7:42 PM ET Commissioner Adam Silver announced today that the NBA All-Star Game MVP Award has been permanently named for the late Kobe Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won a record-tying four All-Star Game MVP awards. The first All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award will be presented after the game at United Center in Chicago,

10:56 AM ET New Boston Red Sox outfielder Kevin Pillar, who grew up in the Los Angeles area as a Lakers and Kobe Bryant fan, was most impressed by Bryant’s post-basketball career and had hoped to emulate it when he was done playing baseball. Pillar said he hopes to write a children’s book about baseball

11:59 PM ET The Rising Stars Challenge got off to a sleepy start in the first quarter Friday, and Team World took a 10-point lead into the halftime locker room despite equipment damage courtesy of New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson. But Charlotte Hornets small forward Miles Bridges flipped a switch in the second

10:23 PM ET Andrew LopezESPN NEW ORLEANS — Alvin Gentry had seen enough. The players had seen enough. Management had seen enough. A change needed to be made. The night was Dec. 17. The New Orleans Pelicans were on the wrong end of a call that sent their game against the Brooklyn Nets into overtime.

Now 22, Rivera is taking the dunking community by storm. Like Dupuy, he frequently travels the world competing in dunk contests and tournaments. One week he’ll be in Australia, the next it’s China, the next it’s France. However, unlike Dupuy, Rivera’s rise has come off the back of social media, where he has amassed a

2:11 AM ET BOSTON — For a brief moment, Lou Williams and the LA Clippers thought they might be able to escape Boston with what they thought could have been a four-point play. But after saying they saw one official count what they thought was a Williams 3-point shot with the foul with 23.6 seconds

5:14 PM ET The Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks head into the All-Star break as the favorites to win the NBA title at sportsbooks around the nation. The Lakers are +180 to win the title at Caesars Sportsbook, followed by the Bucks at +275. The LA Clippers, at +325, are the only other team

11:24 AM ET Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker will replace the injured Damian Lillard in this weekend’s NBA All-Star Game and 3-point contest. The NBA named Booker as Lillard’s replacement Thursday, one day after the Portland Trail Blazers star suffered a right groin strain. Booker, 23, will make his first career All-Star appearance in his

3:26 AM ET DENVER — The Los Angeles Lakers increased their stranglehold on the Western Conference’s No. 1 spot with an impressive road win against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, but LeBron James claims seeding isn’t a topic of conversation for L.A. “We don’t talk about it,” James said after the Lakers’ 120-116 overtime win

6:45 PM ET Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his second straight game Wednesday, just days after his girlfriend gave birth to the couple’s first child. In addition to sitting out against the Indiana Pacers, Antetokounmpo also missed Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. Milwaukee (46-7) has the NBA’s best record