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NEW YORK – As part of NBA All-Star 2022, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) will work alongside local community organizations to provide programming and support that focus on youth, education, health equity, food insecurity and economic inclusion.  Additionally, building off the success of NBA All-Star 2021, the league will again uplift the HBCU community as part of the weekend and empower the next generation of leaders.  More than $3 million will be contributed to the Greater Cleveland and HBCU communities through these combined efforts.
NBA All-Star Game Greater Cleveland-Based Beneficiaries – As part of the NBA All-Star Game format, every quarter will count to support two Northeast Ohio organizations, with Team Durant playing for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and Team LeBron playing for Kent State University I Promise Scholars Program.  Additionally, throughout the past six seasons, the NBA and State Farm® have helped turn on-court assists into off-court assists in communities around the country through the State Farm Assist Tracker.

The Charity Beneficiaries for the 2022 #NBAAllStar Game! #TeamLeBron will play for Kent State (@KentState) I Promise Scholars Program (@LJFamFoundation) #TeamDurant will play for Greater Cleveland Food Bank (@CleFoodBank) pic.twitter.com/dYSBNunjLf
— NBA Cares (@nbacares) February 10, 2022 For NBA All-Star 2022, the NBA and State Farm® will donate $1,900 for every assist made during the game, with the total amount split between the two-Cleveland based beneficiaries.  The Kent State I Promise Scholars Program provides higher education opportunities and wrap around support for underserved I Promise students in Northeast Ohio, while the Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio annually serving more than 400,000 people and providing life-saving food benefits to those in need.  In total, nearly $1 million will be donated to both organizations.
2,000th NBA Cares Live, Learn or Play Center – In celebration of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Season and in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, the league will continue its mission to use the power of basketball to create a lasting impact in communities globally through the NBA 75th Live, Learn or Play Initiative announced in December.  As part of the initiative, the NBA will dedicate its 2,000th Live, Learn or Play center at the Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland on Feb. 18.  The NBA and Kaiser Permanente will also create a second Live, Learn or Play Center at the King Kennedy Boys & Girls Club, where a refurbished basketball court and new wellness space will be dedicated in the spring.
NBPA Foundation Legacy Grants – The National Basketball Players Association Foundation will improve access to youth sports for school-aged children in the Greater Cleveland area, including through grants to Playworks and Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio.  Additionally, the Foundation will continue its support of local civic engagement programs in Cleveland through grants to Cleveland Votes and The FreedomBLOC.
HBCU Classic and Initiatives – As previously announced, on Saturday, Feb. 19, the Howard University and Morgan State University men’s basketball teams will face off in the first-ever NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T at 2 p.m. ET at the Wolstein Center, which will be simulcast on TNT, ESPN2 and NBA TV.  As part of the NBA’s and AT&T’s respective ongoing commitments to HBCUs, they will donate $100,000 to each school, totaling $200,000, to support the student experience.  Following the HBCU Classic, both teams will meet with NBA league and team executives and participate in programming regarding professional development, networking and the impact of HBCUs on society.
All-Star will also feature additional storytelling content, career development opportunities, special performances and financial contributions to support HBCU students and alumni.  Ten local HBCU college students will serve as NBA interns throughout the weekend as part of the HBCU Event Shadow: All-Star program, working alongside a variety of league office departments to learn how each contributes to the planning and execution of the weekend’s events.  The NBA will commission and showcase student artists from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, who have created original art compositions centered around their HBCU experience and sports.  The art will be displayed during All-Star at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, the Wolstein Center and in NBA player hotels.
In continued support of scholarships and other resources for HBCU students, the NBA Foundation will make grants of $250,000 each to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and UNCF (United Negro College Fund.)  To-date, the Foundation has provided $1.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations supporting the greater Cleveland community.  As part of its newest round of funding, the Foundation will award new grants totaling $1.3 million to the Greater Cleveland Partnership, NeoSTEM’s Envision Excellence in STEM Education, The Presidents’ Council Foundation and Youth Opportunities Unlimited, and renewed grant funding for the Marcus Graham Project originally awarded in 2020.  The Foundation has also made investments in Cleveland branches of City Year, the National Urban League and the National Black MBA Association.
14th NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service – Volunteers across the NBA family will also participate in the 14th Annual NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service presented by Nike, SAP and State Farm on Feb. 18.  They will sort and pack food donations at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and gently used books with the Kids’ Book Bank Cleveland to support thousands of children, seniors, families and other individuals in need.
COVID-19 Education, Incentives and Resources – Together with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA is also supporting Mayor Justin Bibb’s citywide efforts to encourage vaccination, boosters and health education by providing incentives for those who receive a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot at vaccine sites throughout the city, including tickets to All-Star events and Cavaliers games, merchandise, special autographed items and more.  The league will also support city-wide vaccination and testing efforts through additional vaccination locations, donating 10,000 rapid antigen tests and 110,000 face masks to the COVID-19 Taskforce for distribution to schools and community-based organizations.  A $100,000 donation will also be made to the Funders Collaborative on COVID Recovery, a partnership that includes nearly 50 philanthropic foundations, nonprofits, and government entities, to help support the community as it recovers from the economic and social impacts of COVID-19.
