Basketball

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyrie Irving started in his debut with the Dallas Mavericks against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. The eight-time All-Star was traded to the Mavs on Sunday from the Brooklyn Nets.

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown left Wednesday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers with a facial contusion after colliding with teammate Jayson Tatum under the basket.

Mya Smiley is a student at the University of Akron thanks to an assist from LeBron James, and she is determined upon graduation to become a social worker that helps foster kids.

Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue will replace Phoenix’s Monty Williams on the USA Basketball men’s national team coaching staff for this year’s World Cup and next year’s Paris Olympics.

PHOENIX (AP) — Justin Ishbia came home from college one day to find his younger brother Mat shooting hoops over an 8-foot obstacle as he practiced for his upcoming high school basketball season.

James Harden averaged 36 points a few seasons ago. Devin Booker once scored 70 in one game. There are many more players doing much more scoring now than when LeBron James began his NBA career in 2003-04.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bronny James stepped over to his dad's locker and played the phone video he had taken of Tuesday night's biggest moment.

LeBron James got the first official statistic of his NBA career on a rebound. His next entry on the stat sheet was an assist. Even then, points weren’t the priority. They never were. Somehow, he became the most prolific scorer in NBA history anyway.

LeBron James is 38 years old. He is in Season 20 of his NBA career. He is, by conventional basketball-playing standards, ancient. History says his decline should have started already. Except it hasn't. Not even close.

It has happened. LeBron James finally has passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA's career scoring record, the torch getting passed from one member of the Los Angeles Lakers to another.