Basketball

Ohio Bobcats basketball coach Jeff Boals channeled his inner Conor McGregor to celebrate a huge road win on Wednesday ... and it's an epic collection of cringe-worthy and awesome moves!!

The 'Cats are off to a hot 3-0 start under the first-year coach ... and it's safe to say the players are LOVING the new guy, 'cause they joined his locker room dance-off after beating Iona in New York, 81-72.

The video is hilarious -- there's the billi strut, shoulder-brushing and a bunch of other moves that would make Chris Brown blush.

Okay, maybe that's not true ... but it definitely looks like the boys in Athens are having a helluva time.

Boals -- a former Bobcats hooper himself -- also served as an assistant coach at Ohio State before taking the head coaching gig at Stony Brook from 2016-2019.

Joe Johnson's not giving up on a possible return to the NBA -- telling TMZ Sports he's still training his ass off in case he gets that call.

The 38-year-old stud had a stint with the Pistons earlier this year after BALLING OUT in Ice Cube's BIG3 league ... but Detroit waived him back in October.

The question now ... will Johnson get another shot in the NBA, go back to the BIG3 ... or hang 'em up for good?

Right now, Johnson says he's not rushing to make any decisions -- but he's keeping his body ready in case he gets another opportunity with an NBA team.

In the meantime, Johnson says his focus is on enjoying life and living in the moment -- not worrying about his career.

It's easy for Joe to be so carefree about everything -- considering he's made more than $215 MILLION during his NBA career!!!

Here's LeBron James going out of his way to show love to NFL star Kyler Murray at the Lakers game on Tuesday ... it's a cool moment.

But, there's another issue with this clip ... did LeBron ignore L.A. Dodgers star Cody Bellinger, who was sitting right next to the QB?!

SAY IT AIN'T SO BRON!!!

Here's the deal ... King James went over to the expensive seats at Talking Stick Resort Arena with about 25 seconds left in the 4th quarter to dap up Murray, the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

FYI, Murray and LeBron have been friends for a while -- in fact, Kyler has a deal with Bron's Uninterrupted media company ... and rocked the logo inside of his suit jacket on Draft night.

But, during the broadcast, we DIDN'T see LeBron show love to Cody ... who was sitting right next to Kyler!!!

Look, doesn't mean Bron didn't chop it up with Cody before or after the game (or maybe LBJ just didn't recognize Cody in a backward hat).

Bron definitely SHOULD know Bellinger ... he shouted out the MLB star for wearing his Lakers jersey for a Taco Tuesday-themed Halloween costume this year!

But hey, at least Cody's killin' it off the diamond ... he and his smokin' GF, Sabrina, seem to be happily in love.

Corey Maggette says the Clippers are doing a "phenomenal job" by giving Kawhi Leonard load management days ... saying if he had those when he was playing, they could've saved his career!

L.A. coach Doc Rivers has been under fire this month after he's given his superstar days off to prevent possible injuries down the road ... but Maggette says all that criticism is BS.

The former Clippers star -- who was out in L.A. this week with fellow ex-NBA stud Cuttino Mobley -- told us he absolutely LOVES the idea of load management days.

"I retired because of major knee injuries," Magette says. "So, I wish they would have had a position where, from me and Cuttino's perspective, that we had a chance to rest and get our bodies back to 100 percent."

In fact, Cuttino says if he was given days off similar to Kawhi ... his body might feel a hell of a lot better now than it currently does.

"Listen, if it were happening when we were playing, I wouldn't have so many aches and pains as we do now," Mobley says.

Of course, NBA fans don't really love the move ... it's led to some of the biggest stars sitting out of some of the biggest regular season games.

But, Mobley and Maggette's response to that??? Too bad!!!

"There's a lot of older guys that are walking around right now that can't really walk because they've been forced to play in their mind," Cuttino says.

Who knew Steve Ballmer was an aphrodisiac?!

