ldquo;Lift Every Voice and Sing.&rdquo;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">1 &ndash; GRAMMY Award winner and singer-songwriter Alessia Cara will sing the Canadian national anthem.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">1 &ndash; GRAMMY Award winner Anthony Hamilton will perform his song &ldquo;Fine Again&rdquo; in recognition of frontline workers.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">100&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The nationally-recognized Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band and Florida A&amp;M University Marching&nbsp;100&nbsp;will play during NBA All-Star player introductions from their respective historic campuses.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star Around the World
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">1 &ndash;&nbsp;For the&nbsp;first&nbsp;time ever in Canada, TSN, Sportsnet and RDS will televise all the All-Star events.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">2 &ndash; Two&nbsp;international players have been named All-Star Game MVP: Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands; 2000) and Kyrie Irving (Australia; 2014).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">4 &ndash;&nbsp;Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon) is one of&nbsp;four&nbsp;players born in Africa to be at least a four-time All-Star, along with Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Steve Nash (South Africa) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">6 &ndash;&nbsp;A record&nbsp;six&nbsp;European players were named All-Stars this season: Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia), Rudy&nbsp;Gobert&nbsp;(Utah Jazz; France),&nbsp;Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia), Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers; Lithuania) and Nikola&nbsp;Vučević&nbsp;(Orlando Magic; Montenegro).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">9/5 &ndash;&nbsp;There are a record&nbsp;nine&nbsp;international All-Stars, including a record&nbsp;five&nbsp;international players voted All-Star Game starters.&nbsp; The nine international All-Stars are Antetokounmpo, Dončić, Embiid, Gobert, Irving, Jokić, Sabonis, Ben Simmons (76ers; Australia) and Vučević.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">14 &ndash;&nbsp;Fourteen&nbsp;active international players have been named All-Stars during their careers.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star on TNT
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">7 &ndash;&nbsp;TNT&rsquo;s announcing team of Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Chris Webber will call its&nbsp;seventh&nbsp;straight NBA All-Star Game together.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">8&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Analysts&nbsp;Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal (3), Isiah Thomas (2), Charles&nbsp;Barkley (1), Dwyane Wade (1) and Candace Parker (1) have won a combined&nbsp;eight&nbsp;All-Star MVP awards in the NBA and WNBA.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">19 &ndash;&nbsp;TNT will present the NBA All-Star Game for the&nbsp;19th straight year.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star on ESPN Radio
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">25 &ndash;&nbsp;ESPN Radio will broadcast its&nbsp;25th&nbsp;NBA All-Star Game.&nbsp; Commentator Marc Kestecher and analyst Jon Barry will call the game action, with Kevin Winter and analyst P.J. Carlesimo anchoring pregame, halftime and postgame studio coverage.&nbsp; ESPN Radio host and Los Angeles Sparks star Chiney Ogwumike will join the broadcast at halftime as a special guest analyst for AT&amp;T Slam Dunk.</li>
</ul>
Support for HBCUs and COVID-19 Equity Efforts
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">9&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;Throughout the game, members of the Divine&nbsp;Nine&nbsp;fraternities and sororities, a prestigious group of nine historically Black Greek letter organizations, will introduce step teams from Spelman College and Morehouse College.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">37/47 &ndash;&nbsp;As part of this year&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2021/03/2021-NBA-All-Star-Game-Format-3-4-21.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2021/03/2021-NBA-All-Star-Game-Format-3-4-21.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1615047366969000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHdCojJOVRRBY1zllGkbqgXgB87Sg">game format</a>, the two All-Star teams will play for either UNCF (consisting of&nbsp;37&nbsp;member colleges) or Thurgood Marshall College Fund (composed of&nbsp;47&nbsp;publicly-supported HBCUs) as their respective beneficiary, with both providing scholarship funding to further HBCU students&rsquo; higher education.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3,400 &ndash;&nbsp;The Goodr NBA All-Star Grocery Pop-Up presented by Kaiser Permanente will benefit nearly&nbsp;3,400&nbsp;families in need across 16 locations in Metro Atlanta by providing them with free groceries and household essentials.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">3 Million &ndash;&nbsp;As part of NBA All-Star 2021, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association will commit more than&nbsp;$3 million&nbsp;in initial funds and resources toward HBCUs and support awareness around equity and access to COVID-19 care, relief and vaccines.</li>
</ul>

Here are some interesting facts and figures about the 2021 NBA All-Star Weekend.

