Basketball

Carmelo Anthony says he REALLY appreciates the loud ovation he got from Knicks fans Wednesday during his return to Madison Square Garden ... saying, "Real know the real!"

The Portland Trail Blazers star hadn't played at MSG since Dec. 2017 -- after the Knicks traded him to the OKC Thunder.

Of course, OKC eventually waived Melo. He had a short stint with the Rockets and then spent months unemployed before eventually signing with Portland in Nov. 2019.

Now, 35-year-old Melo is back to balling out ... averaging 16 points and 6 rebounds in the 20 games he's played so far. NOT BAD AT ALL!

Clearly, the fans in NYC -- where Melo spent almost 7 seasons -- still respect the guy and got a super loud ovation during the intros of the Portland vs. NY game on Wednesday.

"Real recognize real," Melo told us about his reception ... "I appreciate the love, always."

We also asked Melo if he thinks his jersey should be retired by the Knicks -- and he had an interesting response to that.

"I don't know man. You're talking something that ain't on my mind right now."

There's a solid argument for Melo's jersey to hang in the rafters at MSG -- he was an All-Star every year he played in NYC while averaging 24.7 points per game.

Lou Williams' son is now the owner of the best name EVER ... the L.A. Clippers star says he's callin' his newborn baby "Syx" -- and it's all 'cause of his famous NBA awards!!

"I always said if I had a son I was going to give him a unique name," Williams said.

Lou is a 3-time winner of the Association's Sixth Man of the Year honors ... and he confirmed in a postgame interview Thursday night his boy's name is a nod to those trophies.

"Nothing was coming to me, so I just said, 'You know what, I'm going to name him Syx, spell it a little different' and we just had some fun with it."

Seems the new kid is already a great luck charm for Williams ... after the point guard missed the Clippers' game Tuesday for the birth of Syx, he came back to pile up 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in L.A.'s win over the Pistons on Thursday.

As for when Lou will start training Syx to follow in Dad's footsteps ... Williams says it won't be long.

"A couple weeks," he said.

"My parents taught me to help out wherever I can, so this is my way of helping out."

LaMelo Ball is reaching into his pockets to aid Australia wildfire victims ... pledging to donate one month of his National Basketball League salary to people in the region who need it.

Of course, Australia is home to the youngest Ball brother these days ... he signed on to play in the NBL this season before he enters the NBA Draft later this year.

As for how much 1 month's salary is for the 18-year-old, the NBL is reportedly paying him around $70,000 this season ... so it's a pretty good chunk of change for LaVar's kid.

Australia can certainly use the cash ... at least 17 people have been killed by fires that have raged since October, and at least 17 more people are still missing.

More than 1,000 homes and businesses have reportedly been destroyed by the blazes... and there are fears things could get worse before they get better.

"It’s sad to see what is happening on the South Coast of Australia," Ball said Thursday. "People have lost their homes and everything they own. My parents taught me to help out wherever I can, so this is my way of helping out."

NBA fans LOVE Tacko Fall ... 'cause despite the 7'6" center only logging 3 games this season -- THEY WANNA SEE HIM IN THE ALL-STAR GAME!!!

The Association announced its top vote-getters so far for the annual classic ... and Fall currently sits at No. 6 in the Eastern Conference frontcourt standings with 110,269 votes.

It's an impressive number, considering Timberwolves superstar Karl Anthony-Towns has just 173,129 votes over on the Western Conference side.

Of course, it's hilarious because Fall has only played MINUTES this season -- he hasn't spent too much time on the Celtics' active roster because of mediocre play and a concussion he suffered for being too tall (seriously, that story is wild).

But, all the love is a testament to how much people really dig Fall -- who's been an Internet sensation for his giant size ever since he killed it in college at UCF.

Fall ain't the only quirky name on the NBA's fan vote list ... Lakers bench player Alex Caruso also notched nearly 100,000 votes, mostly because he's a hilarious internet meme too!!

As for if the NBA will actually let the guys play in the game despite not really doing much in this season ... don't count on it -- the fan vote only makes up 50 percent of the total voting players need to make the game.

A Chinese Basketball Association coach slapped the hell out of a heckler during a game Wednesday after the man allegedly screamed at the coach's wife ... and video of the incident is wild.

During the Jiangsu Dragons' tilt with the Liaoning Flying Leopards in Nanjing on New Year's Day, a fan was clearly causing a scene from his courtside seat.

Cameras caught the guy making a gesture toward one of the players ... and later, they appeared to show the man screaming toward a woman believed to be Dragons coach Memi Becirovic's wife.

You can see in the clip, Becirovic didn't handle the situation very well at all ... 'cause at some point during the 3rd quarter, he straight-up walked up to the fan and slapped him in the face!!

The fan fell backward ... and both parties needed to be restrained. Eventually, both the coach and the man were ejected from the game.

