Malcontent or not, on the court with a basketball in his hands, he's the same old Kobe.

After being greeted by some booing during pregame introductions, Kobe Bryant had the Lakers fans on their feet cheering him when he led a late comeback against the Houston Rockets.

Los Angeles came up short, with Shane Battier's 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left helping the Rockets hold off the Lakers, 95-93, Tuesday night in Rick Adeleman's debut as the Houston coach.

"Kobe is Kobe. He is just the best in the game," Battier said. "I don't know what's happening here in L.A., but when he laces it up, regardless of what happens elsewhere, he is going to bring it for 48 minutes."

Bryant, who during the offseason called the Lakers' front office "a mess" for not acquiring some new players and asked to be traded, scored 18 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers come from 14 points back.

They caught the Rockets at 92-92 on Derek Fisher's jumper with 13 seconds remaining.

Battier answered with his 3-pointer from near the right sideline, then, after the Lakers called timeout and inbounded the ball to Bryant, Battier quickly wrapped him up. Bryant made the first of two free throws and deliberately missed the second and the ball came to him, but it was knocked away as time expired.

Tracy McGrady scored 30 points, Yao Ming had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Battier had 11 points for the Rockets.

In the other NBA games Tuesday night, San Antonio beat Portland 106-97, and Utah cruised past Golden State 117-96.

Bryant was happy just to be starting the regular season, with all the off-court fuss put aside for a while.

"When we're playing in a game, we just focus on one another and the bonds that we have," Bryant said. "It has nothing to do with (trade) speculation or business or anything like that.

"Business a lot of times can cloud the game and take the fun out of the game if you allow it to. And that's something that I won't allow to happen."

Bryant said the pregame boos didn't bother him.

"I understand where they're coming from, but they really don't know the entire situation because I just keep my mouth shut, as I should," he said. "They shouldn't worry about it, just focus on watching us play and watching us do what we do, and the business side of it should remain behind closed doors.

"But it was good to see them come back to normal later in the game."

Lakers owner Jerry Buss said recently that he would listen to trade offers for Bryant, and asked if he believes he will be with the team all season, Bryant replied, "We'll see. If I am, I'm going to give it 110 percent every night, always. I don't worry about it. I think about playing."

Adelman said he was pleased with the Rockets' overall play, but added, "We didn't finish very well."

"It's hard when Bryant keeps getting on the line and the clock stops," he said. "We've got to have better composure, handle the ball a little better than we did in the last part of that game."

Adelman praised Battier for his 3-pointer, and his critical foul in the waning seconds.

"He's hit big shots in the past, so it's good it went to him," the coach said. "We wanted to foul before he (Bryant) took the shot and we definitely did that. He hadn't even turned around yet when Shane fouled him."

Bryant was 13-of-32 from the field and 18-of-27 from the line. The Lakers missed 18 of their 45 free throws.

Spurs 106, Trail Blazers 97

Tim Duncan had 24 points and 13 rebounds, and host San Antonio got its title defense off to a successful start. Tony Parker added 19 points for the Spurs and Manu Ginobili had 16 points and eight assists.

LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 27 points. Martell Webster added 21 and Joel Przybilla had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Before the game, the Spurs held the final celebration of their fourth title in nine seasons as coaches and players received their championshipship rings — 14-karat gold and bearing almost 4.5 carats of diamonds.

Jazz 117, Warriors 96

Carlos Boozer had 32 points and 15 rebounds, Deron Williams added 24 points and visiting Utah jumped right back into last season's playoff form.

Ronnie Brewer scored 18 points and Paul Millsap added 16 for the Jazz, who reached the Western Conference finals last spring with a five-game victory over Golden State in the second round, ending the eighth-seeded Warriors' unlikely playoff run.

Utah outrebounded the Warriors 56-37 and constantly capitalized on Golden State's mistakes. The Jazz led through most of the final three quarters, then coolly turned back Baron Davis' attempts to start a fourth-quarter rally.

Davis had 25 points and 10 assists for the Warriors. Mickael Pietrus and Monta Ellis scored 17 points apiece.

Duncan, Spurs agree on 2-year extension

Tim Duncan has agreed to a two-year, $40 million contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs, an official familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday.