2021 NBA All-Star Weekend: By the numbers

On Tuesday night, the NBA officially set the stage for its All-Star festivities. While things won't look normal, there still will be a Slam Dunk Contest, 3-Point Shootout, and All-Star Skills Challenge on Sunday night.&nbsp;
The Slam Dunk Contest will feature New York's Obi Toppin, Portland's Anfernee Simons, and Indiana's Cassius Stanley. Simons is the only non-Rookie in the contest, with it being the first career appearance for all three dunkers.&nbsp;
The Slam Dunk Contest will be judged by Dominique Wilkins, Spud Wedd, Jason Richardson, Dee Brown, and Josh Smith. All five judges have won the Slam Dunk Contest at least one time in their career, with Wilkins and Richardson both winning twice.
As for the 3-Point Contest, Phoenix's Devin Booker, Boston's Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Golden State's Stephen Curry, Chicago's Zach LaVine, and Utah's Donovan Mitchell will be showcasing their sharpshooting.
Last but not least, in the Skills Challenge, the world will see Portland's Robert Covington, Dallas' Luka Doncic, Phoenix's Chris Paul, New York's Julius Randle, Indiana's Domantas Sabonis, and Orlando's Nikola Vucevic. This will be Paul's fifth appearance in the Skills Challenge, and he continues to search for his first career victory.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The full Sunday lineup: Skills and 3-Point Contest before the All-Star Game, Dunk Contest at halftime: <a href="https://t.co/cshaAYxgtM">pic.twitter.com/cshaAYxgtM</a>
&mdash; Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1366913096749613056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2021</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

The Dunk Contest, 3-Point Shootout, and Skills Challenge officially have their fields set.

NBA announces All-Star Sunday Night participants

Etan Thomas, Dave Zirin, Drew Gooden and Tony Massenburg discuss what John Wall meant to D.C. and Russell Westbrook's fit on the Wizards.