Check out Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes sucking each other's faces off Monday night at the Clippers game at Staples Center ... getting more action than Ivica Zubac!!!

The couple was all over each other -- and EVERYBODY noticed -- since they were sitting in the best courtside seats in the house.

They kissed, they cuddled, they kissed more, they whispered secrets into each other's ears ... good times!!!

By the way, 22-year-old Camila and 21-year-old Mendes have been dating since July ... and have basically been seen getting intense with PDA all over the place.

The NY Knicks fan who started a "Fire James Dolan" chant at Madison Square Garden on Sunday was confronted by security, but we're told he was NOT ejected.

The chant broke out as the Knicks were getting crushed by the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers  -- and as everyone knows, owner James Dolan doesn't like being heckled.

In the past, he's thrown out and banned fans who have directed similar taunts his way.

The man claiming to be the heckler is Andrew J. Padilla -- who went to social media tell his side of the story.

"6 security guards just took me out my seat at Madison Square Garden for chanting 'fire Dolan,'" Padilla said.

"I was escorted to the basement where they told me I could go back so long as I followed the 'code of conduct' ... Aka Not chanting #FireDolan."

"I chose to leave and spend my money somewhere else."

There are reports Padilla was ejected from MSG and subsequently banned from coming back -- but our MSG sources are adamant that's just not true.

As one source put it, "No one was ejected last night from MSG for any reason."

TMZ Sports has previously posted video of Dolan personally ejecting hecklers in the past -- including an incident from March 2019.

Dolan also famously had a sideline altercation with Charles Oakley that led to the Knicks legend being banned from MSG for a year.

Shaq ... WE SAW WHAT YOU DID!!!

Charles Barkley was TRYING to do his usual thing of making fun of the larger female population in San Antonio during Thursday's "Inside the NBA" ... but it was Shaq who had the last laugh.

While Barkley was doing his best impression of big people stuffing their faces with churros, O'Neal realized the motion resembled oral sex ... and decided to mess with Chuck.

"Do it slower, Chuck! Do it slower," Shaq said while cracking up!

By the way, it doesn't seem like Charles ever caught on to what Shaq was doing -- which made it even funnier.

But, Kenny "The Jet" Smith saw what was happening -- and finally grabbed Barkley's arm so he couldn't do it again.

Chance The Rapper proved why he's not Chance The Hooper on Wednesday ... throwin' up air balls and brick shots on the court after the Clippers game ... and it's all on video!!!

The 26-year-old "Hot Shower" rapper had a courtside seat alongside superagent Rich Paul for the Clips' match-up with the Milwaukee Bucks ... and after the final buzzer, he was allowed onto the court to shoot around.

Look, we're not gonna sugarcoat it -- Lil Chano SUCKED ... missing 11 straight shots, including what may have been either a bad dunk attempt or a lame layup. Either way, it was bad.

He did finally sink a 3-pointer ... and did hook up his pal with an assist. But, it was so bad, people that stuck around after the game were clowning him. One guy shouted, "You suck!"

But, it's all good though ... Chance is one of the most successful artists in the game right now and already has 3 Grammys in his career ... so don't feel too bad for the guy.

And there's still hope for Chance ... remember Drake was clowned for those air balls at Kentucky a few years back -- but hired some specialists who fixed his shot and now he's pretty good!!!

Things started off great ... Carmelo Anthony returned to Syracuse on Wednesday to try and inspire the basketball team to beat Virginia!

The speech was great, Melo said all the right things ... everyone seemed FIRED UP! And, that's when everything went wrong ...

The Orangemen proceeded to get DEMOLISHED by the Cavaliers in a 48 to 34 loss.

You read that right. Syracuse only dropped 34 points in a full 40-minute basketball game.

It's the lowest point total in Jim Boeheim’s 44-year coaching tenure, according to Syracuse.com.

Yeesh.

As for Melo, his appearance was a surprise to everybody -- telling the players Boeheim didn't even know he was coming!

