Basketball

Charlotte Hornets player Malik Monk -- the 11th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft -- has been suspended indefinitely without pay for violating the terms of the league's drug policy.

The details are unclear -- the NBA has not said if Monk tested dirty or simply failed to comply with the drug testing ... but it's clear he's in the dog house.

"The NBA announced today that Malik Monk of the Charlotte Hornets has been suspended without pay for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program," the league said.

"Monk’s suspension will begin with tonight’s game between the Hornets and the New York Knicks, and will continue until he is determined to be in full compliance with the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program."

22-year-old Monk was a star at Kentucky and has huge potential -- which he flashed with some solid play earlier this month.

He's currently in a 4-year, $15.7 million contract. He earns about $50k per game so the suspension is kind of a big deal.

Lamar Odom says he REALLY misses Kobe Bryant -- because Kobe would often act as a life coach for Odom, who admits he could really use Bryant's wisdom right now.

Odom and Bryant weren't just teammates -- they were incredibly close friends. Remember, when Odom suffered his 2015 overdose in Nevada, Kobe was one of the first people who rushed to the hospital to be by his side.

Now, Odom says he's adjusting to life without his brother -- and admits the whole situation sucks.

"I'm alright," Odom told us outside of Staples Center on Tuesday ... "I miss my guy though. Real talk."

Odom says he relied on Bryant to advise him through tough situations -- and he's currently in the middle of one right now -- admitting he's getting criticism from fans who are unhappy that Odom pawned his 2008-09 and 2009-10 Lakers championship rings.

"First, I would ask him how do I get these fans to forgive me for pawning those rings?"

As we previously reported, Odom pawned the rings several years ago during his drama with Khloe Kardashian.

Clearly, Odom wants them back -- but it'll cost him. The rings recently hit the auction block where they were expected to sell for around $100,000.

There's more ... Odom says he reconnected with some of his old Lakers teammates during Tuesday night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans and they reminisced about Kobe.

POP QUIZ -- how many Chick-fil-A sandwiches does it take to fill up 7'5" NBA star Tacko Fall?!?

WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT BECAUSE WE SHOT TACKO FALL AT CHICK-FIL-A!

Fresh off an 18-point, 20-rebound game for the Maine Red Claws (the Boston Celtics' G-League team) ... TMZ Sports spotted the most likable guy in pro sports getting some grub at the airport in D.C.

And, since we're fascinated with all things Tacko, we had to ask the 24-year-old what the standard Chick-fil-A order is for someone of his stature.

So, make your guesses now ... 5 sandos? 8? 27? Dude's not only huge but he burns a ton of calories moving up and down the court.

Shout-out to Fall who couldn't have been nicer to our photog, and took a bunch of pics for the Chick-fil-A staffers who recognized him at the restaurant!

BONUS -- we also spoke with Tacko about being so well-received by fans in the Association ... and you'll love his reaction.

Tom Brady says Kobe Bryant's death has kept him up at night and brought him to "so many tears" -- and now he's opening up about why the "real superhero" meant so much to him.

TB12 didn't just love Kobe as an athlete -- but he respected him as a father, husband and businessman ... and says Bryant was an inspiration.

The NFL star penned a very long statement about how he's been processing Kobe's death -- while paying tribute to everything Bryant stood for.

Here's Tom's statement in its entirety ...

"I have been deeply affected by the passing of Kobe, Gigi and the others in that tragic flight weeks ago," Brady said.

"Since then, I've witnessed the well deserved outpouring of love and support for the families that had so much left to give, and it’s helped me reflect and gain perspective. I know that love and peace and joy will always endure. And in this tragedy, I have learned so much."

"Why has this touched me in the way it did? Why has it kept me up at night, and brought me so many tears?"

Kobe Bryant was purple and gold as a 13-year-old -- signing his middle school friend's yearbook with "How bout those Lakers" -- and now the book can be yours.

Iconic Auctions has the super-unique piece of memorabilia on the auction block ... and it's pretty amazing.

In 1992, Kobe -- who just returned to the U.S. from Italy -- attended Bala Cynwyd Middle School in Pennsylvania ... where he played on the basketball team.

Bryant arrived midway through the school year, so he didn't have a standard school photo. He only appeared in the boys' basketball team photo.

When yearbooks were issued, Kobe's buddy asked him to sign the autograph page ... and what Mamba wrote was pretty prophetic.

"In a few years you probably will be dunking on me. Not!! How bout those Lakers. Your friend Kobe Bryant #24"

Kobe was just 13 years old in 1992 ... and wasn't a member of the Los Angeles Lakers (or the NBA) until June 1996.

Of course, Bryant -- even back then -- wore (and signed) one of the numbers, #24, that would eventually hang forever in the rafters of Staples Center.

Iconic tells us they expect the yearbook to sell for over $20k ... when the auction closes this weekend.

