HONG KONG (AP) — Ten same-sex couples got married in the United States over the internet from Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous southern Chinese city that does not formally recognize such unions but offers them legal protections.
The event Tuesday was timed to mark Pride Month, with a registered officiant from the American state of Utah making their marriages official. Most states require the couple to appear in person to fill out paperwork and present identification, but Utah does not, and its digital application process has made it a go-to for online weddings since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Family members gathered in a hotel wedding hall in Hong Kong’s Kowloon district as couples exchanged rings, then raised their glasses in a toast.
"I hope one day that everybody would accept the fact that love is not just between a man and a woman. It’s between two people who love each other," said Lucas Peng, a 66-year-old Singaporean businessperson living in Hong Kong, and one of the 20 people tying the knot in Tuesday's semi-virtual event.
"It's just two humans who love each other. That’s the key. That’s the important part. And to be able to publicly declare our love for each other today is a very important step for us, definitely,” Peng said.
Wedding organizer Kurt Tung said he hoped the event would send a message to the public.
"In Hong Kong, there’s not yet a way to go to a marriage registry to get married, but there’s still this way we can offer for them to realize their dreams of getting married,” Tung said.
Keeping with cultural and religious traditions, Hong Kong only recognizes weddings between a man and a woman. Self-governing Taiwan is the closest place that issues same-sex marriages, and Hong Kong recognizes those couples’ legal rights, though the city doesn't call them marriages. It has no laws banning same-sex relationships.
In September, the Hong Kong's top court ruled that the local government should provide a legal framework for recognizing same-sex partnerships, including rights to inheritance, joint custody of children, taxation, spousal visas and benefits from employment with the local government.
That came after LGBTQ+ rights activist Jimmy Sham, who married his husband in New York in 2013, raised a challenge at the city’s Court of Final Appeal that Hong Kong’s laws violated the constitutional right to equality. That contrasts with the increasingly conservative political tone in the Asian financial hub, where edicts from the authoritarian Communist Party leadership in Beijing have led to criticism from around the world that it's squashing democratic rights and free speech.
Ten same-sex couples who got married in the United States over the internet stand during their wedding at Eaton Hotel, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city does not formally recognize such unions but offers them legal protections. The event Tuesday was timed to mark Pride Month. (AP Photo/Alice Fung)
Paul George is going back to the Eastern Conference, and surely has made Joel Embiid very happy in the process.
George will sign a four-year, $212 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press early Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be finalized until July 6 by NBA rule.
The move was finalized a few hours into the start of NBA free agency, but Embiid — Philadelphia's center and the 2022-23 NBA MVP — began planting the seeds for this at least a couple weeks ago. He and George made a television appearance together during the NBA Finals, one where the Philadelphia center suggested he'd like to see the veteran wing join him with the 76ers.
And it happened. The Los Angeles Clippers, now George's former team, said earlier Sunday night that he would not be back with them going forward — and from there, it was just a matter of the nine-time All-Star working out terms with the 76ers.
“Paul has informed us that he is signing his next contract with another team,” the Clippers said in a release.
The team added: “We negotiated for months with Paul and his representative on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we were left far apart. The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul’s decision to look elsewhere for his next contract.”
George had a $48.8 million option for this coming season but did not exercise it, entering free agency — which opened Sunday night — instead. It was believed there was a chance that George and the Clippers could have still gotten something done, but the team made clear that those hopes are gone.
“We will miss Paul,” the Clippers said.
At 34, George is still elite — averaging 22.6 points this past season, the ninth consecutive season in which he has averaged at least 20 points per game.
Meanwhile, James Harden is staying with the Clippers on a two-year contract that includes a player option, a person with knowledge of that decision told AP earlier Sunday.
Harden’s deal — which could be worth up to $70 million if he opts into 2025-26 — was agreed upon in principle before free agency technically started, said the person who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because neither Harden nor the Clippers had announced the agreement.
Harden, a 10-time NBA All-Star, averaged 16.6 points and 8.5 assists last season for the Clippers, who will move into their new Intuit Dome home when this coming season starts.
Elsewhere, veteran guard Chris Paul is going to team up with rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio on a one-year deal, a person with knowledge of that agreement said.
Paul was waived earlier Sunday by the Golden State Warriors, who would have had to pay him $30 million for the coming season otherwise. ESPN reported the Spurs will pay Paul around $11 million. The 39-year-old Paul averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists in 58 games with the Warriors last season.
And Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is going to bring his championship experience to the Orlando Magic, a team that made a big jump this past season and now is trying to become an even stronger contender in the East.
Caldwell-Pope — a two-time champion guard — was finalizing a three-year, $66 million deal with the Magic, a person with knowledge of the decision said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to AP because the deal cannot be finalized until the league's offseason moratorium is lifted on July 6.
It's a big get for the rising Magic, who won 47 games — their most in 13 years — and got back to the playoffs this past season. Caldwell-Pope was part of title-winning teams with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and the Denver Nuggets in 2023. He averaged 10.1 points for the Nuggets this past season while shooting nearly 41% from 3-point range.
In other notable moves Sunday:
— Kevin Love was completing a new two-year contract with the Miami Heat worth about $8 million, a person with knowledge of that deal told AP, the move coming one day after he did not opt into what would have been a $4 million contract for this coming season with the club. Love had said repeatedly last season that he has no intentions of leaving Miami.
— Andre Drummond agreed to a two-year contract worth about $10 million (the second year as an option) to join the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that he appeared in 49 games for during the 2021-22 season. Drummond spent the last two seasons in Chicago — he averaged 8.4 points and 9.0 rebounds this past season in only 17 minutes per game — and would be valuable insurance alongside Embiid in the 76ers' big-man rotation. “I'm in the mood for a Philly cheesesteak,” Drummond posted on social media.
— Obi Toppin is being rewarded nicely for his strong first season with Indiana. A person with knowledge of the agreement said he and the Pacers were finalizing a four-year deal worth nearly $60 million. Toppin averaged a career-best 10.3 points last season, his first with Indiana after three years in New York.
— Promising wing Max Christie is returning to the Los Angeles Lakers with a four-year, $32 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told AP. The 21-year-old Christie averaged 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists during his first two NBA seasons.
— The NBA set the salary cap at at $140.588 million for the 2024-25 season, down slightly — about $400,000 or so — from what teams had been told to expect. The tax level was set at $170.814 million, the first apron level will be $178.132 million, the second apron level will be $188.931 million, the non-taxpayer mid-level is $12.822 million, the taxpayer mid-level is $5.168 million, and the room mid-level is $7.983 million.
AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham in Los Angeles and Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
FILE - Miami Heat's Kevin Love, right, looks to shoot against Milwaukee Bucks' Pat Connaughton, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Feb. 13, 2024, in Milwaukee. Love was finalizing a new contract Sunday, June 30, 2024, to remain with the Heat, a person with knowledge told The Associated Press. Love's new deal was to be in the range of $4 million annually. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) drives past Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic during Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series April 28, 2024, in Dallas. As NBA free agency opened Sunday, June 30, 2024, Harden agreed to stay with the Clippers on a two-year contract worth up to $70 million, a person with knowledge of that agreement told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George, right, and Jerry West attend a groundbreaking ceremony of the Intuit Dome, Sept. 17, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. The two-day NBA draft was tinged with sadness for the Clippers, who were without West in their war room. West spent the last seven years as a consultant for the team, helping recruit Kawhi Leonard and George. The Hall of Famer died June 12 at age 86. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)