"I just want to let y'all know how important this is for me to be here on your guys opening night. [Boeheim] didn't even know I was coming."

Melo continued, "I wanted to be here for you guys. I know the excitement that's surrounding you guys right now. Nobody gonna give y'all a shot. Everybody gonna count y'all out. But, as long as you got each other right here, this is what matters."

Of course, Melo is a legend at Syracuse -- he led the 2003 basketball team to a national championship before bouncing to the NBA after one year.

But, the two sides are on good terms -- in 2009, Cuse named the practice facility after Melo.

Milwaukee Bucks star Eric Bledsoe KNOWS he's getting clowned online for his massive brainfart during the Clippers game ... but he ain't worried, he thinks it's funny!

In case you missed it, Bledsoe took the ball from the ref and was SUPPOSED to inbound it to another player in the 4th quarter ... but instead, he just dribbled it inbounds and acted like nothing happened!

Of course, that's illegal -- and Bledsoe was charged with a turnover. Don't worry, the Bucks still won the game 129 to 124 ... and afterward, we talked to Eric at Mastro's in Bev Hills about the roasting he's getting online.

"Oh, that s**t was funny," Bledsoe told us with a smile ... "It happens, man!"

The 100-year-old, super rare, game-worn jersey rocked by one of the world's first basketball stars is on the auction block ... and it's expected to rake in a quarter of a million dollars!

The threads belonged to Basketball Hall of Famer Joe Lapchick ... a star on the New York Original Celtics in the 1920s (no relation to the Boston Celtics, who didn't even exist until 1946).

Lapchick -- a 6'5" big man known for his athleticism and agility -- is regarded as one of the best centers of his generation.

In 1923, JL joined the famed Original Celtics -- the 2nd incarnation of the New York Celtics -- who were disbanded during World War 1.

Lapchick's Celtics barnstormed around the country -- beating up on local teams -- until 1926 ... when they joined the American Basketball League (ABL) and won 2 straight titles.

The Reach Sporting Goods jersey that Lapchick donned during this time -- which he originally gifted to director Harry Glynn (and held by Glynn's family since) -- is on the block at SCP Auctions ... and the site tells us they expect it to pull in major money.

Lapchick wasn't only a stud hooper ... he was also a damn good coach. After his playing days, he was the head coach of the New York Knicks from 1947-1956. He also coached St. John's University to 4 NIT championships during 2 stints in Queens, NY ... between 1936-1947 and 1956-1965.

Texas Longhorns star Andrew Jones picked up right where he left off nearly 2 years ago ... balling out in his first game with significant minutes since battling leukemia.

The 21-year-old was leading the team in points when he was diagnosed with cancer in January 2018. He underwent several rounds of treatment ... and was adamant he would return to the hardwood.

Jones briefly made 2 appearances last season, but proved he was officially BACK in Tuesday night's season opener against Northern Colorado ... dropping 20 points in 29 minutes in UT's win.

Not only was it a great performance ... it was Jones' CAREER HIGH!!!

The story is incredible ... but Jones said after the game he wasn't letting the big moment affect his play.

"I didn't know what to expect. It was a great feeling to be back out there," Jones said. "I didn't have any jitters. I wasn't nervous.''

Horns coach Shaka Smart also spoke about Andrew's strength after the game, saying "I'm happy for Andrew. I'm happy for his family."

"Sometimes in life, when you are dealt a tough hand, it's really about how you respond. He was the best offensive player on the floor. He played with great energy. He played with an aggressive, confident and loose mindset.''

LeBron James just wasn't in the mood on Tuesday ... shutting down a heckler with 7 simple words -- "Your lady embarrassed to be with you!"

Bron and the Lakers were in Chicago playing the Bulls at the United Center when someone in the stands began running their mouth about LeBron and Anthony Davis.

At first, LeBron tried to ignore the guy ... but then, Bron just shot back at the dude, grabbed his towel and moved on. Pretty hilarious!!!