The agreement will add to Duncan's existing three-year deal and keep him in San Antonio at least through the 2011-12 season, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the source was not authorized to discuss negotiations.

"That's probably the biggest part of it, to (sign) this extension and hopefully end my career here, that's the biggest part of it," Duncan said after the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 106-97 Tuesday night.

No official word has been released.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich also spoke about the extension before the game.

"It shows him what we think of him and it adds continuity for all of the other players who are here — other players that we might want to sign in the future," Popovich said. "It's just part of doing the family thing and trying to make everybody feel as comfortable as we can within a business environment that we all have to live in.

"As many things as you can do to dilute the hard-core business end of it, you do it, and this is one of them if you can extend somebody."

Asked about reports that Duncan took $10 million less than he was eligible to receive so the team would have salary-cap flexibility in the future, Popovich said Duncan is "definitely special and that's just a very good example of how his brain works and what his priorities are."

The 31-year-old Duncan has led the Spurs to four NBA titles in the past nine seasons, and he was the finals MVP for the first three. He also won back-to-back league MVP titles in 2002-03.

Duncan, entering his 11th season, was the No. 1 pick in 1997, two years before the Spurs won their first title.

The nine-time All-Star has career averages of 21.8 points and 11.9 rebounds.

Before beginning the defense of their title against the Trail Blazers, the Spurs were to be presented with their championship rings after sweeping LeBron James and Cleveland in June.

The Spurs are seeking their first repeat after failing to defend their titles in 2000, 2004 and 2006. They didn't make it past the second round in any of those seasons.

"There's no better feeling than being the last team standing," Duncan said earlier this month. "And no matter how many times you attain that goal, you want to do it again."

The quiet Duncan, who will be 36 at the end of the extension, is the foundation of the Spurs and their league-leading defense. Popovich's hardworking and methodical approach are apparent in Duncan, who is known for almost unparalleled effort on and off the court.

Hobbled by plantar fasciitis in previous seasons, Duncan was healthy last year and has said he feels ready again this season.

Popovich also showed reporters gathered around him before Tuesday's tip-off a cartoon he got from a newspaper several years ago. It depicted a player sitting in a main office, a coach waiting outside to see him and an administrative assistant. Popovich had labeled the player "TD" and the coach "Pop." The cartoon's caption read: "The Franchise will see you now, coach."

"That's actually how we work around here if anybody wants to know the truth," Popovich said.

Nets acquire Wesley to open roster space

The New Jersey Nets opened two roster spots on Monday, trading swingman Bernard Robinson, center Mile Ilic and cash considerations to the New Orleans Hornets for veteran guard David Wesley.

The Nets have told Wesley not to report and the team will eat the guaranteed portion of his $1.75 million contract, general manager Ed Stefanski said. The team will waive Wesley at some point, he added.

Wesley's salary will count against the NBA's $55.63 million salary cap. The trade also helped the team get under the league's luxury tax level of $67.87 million, Stefanski said.

Teams have to pay a $1 tax for every $1 they are above the tax figure.

"What it does for us is that it gives us roster flexibility," Stefanski said. "We now have 13 guys, and the max you can have is 15. We feel good about that flexibility going forward."

There are no immediate plans to fill either roster spot, Stefanski said.

Wesley has averaged 12.5 points and 4.4 assists during 14 seasons in the NBA, including the 1993-94 campaign with the Nets. He played in 35 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, averaging about 10 minutes.

Robinson appeared in 10 games with the Nets after being acquired from Charlotte in January.

A second-round selection in the 2005 draft, Ilic appeared in five games as a rookie in 2006-07, getting one rebound in six minutes. He also appeared in nine games with the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League, averaging 5.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.78 blocks.

"In Mile's case, obviously, he's happy," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "There was no opportunity for him to play here and that's a credit to the other guys here. I think with Bernard, he was coming around, but the way we looked at it was it was a way to create roster flexibility down the line."

Stern: No penalties for refs in casinos

David Stern acknowledged Thursday that more than half of his 56 referees had violated NBA policies about casino gambling, but said none will be punished because he felt the rules were outdated.

