Just a little more than three weeks into the season, that’s a common question among front-office executives, scouts and coaches around the NBA with the Lakers sitting at 5-6 after Wednesday’s win over the Timberwolves. “They’re basically a .500 team right now,” one general manager said. “How much better did they think they were going to be at this point anyway? It’s not something that was ever going to happen overnight....

The group involving the NBA players joins other big names who have invested in owning franchises in MLP, such as retired NFL quarterback Drew Brees, tennis star James Blake and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry. Anne Worcester, MLP Strategic Advisor and Board Member, told Newsweek that having such high-profile investors “greatly increases awareness” for this sport “and adds passionate people who are experts across business, sports, media and entertainment to partner with us on growing the game....

Despite losing the first quarter by 13 points, James scored a game-high 28 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists to lead Cleveland to a 120-103 win against the Celtics. MORE: Best active NBA player of every age | Kendrick Lamar released tracks because LeBron asked When the Cavaliers lost to the Raptors last month and followed it up with a grueling loss against the Wizards, some started to question just how good this Cavs team really is....

James ripped the longtime analyst for TNT’s “Inside the NBA” following the Cavaliers’ 104-97 loss to Mavericks on Monday. ESPN writer Dave McMenamin noted James had been “stewing” for a couple of days after Barkley called him “whiny” for saying the defending NBA champions needed to upgrade their roster. DEVENEY: LeBron’s latest gamble could set Cavs down dangerous path When McMenamin asked about Barkley, the King went off, and I mean off....

“I wouldn’t feel good about it at all,” James said Tuesday, via ESPN.com. “Because at the end of the day, I’m here to win a team prize, and that’s to win a championship, not an individual prize.” MORE: History says LeBron should win it | 1969 Celtic: No one cared about West winning Conventional wisdom says the MVP will come from the winning team, which could be Stephen Curry or even Andre Iguodala if the Warriors win the series, but James’ averages of 36....

Only LeBron James could flip the entire narrative of the NBA Finals with back-to-back 41-point games, the latter part of a 115-101 win against Golden State on Thursday that forced a Game 7. GAME 6: LeBron laughs as Curry flails during Cavs’ win The NBA Finals are no longer a referendum on whether Golden State is the greatest single-season team in NBA history. It’s whether James is putting on the greatest performance in NBA Finals history....

Debate in the NBA is often centered on who is the best player of all time — James or Jordan. Jordan, 57, won six NBA championships, as many Finals MVP’s and five Most Valuable Player awards during a remarkable career with the Bulls. James has three titles to his name — two with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers — and three Finals MVP honors, while he is a four-time Most Valuable Player recipient....

The Cavaliers star will co-produce and even appear in a new reality show on CNBC called “Cleveland Hustles,” according to network executive Jim Ackerman, who confirmed the plans Thursday as part of a panel at the Television Critics Association. MORE: LeBron’s hairline, in photos | Stop bullying LeBron over Tamir Rice case “LeBron will be on the show,” Ackerman said. “He’s going to give us access and time. He’s given us access to a lot people....

They say he’s on the other side of his prime. They say he’s no longer the elite athlete he was when he entered the NBA as a spry 18-year-old back in 2003. MORE: Classic LeBron photos | Love at center could lead Cavs to title Don’t tell that to Reggie Bullock. James harnessed the angst created by his doubters and unleashed it all on Bullock’s head in one ferocious, violent two-hand slam in the lane in the first half of the top-seeded Cavs’ Game 2 matchup against the Pistons in the first round of the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoff Wednesday....

In recent years, though, James’ focus on the defensive end has been, to put it lightly, inconsistent. His last Cavs team was a mess defensively, and he faced plenty of criticism for his effort during his first season with the Lakers. MORE: What another championship would mean for LeBron’s legacy But now, with the Lakers sitting atop the Western Conference and chasing a championship inside the NBA’s “bubble,” James appears to have rediscovered his passion for single-handedly destroying an offense....

Video has recently surfaced of a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the neck of Floyd — who was already in custody with his hands handcuffed behind his back — while the latter repeatedly pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd later died in a hospital, prompting the firing of four officers involved with his arrest. The image of the officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck was immediately juxtaposed with Kaepernick kneeling during the playing of the national anthem....

It’s a player that has just a 5.5 points-per-game career scoring average and was selected 48 picks after James in the 2003 NBA Draft. That’s right, Cavs reserve James Jones. “He’s my favorite player of all time,” James said, via ESPN. MORE: How to argue MJ vs. LeBron | Who makes the Eastern Conference All-Star team? Jones, who has been James’ teammate in Miami and Cleveland the past five seasons, has been a part of some of James’ most successful years in the NBA....

Prior to the Lakers’ game on Friday night at the Staples Center, the 34-year-old was asked if retirement had crossed his mind. James dismissed the suggestion, likening himself to Brady, who is still going strong at the age of 42 and holds the record for the most Super Bowl wins with six. “I’m not at the end of my story,” James said to reporters. “No, not really, not the way I feel right now....

First team stars, new signings and academy players will all be on show as Jesse Marsch fine-tunes his team ahead of the 2022/23 season. Leeds United pre-season Australia friendlies squad Leeds United have announced that the following players will make the trip to Australia: Goalkeepers Harry Christy, Kristoffer Klaesson, Illan Meslier Defenders Liam Cooper, Leif Davis, Cody Drameh, Leo Hjelde, Robin Koch, Rasmus Kristensen, Diego Llorente, Pascal Struijk Midfielders...

As I read it, the Supremes are basically saying that the judiciary shouldn’t settle elections–so we’ll go ahead and settle this one. The sad thing is that in acting for the good of democracy and the legitimacy of the American presidency, the court harmed both. I was standing outside the Leon County Public Library when court officials brought out the Miami-Dade County ballots in shoe boxes, their efforts suspended halfway through a speedy and remarkably smooth hand count....

To celebrate the NES’ 35th anniversary, LEGO is releasing this 2,646-piece set that authentically reproduces the original console. You’ll build and plug in controllers to the console, insert a game cartridge and even build your own old-school television. The retro TV will feature a flat 8-bit Mario figure on a scrolling screen. If fans scan the LEGO Mario figure from the previously released Super Mario Starter Course set onto the retro tv, the 8-bit Mario on the screen will react to enemies, obstacles and power-ups that appear on the screen, just like Mario would in Super Mario Bros....

The Leicester City striker was banned for three matches by the Football Association for a two-footed challenge on Stoke City’s Mame Biram Diouf on December 17. Replays suggested referee Craig Pawson’s decision had been harsh, with Vardy losing his footing in a tangle with Glen Johnson on his way into the challenge and then appearing to get some of the ball anyway. But Leicester’s appeal against the ban was rejected by the FA and chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha labelled the punishment as “unfair”....

And the man who inspired his lauded performance—Michael E. Mann, Ph.D., distinguished professor of atmospheric science at Penn State University—has praised the actor, describing him as a “sweet guy” from the years they have known one another. In the satire, DiCaprio’s Mindy is seen warning the government—and the world—that an asteroid is on course to destroy planet Earth in six months. However, thanks in large part to a reckless President Janie Orlean (Meryl Streep), Mindy finds himself exasperatedly shouting the message to a willfully misled public....

By now, you’ve probably seen the Vancouver Province’s report that a Vegas expansion team is “a done deal,” save for the not-small-at-all task of deciding on an ownership group. There was also later speculation that three additional teams, in Seattle, Quebec City and a second team in Toronto, would join the Vegas squad in the league. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly threw some water on that on Wednesday, telling multiple outlets (as he’s done before) that expansion is “not in our plans....