But, the hecklers, as a group, weren't fazed -- one guy continued to scream at Anthony Davis ... and it got so annoying, security had to step in to try and shut the guy up.

Ultimately, the Lakers let their play do the talking ... L.A. beat Chicago 118 to 112, with LeBron dropping 30 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

His lady is surely not embarrassed to be with him.

"How can you call something a fight if there were no punches thrown?!"

That's Charles Barkley expressing his utter DISGUST for that 76ers vs. Timberwolves incident earlier this week ... saying a rear-naked choke doesn't necessarily make a "fight."

Instead, Barkley describes the whole thing as a "snuggle party" -- "there were two guys holding each other!"

The hilarious breakdown went down on "Inside the NBA" where Barkley argued with Ernie Johnson and Kenny "The Jet" Smith about the situation.

Both Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns have been suspended 2 games each for the incident while Ben Simmons, who applied the choke, didn't get suspended at all.

He did, however, get an offer to work on his MMA skills from former UFC and Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez! In fact, Eddie tells TMZ Sports he's already been in contact with Simmons and expects to start training him in the next few days!

As for Charles, dude knows a little something about NBA scraps ... back in his playing days, Chuck went head-to-head with giants like Shaquille O'Neal and Bill Laimbeer.

A New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach was brutally socked in the face by a fan after a game last weekend ... and the violent blow was all caught on video.

After the Pelicans lost to the Houston Rockets in Texas on Saturday ... a fan near the court reared back and punched N.O. assistant coach Joe Boylan in the face -- hitting him HARD.

You can see in the video ... Boylan -- who didn't appear to do anything to provoke the man -- flew back and nearly crumpled to the ground.

Immediately, Boylan and other people near the scene directed cops toward the fan as the guy tried to make a break for it.

Cops eventually caught the man -- identifying him as 38-year-old Manuel Garcia -- and arrested him for misdemeanor assault.

Cops also arrested the man's girlfriend, 33-year-old Brittney Aplin ... saying she tried to interfere with officers while they were pursuing Garcia.

Prosecutors say they have no idea yet why Garcia decided to punch Boylan ... but the guy is facing up to a YEAR behind bars for the crime if he's convicted.

As for Aplin, she's facing up to six months in jail for her role in the incident ... and both are due in court to face the charges later this week.

The Pelicans -- who played a game two days after the altercation -- issued a statement earlier this week, saying, "We are aware of this incident but will have no further comment."

An NBA game turned into an MMA match Wednesday ... 'cause during a bench-clearing brawl, Ben Simmons put Karl-Anthony Towns in a chokehold -- AND KAT TAPPED!!!

The insane scene all went down in the third quarter of the Sixers-Timberwolves game ... when Anthony Towns got pissed over Joel Embiid's aggressive defense.

The two big men pushed and shoved ... and ultimately, EVERYBODY jumped into the fracas!!

At one point -- after Embiid and KAT were separated -- Simmons ended up on the ground on top of Anthony Towns ... and 76ers star began choking KAT out!!!

Karl quickly tapped ... and Simmons let go -- and the whole altercation was crazy/hilarious.

Maybe the best part of the entire skirmish? After Embiid was ejected ... he played it up to the crowd -- AND ANTHONY TOWNS' MOM BEGAN FLIPPING HIM OFF!!!

Cooler heads ultimately prevailed on the court -- the Sixers ended up winning, 117-95 -- but the battle continued to rage on on social media afterward.

"Great team win!!!" Embiid said. "I was raised around lions and a cat pulled on me tonight lmao @jimmybutler I missed being part of the 3rd stringers... I got his mom giving middle fingers. That’s some SERIOUS REAL ESTATE #FightNight #IAintNoBitch"

Didn't take long for KAT to fire back ... "I aIN’t nO BiTcH RaiSeD ARoUnD LiOnS #BitchTalk." He also tagged the location as, "All Bark & No Bite"

Amazing.