Basketball

High school basketball superstar Maori Davenport will be ALLOWED to play in her game Friday night after a judge called off her suspension.

Davenport's story became national news when athletic officials in Alabama ruled her ineligible after learning she received an $857 check from Team USA basketball for playing in a tourney back in August. The check covered lost wages and expenses.

The check was sent to Davenport as the result of a clerical error -- she never sought out the payment.

Davenport initially cashed the check under the assumption it was a standard operating procedure for people playing for Team USA. When the organization realized the error, they asked for the money back and she returned it the next day.

Still, officials in Alabama believed cashing the check violated the rules -- and deemed her ineligible for her senior year.

It's a big deal considering 6'4" Davenport is one of the best players in the country -- and committed to attend Rutgers next year.

Huge stars like Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Billie Jean King and more spoke out in Davenport's defense -- calling the suspension ridiculous and insisting she did nothing wrong.

An emergency motion was filed in Pike County Circuit Court and on Friday the judge decided to repeal the suspension -- pending the outcome of a hearing on the matter.

Translation, Davenport can play with her high school team for now.

Enes Kanter says he won't be bullied into silence by the President of Turkey -- saying jail threats against him and his family are only inspiring him to be MORE critical of Recep Erdogan.

The NY Knicks star is doubling down on his decision to remove himself from a team trip to the U.K. -- claiming he's more susceptible to Erdogan's hit squad overseas.

"If I'm in America, I'm safe. I feel very safe," Kanter told CBS News. "But, if I step outside of America, it will be a very dangerous situation."

Kanter says he's been under fire from Turkish officials for years for insulting Erdogan publicly -- even calling the guy the "Hitler of our generation."

Other U.S. officials, including Rep. Peter King, have told TMZ Sports ... Kanter's fears are warranted because Erdogan is a bad dude and runs Turkey like a police state.

Kanter has been labeled a terrorist for his comments -- and says officials have even locked his father as retribution.

"If you speak out against Erdoğan, that means you're a terrorist. If he cannot put you in jail, then he will take your family away and put them in jail and say, 'if you don't stop running against me, then I'm gonna keep your family in jail.'"

"That's what he's trying to do, did that to me, that he tried to put my dad in jail, so he thought that I was gonna stop talking, that made me even talk about this more so the world can see it."

As we previously reported, ex-NBA player Hedo Turkoglu -- who's also from Turkey -- ripped Kanter on social media ... saying his claims against the President are baseless and reckless.

It's gonna take a minor TRAGEDY to get Carmelo Anthony back in the NBA -- so says Jalen Rose who thinks Melo's pro hoops career is over unless a team loses a player to injury.

34-year-old Anthony hasn't played in the league since parting ways with Houston earlier this season -- but there have rumblings he'll team up with LeBron James on the Lakers before the All-Star break next month.

Rose ain't holding his breath ... unless an NBA team loses a player to injury and they could plug Melo in to fill the role. Still, Jalen explains why it's complicated.

"He can still contribute. It's just ... finding the right opportunity is tough because unless there's a major injury, a contender team probably wouldn't add him. And then, a lottery team is probably looking to 'Stop tryin' for Zion,' so they're tanking in a lot of ways."

"Maybe an injury happens and he gets back in the league."

Rose says Melo is a surefire NBA Hall of Famer -- and he really doesn't want to see his career end after a less-than-memorable 10-game stint in Houston.

Lonzo Ball was a human highlight reel Wednesday night ... and he had his biggest little fan in the front row cheering him on the whole time!!

Zo's baby mama, Denise Garcia, brought 5-month-old Zoey -- decked out in her own little Ball jersey -- to the Lakers vs. Pistons game at Staples Center ... and they picked a great one to go to.

Ball had a handful of incredible plays in his 11-assist game that had everyone -- including Baby Baller -- going crazy. The Lake Show ultimately beat Detroit in a 113-100 butt-kicking.

We broke the story ... Zo and Denise welcomed Zoey into the world back in July.

Unclear if this was Zoey's first time watching her daddy at work ... but it's great to see the fam together after the whole "deadbeat" drama.

Other celebs at the Laker game include Charlize Theron, model Kaia Gerber and Andy Garcia.

But, if Lonzo plays like this every time his daughter's in attendance ... expect to see her a LOT more from now on.

Turkey president Recep Erdogan is a dangerous person and NY Knicks player Enes Kanter sounds justified in fearing for his life ... so says U.S. Congressman Peter King.

Remember, Kanter just backed out of an upcoming team trip to the U.K. because he believes Erdogan has access to assassins in England who would "easily" kill him for his constant criticism of the regime.

Kanter -- who's been labeled a terrorist in his home country -- has repeatedly called Erdogan as the Hitler of our generation.

The criticism has pissed off fellow Turkish NBA player Hedo Turkoglu who blasted Kanter in the media ... saying Enes is spreading false information to damage Erdogan.

