LEBRON JAMES PRAISES LAKERS, DECLINES TO REVEAL NEXT TEAM AT PUBLIC APPEARANCE
LeBron James did a live taping of his podcast on Thursday in New York, but he made it clear from the jump that he wasn’t there to break news.News
James and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton took the stage at Fanatics Fest to record an episode of James’ “Mind the Game” podcast, and with an estimated crowd of 5,000 on hand, Haliburton asked James for an update with a particular word choice that stood out.
“Is there a decision that still has to be made?” Haliburton asked James just minutes into the recording, a likely reference to James’ 2010 “Decision” to join the Miami Heat that was accompanied by a live program on ESPN.
“We literally talked about this in the back,” James replied, and Haliburton was quick with a smiling apology.
“My fault, my fault. I didn’t know if you wanted — OK, OK, I’ll leave it alone,” Haliburton said.
Haliburton later revealed to the crowd that he texted James last month about the idea of the four-time champion and future Hall of Famer coming to Indianapolis to team up.
“And he texted me back two laughing, crying faces and that’s all I got,” Haliburton said.
James let his contract with the Lakers expire and told Los Angeles he would look to play elsewhere in 2026-27, which would be his record 24th NBA season and potentially his fourth franchise.Basketball
Or, James could reunite with the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third stint or the Heat for a second. He confirmed that they were two of the teams in the mix without giving much else away.
As he let audience members call out where they wanted him to sign, James said, “I heard Philly (the 76ers), Miami … This guy just told me to come to the Yankees! We’ll see what happens.”
With his former Los Angeles Lakers head coach and former podcast co-host JJ Redick in the crowd, James heaped praise on the Lakers, as he did immediately after his decision not to re-sign there.
“Shoutout my former team. I spent eight great years with the Los Angeles Lakers,” James said. “One of the most historical franchises in the world. Shout out Jeanie Buss, the whole Buss family. Rob Pelinka. Everybody. All the coaches that I played for there. All my teammates. S–, I am going to miss them all, obviously. So, that was an unbelievable ride and I’m just looking forward to what holds next as I wind down the final stages of my journey.”
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REPORT: NBA OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO GARY TRENT NEW BUCKS’ CONTRACT
The NBA has opened an investigation on Gary Trent Jr.’s four-year, $64 million agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks for a possible salary cap violation, a league spokesman told ESPN on Thursday.
Trent, who spent the last two seasons in Milwaukee, re-signed on Saturday and paperwork was filed with the league on Thursday.
After 2 1/2 seasons in Portland (2018-21) and parts of four in Toronto (2021-24) Trent, 27, signed for the league minimum in Milwaukee in the summer of 2024. Prior to the start of the 2025-26 campaign, he inked a two-year $7.5 million contract with the Bucks, which paid him $3.7 million during the ‘25-26 season.
The deal also established his Early Bird rights, which permits teams to re-sign a player even if they are over the salary cap.
Trent averaged 8.1 points last season, his lowest figure since his rookie year in Portland.
However, he opted out of his player option to become a free agent and will be set to earn $15.2 million in 2026-27.NBA content
The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement contains a clause against “prior agreement,” which the Bucks may have violated.
NBA executives had suspected that Trent had earned below his value last season, sources told ESPN. His current contract would exceed that perceived value.
Trent averaged 18.3 and 17.4 points per game for Toronto in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively. He’s averaged 13.0 points per game in his career and shot 38.7% from behind the arc in 480 career games (231 starts).
He excelled for the Bucks in the 2024-25 playoffs, averaging 18.8 points per game and converting 22 of 44 shots from 3-point range in five games.
The NBA has not voided a contract since taking that action against the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000. Minnesota inked a secret, illegal agreement with Joe Smith, promising a multi-year, multi-million extension, which was to begin in 2001.
Smith had played three previous seasons on minimum contacts.
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BAM ADEBAYO WILL NOT FACE NBA DISCIPLINE AFTER TYLER HERRO SKIRMISH
Miami Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo will not face any discipline from the NBA after a physical skirmish with former teammate Tyler Herro, a league spokesman told multiple outlets on Thursday.
Adebayo confronted Herro regarding critical comments that the guard allegedly had made on social media concerning the value of the Heat team captain. Adebayo found Herro on a practice court Friday at the Resorts World Hotel in Las Vegas, with an AAU team that Herro runs.
According to reports, after Herro responded verbally, Adebayo struck Herro near his chin. Herro, now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, was then restrained and the confrontation did not escalate.
“After discussing with the players involved and the NBPA, everyone would prefer to move on from this unfortunate circumstance, and no further action will be taken by the league,” the NBA spokesperson said in a statement.
Herro told ESPN last week that he wants to “move on” from the encounter.
“Honestly, I’m just trying to move past all of it,” Herro said. “I’m focused on Milwaukee and building something special. They obviously just traded the greatest player in their history, so we want to come in and help continue what they’ve been doing.”NBA content
Adebayo and Herro were teammates in Miami for seven years. On June 22, Miami traded Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez, Jr. Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks, a pick swap in 2030 and a 2033 second-round selection to the Bucks for two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.
