Basketball-National Basketball Association roundup

Dec 1 (The Sports Xchange) - Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James earned 2016 Sportsperson of the Year honors from Sports Illustrated after leading Cleveland to its first professional sports championship in 52 years last season. James, 31, helped the Cavaliers erase a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven NBA Finals series with the Golden State Warriors, preserving the comeback victory with his iconic block of Warriors forward Andre Iguodala in Game 7. "In putting the Cavaliers on his back in the NBA Finals he also fulfilled a promise to his home city and to an entire region," Sports Illustrated's editorial team wrote. "He was following through on that heartfelt, but risky, vow he made three summers ago when he returned home after four successful years in Miami." James also earned Sportsperson of the Year in 2012 after winning his first title, his third MVP and his second gold medal with U.S.A. Basketball. - - - Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was fined $15,000 for directing verbal abuse toward a game official and not leaving the court in a timely manner after his ejection, the NBA announced. The incident occurred with 18.6 seconds remaining in the first overtime of the Clippers' 127-122 double-overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. Rivers got so upset he had to be restrained by his players. - - - Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond was fined $15,000 by the NBA for elbowing Charlotte Hornets center Roy Hibbert in the head on Tuesday. Drummond was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected with 4:09 left in the first half of a 112-89 win over the Hornets. - - - The Milwaukee Bucks recalled guard Rashad Vaughn from the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Development League. Vaughn, 20, appeared in nine games for the Bucks and averaged six points on 40.4 percent shooting but dropped out of coach Jason Kidd's rotation and did not make his way off the bench in last Friday's 105-99 loss to the Toronto Raptors. He was sent to Westchester the following day. - - - The Philadelphia 76ers recalled forward/center Nerlens Noel from the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League. The subject of trade rumors, the 6-foot-11, 228-pound Noel has yet to appear in a game this season after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in October. - - - Philadelphia center Joel Embiid's run of good news continued when he was named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month. Denver Nuggets' guard Jamal Murray, who is second to Embiid in scoring average among rookies, was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month. (Editing by Andrew Both)