Etan Thomas, Drew Gooden, Tony Massenburg, Dave Zirin on Wall-Westbrook deal

The 2020 NBA draft order is set and the Minnesota Timberwolves have the No. 1 overall pick. The draft is currently scheduled for Oct. 16, although the NBA <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29739338/sources-nba-players-union-agree-2nd-push-back-window-preserving-cba-termination-rights">may push it back</a> a bit.
Either way, the draft is quickly approaching, which means mock-draft season is upon us. Without further ado, here is Matt Babcock's latest 2020 mock draft:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/Obi_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="AUTO" />
1. Minnesota Timberwolves - Obi Toppin
Perhaps the surest bet in a draft filled with potential risks, the National College Player of the Year could step into the Timberwolves' lineup and form a dynamic trio alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and D&rsquo;Angelo Russell (especially on the offensive end). This past season, Toppin led his Dayton Flyers to an incredible 29-2 record, subsequently putting them in the national spotlight. He routinely put his elite athleticism on full display by executing jaw-dropping dunks while also showing a soft touch from outside by shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc. He should make a seamless transition to the NBA, making him the right pick for the Timberwolves.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/JamesWiseman3_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="AUTO" />
2. Golden State Warriors - James Wiseman
After five-straight NBA Finals appearances, the Warriors had an off year this last season, mostly due to injuries. The good news is that they will have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all back on the floor and healthy next season. James Wiseman from the Memphis Tigers could be a long-term building block for the Warriors while also providing excellent defense right off the bat as they look to contend for another title. At 7-foot-1, Wiseman is extremely agile and skilled for a player his size, and he would likely be able to contribute for the Warriors right away in his rookie season. For more on Wiseman's game and potential, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/james-wiseman-memphis-2020-nba-draft">read this prospect breakdown</a> (which features inside info from a Memphis staffer).
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/Ed1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="AUTO" />
3. Charlotte Hornets - Anthony Edwards
Although there are concerns surrounding Anthony Edwards' decision-making, shot selection and discipline, he has undeniable talent and he's capable of lighting teams up when he turns it on. For example, his exceptional abilities were on display when he scored 33 points in one half against Michigan State at the Maui Invitational in November. For the Hornets, Edwards would be well worth the risk at No. 3 since he has significant star potential and upside.
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4. Chicago Bulls - LaMelo Ball
Newly hired executive Arturas Karnisovas could look to make a big splash with the No. 4 pick by selecting the youngest member of the infamous Ball family, LaMelo Ball. At 6-foot-7, LaMelo is a big point guard who has the ball on a string and an uncanny ability to make plays for himself and his teammates. If he is able to control the theatrics that surround him while also maturing as a player, he could be exactly what Karnisovas and the Bulls need to turn things around in the Windy City.
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5. Cleveland Cavaliers - Deni Avdija
After selecting guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland with high lottery picks in two consecutive years, the Cavs could select Israeli point forward Deni Avdija of Maccabi Tel Aviv. The 19-year-old prospect is interesting because of his talent, upside and versatility. He also wouldn&rsquo;t affect the development of their other young players as GM Koby Altman continues to rebuild the Cavaliers' roster.
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6. Atlanta Hawks - Onyeka Okongwu
Some may say that it doesn't make much such for Atlanta to add a big man, as the Hawks acquired Clint Capela prior to the trade deadline. However, Onyeka Okongwu from the USC Trojans would be too good to pass up at this stage in the draft. At 6-foot-9, Okongwu has drawn comparisons to Bam Adebayo as an athletic and skilled undersized center who could also provide the Hawks with a much-needed defensive presence.&nbsp;
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7. Detroit Pistons - Killian Hayes
Former league MVP Derrick Rose has miraculously turned his career around after battling a series of unfortunate injuries. However, despite Rose&rsquo;s re-emergence, he is 31 years old with a lot of mileage on his body already and only one more year remaining on his contract. French point guard Killian Hayes, who had a terrific season in Germany with Ratiopharm Ulm, could ultimately take the reins to the team. The hope is that he will continue his rapid development as a lead guard that can create and make plays.
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8. New York Knicks - Isaac Okoro
After falling in the NBA Draft Lottery again, the Knicks could snag the top athlete and best defender in the draft with Isaac Okoro from Auburn. At 6-foot-6 and a physical build similar to an NFL linebacker, Okoro jumps out of the gym and is capable of defending everyone on the floor. While he may not be the perfect fit next to R.J. Barrett because of a lack of perimeter shooting, Okoro would give them another young piece to build around as newly hired team president Leon Rose tries to clean things up in New York.
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9.&nbsp;Washington Wizards - Devin Vassell
With more than $270 million committed to veteran guards John Wall and Bradley Beal over the next several years, drafting Devin Vassell would give the Wizards a 6-foot-6 wing with a solid and well-balanced game. The Florida State product could provide Washington with another prospect who complements their veterans while also elevating their young core in the long run.
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10. Phoenix Suns - Tyrese Haliburton
After going undefeated in the NBA&rsquo;s bubble, the Phoenix Suns have a lot to look forward to as all of their key pieces will be returning. Phoenix's most important piece, Devin Booker, has established himself as a bonafide star at just 23 years old. Point guard Tyrese Halliburton from Iowa State could possibly be the perfect fit alongside Booker, as he can play on or off the ball, stretch the floor and be effective without needing too many touches. A floor general like Haliburton would let Booker be Booker without getting in his way.
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11. San Antonio Spurs - Patrick Williams
Hybrid forward Patrick Williams from Florida State had an up-and-down freshman season, but he was able to show that he possesses all of the tools that NBA teams crave for modern-day basketball (which values floor spacing and defensive versatility). Although some further development would be needed, Williams could be an upside pick that could assist the Spurs moving forward as they look to rebuild their team around their young pieces.
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12. Sacramento Kings - Aaron Nesmith
The Kings are in the midst of finding a new front-office leader, as they recently parted ways with Vlade Divac. With the No. 12 pick, the new boss will have an opportunity to add a young piece to put alongside De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III. They could very well consider a big man to put next to Bagley; however, in this mock draft, we have Sacramento selecting the top shooter in the draft, Aaron Nesmith from Vanderbilt. Prior to a season-ending injury, Nesmith averaged 23 points per game while shooting 52 percent from three-point range in 14 games.&nbsp;
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13. New Orleans Pelicans - Kira Lewis Jr.
David Griffin has put together a promising young team in a short amount of time after winning the Zion Williamson sweepstakes last year and trading Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, things have seemed to have soured with Ball as of late and a change at the point guard position seems all but inevitable. Sophomore point guard Kira Lewis Jr. from Alabama could be the answer for New Orleans. Possessing elite speed and a solid shooting stroke, Lewis has steadily moved up draft boards all year long. He has drawn comparisons to former NBA point guard Darren Collison, who had a terrific career (and who was also drafted by New Orleans).&nbsp;
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14. Boston Celtics - Isaiah Stewart II
Danny Ainge is perhaps the king of stockpiling assets, and this pick that the Celtics have received from the Memphis Grizzlies via trade is a perfect example of that. Boston has a solid nucleus of young players already, but they could bolster their frontcourt by adding the physical, hard-working Isaiah Stewart II. In his lone season at the University of Washington, the 19-year-old averaged 17 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
15. Orlando Magic - R.J. Hampton
16. Portland Trail Blazers - Precious Achiuwa
17. Minnesota Timberwolves - Saddiq Bey
18. Dallas Mavericks - Cassius Stanley
19. Brooklyn Nets - Aleksej Pokusevski
20. Miami Heat - Cole Anthony
21. Philadelphia 76ers - Leandro Bolmaro
22. Denver Nuggets - Zeke Nnaji
23. Utah Jazz - Theo Maledon
24. Milwaukee Bucks - Elijah Hughes
25. Oklahoma City Thunder - Jaden McDaniels
26. Boston Celtics - Tyrese Maxey
27. New York Knicks - Jalen Smith
28. Los Angeles Lakers - Isaiah Joe
29. Toronto Raptors - Vernon Carey Jr.
30. Boston Celtics - Robert Woodard II
<a href="https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11">Matt Babcock</a> is an NBA Draft analyst and the founder of <a href="https://www.babcockhoops.com/">Babcock Hoops</a>, which features in-depth coverage of the 2020 NBA Draft including player breakdowns, interviews and more.

Former NBA agent and current NBA draft analyst Matt Babcock shares his 2020 NBA Mock Draft with explanations for each lottery pick.