LAS VEGAS -- Chris Paul has already seemingly done the impossible by turning the long-languishing Los Angeles Clippers into a force in the Western Conference. Now hes taken on another big task -- rebuilding the reeling NBA players association. Paul was elected president of the players union Wednesday, replacing Derek Fisher and giving an organization cloaked in turmoil some much-needed star power at the top. The vote by NBA player representatives came six months after the union fired Billy Hunter as executive director, a position that remains vacant and follows about 18 months of in-fighting and drama that occurred during the negotiations for the latest collective bargaining agreement. Hunter countered with a wrongful-termination lawsuit in May, accusing Fisher of conspiring with NBA officials during the 2011 lockout. "Its not about me as president or the first vice-president, its about the players as a whole," Paul said in a conference call Wednesday night. One of Pauls greatest gifts on the court is an ability to get everyone involved and make his teammates better. Now hell try to do the same thing with the union. After the lockout ended and the lawsuits started to take hold, there was a feeling among many players and observers that putting a big name in the big chair would help galvanize the group and get star players interested in participating again. That once was commonplace, with marquee players Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Alex English and Isiah Thomas all serving as union presidents. But Paul, a six-time All-Star who is widely regarded as the best point guard in the league, is the first big star to hold the top spot since Patrick Ewings run ended in 2001. Role players Michael Curry, Antonio Davis and Fisher, who had been in charge since 2006, followed Ewing. "That wasnt a requirement, but I think it gives us a little more oomph, I guess, having somebody like him wanting to step up and take on that role," Charlotte Bobcats forward Anthony Tolliver said in a phone interview. "It means a lot." Paul served as a vice-president for the last four years, so he has intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the union, and the trouble that engulfed it recently. "It was something I saw as a challenge, something I knew Id be able to handle," Paul said. "Its an unbelievable opportunity, a lot of responsibility comes with this position but Im very fortunate to have an outstanding of committee guys. The past couple of days have been outstanding, the dialogue weve had as an executive committee also with the players that have come in town, it was amazing." The decision to appoint a new executive director to replace Hunter will come at a later date. "We definitely discussed (hiring an executive director), but theres no rush," Paul said. "For us, its all about getting our house in order and making sure that everything moves right in that direction." In meetings at the Venetian Hotel, Roger Mason Jr. was elected first vice-president. He replaced Jerry Stackhouse, who resigned from the office and is expected to take a position within the union. There are several issues that the league has been waiting to discuss with the union while they searched for new leadership, most notably the possible implementation of testing for HGH. Commissioner David Stern, who is retiring in February and handing the reins over to deputy commissioner Adam Silver, has said multiple times this summer that testing for HGH was a priority. "Chris is an All-Star player and person and we look forward to working with him," Silver said in a statement. Tolliver, who has long been one of the most devoted player representatives in the league, and Steve Blake were elected vice-presidents, filling the executive committee positions vacated by Paul and Mason. "This is not a position thats about me or one person," Paul said. "Its about the collective group and the players and I think from my experience ... its about growing the game and expanding our brand and continue to get our players involved as we can and make sure our voice is heard. The guys here just understand its our union, theres no one person that is bigger than the group." Paul said the union needed a "rebuild," and he was looking forward to rolling up his sleeves and getting to work. Tolliver agreed, saying it was time for a "fresh start" after a messy time in the unions history. "We want to make sure that nothing remotely close that has gone on in the union in the past 12 months or so will ever happen again," Tolliver said. "Its a huge job. Its a huge responsibility. Im glad to be a part of that." Pauls ascension could pave the way for more involvement from the biggest names in the game. LeBron James considered running for the job before deciding against it, and Paul is an All-NBA first team player who has been tight with James for years. "Since Ive been in the NBA the superstars have come to a few meetings here and there, every once in a while, but not very often," Tolliver said. "The fact that (James) even considered doing that lets me know that hes going to be more involved in the future. ... Especially him being the face of our game, we want to have him involved as much as possible. Not only him, we want all the guys that carry our brand to be a part of this." Fake Sabres Jerseys . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. Stitched Sabres Jerseys . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. Buffalo Sabres Shirts . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. Buffalo Sabres Gear .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Update: This move has been confirmed by SK Telecom T1. Kim Profit Joon-hyung is also joining the lineup as a top laner.Former Immortals top laner Heo Huni Seung-hoon is expected to sign with three-time League of Legends world champion team SK Telecom T1 in the coming days, sources close to the player tell ESPN.Huni will fill the spot left vacant after the departure of Lee Duke Ho-Seong, who parted ways with the team alongside jungler Bae Bengi Seong-woong on Monday.Huni first tried out for SK Telecom T1 in 2014 but was ultimately offered a deal to compete in Europe with Fnatic, where he went on to win two domestic titles and placed third/fourth at the 2015 World Championship. In 2016, he moved to North America alongside former teammate Kim Reignover Yeu-jin to compete on Immortals.SK Telecom T1 team has since signed a replacement jungler for Bengi in former ROOX Tigers player Han Peanut Wang-ho on Wednesday.dddddddddddd. Peanut will rotate in the position with Kang Blank Sun-gu.The team also announced this week that it had come to an unprecedented deal, with star mid laner Lee Faker Sang-hyeok, despite not specifying details. The team also reached new agreements with Blank, AD carry Bae Bang Jun-sik, and support Lee Wolf Jae-wan, as well as coaches Choi L.i.E.S Byoung-hoon and Kim kkOma Jeong-gyun.Should the deal go through as expected, Huni will round out the starting lineup of the South Korean League of Legends giant, which has won World Championships in 2013, 2015 and 2016. SK Telecom T1 most recently took first at the 2016 World Championship at Los Angeles Staples Center in October. ' ' '