Instead, Stern said he is altering the policies, leaning toward allowing referees to gamble in casinos during the offseason — except for betting in sports books.

The league's strict gambling policies toward referees became public after the Tim Donaghy scandal. The NBA currently prevents its officials from entering the gaming area of a casino, or doing any betting at all except for going to race tracks during the offseason.

But Stern admitted he did a poor job of enforcing the policies, and with views toward gambling changing, decided he wouldn't "penalize people for behavior that I'm about to change."

"It's too easy to issue rules that are on their faith violated by $5 Nassau, sitting at a poker table, buying a lottery ticket and then we can move along," Stern said after wrapping up the league's Board of Governors meetings. "And by the time I got through and I determined going into a casino isn't a capital offense ... I'm the CEO of the NBA and I'll take responsibility."

Stern also said Stu Jackson and Ronnie Nunn, in charge of monitoring officiating, will both have their roles altered. But he stressed they were being "expanded" rather than demotions — even though Jackson's job now will be divided between two people and the league will be "cutting down on some of (Nunn's) other responsibilities."

The commissioner stressed there is still no indication that any other officials were involved in illegal gambling activity, but practically all of them violated a league policy that Stern called "too harsh." That included anything from buying lottery tickets to taking part in poker games, betting on college football or taking part in NCAA tournament pools.

Stern ordered a review of the league's entire officiating program after Donaghy pleaded guilty to betting on games he worked and providing information to others to help them win bets. Though the investigation being conducted by former federal prosecutor Lawrence Pedowitz can't be completed until the federal investigation of Donaghy is wrapped up, it has already sparked some changes.

Stern said the league likely will begin listing the names of the crew of referees the morning of the game, and steps will be taken to admit when officiating mistakes were made.

Then there are the changes with Jackson and Nunn, who both came under fire after the scandal broke.

Jackson, the league's executive vice president of basketball operations, will remain in that area, but sometime this season the league will hire a full-time referee operations executive. Jackson will continue to hand out on-court discipline and deal with many of the league's international ventures, but will give up his referee responsibilities.

Nunn, the director of officials, will spend more time on the road training younger officials. The league already has hired Bernie Fryer, who retired last season, to deal with the crew chiefs. Stern said Nunn told him that "it's more valuable for him to be on the road than to do his television show."

"We are broadening and taking more responsibility and we are doing it with the people that we have and we're going to add to them," Stern said, "but certainly it's not a reduction of responsibility."

Stern also reiterated that he is not currently considering any action toward Knicks coach Isiah Thomas or Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan in the aftermath of the ruling against them in a sexual harassment suit brought by former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders.

The trial did bring another change, however. All team personnel now will be required to set and meet minimum standards regarding sensitivity training and respect in the workplace.

The board heard what "wasn't a very uplifting report" about the situation in Seattle, where there has been no progress on funding for a new arena that would keep the SuperSonics in the city. Stern called himself an optimist but said his "optimism is waning" when it comes to the team's future there.

Donaghy's sentencing has been delayed until January, and Stern said he expects to learn further details about what the former referee did or didn't do, such as making calls to affect games, if he cooperates with investigators. But Stern dismissed the notion that this season is more important than any other because of the scrutiny the league has been under since the summer.

"We evolve, we respond, we grow," he said.

Heat trade Antoine Walker to Wolves

Antoine Walker's turbulent time with the Miami Heat is over. The Heat traded the three-time All-Star forward to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday in a five-player deal that came one day after Miami completed a winless preseason.

Walker, backup center Michael Doleac, oft-injured forward Wayne Simien and a conditional first-round draft pick were sent to Minnesota for former Miami swingman Ricky Davis and center Mark Blount.

The deal gives Miami the third scoring option it wanted in Davis. The Heat will try to fit him in alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade — the 2006 finals MVP who'll miss a few more weeks while recovering from knee and shoulder surgeries.

Walker helped the Heat win the 2006 NBA title but hasn't always had the easiest time dealing with Heat coach Pat Riley's strict conditioning standards. He was briefly suspended last year because his body-fat measurement wasn't within team limits, and he came to training camp this month not in the shape Riley wanted.