NBA All-Star Rewards Program – With a focus on economic inclusion and supporting the city’s recovery efforts from the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the NBA has included more than 130 diverse-owned businesses as part of the NBA All-Star Rewards Program.  Launched in August, the program encourages fans to patronize locally owned restaurants and retail businesses for the chance to win tickets to attend All-Star events and other exclusive prizes.  Additionally, the NBA has engaged more than 30 women-, minority- and LGBTQ-owned businesses through its Supplier Diversity Program that will help bring NBA All-Star to life as vendors.
Jr. NBA Programming – In the week leading up to the All-Star Game, the Jr. NBA and Cavaliers will host a variety of virtual programming for local children and youth basketball coaches.  NBA Rising Stars, WNBA players and Jr. NBA coaches will teach basketball skills and address mental performance topics during two virtual gym classes for Cleveland public school students.  The Jr. NBA will also lead a virtual workshop that will include on-court instructional resources as well as a session with NBA Mind Health Director Dr. Kensa Gunter to help youth basketball coaches build communities of support within their teams and encourage mind-body connection among youth.
The NBA will also work with the Cavaliers and additional partners, including KultureCity and South Pole, to make All-Star inclusive, accessible and environmentally responsible.
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About NBA All-Star 2022
NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland will bring together the most talented and passionate players for a global celebration of the game as the league celebrates its 75th Anniversary Season.  The 71st NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 59 languages.  TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 20th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 37thyear of NBA All-Star coverage.  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will also host Clorox Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 18 and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 19.  The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Feb. 18 and the NBA All-Star Practice and NBA HBCU Classic, both presented by AT&T, on Feb. 19 will take place at the Wolstein Center. […]

James Harden was traded to the Sixers for Ben Simmons in a multi-player trade deadline deal.
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — The oversized Ben Simmons magazine cover that hung inside the 76ers’ training complex was gone.
The former MVP acquired for the one-time franchise guard? Well, James Harden wasn’t in town, either, and his debut for Philadelphia is on hold at least until next week.
But yet another new era is soon set to begin for the Sixers as they chase their first NBA title since 1983, this time with the superstar pairing of Harden and MVP candidate Joel Embiid.
The clock is ticking for Harden to win a championship.

THE BEARD IS HERE.
welcome to Philly, @JHarden13! pic.twitter.com/SxzrziHgCT
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 11, 2022 Harden, though, will not play for the Sixers in games Friday and Saturday night, and he won’t play until he’s evaluated this weekend by the team’s performance staff.
The earliest Harden could play for Philly is at home Tuesday against Boston. The Sixers also play Thursday at NBA champion Milwaukee before the All-Star break.
Harden, the 2018 MVP, was acquired Thursday from Brooklyn in a multi-player deal that saw the Sixers send one-time franchise cornerstone Simmons to the Nets.
Harden would have missed his his fourth straight game Thursday with a hamstring injury. He has averaged 25.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists in his career with Brooklyn, Houston and Oklahoma City.
The Sixers head into Friday’s game against Oklahoma City at 32-22 and three games out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Coach Doc Rivers will quickly work to catch Harden up to speed.
“He literally just said the practices and the shootarounds now are going to be more intense just because we’ve got a limited amount of time to figure it out,” guard Tyrese Maxey said Friday. “I can’t wait. It’s a great group of guys and I can’t wait to get started.”
Kenny, Chuck, EJ, and Shaq debate who won the James Harden trade? The Nets or the 76ers?
Harden and Simmons were both unhappy with their roles with their old teams — Simmons demanded an offseason trade as the pressure of playing in Philly got to him; Harden has now forced his way onto a new team for the second straight year.
TNT broadcaster and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley roasted Harden as he egged on Nets star Kevin Durant to draft his former teammate to the All-Star team.
“He got traded, he’s healthy now!” Barkley cracked.
Harden could have left this summer as a free agent and the Nets decided it wasn’t worth the risk to wait, ending their Big Three experiment of Harden, Durant and Kyrie Irving after the trio played only 16 games together.
Simmons had few fans left in Philly after he decided to sit out the season. Philadelphia’s local ABC news opened Thursday night’s broadcast with the top story, “The man who refused to make a layup, and then refused to play a season, is now a Brooklyn Net.”
The Simmons saga is behind the Sixers, who can move on from the daily soap opera that hung over the franchise.
“We kind of realized at the beginning of the year what the deal was,” Maxey said.
