Basketball

NBA star Blake Griffin is calling it a career after 14 seasons ... announcing his retirement in a heartfelt post on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old forward was the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft ... spending 7 1/2 seasons with the LA Clippers, where he made the All-Star team 6 times.

Griffin was a high-flying athlete throughout his time on the hardwood ... winning the league's dunk contest in 2011.

Caitlin Clark continues to break records -- the basketball superstar skyrocketed to the top of the merch charts after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft ... earning the top-selling jersey EVER for a draft pick.

The former Iowa Hawkeyes baller was the obvious choice for the Indiana Fever on Monday ... and considering her historic run in college, no one was surprised to hear her name called first.

Right after Clark's big moment, Fanatics -- the official online retailer for the WNBA -- was quick to offer preorders for her No. 22 jersey ... and they rapidly sold out.

Angel Reese's outfit wasn't the only thing shining at the WNBA Draft, so were her pearly whites ... the 7th overall pick rocked a sick white gold and VVS diamond grill!

The former LSU star was seen with the awesome piece of jewelry Monday night as she walked the WNBA's orange carpet at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.

The 6'3" forward even shared a closeup of the bling on Instagram.

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and all the ballers expected to be taken in Monday night's WNBA Draft just walked across the orange carpet at the event in New York ... and each and every one of them wowed in glamourous 'fits.

Clark opted for a white skirt and silver tube top, which she capped off with an oversized, white button-down jacket. She completed the look with a pair of big shades and a huge smile.

Reese, meanwhile, donned an elegant, hooded silver gown ... which the WNBA liked so much, it captioned a video of the dress with heart-eye emojis.

Caitlin Clark is moving on from Iowa to Indiana ... the Fever just revealed they've taken the former Hawkeyes superstar with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft!!

The choice, of course, was a no-brainer ... Clark is considered by many to be the greatest women's college basketball player ever -- but still, Caitlin was fired up for the honor nonetheless.

The 22-year-old hooper walked across the stage in New York with a huge smile on her face ... before she embraced commissioner Cathy Engelbert and held up her new Fever jersey.

Indiana fans won't have to wait long to see her ball out in the new threads ... as preseason for the team begins in just a couple weeks -- on May 3.

Fans can obviously expect fireworks as soon as Clark hits the court ... because her four seasons at Iowa were some of the most memorable in the history of the sport.

She averaged 28.4 points per game ... as well as 7.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists per contest. She totaled 3,951 points in all -- a number no other player has ever reached.

A ton of other ex-college superstars, meanwhile, are set to find their new WNBA homes in a matter of minutes too -- including LSU's Angel Reese and South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso.

Despite being defending champs, the Denver Nuggets aren't content with one ring ... they want to go back-to-back, and they're hungrier than ever, according to star guard Jamal Murray.

TMZ Sports talked to 27-year-old Murray Friday night (before the Spurs comeback victory) ... as the 2023 champs are gearing up for another deep playoff run -- this time as the hunted (champs), rather than the hunter.

"When you're the hunter, you've got to be super aggressive. You're trying to prove something. You're trying to be precise. You're trying to catch them off guard. You're trying to blitz them when you have them down, you know, stomp on the neck. It's that kind of mentality when you have that chip on your shoulder when you're trying to win," the All-Star guard said.

"As the winner, as the one being hunted with the target on the back, you have to be more aware of your surroundings. You have to be more aware of the situation and what's going on, aware of the moment. You got to be ready to be challenged and fire back."

As for the team's determination, Jamal says "We want it bad" ... 'cause winning last year was so special.

"Winning the championship, some guys never see it, right? Some of the greats never see it. And to have gone through that and see what it's like and how much we enjoyed it, how much we enjoyed being with each other, accomplishing that, it's something that we desperately want to get back to as a unit."

"So I think just the intensity, the sacrifice, the selfishness, it's all there. And I think we've done a great job of just continuing to grow and not be satisfied with what we got."

We also asked Murray about playing with superstar teammate Nikola Jokic, arguably the best player in the world (check out the clip).

The Nuggets finished the season tied with the Thunder for the best record in the West, but because of tiebreakers, the squad is the number 2 seed, and will play the Pelicans or the Lakers.

Can they go back-to-back? Stay tuned!