"It's always difficult to get traded," said Mark Bartelstein, Walker's agent. "It's well-documented there were issues between Pat and Antoine that were out there hanging over everyone's head."

Walker did not play in Miami's final two preseason games. Riley said he kept him out of Tuesday's exhibition finale because, "I know what he can do."

So he'll do it for Minnesota now — or, perhaps, someone else.

The Timberwolves now have 18 players under contract and vice president for basketball operations Kevin McHale said another move is coming to trim the roster — indicating not all the new pieces will actually report to Minnesota.

"We have some other stuff that we're probably going to do inside this deal," McHale said. "A lot of business going on."

McHale said the deal was agreed to shortly after midnight Wednesday, or just a couple hours after Miami's preseason ended with a loss to San Antonio.

The Heat planned to bring Davis and Blount in for physicals with the hope they can practice Thursday. Miami was off Wednesday and players and coaches were not available for comment.

Walker averaged career-lows of 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 23.3 minutes last season for Miami, making only 15 starts. Walker came off the bench only 15 times in his first nine NBA seasons; he was a backup 126 times in 160 regular-season games with the Heat.

"He was part of that championship run, but the last year's been difficult," Bartelstein said. "There's always a lot of emotions. But it's part of the business that we're in and I think Antoine wants to have a great season. He's worked really hard."

Walker — who did not immediately return a call Wednesday — bristled earlier this season when his conditioning became an issue once again.

"We'll see when the time comes. Just got to play ball," Walker said after a preseason game two weeks ago. "Until then, it's October. I'll just keep working to get better and get in the best shape possible for Nov. 1. I'll be ready to go Nov. 1."

He is owed about $18 million over the next two seasons; the Timberwolves could opt out of his contract after that.

"Hopefully he comes in and is a professional," McHale said. "I know the last three or four weeks down in Miami haven't been all that pleasant."

Davis only appeared in seven games with Miami during the 2000-01 season, his year wrecked by injuries.

But he's been a solid scorer with Cleveland, Boston and Minnesota in recent years, averaging 16.0 points per game since leaving Miami — and is coming off a season where he hit a career-high 40 percent of his 3-point tries, another area where the Heat could use some help.

Blount, who is due about $8 million annually for the next three years, averaged 12.3 points and 6.2 rebounds last season for Minnesota.

"I think it's going to allow the emergence or the ability for the emergence for some of these guys to step up and see who has leadership ability and have an understanding of what we're talking about, that we have to have a cohesiveness in the locker room," Minnesota coach Randy Wittman said.

Doleac was Miami's third-string center behind O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning, and Simien's career has been largely derailed so far by knee injuries and a nasty bout with salmonella poisoning that kept him off the floor for most of last season.

Minnesota will get a first-round pick from Miami sometime before 2011. The pick is lottery-protected in 2008, protected through the No. 10 selection in 2009, through the No. 6 slot in 2010 and not protected thereafter.

The trade means the Timberwolves have just three players who've been with the team more than one season: Mark Madsen, Rashad McCants and Marko Jaric.

Jazz-Lakers game in San Diego canceled

The preseason game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz scheduled for Thursday night at San Diego was canceled because of the devastation caused by wind-whipped fires that forced at least 346,000 homes in San Diego County to be evacuated.

"There is simply too much devastation in the area and too much uncertainty about what will happen in the next few days," Tim Harris, the Lakers' senior vice president of business operations, said Tuesday as the teams played at Honda Center.

"After many internal discussions about many different factors, we've concluded that this is simply the right thing to do. The people of San Diego have been very supportive of us over the years, and in turn, we want to be supportive of them in this time of crisis."

The announcement was made in a release handed out on press row just before the final horn. Before the game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson told reporters that he didn't support going to San Diego.

"It's a city that's obviously depressed and recovering, and people are limiting things they have to do," Jackson said. "They're asking people to limit their outdoor activity, and they're also talking about resources. So there are considerations there. I understand that the mayor lately has asked people to stay at home and hunker down underneath this thing until it passes."

Utah coach Jerry Sloan agreed with the decision after his team's 102-81 victory.