The Nets also acquired guard Seth Curry, center Andre Drummond and 2022 and 2027 draft picks. The Sixers also will get Paul Millsap.
Maxey, the second-year player who took over for Simmons at point guard, was close with Simmons but had yet to speak to his former teammate. He’s ready to get going with Harden.
“It’s kind of crazy, just because he’s one of the guys you play as in 2K when you’re a younger kid,” the 21-year-old Maxey said. “One of my best friends that I had throughout high school, he’s like the biggest James Harden fan when we were growing up. So I texted him last night, we talked about it a little bit, and he’s like, it’s crazy.”
Embiid leads the league in scoring at 29.4 points and has scored at least 25 points in 30 straight games. The pressure was on in Philly not to waste a season of his prime.
Team President Daryl Morey made the deal with a championship this season in mind, and now it’s up to Rivers to make it work after he failed to get the top-seeded Sixers out of the second round last year. […]

Darius Garland misses Friday’s game against the Pacers.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers will be playing without All-Star guard Darius Garland on Friday night at Indiana.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff confirmed the decision about 90 minutes before tipoff. Garland is listed on the injury report with a sore back. He averages 19.9 points and 8.1 assists.
Garland’s absence could mean Caris LeVert could get more playing time after being acquired in a trade with the Pacers on Sunday. LeVert scored 42 points in what turned out to be his final home game with Indiana a week ago.
The LeVert trade was the first of three significant moves Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard made before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said he expects all four of the healthy players Indiana added will play — guards Tyrese Haliburton and shooting guard Buddy Hield and forward Jalen Smith and forward-center Tristan Thompson. […]

With the arrival of Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento, Richaun Holmes is looking like a fantasy sell.
It’s Thursday, and you know what that means.
But this Thursday, it’s different because it’s the freakin’ (I’d change that if my editor allowed me to) trade deadline. Nothing in any other sport holds a candle to the excitement around the NBA Trade Deadline (OK, maybe playoff hockey for the “please like my sport” crowd) and the 2022 edition didn’t disappoint.
Tomorrow, I’ll have a full breakdown of every single fantasy winner and loser from the deadline, but as the dust settles, we’ll look at four instant-reaction buy and sell players from the moves made leading up to the deadline.
Buy low, sell high is one of the oldest terms in fantasy, but it’s more involved than that. You have to look at the “low” and “high” of it to make sure you’re maximizing value. We can also buy the player, but question the team and role that they are in when it comes to maintaining the pace that they are on.
Most importantly here, with any call you make, you have to be willing to lose the deal or accept that you made the wrong call. It happens all the time when we think we are selling at the highest value, only for that player to buck the trend and play like a stud going forward.
Now that you have an idea of what to expect for this column week to week, let’s get to the players.
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Buy
Andre Drummond (C – BKN)
In case you missed it, James Harden and Paul Millsap are on their way to Philadelphia, and Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond are heading to Brooklyn. There may not be a bigger fantasy winner than Drummond, who isn’t a good real-life player, but can be an exceptional fantasy player when he gets the minute and starting role. He’ll compete with Nic Claxton, who is good but inconsistent, and LaMarcus Aldridge (lol) for minutes. Grab him and don’t look back.
Daniel Gafford (C – WAS)
The Wizards traded Montrezl Harrell (more on him below) to the Charlotte Hornets, which makes Gafford once again a must-roster and must-start option.
There was a three-headed monster looming in Washington all year, which caused all three player’s values to dip a bit. But with Harrell out of the way, Gafford should see big minutes at center, with Thomas Bryant backing him up.
Even with the addition of Kristaps Porzingis, who should be the focal part of the offense when he is healthy, Gafford is a buy the rest of the way.
Montrezl Harrell (PF/C – CHA)
For the better part of a year, I’ve clamored for the Hornets to please get LaMelo Balla big man. I wanted Evan Mobley. I wanted Myles Turner. We’ll settle for Harrell.
Harrell is a buy going forward, and he should get the majority of the run at center. He’ll at least see a 2/3 split with Mason Plumlee.
Marvin Bagley (PF/C – DET)
Speaking of big men, Detroit went out and got draft bust Bagley from the Kings in a four-team deal.
Bagley has been better of late, posting top 115 numbers over the last month. Now, he heads to Detroit to give Cade Cunningham a fantastic lob partner. He’s trending up, believe it or not. I’d buy in 12-team leagues.
Sell
Spencer Dinwiddie (PG/SG – DAL)
I love Dinwiddie. He’s my third-favorite player in the game. This one hurt me on a personal level. In Dallas, his value takes a hit, as he’ll be stuck behind Jalen Brunson and more than likely Reggie Bullock. Expect Dinwiddie’s minutes and usage to dip, making him tough to roster moving forward.