It's unclear if Becirovic will face further punishment from the CBA over the altercation.

David Stern -- Hall of Fame ex-NBA Commissioner -- has died 3 weeks after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

The NBA says Stern passed away Wednesday afternoon with his wife, Dianne, and their family at his bedside.

As we reported ... Stern was in serious condition after undergoing emergency brain surgery to address the sudden hemorrhage he suffered at a Manhattan restaurant on December 12. Sadly, he was unable to make a recovery.

David took over as commissioner of the NBA in 1984 and ushered incredible growth in the league over his 30-year tenure. Of course, he was in charge during the heyday of Bird, Magic and Michael ... and helped the NBA become the global juggernaut it is today.

You're looking at Terrelle Pryor -- BALLING OUT OF HIS MIND -- just 4 weeks after he was stabbed in the chest and nearly bled to death!!!

LOOK AT THIS!!! Dude recovers faster than Wolverine!!!!

The 30-year-old NFL wideout -- who says he flatlined TWICE after the Nov. 30 incident -- hit up Jeanette High School in Pennsylvania on Tuesday for some pick-up hoops ... and good god.

He was dribbling, shooting, jumping, moving ... it's unreal.

As we previously reported, Pryor lost 3.5 liters of blood and was within "minutes" of dying after he was stabbed in his Pittsburgh-area apartment during a scuffle with his girlfriend, Shalaya Briston.

Pryor's attorney says the knife plunged "very deep" into Terrelle's body above his left pec and JUST missed a major artery ... but still hit a big vain.

It took 30 staples to close the wound -- but T.P. clearly feels fine now.

What's interesting ... before the stabbing, Pryor was still very actively trying to get on an NFL roster (he was cut by the Jaguars in August).

Nick “Swaggy P” Young took his new fiance out for a fancy dinner Saturday night ... it's the first time we've seen them since he popped the question on XMAS day.

Nick and Keonna Green hit up Craig's in WeHo and they were in high style as they left the restaurant ... a doggie bag was in the free agent's hand.

Nick made it clear ... the ring was super expensive, although he was mum on exactly how much it set him back. One sweet note ... his son helped him pick out the bling.

Nick proposed on XMAS morning with some help from Nick Jr., who filmed the whole thing.  Check out the video ... Nick grabs the huge ring box, walks over to Keonna and makes it clear ... the proposal was "way overdue."

The couple has 3 kids together ... Nick Jr., Navi and 6-month old Nyce.

Marlon Wayans is a sideline dad who'll go to the mat for his kid -- and we think we mean that literally by the way he was screaming at the ref during a basketball game for teens.

The actor and comedian was at his son's high school basketball game Friday night at Bishop Alemany High School in L.A., where he was attentively watching from the bleachers. He eventually came down to court level though to do a little yelling over the officiating.

Apparently, Marlon felt his boy, Shawn, was getting fouled and not receiving the calls for it. He even pointed that out in his own home videos that he posted on social media.

Welp, it looks like the frustrated commentary turned into a shouting match down below, because eyewitnesses tell us Marlon let the refs have it and then some, cussing included.

In video of Marlon's tantrum, obtained by TMZ, you hear him seemingly call at least one referee a "motherf***er" before storming out of the gym. Another parent agreed with him.

MW wasn't done quite yet. At another point in the clip, it looks like he circled back and confronted the refs directly at the scoring table, and did some intense finger-pointing and chastising before having to be restrained. Marlon cooled down and walked away.

Luckily this thing didn't escalate to the point of no return. In the end, just another case of an involved parent who loves their kids. No harm, no ... uhhh, maybe not actually.

Metta World Peace is enamored by the current Lakers squad -- telling TMZ Sports they're a "bigger" sensation than his 2010 Championship team ... at least right now.

"I think they're bigger than us to tell you the truth," Metta said ... "They're 24-6 at this point? They're bigger than what we were at this point in the season."

No shade ... but Metta's wrong.

The current Lakers are 24-7. During the 2009-10 run, Metta's Lakers were 24-6 at this point.

Let's do a squad vs. squad analysis.

2009-10 Lakers -- Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown, Andrew Bynum.

2019-20 Lakers -- LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, Kyle Kuzma, JaVale McGee, Danny Green, Rajon Rondo.

So ... who ya got???

Of course, Metta's squad went on to beat the Boston Celtics in 7 games. Kobe was the series MVP.

For what it's worth, Metta thinks LeBron's Lakers will win it all this season -- "I think so. I know so!"

It's a wrap for Z-Bo ... Zach Randolph tells TMZ Sports he's ending his NBA comeback plans once and for all.

It's not Earth-shattering news considering 38-year-old Randolph hasn't played in the league since the 2017-18 season, but he had been floating the idea of a return for months.

