NBA: Ball will miss summer league final with injury; Pierce to retire as member of Celtics

Lonzo Ball will miss summer league final with calf injury

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball will not play in the Las Vegas Summer League championship game.

The team announced Monday that Ball suffered a mild calf strain in the third quarter Sunday and will be cautious with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.

Ball has averaged 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals. He also posted two triple-doubles and four double-digit assist games.

Ball became one of the biggest stories of summer league and his sneaker choice was a daily news item. He made headlines by declining lucrative offers from major sneaker companies in favor of his family’s Big Baller Brand fashion line and his own ZO2 sneaker ($495).

He made his debut in his own shoe then switched to signature shoes by Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and Jordan Brand in subsequent games.

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2017 NBA Awards Held at Basketball City at Pier 36 – Arrivals Featuring: Paul PierceWhere: New York, New York, United States When: 26 Jun 2017 Credit: Derrick Salters/WENN.com

Pierce signs with Boston to retire as member of Celtics
KYLE HIGHTOWER, AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) — The Truth is retiring as a member of the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics announced Monday that they have signed Paul Pierce to a contract so the 10-time All-Star can retire with the team he spent his best 15 seasons in the NBA with. Pierce helped bring a championship in 2008 as part the “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Drafted by Boston as the 10th overall pick in 1998, Pierce started a 15-season run that is behind only John Havlicek’s 16 seasons for the most played in a Celtics uniform.

The 39-year-old retires atop the franchise’s lists in 3-point field goals (1,823), free throws (6,434) and steals (1,583). He is also is Boston’s second all-time leading scorer with 24,021 career points, trailing only Havlicek.

Pierce was traded to Brooklyn in 2013, spent the 2014-15 season in Washington and the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers and former Celtics coach Doc Rivers.