Richaun Holmes (PF/C – SAC)
I’m absolutely shocked that the Kings didn’t move Holmes. Sure, he’s disappointed this year, but as a team looking to completely remake itself, I expected Holmes to be on the move somewhere, anywhere, where his value would improve.
Instead, he’s a sell in fantasy, as he’s going to be backing up Domantas Sabonis with the second unit. He’ll still have value, but the disappointing season looks like it’s going to continue for the big man.
Derrick White (PG/SG – BOS)
In the “wtf?” move of the day – if you don’t count the Porzingis deal at his diminished value – White’s value took a hit for fantasy, as he heads to Boston. Best-case, he’s starting for the Celtics as the distributing point guard they needed. Worst case, he’s splitting time with Marcus Smart, because Boston can’t seem to move away from him.
He’s still a must-roster player and we need to see how it shakes out, but can’t help to think his value takes a big hit.
Chris Boucher (PF/C – TOR)
They almost had us! There were some fake tweets (I hate and love them at the same time) going out about Boucher being sent to Houston.
If that happened, his arrow would be pointing all the way up. Instead, he’s buried in Toronto still, and to make matters worse, the Raptors acquired Drew Eubanks, who isn’t good but is another big guy to compete with for minutes. Big L, Toronto. […]

Nets general manager Sean Marks believes the Nets got a helpful return on the James Harden trade.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets no longer needed to wait for Kevin Durant to get healthy, or for Kyrie Irving to get vaccinated, or for James Harden to make a decision about free agency.
It already seemed clear Brooklyn’s Big Three was never going to be what was hoped.
“If we realize this is not going to work, short-term or long-term, then it’s time to say for both parties involved, this is better off,” general manager Sean Marks said Friday.
Marks made the biggest move of the NBA’s trade deadline day Thursday when he sent Harden to Philadelphia as part of a package for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond. He said talks came together quickly with 76ers counterpart Daryl Morey in recent days.
The trade ended the teaming of Durant, Irving and Harden after they played just 16 games — only two this season. The Nets have dropped 10 straight, with Durant sidelined by a sprained knee ligament and Harden sitting at the end with hamstring tightness.
Perhaps they would have pulled out of their slump when the superstars were healthy, but it became easy to wonder if that would ever happen for a long stretch.
If [James Harden] feels like this was not the right place to win a championship and we felt like we could continue to with our goals of being that last team standing by making a trade, that’s why we made the deal.”
— Nets general manager Sean Marks
“When you look at the whole thing in its entirety, and that’s probably one of the most frustrating things that we’ve had to deal with over the course of the last year since James has been here, is to be quite frank, the Big Three, quote-unquote, haven’t had significant time to play together for a variety of different circumstances,” Marks said. “So, I think the frustration is more in that than in eight or nine games.
“Obviously it was not, and it currently still isn’t, trending in the right direction, but we’re not going to make a decision off of one or two, five games, whatever it may be. The sample size has to be bigger. And at that point, we’re sitting here saying, ‘Yup. We’ve seen enough.’”
Same with Harden, who Marks said was honest in conversations with him and owner Joe Tsai. The All-Star guard could have become a free agent this summer and is still searching for his first NBA title.
Apparently, all sides concluded it wasn’t going to happen in Brooklyn.
In the blockbuster move of the 2022 trade deadline, which team will wind up with the best long-term benefit from it?
“I think it’s just a feeling. It’s a feeling when you know, look, this is not working, whether it’s on the court, off the court, for a variety of different circumstances,” Marks said.
“It’s not like neither side did not want this to work. It was more a sense of, look, this is the right time and it’s the right thing to do is to move on now. James has been upfront from Day One. The clock is ticking for him. He wants to win a championship and we do, too. If he feels like this was not the right place to win a championship and we felt like we could continue to with our goals of being that last team standing by making a trade, that’s why we made the deal.”
Marks wouldn’t get into specifics of his conversations with Harden, including whether frustration with Irving caused his unhappiness. The guard isn’t able to play in home games because he hasn’t been vaccinated against the coronavirus, as mandated for New York’s pro athletes. The Nets originally decided not to play Irving at all until he could play in all their games, but brought him back part-time in December.
“Look, I don’t want to speak for James on that,” Marks said. “That was never explicitly expressed from him. I think the most frustrated person in this whole thing is Kyrie. I mean, Kyrie is frustrated with the fact that he’s not able to be out there.”
Simmons hasn’t played this season after telling the 76ers he wanted to be traded. He was getting his physicals done Friday but Marks didn’t want to predict when the former No. 1 pick would be ready to play.
When he is, perhaps he turns into the final piece that Harden was supposed to be when he arrived in Brooklyn just 13 months ago.
“He’s a hell of a player, without a doubt,” Marks said. “Again, these are not easy decisions. We’re very grateful for what James has done over his short time here, but at the same time adding these three players — Seth, Andre and Ben — help us in needs James doesn’t fulfill.” […]