"We have to go along with whatever they decide to do, but we should be more concerned about those people having to worry about their homes than the cancellation of a ballgame," Sloan said. "I don't know what the situation is, so obviously it's probably better that we don't go down there and just go about our business trying to get ready to start the season."

Reggie Miller joins Albert on TNT team

Reggie Miller won't be chasing the NBA championship that eluded him during his 18-year career. He decided against a comeback bid at 42 years old with the Boston Celtics. Instead, the former Indiana Pacers star might announce some of their games.

He is teaming exclusively with Hall-of-Famer Marv Albert this season to form one of Turner Network Television's top basketball announcing teams.

The Albert-Miller pairing makes sense because many of their signature moments the past two decades are connected.

"For so many years, he was the voice of my career and so many of my big games against the Knicks and the Bulls," Miller told The Associated Press. "To be working side-by-side with him — I'm very humbled and very honored because a lot of people don't get put in this position."

Their debut will be Oct. 30, when Portland visits San Antonio.

Miller joined TNT after retiring from the NBA two seasons ago. He split time between studio and color work before being moved strictly to game analysis this season. Miller and Albert have worked together just enough to get comfortable and build a rapport.

"He got it so quickly from a broadcasting point of view," Albert said. "He just had it. I always feel you have it or you don't."

Miller felt he still had it as a basketball player and wanted to find out after he got a call from Danny Ainge, Boston's executive director of basketball operations. Miller said he went through three weeks of two-a-days and gave it his best shot before returning to TNT.

"Once I got through that first week, I was fine, and my body probably could have held up for eight months," he said. "I don't think for eight months, mentally, I could have done it. The first two months, I would have been so excited, but December, January and February, those dog days of the NBA, I'd be like 'What the hell am I doing? I could have been chilling in Malibu.'"

The Celtics have added several players including former Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett in their bid to win the title. If they succeed, Miller said he will have regrets.

"It will hurt," he said. "I know Kevin Garnett is going to have an unbelievable year because he's like a kid in a candy store. The excitement is back. If you give a player of his magnitude and skill excitement, you surround him with a Paul Pierce and a Ray Allen, and those other two guys are somewhat getting a get-out-of-jail-free card as well, it's magic waiting to happen."

Albert said Miller carries the same attributes that set him apart as a player into his color commentary.

"I think people related to him because he was so expressive, there was so much emotion," Albert said. "In his heyday, he really stood out. You knew who he was. Aside from the fact that he was such a good player, there was an identity, a style to him."

Albert and Miller agree on their favorite "Miller Time" moment, a 1994 playoff game between the Pacers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Miller scored 25 points in the fourth quarter of a Pacers win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

"That's probably the one call I remember vividly," Miller said. "'And Miller for another one — yes!'"

Albert remembers it for another reason — the animated discussion on the sideline between Miller and film director Spike Lee, a superfan of the Knicks. Albert caught onto the conversation and brought the rivalry into the national spotlight.

"We ended up making a big deal about it because it was such a big part of what was happening in the game," Albert said. "He'd hit a shot, and you'd see the body language back and forth between them during the game.

"For myself, as a broadcaster, it doesn't get any better than that, that it's not just a basketball game."

Albert said Miller has good relationships with coaches and players, so he heads into games with good insight. Miller knows when to interject and is easy to work with, Albert said.

Albert also is impressed with Miller's knowledge of the game.

"He has a coach's mentality in terms of Xs and Os," Albert said. "There is nothing that happens that will fool him."

Miller is a fan of Albert's work as well.

"I've always loved his witty approach to the game," Miller said. "He's going to meet his match, because I'm just the same. I think it's going to be a great fit."

Miller steps in for Steve Kerr, who is now general manager of the Phoenix Suns.

"I really felt that Marv and Steve worked well together," Miller said. "They had great chemistry. That's a little bit of pressure to come into."

Albert said Miller doesn't have much to worry about.

"He's going to be great," Albert said.

Magic beat Cavs in Shanghai, China

LeBron James stood in the middle of the court at halftime, an advertisement as big as any for next year's Olympics.

He waved a replica of the red and silver torch for the Beijing Games while Chinese and U.S. flags hung from the rafters of newly built Qizhong Arena.

