Cleveland introduced Dwyane Wade on Friday, and he says he can’t wait to be reunited with LeBron James because, like ham and eggs and peaches and cream, the duo are a matching pair. “We’re just... it’s like peanut butter and jelly, man,” Wade said of his warm friendship with James.”We just go together.”
The 35-year-old Wade went to four NBA finals and won two championships in four years together with the Miami Heat before James left to join his hometown Cavaliers.
“Every time we walk by each other in the locker room and everywhere, we just look at each other and shake our head because it just don’t seem real,” Wade told reporters on Friday. “It’s like, ‘How did this happen? How did we get here?’ We just start laughing every time we walk by each other.”
Wade has reached a buyout agreement this week with the Chicago Bulls, reportedly leaving $8mn on the table before signing with the Cavaliers for the veteran’s minimum of $2.3mn. Wade, who grew up on Chicago’s south side, averaged 18.3 points and 3.8 assists in 60 games for the Bulls last season. It was his lowest point totals since his 2003 rookie season.
“I’ve been lucky enough in this league to be in a lot of big games, a lot of big moments,” Wade said.
“Been in five finals and my whole life I’ve been in some big moments, so that’s what makes me alive. You come into a basketball season and you just plan to play, I don’t like that feeling. Those are things that make me feel alive. Just being on that big stage, being in those moments.”
Wade owns career averages of 23.3 points, 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 14 seasons with Miami and Chicago. The overhauled roster in Cleveland now includes Derrick Rose, Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Jose Calderon and Wade.

Thunder’s Westbrook signs $205mn deal
Reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook hit the jackpot for the second time in less than 18 months by signing a five-year, $205mn contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal begins with the 2018-19 season, and puts the 28-year-old Westbrook under contract with the Thunder through the 2022-23 NBA season.
Westbrook posted a picture of himself on his Instagram page, wearing an orange “OKC” jersey with his arms raised and wrote: “WHY NOT??”WHY NOT??. The 28-year-old Westbrook is coming off a historic season in which he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists and set an NBA record with 42 triple-doubles.
He broke the mark of Oscar Robertson (1962) and joined the Hall of Famer as the only players to average a triple-double over an entire season. The six-time all-star won his second scoring crown and scored 40 or more points on 18 occasions.
Despite his individual success, the Thunder finished sixth in the Western Conference standings and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by James Harden’s Houston Rockets four games to one. The Thunder tried to address that in the offseason by acquiring forwards Carmelo Anthony and Paul George in trades.
In July 2016, the Thunder were rocked by the surprise departure of the all-star Kevin Durant. Soon after, Westbrook agreed to a contract extension through 2018-19 season, with the final season being a player option. Westbrook, the number four overall pick in the 2008 draft, beat out runner-up Harden to win MVP honours. Westbrook has career averages of 22.7 points, 7.9 assists and 6.2 rebounds.

League says players must stand for national anthem
The National Basketball Association sent a memo late Friday to all 30 teams instructing players to stand for the US national anthem, and warning teams there won’t be any exceptions. The memo, from deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, said the league has the discretion to discipline players who violate a rule already on the books stating that they must stand for the anthem, broadcaster ESPN reported.
The memo tells teams that “the league office will determine how to deal with any possible instance in which a player, coach, or trainer does not stand for the anthem.” It adds that individual teams “do not have the discretion to waive” the rule.
In the memo, Tatum suggests that teams make an effort in their first home game to address the current political climate by having players and coaches give a pregame address to their fans.
Tatum’s memo comes 24 hours after commissioner Adam Silver said at the league’s board of governors meeting in New York that he expects players to stand for the national anthem. “We have a rule that requires our players to stand for the anthem,” Silver said.”It has been our rule as long as I have been involved with the league and my expectation is our players will continue to stand for the anthem.”
Last season, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem as a way of protesting racial injustice and police brutality in the United States. Previously only a handful of players had been taking a knee during the anthem, but last Sunday — two days after President Donald Trump’s inflammatory comments directed at players — nearly 200 chose to make their point, including the Pittsburgh Steelers American football team, all of whom remained in the locker room except for one player.

Schroeder charged with battery after incident
German basketball star Dennis Schroeder of the Atlanta Hawks was arrested on Friday in connection with an altercation in a suburb of the Georgia city, DeKalb County authorities said.
The 24-year-old, who is entering his fifth NBA season, and three other people were arrested in the incident about 2 am in Brookhaven, outside Atlanta.
Schroeder faces a misdemeanour charge of battery. US sports news broadcaster ESPN reported that Schroeder was released after posting bail. Hawks executives said the team was “aware of an incident involving Dennis Schroeder” early on Friday.
“We are gathering information as it pertains to the situation, and out of respect for the legal process, we will have no further comment at this time,” the team said in a statement. The Hawks open their pre-season schedule today at the Miami Heat.  Atlanta begins the regular season on the road on October 18 against the Dallas Mavericks.