The Toronto Raptors received the biggest championship rings in NBA history and unfurled a banner celebrating their victory in a ceremony before their season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Steve Kerr insists he isn’t ruling All-Star guard Klay Thompson out for the entire season, yet the Golden State coach cautions that Thompson’s recovery from surgery July 2 for a torn ACL in his left knee is still expected to take nine to 12 months.

The Detroit Pistons will begin the season without star forward Blake Griffin, whose injury issues have flared up again.

Jimmy Butler makes his official Heat debut on Wednesday night when Miami opens the season at home against No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. Landing Butler was the big offseason move for the Heat, and the four-time All-Star said he already is convinced that his new team can compete.

Jenna Schroeder was promoted Tuesday by the NBA to full-time official status, making her the fourth woman on the league’s current referee roster and the sixth in league history. The move comes after stints in college, the WNBA and the G League.

The NBA season starts Tuesday night, and here are 10 storylines to follow for the 2019-20 campaign:

With the Golden State Warriors weakened and powerhouse pairs popping up all over the place, the 2019-20 NBA season, unlike many in recent years, is a suspense story.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks were a couple wins from beating Toronto. The Philadelphia 76ers were maybe a couple bounces from doing it a round earlier.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Chinese officials wanted Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey to be fired for his tweet supporting anti-government protesters in Hong Kong, and the league emphatically dismissed the request.

Two-time All-Star forward Luol Deng has signed with the Chicago Bulls and retired as a member of the team that drafted him.

The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised their contract option on forward Kyle Kuzma for the 2020-21 season.

Lauren Holtkamp and Jonathan Sterling first met a few years ago at a meeting of college basketball referees in Virginia, and when the group when out for some socializing that night she asked him to dance. He declined. The refs now agree: That was a bad call.

Bradley Beal signed a two-year extension worth nearly $72 million with Washington on Thursday, a major victory for the Wizards and a move that will keep the All-Star guard out of free agency for at least the next three summers.

Women are having a greater impact than ever on the NBA – as broadcasters, referees, coaches, executives and owners. Many insist the game is better for it and that if the NBA is serious, the league is just scratching the surface.

The Brooklyn Nets played well and ate great on their trip to China. That was the tenor of their comments Wednesday after their first practice back home, downplaying the impact the ongoing international tension between the NBA and China had on them.

Getting to 100 points in the NBA used to almost certainly guarantee victory. These days, it’s the baseline for even having a chance.

Teams who longed to build a Big Three are now striving for a dynamic duo, hoping two premier players are good enough to win a championship when the belief used to be that it required a trio.

LeBron James had time, and plenty of it, to figure out how best to answer the questions he knew were coming. Long days in hotel rooms in China and a long flight home gave him every chance to carefully craft a response to a controversy he had no part in making but one that directly affects his bank account. Instead James chose to wing it. He blamed the messenger instead of addressing the message. And the LeBron brand may never be the same.

When the Washington Wizards drafted Rui Hachimura ninth overall four months ago, coaches liked what they were getting: a two-way player with a massive wingspan and a ton of potential.