The public address announcer mingled English with Chinese. NBA commissioner David Stern was at the game. Jazz musician Kenny G sat in the front row.

"The atmosphere was amazing," James said "Everything I expected and more."

James and his Cleveland Cavaliers lost an exhibition game on the outskirts of Shanghai on Wednesday, beaten 90-86 by the Orlando Magic.

But the final score was the least of it.

This was the first of the NBA's three "China Games," and Stern was on hand to explain the league's massive expansion plans in a country with the world's fastest growing major economy. This is also where 300 million people — the entire population of the United States — are reported to play basketball.

The halftime show — James aside — featured a juggler balancing one-legged on a unicycle. She began with a dozen bowls stacked on her head. She then succeeded in flicking a half-dozen more atop the stack, throwing them with flicks of her right leg.

"I thought it was a big deal tonight even though it was a preseason game," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "It almost felt like the electricity you feel in some of the buildings in a game that kind of matters."

The teams play again Saturday in the former Portuguese territory of Macau. On Thursday in Macau, the Magic face a Chinese all-star team.

James finished with 17 points in 28 minutes and was on the bench in the final quarter when the Magic rallied after trailing nearly the entire way.

Dwight Howard's 31 points and 14 rebounds led Orlando, with Jameer Nelson adding 24. Larry Hughes scored 16 points for Cleveland in 27 minutes. He and James rested late in the game when Orlando took control. The Cavaliers' Daniel Gibson did not see time because of a right hamstring injury but might play in Macau.

Orlando's new coach Stan Van Gundy, with a few top players injured, didn't rest anyone.

"Every night is a test for us as a young team," Howard said. "We've really got to stay focused. They didn't play their guys the whole game, but just to be out there was a good test for us."

The Magic tied it 84-84 on Howard's inside basket with 1:16 to play, then drew away with Nelson hitting four of four free throws down the stretch.

"It showed their first five is better than our second five," said Brown, who promised to use his starters more.

Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry acknowledged the China trip was taxing, but said it might pay off during the year.

"I think it's a pretty good team building experience when you go to the other side of the world as a group and kind of bunker down that way," he said.

Before the game, Stern discussed the NBA's new China subsidiary, NBA China. Timothy Chen, one of China's top business executives, began work Monday as the company's new chief executive officer. Stern said plans call for setting up "the second NBA, the NBA of China."

He didn't elaborate but said the expansion will involve working with the 16-team China Basketball Association.

"This is a long-term project where discussions have literally just begun and would, of course, involve the securing of significant financing from capital sources to finance substantial arena development throughout China," Stern said.

The NBA generated about $50 million in revenue last year from China, the league's largest market outside the United States. That pales compared with overall NBA revenue of almost $4 billion. But NBA officials have said the 80-person staff in China is set to grow five times in the next several years with increased revenues sure to follow.

Stern has held two days of meetings in China talking with TV partners, advertisers and sponsors about ways to expand basketball in China.

The commissioner said the NBA was seeking financing. Ninety percent of the new subsidiary will be owned by the league. Two 5 percent shares will be sold to Chinese investors and to a U.S. media company.

Li Yuanwei, the China Basketball Association's executive vice president, welcomes the venture provided China gets its share.

"Together we can greatly expand the market for basketball. I think the Chinese market is big enough, but it is still emerging and underdeveloped," Li said.

"As long as it is carried out on an equal footing and in a mutually beneficial manner," he added, "I believe our cooperation will lead to a win-win situation."

(This version subs the third graf to correct name to Kenny G.)

LeBron James looms large in Shanghai

LeBron James looms large in Shanghai. He hovers over a basket in billboards around the city leading to Wednesday's NBA exhibition game between his Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic and another game Saturday in the former Portuguese territory of Macau.

"For me, growing up, I never thought about having a billboard anywhere," James said Tuesday, slipping off a white NBA headband and replacing it with a Cleveland Indians cap.

"You see them (billboards) locally, and then you start seeing them a little bit nationwide. And now worldwide. It's like, wow. It's like extra credit. It's unbelievable. You would never think that you could have your face somewhere else where you don't even live."