So, when we saw Rep. King [R-NY] out in D.C. we asked if he thinks Kanter's fears are legit.

"I do know that Erdogan runs a police state, that he's capable of violence," King told us.

"And, if a player for the Knicks or any person here working in the U.S. thinks there's a real threat to his life, I can understand why he wouldn't wanna go over."

This is how it started last time ...

Floyd Mayweather came face-to-face with Manny Pacquiao at an NBA game on Tuesday -- begging the question ... are they finally going to rematch?!

Manny was a VIP guest during "Filipino Heritage Night" at the L.A. Clippers game at Staples Center ... where Floyd happened to be sitting in his usual courtside seats.

By the way, Floyd chartered his private jet from Vegas to L.A. specifically for the Clippers game -- and then flew back immediately after it ended.

Seems the point of the trip was less about taking in the game and more about that photo op with Manny to hype a potential rematch ... a rematch they've been talking about for months.

Remember, back in January 2015, Floyd and Manny had a similar face-off at the Miami Heat game -- where they exchanged numbers and really kicked the negotiations into high gear.

They ultimately fought in May 2015 ... with Floyd getting the dub in a pretty underwhelming 12-round snoozefest.

Manny has a big fight coming up against Adrien Broner on Jan. 19 -- but he's previously told us he wants Floyd after he gets through AB.

As for Floyd, he just pummeled Tenshin Nasukawa in a bizarre New Year's Eve exhibition match in Japan ... and while many question if Tenshin took a dive, Floyd looked pretty good.

As for the game ... Clips beat the Charlotte Hornets 128-109.

11:51 AM PT -- Enes Kanter has just responded ... saying Hedo is the "delusional" one because his information is WRONG and Enes has the documents to prove it.

He also referred to Hedo as "Erdogan's lap dog."

Here's the statement ...

"This is my travel document: It’s NOT a visa issue!!! I CAN go to London. Either you are delusional, or still Erdogan’s lap dog.. Keep wagging your tail."

Ex-NBA player Hedo Turkoglu is going OFF on fellow Turkish hooper Enes Kanter -- claiming Enes is "delusional" and "irrational" if he REALLY thinks the Turkish government is plotting to kill him.

Kanter has been beefing with Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for years -- often comparing Erdogan to Hitler. Kanter has been branded a terrorist in Turkey and is reportedly facing prison time if he ever returns.

Just last week, Kanter said he would not be traveling with the NY Knicks to the U.K. to play the Wizards out of concern he would be more susceptible to Turkish assassins who want him dead.

Enter Turkoglu ... the President of the Turkish Basketball Federation who just came out SWINGING at Kanter -- saying Enes' story is flat-out wrong and dangerous.

"I received with concern the news about the delusions targeting the Republic of Turkey of Enes Kanter, who pledged his loyalty to the ringleader of Fetullashist Terrorist Organization (FETO), and his statement that he would miss the game in London due to fears of being assassinated by Turkey."

"We know that he has not been able to travel to many countries due to visa issues since 2017. In other words, Kanter cannot enter the U.K. not because of fears for life as he claims but due to passport and visa issues. This being the long known truth, he is trying to get the limelight with irrational justifications and political remarks."

"Such remarks constitute another example of the political smear campaign Kanter has been conducting against Turkey as well as his efforts to attribute importance to himself by covering up the contradictions in his sports career."

"Kanter not only targeted the Republic of Turkey, governed by the rule of law, with unjust accusations but he also regarded the British security forces as weak and attempted to harm Turkish-British relations."

"It is obvious that this person's remarks are irrational and distort the truth."

O.J. Mayo is close to losing his massive, million dollar mansion in Milwaukee ... 'cause the bank claims the ex-NBA star hasn't made a payment in 10 months ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's what we know ... O.J. bought a $1.8 million home in Wisconsin after inking a 3-year, $24 million deal with the Bucks in 2013. At the time, Mayo took out a loan for $1.26 million to help pay for the crib.

The place is SICK -- 9,200 square feet with 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, home theater and private gym.

But, according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... Mayo stopped making payments in April 2018 while still owing $1,137,302.42 on his mortgage.

A few months later, the bank foreclosed on the house to get their dough back.

The bank tried to serve Mayo with court documents several times -- but they were unsuccessful. Eventually, Mayo's trainer told a process server that O.J. is currently playing overseas in China.

It's unlikely Mayo is hard up for the cash since he reportedly made $45 MILLION during his 8 years in the NBA before getting hit with a ban for violating the league's anti-drug policy in 2016.

Pete Davidson's lookin' good these days ... chillin' with his buddy Machine Gun Kelly Saturday night at the Denver Nuggets game.

Pete and MGK were sitting courtside at the Pepsi Center in Denver, as they watched the Charlotte Hornets lose to Nuggets by a score of 110 to 123.

Kawhi Leonard's mother reached her boiling point at the Spurs game Thursday night -- going off on a heckler ... calling him an "a**hole" and telling him to "shut up."