After the Heat were eliminated from the NBA play-in tournament, Adebayo made comments that he needed additional help from the team’s supporting cast if the team were to make deep runs in future playoffs.
Herro, who only played in 33 games in 2025-26, then appeared to question whether Adebayo was worthy of his near-$60 million salary in leaked direct messages between him and a fan on social media. Also among his comments was, “If I’m healthy, I’m the one who needs help.”
Adebayo got to Miami two years before Herro. In nine seasons, Adebayo has averaged 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per season. He earned All-Defensive first-team honors in 2023-24 and was named an All-Star in 2019-20, 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Herro, the 2021-22 Sixth Man of the Year award winner, was an All-Star in the 2024-25 season, when he averaged 23.9 points, 5.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. He averaged 19.5 points per game in seven seasons with the Heat.
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GIANNIS ARRIVES IN MIAMI, LOOKING TO FOLLOW MESSI’S PATH TO MORE TITLES AND SUCCESS
MIAMI (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo was watching Lionel Messi play in the World Cup semifinals this week, and a realization struck him.
Messi, to him, is greatness. And Antetokounmpo wants to follow Messi’s path.
Antetokounmpo got his welcome-to-Miami ceremony Thursday at the team’s arena, with a few fans chanting his name as he walked along his new home court for the first time after he got a tour of his new city.
“I need pressure at this time of my career,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think in order for me to go to the next level, I’ve got to get out of my comfort zone — and I feel like Miami was the place for me to be.”
Messi came to Inter Miami three years ago, adding to his already copious resume by winning a couple of Major League Soccer MVP awards and another championship. Antetokounmpo has now joined him in Miami, hoping his relocation comes with the same level of success.
“That’s the blueprint,” Antetokounmpo said. “LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, they set the blueprint and you just got to follow, right? It’s hard. You have to be disciplined. You have to be dedicated to your craft, but it’s there. And if you want to follow, you follow. If you don’t want to follow, then you go home.”
He didn’t go home. He’s in a new home.
Antetokounmpo got his formal Heat introduction a couple of weeks after Miami swung the trade that landed the two-time MVP along with Bobby Portis Jr. from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis and draft capital.
For the Heat, it’s another on a long list of superstar acquisitions made since Pat Riley arrived to take over as team president in 1995.
“I think this is just part of who the Heat are in the pursuit of excellence,” Riley said. “But you don’t win championships unless you have greatness on the court and on the bench. … I’m just so excited for this challenge.”
Antetokounmpo entered the NBA in 2013. His career totals to date: 21,531 points, 8,882 rebounds and 4,484 assists. The point and rebound totals are both fifth best in the NBA over that span, while the assist total is 13th best — and those numbers are just part of the reason why the Heat consider him to still be one of the five best players in the league.
If all that wasn’t enough, has simply been a nightmare for defenses. Nobody has drawn more fouls over those 13 seasons than Antetokounmpo, which is absolute music to the ears of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
“A little while ago Pat called me into his office and he looked at me,” Spoelstra said. “He said, ‘Do you want to coach Giannis?’”
Spoelstra’s no-brainer answer: “Yes.”
And then he walked out, waiting for Riley, Heat general manager Andy Elisburg and the rest of the front office to get a deal done. When Antetokounmpo arrived early Thursday morning for his first workout as a member of the Heat, Spoelstra was waiting for him.
“I just want to be coached hard,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’d rather you tell me the ugly truth than a beautiful lie. … I’m excited to be coached by him.”
Antetokounmpo’s run in Milwaukee ended with him having, by far, the most points in franchise history, more than 7,000 ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s total during his tenure with the Bucks. Antetokounmpo is also Milwaukee’s all-time leader in rebounds and assists, plus he ranks second on the team’s career list in steals.
He had a ton of success there. He’s looking for more success in Miami, which is one of the reasons why Portis felt like the Heat were the best place for him as well.
“The conversations I have with Giannis have always been about winning. ‘Where can we go to win? How can we impact winning? How can you get another ’chip? That’s always been the talk,’” Portis said during his introductory news conference earlier Thursday. “It hasn’t been about anything else but winning. … All he cares about is winning.”
By all accounts, the Giannis-in-Miami era is off to the right start.
Antetokounmpo was thrilled by the welcome he and his wife got when their plane landed in Miami after watching Messi and Argentina beat England in Atlanta on Wednesday. He says he already loves the Miami weather (“warmer than Milwaukee,” he said) and isn’t a fan of iguanas, which are everywhere in South Florida (“those guys, stay away from me,” he said).
Riley told him the Heat are looking to win and win big. That was all Antetokounmpo needed to really hear. He has one ring. He wants more.
“You’ve got to work,” Antetokounmpo said. “They show you, they show you the way. It’s not hard. Just listen and open your eyes. It’s something that I wanted. I was able to accomplish it once in my career. Hopefully, it will happen a second time.”
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