James' shoe sponsor converted a Shanghai art gallery into a LeBron James showroom. Dubbed the "LBJ Museum," the promotion this week includes a freshly shellacked basketball court, aimed at pitching James in China, where 300 million people — the population of the United States — play basketball.

Nike also unveiled the latest version of James' signature shoe on Tuesday. It's the second time it's picked China — ahead of the U.S. — to show off James' newest offering. The "limited edition" shoe was selling Tuesday for almost $200.

Nike's newest TV spot featuring James also kicked off this week in China, several weeks ahead of its U.S. premiere.

James is a hot property in basketball's most dynamic marketplace. And the NBA and Nike know it, both looking toward next year's Beijing Olympics, where James would surely capture world attention if he leads the beleaguered American basketball team to a gold medal.

Several hundred Chinese reporters and photographers showed up for Tuesday's practice at the Lu Wan Stadium. They engulfed James at the far end of the floor when he stopped shooting. He squatted on a low-slung bench, back against the wall, and stared up to answer questions, cutting deep furrows across his forehead.

"Every time I'm here it's the same response: It's great, the fans love us, the kids are great," James said. "The spirit the Chinese have for the game of basketball is great. Nothing surprises me now."

He was asked whether the Cavaliers will reach the NBA finals again and the pressures facing him as another season awaits.

"I don't believe in pressure," he said. "So it's not hard to reduce it when you don't believe in it."

James is one of the four most popular NBA players in China. Kobe Bryant is probably No. 1, with China-born Yao Ming, James and Allen Iverson jousting for the next spots. At 22, James is the youngest and — get this — might be more popular than Yao.

"The Chinese are looking for individual heroes," said Huang Risheng, a reporter with the Chinese-language Titan sports newspaper. "We are not open enough, not extroverted enough. We like the individual effort, just one man saving the whole team like James."

"I think those three are more popular than Yao Ming. It's a contradiction. Maybe I should say we like their style of play better."

Like the NBA, Nike's business is soaring in China. The country could generate $1 billion next year, up from about $100 million just five years ago. The NBA's does about $50 million annually and should follow Nike's growth pattern.

Nike has fashioned the preseason games in China around James, who reportedly has a seven-year deal with the shoemaker worth $90 million. Shoe rival Adidas is also promoting the games, stringing up its ads on Huaihai Road, a swanky street that includes many of the city's high-end boutiques.

Adidas' main star is the Magic's Dwight Howard, whose thundering dunks carry the company's pitch.

Nike doesn't liken James to Michael Jordan, but others have. That included at least one Chinese reporter.

"It's great to be compared to one of the greats, but my game and his game are totally different," James said.

The "LBJ Museum" — it's unclear how many people recognize the initials as those of a former U.S. president — is aimed at drawing young fans. It is located near the historic French Concession area in central Shanghai. The museum offers 3-on-3 games in the run-up to this week's exhibitions and introduces James with childhood photos, jerseys from high school and shoes he's worn with Nike.

There's also a history of his NBA career starting with a photo alongside NBA commissioner David Stern from June 22, 2003, when James was chosen No. 1 in the draft.

"The idea is to help Chinese youth understand who he is, his career, his history and his personality," Nike spokesman Alan Marks said.

The museum also displays a copy of James' birth certificate: Dec. 30, 1984, born in Akron, Ohio, to Gloria James.

"For the first years of his life LeBron is raised by his mother and grandmother, Freda, on Hickory Street in Akron," reads a caption. "A milk crate hung on a telephone pole serves as the neighborhood basketball hoop attached by a few nails at whatever height the tallest available boy can reach."

Teammate Drew Gooden said James' popularity hinges not on charm or athletic skill but on being genuine and delivering.

"He came into the league as a superstar, but for him to fill those shoes makes it all that much better," Gooden said. "When you live up to the hype people respect that, especially fans."

That includes Chinese fans.

Lakers owner considers trading Bryant

Jerry Buss has already shown that he'll part with superstars. Yet upon hearing that the Los Angeles Lakers' owner would consider trading Kobe Bryant, even Shaquille O'Neal was shocked.