In the meantime, Murray has partnered with Cheetos, helping to launch their "Other Hand" campaign. Cheetos lovers know the pain ... you need to use your hand, but it's covered in cheesy goodness, leading to all kinds of mishaps like untied shoes and missed high-fives!

Boban Marjanović plays for the Rockets, but he was arguably Clippers fans' favorite player on Sunday ... 'cause he helped them all win free chicken!!!

The Houston center -- who's known as one of the biggest hams in the Association -- got the job done for the L.A. faithful late in the Rockets' meaningless game against the Clips at Crypto.com Arena.

After missing a free throw with around five minutes left in the fourth quarter of the contest ... Boban realized if he missed another, he could score everyone in attendance chicken sandwiches on the house.

You see, the Clippers run a promotion on game days where if an opposing player misses back-to-back shots from the charity stripe in the final quarter, it's Chick-fil-A for all.

So, Boban purposely shanked his shot -- and everyone in the building went crazy. Even Marjanović couldn't help but get in on the celebration after the miss.

Boban -- who's 7 feet 4 -- went on to have even more fun seconds later, appearing to intentionally lose a tip-off to 6-footer Xavier Moon.

Of course, if the game had mattered, the antics likely would've been panned ... but with the Rockets out of playoff contention and the Clippers' postseason fate already sealed -- the fun was appreciated by all.

La gran Caitlin Clark dejó a todos boquiabiertos en 'SNL', dando cátedra a Michael Che por menospreciar el baloncesto femenino.

La guardia de Iowa se unió a Che y Colin Jost para el Weekend Update, y nada más al inicio, MC bromeó diciendo que Caitlin iba a cambiar su camiseta por un delantal.

¡Mira el clip, porque al final Caitlin le enseña a Che quién manda!

The great Caitlin Clark brought the house down on 'SNL,' schooling Michael Che for pooh-poohing women's basketball.

The Iowa guard joined Che and Colin Jost for Weekend Update, and right out of the gate, MC joked Caitlin was going to trade in her jersey for an apron.

Well, watch the clip, because at the end Caitlin shows Che who's boss!

Caitlin Clark is gonna fit right in at her new home in Indiana ... so says former Pacers forward Al Harrington, who tells TMZ Sports it's the perfect market for her to kickstart her WNBA career.

Clark -- who just capped off her historic college career at Iowa -- will undoubtedly be the first overall pick at this month's pro draft ... meaning she'll be the newest member of the Fever.

Al was a first-round pick to Indiana in 1998 ... so naturally, we asked him what it'd be like for Caitlin at the next level.

Caitlin Clark va a encajar perfectamente en su nuevo hogar en Indiana, o así lo dice el ex alero de los Pacers Al Harrington, quien le dice a TMZ Sports que es el mercado perfecto para que pueda poner en marcha su carrera en la WNBA.

Clark, que acaba de terminar su histórica carrera universitaria en Iowa, será sin duda la primera elegida en el draft profesional de este mes, lo que significa que será la nueva integrante de las Fever.

Al fue seleccionado en primera ronda en Indiana en 1998, así que naturalmente, le preguntamos cómo sería este siguiente nivel para Caitlin.

It's a busy time for the Denver Nuggets ... the defending champs, on a quest to go back-to-back, are fighting for the number one seed in the West -- but that's not going to stop the defending champs from having a UFC 300 watch party, according to star Jamal Murray!

27-year-old Murray, a huge MMA fan, joined Babcock on TMZ Sports, and chopped it up while previewing the historic card ... which is going down Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Unfortunately for the NBA star, Jamal won't be able to attend the fights in person at T-Mobile Arena 'cause the Nuggets play the San Antonio Spurs in Texas on Friday and the Memphis Grizzlies in Tennessee on Sunday.

But, Murray has a Plan B.

"We'll do a little watch party," Jamal said, adding, "I think we got a little conference room set up in Memphis for the fights. I mean, the cards will be going on all day. So, yeah, some great fights, man. Some great fights!"

UFC 300 is a big deal for Dana White's organization ... and as you'd expect, the card's stacked! One of the big fights is Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway. We asked Jamal about the scrap.

"Justin, Max Holloway, that's going to be a very, very interesting fight because it can go so many different ways," the former 7th overall draft pick told us.

"I think Max is going to have to pull out all the tools to beat Gaethje, whereas Gaethje, he can more stand in the pocket and rely on his chin and his punches to win the fight at that weight. Whereas Max is going to have to be more technical and probably get some ground control, more knees, you know, just a little more tighter."

