Nine-time NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki of Germany has signed his new contract with the Dallas Mavericks The Mavericks announced the signing in a statement issued Monday. Team officials released no terms of the deal. However, a person familiar with the negotiations had told The Associated Press when the agreement was reached earlier this month that the deal is for more than $80 million over four…

With LeBron James ready to stand alongside him, Dwyane Wade wants the offseason to end. Right now. There’s a championship for the Miami Heat to chase again, now that James and Chris Bosh have decided to play with him for years to come. And Wade already is counting down the days. “It’s still surreal, man,” Wade said.

The Los Angeles Lakers say they’ll pay for Monday’s NBA championship victory celebration, a more modest event than in past years. Lakers spokesman John Black said Friday the team anticipates spending around $2 million, including police overtime and other city services. The Lakers plan to celebrate Thursday’s victory over the Boston Celtics with a parade from Staples Center to the…

Doc Rivers is headed from pro basketball to the amateur game, and he may not be coming back. Ray Allen could end up elsewhere and Rasheed Wallace appears gone for sure. Although Kevin Garnett would like to have everybody back, next season’s Boston Celtics could look quite different from the team that nearly won the 2010 NBA championship.

A jubilant celebration over the Los Angeles Lakers’ dramatic win in the NBA championship game turned rowdy in scattered sections of the city, with raucous revelers hurling rocks and bottles at police, setting fires and jumping on vehicles. Police spokesman Cleon Joseph said Friday 38 people had been arrested, most for public intoxication and others for vandalism and inciting a riot.

New coaches for the NBA’s winningest franchises. New superstars for some of the teams chasing them. Anything is possible in an offseason that could reshape the league, and it officially started after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 on Thursday in Game 7 of the NBA finals to win their second straight championship.

Game 7 drew the highest preliminary rating for an NBA finals game since 1998. The Lakers’ 83-79 win Thursday night on ABC earned an 18.2 overnight rating. That’s the highest for an NBA game since Michael Jordan won his last championship with the Bulls in Game 6 of the 1998 finals against the Jazz, which posted a 22.9.

Allen Iverson is working on a comeback. Gary Moore, Iverson’s personal manager, said that Iverson is planning a return to the NBA next season. Iverson returned to the Philadelphia 76ers in December and took a leave of absence in March because of family issues. “Allen is working out and he’s getting himself prepared to make his return,” Moore said by phone Friday.

Kobe Bryant sprinted after the ball, which Lamar Odom joyously flung downcourt to burn the remaining seconds in Game 7 of the NBA finals. With the celebration starting behind him, Bryant chased it down and then held it aloft to his teammates. The Los Angeles Lakers’ 16th championship was secure following a gritty 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Fifth title is Kobe’s sweetest.

Ron Artest had to learn to trust himself in the most pressure-packed moments of a game. So often in his career, he’d blow it and get down on himself. Not this time. Calmed by the advice of his psychiatrist, Artest proved reliable in crunch time for the Los Angeles Lakers, who beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 in Game 7 on Thursday night to win their 16th NBA championship.

Fighting to stay on the floor every minute of perhaps the last game of his career, Rasheed Wallace finally threw up his hand when it was time for a break. And he wasn’t the only Boston Celtics player who was tired. “I think everyone is not only physically fatigued, but mentally fatigued,” forward Kevin Garnett said.

Ron Artest didn’t disappoint on the court or with the media. See
his wild press conference.

Craziest thing about Game 7? Guess who.

With his record 11th NBA championship secured, Phil Jackson was evasive about his future with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s in the final year of his contract, with no word about a possible extension. He had said that if the Lakers won their second straight title, it would improve his chances of returning.

The Los Angeles Lakers won their 16th NBA championship Thursday, dramatically rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 in Game 7 of the NBA finals. A Game 7 classic and this time it went the Lakers way. Bryant, the finals MVP, scored 23 points despite 6-of-24 shooting, and the Lakers won their 16th NBA championship Thursday night, dramatically rallying from a…

No one’s blaming Ron Artest this time. The new guy who said it
would be his fault if the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t repeat as NBA
champions is off the hook.

Painful loss could begin exodus of Celts.