"I guess it's business before loyalty. But, wow. He said that?" O'Neal said Thursday in Miami after learning Buss told reporters he would trade Bryant under the right circumstances.

Buss indeed did, telling three Los Angeles-area beat writers covering training camp in Honolulu on Wednesday that he "would certainly listen" to trade offers for the two-time NBA scoring champion.

"At any time, I think you have to do that with anybody," Buss said, discussing Bryant publicly for the first time since the often-frustrated Lakers' star asked to be traded at the end of last season. "It's just part of the game, to listen to somebody who has a dissatisfied player that you think is going to fit.

"You can't keep too many loyalties. You've got to look at it as a business. He looks at it the same way I look at it."

Buss made his comments to reporters from the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Before Thursday night's exhibition game against Golden State in Honolulu, some members of the Lakers said they weren't aware of Buss' comments.

"I didn't hear them," Lamar Odom said. "For us, we're players so, you know, I didn't hear the comments myself so I wouldn't know why there would be a different mood or a different feeling at shootaround today."

Forward Ronny Turiaf agreed that the reports did little to affect the team.

"We just play basketball. I really have nothing to say, that's between Kobe and management," he said.

The Lakers won three championships and reached the NBA finals four times in five years before O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in July 2004. They haven't won a playoff series since O'Neal left, and O'Neal has since helped the Heat win the 2006 NBA title.

"Anyone can be traded, but mine was different because I walked into the office and demanded a trade," O'Neal said. "I don't take loyalty lightly. If you tell me you're going to do something, I expect you to do it. And then when you change your mind without telling me, that means you're disloyal so we can't be down anymore."

Bryant has four years worth $88.6 million left on the seven-year contract he signed a day after O'Neal was traded, but can terminate the deal in two years. That would leave $47.8 million on the table.

"I tend not to think in basketball terms that many years down the road because things change so dramatically, but he could test the waters at that point," Buss said. "If he still is in that frame of mind, then hopefully we can do a sign-and-trade and get some comparable talent. I would like to think that we win between now and then so it doesn't come up."

Following his trade request, Bryant kept a low profile regarding the Lakers until reporting with his teammates Oct. 1 on media day — before the team left for Hawaii. Bryant told reporters that frustration led to his blowup. Otherwise, he said the time had come to move forward.

Buss recalled an offseason meeting in Barcelona when he tried to talk Bryant out of the trade request.

"He listened very carefully for 30, 45 minutes," Buss said. "I tried to explain to him how much the city of Los Angeles loved him, and that to leave 10 million sweethearts for unknown territory might not be the right thing to do. But when I was finished, he said he basically felt the same way. And I said, `OK. With that, I will proceed to see what's available.'"

Buss didn't elaborate other than saying he might have acted on a trade offer that was "within reason."

"You have to get comparable value when you make a trade," Buss said. "It's very hard to trade somebody like him because people who have enough material to make it worthwhile are usually contenders and they don't want to make the trade."

Buss also said he occasionally told Bryant of certain offers, none of which he found fair to the Lakers, and acknowledged frustration at losing out to Boston for Kevin Garnett's services.

"I told him that I would try my best to accommodate his wishes, but that I could not afford to let him go unless we got comparable talent — if there was such a thing," Buss said.

The 29-year-old Bryant is about to begin his 12th NBA season — all with the Lakers.

"Dr. Buss's comments today provided more insight to a conversation we shared in Barcelona earlier this summer," Bryant said in a statement issued Thursday. "I have touched on this conversation and other conversations within the Lakers' organization during the recent months and again at the Lakers' media day. I have nothing further to add and look forward to the upcoming season with my teammates."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said if Kobe stays, he must put the distractions aside.

"My message to Kobe was that if you could play with your heart in this game, on this team, you'll be fine. If you can't, if you have divided loyalties, then you can't do it."

When asked if Bryant is focused, Jackson said, "No, he's not. He's distracted, obviously."

However, Jackson acknowledged Buss must keep to his word to Bryant.

"His first initial statement was that we're not interested in trading Kobe Bryant, but when you have a disgruntled player, an unhappy player or whatever, you have to consider you made that gentlemen's agreement with Kobe and I think that's appropriate," Jackson said.