The 76ers just unveiled their new Allen Iverson statue ... and its stature has fans all across the NBA world scratching their heads -- wondering why the hell it's so small!!

Take a look at The Answer's new bust -- which Philadelphia officials just placed outside the Sixers' practice facility on Friday -- it's about the size of the Heisman Trophy!

In total, including its base, it appears to be less than six feet tall ... as AI -- who stands at 6'0 -- was quite literally at eye-level with it.

People who loved the Hall of Famer's game quickly took to social media to clown it ... with famed internet personality Jomboy writing, "Sixers promised Allen Iverson a statue and gave him a toy soldier."

Added basketball reporter Jeff Goodman, "Where’s the rest of the statue???"

Iverson, though, didn't seem to have much of an issue with it ... when he spoke with reporters about the figurine, he called it a whale of honor.

And, to be fair, most of the statues that currently reside outside of the team’s Camden practice facility aren't all that big … for instance, Charles Barkley's is only a few inches taller than him.

But still, the internet wasn't pleased nonetheless.

It, of course, has been a rough year for NBA statue-makers ... as back in February, the Lakers revealed a sculpture honoring Kobe Bryant that was riddled with spelling errors.

Ben McLemore is breaking his silence days after he was arrested and charged with rape, adamantly claiming he's not guilty of the horrific crime!

The 10-year NBA vet was arrested Tuesday on a first-degree rape charge in Multnomah County, Oregon ... and later transferred to Clackamas County Jail on Wednesday.

McLemore, who was released after posting bond, addressed the sex crime accusation in a statement Thursday night.

“I did not rape this woman,” the 31-year-old said. “I am not sexually abusive. I have never pursued a sexual relationship when I understood the woman was not interested in me and acting willingly.”

As for what he's accused of doing ... Police say a woman claims McLemore sexually assaulted her at his Lake Oswego home in 2021 when BM was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.

According to police, the investigation was delayed because McLemore was out of the country, playing professional basketball in China, Greece and Spain.

McLemore is facing one count of unlawful sexual penetration and two counts of sexual abuse, in addition to the first-degree rape charge.

The former Kansas University men's basketball star is obviously frustrated with how the case has been handled by authorities so far.

“I met every request they made of me, immediately and professionally," McLemore said.

"I indicated that I was interested in testifying in the grand jury but was refused that opportunity. When my attorneys were informed of the charges, we immediately made plans for me to return to the United States for the first court appearance -- and informed all law enforcement authorities and the Court of my travel plan."

"I could not have done more to assist in the process.”

If Kentucky still wants a UConn coach to lead its program next year, it might want to forget about Dan Hurley -- and target one of his assistants instead ... Bill Murray's son, Luke Murray!!

That's because Huskies superstar Donovan Clingan tells TMZ Sports the younger Murray has been just that good on the sidelines during his career in Storrs!!

Clingan -- who just won his second straight national championship under the tutelage of Hurley and Luke -- spelled it all out for us while he was working a promotional shift at Raising Cane's this week ... saying straight up Luke "is a head coach."

George Mikan was one of basketball's original stars, and although it's been nearly 70 years since he suited up for the Minneapolis Lakers, fans now have a chance to bid on a historic piece of memorabilia ... the Hall of Famers sweat-stained, game-worn, signed warm-ups!

6'10" Mikan, known as "Mr. Basketball," starred for the Minneapolis Lakers from 1947 to 1954 (and briefly in 1956), years before they moved out west. He averaged over 23 points a game as a pro, leading the league in scoring in 3 of his 7 seasons. He won 7 titles (2 in the NBL and 5 in the BAA/NBA).

GM was named to the NBA's ultra-exclusive 50th Anniversary team in 1996 ... joining the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Now, Mikan's royal blue warm-ups -- pants and zip-up jacket -- worn around 1950 on multiple occasions and signed (twice) by the all-time great, are on the block at SCP Auctions.

The outfit reads "MLPS LAKERS" in gold block letters and shows heavy use, including sweat stains, according to SCP.

Mikan gifted the pants and jacket to someone in the '70s... and they held them for many years before recently deciding to cash in.

Bidding on the Mikan warm-up ends Saturday night ... where they're expected to rake in north of $400k!