In fact, back in June, Randolph seemed interested in a comeback, telling us he was "back to training" and was hoping to sign a deal with a team for the 2019-20 season.

But, that didn't happen ... and when we saw Randolph at Staples Center for the big Lakers vs. Clippers Christmas Day matchup, he was pretty matter of fact about his future.

Randolph had a pretty stellar career -- he was a 1st-round pick in 2001, a 2-time NBA All-Star ... and became a Memphis Grizzlies legend during his run there.

As for cash, he reportedly made nearly $200 MILLION on contract money during his career ... so yeah, NOT BAD AT ALL!!

So, what's next for Randolph? He's growing his music label ... but really, when you have $200 mil, you can do whatever you want!!

Oh, we also spoke with Randolph about NBA rookie sensation Ja Morant -- and shocker, Randolph thinks he's got all sorts of potential!

JOE BURROW FOR THE WIN ... in a basketball shoot-out?!

Yeah, it happened -- against Oklahoma -- and it was awesome.

Turns out, the LSU and Oklahoma football teams had a friendly Xmas Day basketball shooting contest Wednesday night ahead of the big Peach Bowl game.

Both sides picked a 5-man crew to hit shots from all over the court. The Sooners were up big going into the last round ... but the Heisman Trophy-winning QB stepped in and went 10 for 12, sealing the victory for the Tigers!

By the way, Burrow was a pretty solid high school basketball player back in Ohio before he turned his full-time focus to football.

According to Max Preps, Burrow averaged 19.3 points per game his senior year at Athens High ... with 6.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Not bad, right!?

Anyway, he was better at football ... and now he's expected to go Top 3 in the NFL Draft. What an athlete, huh?

NBA star Trae Young is beastin' for the Atlanta Hawks right now ... and he's rewarding himself by buying a $1.5 million crib in his home state of Oklahoma!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Trae bought himself a new 8,100-square-foot pad in Norman Oklahoma where he grew up --- his first LEGIT house ... and it's loaded!!!

The pad comes with 5 bedrooms, 6 baths, a massive kitchen, a pool with a cool slide, a pool house ... and you can put up to 7 cars in his giant garage!

It doesn't stop there ... the baller is also adding 14 TVs and a dope audio system --- and because of that, he's spending TONS of money on security. Not bad for a 21-year-old huh?

And, Trae -- who's averaging 28 PPG and 8 assists right now --- is serious about uppin' his game that he's having his trainers and nutritionist live with him at his new home during the offseason.

The newest New York Knicks coach is ... Kenyon Martin????

Don't rule it out ... 'cause the ex-NBA superstar is officially throwing his hat into the ring for the open job -- telling TMZ Sports he wants to be NY's next head man!!

And, get this ... the dude says he wants Metta World Peace to be an assistant on his staff!!

We got the 41-year-old out at LAX ... and when we asked him who should replace David Fizdale at Madison Square Garden next, he told us straight-up, "Me!"

When our photog informed him Metta has also been gunning for the job ... he said that's cool, saying, "Me and Metta, head coach and assistant coach!"

So, could it happen? Almost certainly not ... the rumored favorite for the opening is Mark Jackson -- but others like Stan and Jeff Van Gundy have also reportedly been linked to the job.

Here's Magic Johnson saying what ALL basketball fans are thinking ... WE WANT ZION!!

Of course, Zion Williamson has missed his entire NBA rookie season thanks to a meniscus tear in his right knee. The New Orleans Pelicans star underwent surgery about 9 weeks ago, but he's far from game-ready.

Magic's good pal Stephen A. Smith recently suggested Zion sit out the rest of the season and focus on his recovery ... so when we saw Johnson leaving Avra in Bev Hills, we asked his thoughts on the situation.

"We don't know the extent of his injury," Magic said ... "Whatever is good for him. I'm sure [Zion's team] will make a good decision."

"We wanna see him on the court but if it's better for him to sit out, then maybe he do that. If he wants to come back, then come back!"

The bottom line for Magic ... "The league misses him. We love seeing his talent because we think he's really gonna be a star in our league."

LeBron James is widely considered the greatest athlete on the planet ... but Bronny could be EVEN BETTER than his daddy ... so says Magic Johnson!!

Yeah, no pressure, kid.

LeBron James Jr. isn't even old enough to drive a car and he's already getting massive attention on the court (he is the son of the biggest NBA star in the world after all)

TMZ Sports spoke with the Laker legend at Mastro's about the prodigy's future and whether he can be the heir to the throne ... and Magic says it's definitely possible.

"I think so," Johnson tells us. "You hope so, anyway. Normally what happens is sometimes with all that skill and talent that LeBron has, it passes to his son."

"I think that he has a chance to be unbelievable and either just as good as his dad or a little better. But, that's big shoes to fill though. LeBron is playing awesome right now. MVP of league right now."