It all went down in San Antonio -- where her NBA superstar son returned for the first time with his new team, the Toronto Raptors.

The fans were ruthless to Kawhi during the game, chanting "traitor" and booing him almost every time he touched the ball.

At least one heckler recognized Kawhi's mother, Kim -- wearing a Leonard jersey -- and started running his mouth.

You can see in the video, Kim can't take it and starts yelling back -- "A**hole, shut up!" -- all while continuing to eat her snack ... without spilling a drop!

Unfortunately for Kim, the Raptors ended up losing the game ... 125 to 107. Kawhi put up 21 points and 5 assists.

LeBron James says bringing the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Warriors makes him the greatest basketball player of all time ... but does his teammate agree??

TMZ Sports spoke with Richard Jefferson -- who was part of that 2016 NBA title team in Cleveland -- about LBJ's bold proclamation ... and R.J. says there's no question that something "great" happened.

"It was the greatest performance I ever saw," R.J. says.

But, having witnessed firsthand what the King was able to do against the 73-9 Dubs in the 7-game thriller ... we asked R.J. if he agreed with LBJ's decision to declare himself the G.O.A.T.

Shareef O'Neal just revealed his heart surgery scar for the first time Wednesday ... and he's already given himself a new nickname, "Zipperboy."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Shareef needed a heart procedure done after UCLA doctors detected an abnormality during a routine check-up.

O'Neal went under the knife on Dec. 13 ... but came out of it just fine -- and when he finally got a look at the scar this week, he was able to joke about it.

"My first time seeing my scar ..... #zipperboy."

The operation doesn't seem like it was a laughing matter though ... the scar runs from the top of his chest to halfway down to his belly button!!!

The good news ... Shaq told us just several days ago his son's doing okay -- and could be back on the basketball court in just a few months.

He shoots, he scores ... ON WATER!!!

Michael Jordan's 2019 is off to a GREAT start -- he's hanging out on an $80 MILLION super yacht off the coast of St. Barths ... and the ship has a basketball court onboard!!!

Seriously ... this thing's amazing.

Unclear if MJ is ponying up the $840,000 per week it costs to charter the 230-foot floating mansion -- but he's reportedly worth around $1 BILLION, so it's not like he can't afford it.

Either way, this ship is paradise on water -- with 8 cabins, a bar, dining room, full gym, deck Jacuzzi ... and, oh yeah, the basketball court!!

The yacht also boasts a state-of-the-art audiovisual system, satellite TV and fast WIFI ... so you can still check your Instagram from the middle of the ocean.

Lonzo Ball was pissed to be called a "deadbeat dad" by his ex-GF ... and when the Lakers star confronted her about the comment -- he told her, "It's really not funny."

Denise Garcia -- Zo's baby mama -- went on social media in October and was asked to "blink if Lonzo is a deadbeat dad" ... and she blinked with both eyes while laughing.

Cameras caught Lonzo confronting Denise over the post on the Ball family's Facebook reality TV show ... when he ripped into her for making the accusation.

"Came to see the deadbeat, huh?" Zo asked ... "That was fun for you? You had fun? You're laughing, but it's really not funny though."

Lonzo wasn't the only one pissed about the comments ... LaVar Ball was livid as well, saying, "How do you call somebody a deadbeat when you just had the baby?!"

In fact ... the Big Baller was caught on camera talking to his wife about her exercise program when he said, "Are you getting in shape for a reason? So, you can knock the hell outta Denise?!"

For her part ... Denise explained to Lonzo the whole thing was meant as a joke -- and she apologized to the L.A. star.

"I shouldn't have done it at all. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Lonzo added, "Denise wants me to be more present during the weekends with her and Zoey, I see where she's obviously coming from ... I'm trying to make an effort to get there as much as possible."

The Atlanta Hawks didn't spend New Year's Day in bed trying to shake a hangover -- they visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

The team traveled to D.C. to play the Washington Wizards on Wednesday -- but 24 hours before stepping on the court, the team got on a bus and hit up the museum.

Players like Trae Young and DeAndre' Bembry took the tour along with the rest of the team. The mission of the museum is to "teach millions of people each year about the dangers of unchecked hatred and the need to prevent genocide."

This video is amazing!!!

Kyrie Irving hooked up a homeless fan with more than $240 IN CASH before playing the Rockets in Houston on Thursday -- and the reaction is INCREDIBLE!!!

The guy who shot the video, Thomas Moreno, tells us ... the Boston Celtics superstar was walking to the team bus when he was approached by a man who was telling people he was destitute.

Kyrie stopped and chatted with the guy ... and then, the big moment happened -- Irving reaches into his pocket, pulls out the cash and hands it right to his new friend.

BOOM!!!!

The guy was so happy, he literally jumped for joy and started hugging random people! He also chased after Kyrie to thank him for the generous gift.

We reached out to Kyrie and the Boston Celtics for comment -- but so far, haven't heard anything.

But, the video basically speaks for itself.