Flamboyant retired NBA star Dennis Rodman, who is known as much for his piercings and tattoos as his court skills, arrived in North Korea Tuesday on a "basketball diplomacy" mission, organizers said.

Retired US basketball superstar Dennis Rodman is among a group of current and former NBA coaches and players visiting North Korea, Chinese state media reported Tuesday.

Ty Lawson scored 22 points and had eight assists as the Denver Nuggets scored 78 points in the paint en route to a 119-108 thrashing of the mistake-prone Los Angeles Lakers.

Derek Fisher, who won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, has signed a contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the club announced on Monday.

Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 38 points and became the youngest player in NBA history to surpass the 31,000-point mark as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 103-99.

Dwyane Wade had a game-high 33 points and LeBron James notched a triple-double as the NBA champions Miami Heat downed Philadelphia 114-90 to stretch their winning streak to 10.

Kobe Bryant scored 29 of his 40 points in the second half as the Los Angeles Lakers capped an emotional week with a much-needed 111-107 NBA victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

LeBron James scored 26 points and notched 12 rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to an emphatic 86-67 NBA victory over the Chicago Bulls that stretched their winning streak to nine games.

The Houston Rockets acquired first-round draft pick Thomas Robinson and forwards Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt from Sacramento in a trade for three of their own players.

The Los Angeles Lakers won in their first game since their long-time owner Jerry Buss died, beating their mighty rivals the Boston Celtics 113-99 behind 24 points from Dwight Howard.

Lindy Ruff, the longest-tenured coach in the National Hockey League, was fired as coach of the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday despite being the most successful coach in the club's history.

Guard Joe Johnson hit the game-winner at the buzzer in overtime to lift the Brooklyn Nets to a 113-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Former players and rivals recalled Jerry Buss, the Los Angeles Lakers owner who died Monday after a fight with cancer at age 80, as a visionary who helped mold the NBA and make the Lakers champions.

Jerry Buss, the Los Angeles Lakers owner who transformed the team into the glamour franchise of a revitalized NBA, died on Monday at the age of 80, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Chris Paul scored 20 points and passed out 15 assists to spark the Western Conference over the Eastern Conference 143-138 in the 62nd NBA All-Star Game.

Tracy McGrady's Qingdao Eagles have finished bottom of the Chinese basketball league at the end of a frustrating season for the former NBA star.

Terrence Ross of the Toronto Raptors dethroned defending champion Jeremy Evans of Utah to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in a worldwide vote on social media.

Portland Trail Blazers rookie Damian Lillard captured the NBA Skills Challenge, outclassing Houston's Jeremy Lin and 2012 winner Tony Parker of San Antonio.

Billy Hunter was fired as executive director of the NBA players union after 17 years in the job after an executive committee of players voted unanimously to oust him.

Denver Nuggets second-year forward Kenneth Faried had 40 points as Team Chuck routed Team Shaq 163-135 in the National Basketball Association's Rising Stars Challenge game.