Basketball

Cops are continuing to make headway in their investigation into Nikola Jokic's brother ... telling TMZ Sports they've located the man who Strahinja Jokic punched in the face earlier this week.

A spokesperson for the Denver Police Dept. said on Thursday morning they've "been in communication" with the fan who Strahinja socked after Game 2 of the Lakers vs. Nuggets game at Ball Arena on Monday night.

The rep did not reveal, however, if the man is seeking to press charges -- or if he's formally filed a police report.

Sue Bird is back in the WNBA ... not as a player, but instead as owner of her former team, the Seattle Storm!

The organization broke the news, releasing a statement announcing Bird, 43, would be joining the Storm's ownership group.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sue into the ownership group after a storied career on the court," Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel said.

Bronny James might've already figured out his next college move -- at least, that's what some people are thinking after Duquesne head coach Dru Joyce's latest social media post ... which included a clear nod to the young hooper's NBA superstar pops.

Joyce -- a member of LeBron's Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School championship teams back in the day -- shared quite an interesting GIF on Wednesday ... showing him doing King James' signature chalk toss with a caption that teased a huge announcement.

The post could mean anything, but plenty of folks believe it means Bronny is slated to team up with his dad's longtime friend and former teammate for his sophomore season of college ball.

El básquetbol no es el único amor en la vida de Caitlin Clark. La nueva estrella de la WNBA reveló el miércoles que también está muy enamorada de su novio, dejando caer las preciadas palabras sobre él en un tierno post en redes sociales.

Clark publicó el mensaje en su cuenta de Instagram para conmemorar su primer aniversario con Connor McCaffery y escribió: "Haces que cada día sea mejor".

"Y no puedo esperar por muchas más aventuras juntos ...", agregó. "Te amo".

Basketball ain't the only love in Caitlin Clark's life ... the new WNBA star revealed Wednesday she's smitten with her boyfriend too -- droppin' an L-bomb on him in a sappy social media post.

Clark delivered the mushy message on her Instagram page to commemorate her and Connor McCaffery's 1-year anniversary ... writing, "you make everyday better."

"And I can’t wait for many more adventures together…," she added. "love you."

No, Devin Booker did NOT shoot his shot with a famous actress in the middle of the playoffs ... but his fans apparently had to make sure for themselves -- rushing to "Squid Game" star Hoyeon Jung's Instagram and leaving comments after a fake meme made rounds this week.

The Phoenix Suns guard has been the butt of jokes throughout the start of the playoffs ... with some hoop fans criticizing Book for shooting just 25% from three in the first two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The trolling continued on Wednesday ... when a fake NBA news account shared an altered screenshot of Booker publicly hollering at Hoyeon on her most recent post -- just to get rejected.

Caitlin Clark was slated to make AT LEAST $15 million if she had agreed to suit up for Ice Cube's Big3 ... so says league co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz, who's revealing more eye-popping details on the lucrative offer.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the former Iowa basketball superstar was presented a historic $5 million deal to play just 10 games for the 3-on-3 organization last month -- while still being able to pursue a WNBA career.

Kwatinetz revealed in an article for OutKick he believes the "male agents and executives controlling the sport" never actually told Clark about the contract ... which is a big loss for her bank account.

Caitlin Clark's Nike deal is being celebrated as historic by many fans, but the contract should've been worth so much more, according to Dave Portnoy ... who says the Swoosh is committing armed robbery!

"If people want to complain about Caitlin Clark getting screwed complain about this. 8 year 28 million deal is STEALING," the Barstool founder wrote on X.

The deal, which comes along with a signature Clark shoe, has an annual average value of $3.5 million.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton says his little brother was called the n-word while he was sitting in the stands watching Indiana's game vs. Milwaukee over the weekend.

The two-time All-Star made the revelation during a meeting with reporters following Indiana's playoff victory over the Bucks on Tuesday night ... saying the racial slur was hurled at some point in Game 1 of the series in Wisconsin on Sunday.

Haliburton didn't go into detail about how it all went down ... or how his family and the Bucks reacted ... but he did say his brother "has handled that the right way" in the wake of it all.

8:20 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has learned ... the NBA is currently looking into the situation.

Nikola Jokic's brother was in no mood to celebrate the Nuggets' comeback win over the Lakers on Monday ... 'cause he straight-up punched a fan in the stands at the playoff game -- and it's all on video.

According to witnesses, the violent incident went down shortly after Joker and his Denver teammates completed their 101-99 win against LeBron James and co. to go up 2-0 in the first-round series.

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart loooooves his Mike and Ike ... and the feeling is mutual -- 'cause the candy brand tells TMZ Sports it's always making sure to keep the hooper "well-stocked" on supply!!

Hart had social media in stitches after the Knicks’ down-to-the-wire playoff win over the Sixers Monday night -- celebrating the victory with a box of the fruit-flavored sweets during his postgame press conference, just like he did last postseason.

The 29-year-old couldn’t wait until he left the podium to enjoy his favorite treat ... forcing Jalen Brunson to hilariously get distracted as he answered questions.

Law enforcement officials are actively trying to track down the man who got clocked by Nikola Jokic's brother on Monday ... with cops hoping people come forward to help with its investigation into the incident.

TMZ Sports has learned -- Denver PD has seen the footage of Strahinja Jokic punching a spectator in the stands after the Nuggets' Game 2 win over the Lakers on Monday ... but as of right now, no one has filed a report claiming to be a victim.

We're told police are reviewing the clip circulating social media in hopes of identifying the man ... but they're also calling on any witnesses or other people involved to step up and talk.

Dwight Howard is vowing to help Taiwan after the country was hit with a major earthquake earlier this month -- and dozens of smaller tremors since -- with the hoops star promising to return to the island.

The former NBA superstar, who signed with Taiwan's Taoquan Leopards in 2022, made a video message on Monday expressing concern for the Taiwanese people.

"I know a lot of people are still shaken up by just being in an earthquake," Howard said.

LeBron James' heart was broken after a last-second loss Monday night, but his mouth sure worked fine -- as he spent part of his postgame meeting with media members railing on NBA officiating.

Shortly after LBJ's Lakers blew a huge lead and lost to the Nuggets, 101-99, in Denver ... James fielded questions about the playoff L for several minutes.

Eventually, he was asked about how tough it will be to bounce back from the buzzer-beater defeat -- but instead of answering the inquiry, he decided to go off on some of the calls that were made during the game.

Some NBA hoopers think Rudy Gobert is the most overrated player in the league ... but his partner, Julia Bonilla, says those guys are dead wrong -- passionately defending the Minnesota Timberwolves star on social media.

The Athletic dropped the results of its anonymous player survey on Monday ... and as it turns out, 11 out of 81 of the participants claimed the three-time Defensive Player of the Year ain't all that.

Bonilla -- who is expecting a child with Gobert -- got wind of the big man's new title ... and it's safe to say she's pissed, 'cause she fired back at the criticism with an Instagram post.

"My partner is the most dedicated, focused, hard-working person I have ever met," Bonilla said. "He hasn't stolen anything from anyone and deserves all the respect for his determination and commitment to his career."

"It's hard for me to stay quiet in front of so much stupidity, disrespect and nonsense," she added. "I am so proud of the person he is -- fair, a great teammate, with a good heart and a strong mind."

Of course, the Wolves are in the middle of a first-round playoff matchup with the Phoenix Suns ... and Bonilla said she's pulling for her man's team throughout the run.

"I am proud of you, and our son is proud of you."

As we previously reported, Gobert and Bonilla went public with the pregnancy back in February ... and a few weeks later, he told TMZ Sports it was a "blessing" to start a family.