The Grove honored Kobe, Gigi Bryant and the 7 other lives lost in a tragic helicopter crash by doing something it had never done in its 18-year history ... shutting off its famed rooftop sign and blasting a special lights tribute.

The famed L.A. mall beamed 9 rays of light Monday as the sun set ... and they joined together as one in the heavens to honor the victims from the January helicopter crash. Billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso, who owns The Grove, said it's the first time The Grove has EVER turned off its famous Grove sign.

L.A. and the rest of the world said one last goodbye to the NBA legend and Gigi on Monday in front of a packed Staples Center crowd. We got Caruso leaving Craig's later that night and he said the tribute was a one-night event.

Caruso also tells us how he got the idea to honor the victims. Our guy asks Caruso if The Grove will erect a Kobe statue ... and Caruso's response should come as no surprise.

BTW ... Kobe was no stranger to The Grove. He'd drop into the mall's famed Nike store every now and then. He also had a meet and greet at the mall's Barnes & Noble when he was there to promote his book "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play" in 2018.

Thousands of Kobe and Gianna Bryant mourners are just hours away from packing Staples Center for a ceremony celebrating the Mamba and Mambacita's lives ... and TMZ Sports will live stream all of it.

The event is expected to be incredibly moving and emotional. As we reported, the demand to attend the memorial was unprecedented.

THOUSANDS of people applied for tickets -- more than 88,000 just in the first 5 hours.

The Staples Center only holds 20,000 ... and many of those tickets had already been accounted for with Kobe's family, friends and the NBA community.

We're told officials wrestled with the idea of moving the event to the L.A. Coliseum -- which seats closer to 80,000 people -- before ultimately settling on Staples. After all, it's where Kobe played for 20 years and became a beloved figure in Los Angeles and around the world.

Tributes are popping up all over the city. Check out this mural in the Hollywood-area near The Grove.

We're told just like Michael Jackson and Nipsey Hussle's memorials -- which were also held at Staples -- streets around the building will be closed off for security and traffic control.

Law enforcement is urging fans without tickets to stay home and watch the broadcast on TV or online. The ceremony will NOT be broadcast on the screens outside Staples.

It's unclear who will speak at the memorial ... with dozens of people close to Kobe and Gigi wanting to take the mic to say kind words about the Lakers legend and his daughter.

We broke the story, Bryant and his daughter were 2 of 9 people who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26.

Vanessa Bryant, who is expected to attend the event, said of the losses just days after the tragedy, "We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe -- the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna -- a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri."

The memorial stream will begin at 9:00 AM PT.

The Western Conference needs to enjoy Golden State's off-year while it can ... 'cause Tim Hardaway tells TMZ Sports the Warriors will be right back in the Finals -- with help from their "perfect piece!!"

It's been a rough patch, to say the least, for the Dubs, who have been without Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for most of the season.

But there's a new guy in town after shipping D'Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins ... and the ex-Warrior says it was a great move for when the 2 stars get back on the court!!

"I think it was," Hardaway says. "Andrew Wiggins is gonna be real nice with them. Yes, he is."

"Perfect piece, no question!"

But is Wiggins enough to get Golden State back in the Finals?? Hardaway thinks so!!

A youth org. claims LeBron James straight-up jacked their "More Than An Athlete" slogan for his Uninterrupted brand ... and now they want more than $33 MIL to make things right!

Game Plan -- a Maryland based nonprofit, which guides young athletes to achieve professional success in an out of sports -- claims they've been using the slogan "I Am More Than an Athlete" since 2016 and they obtained the trademark in 2018.

The problem ... Game Plan is convinced LeBron James saw Game Plan staffers wearing "More Than An Athlete" shirts at a Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards game in 2017 and stole it for his Uninterrupted brand. In fact, the staffers even posed for a pic that day with Wizards star John Wall.

Game Plan says in their lawsuit ... "The attendance at the game gave Game Plan tremendous exposure, as it was able to gain attention from John Wall in front of his peers including the (arguably) most famous athlete in the world, as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, at the time, LeBron James."

In court docs filed by Game Plan, they claim Bron loved the phrase so much, he began using it in 2018 as a response to the infamous Laura Ingraham "Shut Up and Dribble" incident.

After the Fox News host made the comment on air, James went to social media and posted a picture of a neon light sign that read, "I Am More Than an Athlete."

Since then, Game Plan says LeBron and Uninterrupted have monetized the hell out of the slogan -- striking deals to use "I Am More Than An Athlete" with Nike, ESPN and the NBA2K video game.

Game Plan says they own the rightful trademark and are entitled to all profits that have been made from it -- seeking no less than $33 MILLION.

They're suing Uninterrupted, Nike, Disney and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.

So far, no comment from LeBron's camp.

It's been nearly 14 months since John Wall has stepped foot on an NBA court ... but he tells TMZ Sports he's learned a VERY valuable lesson during his time away from the game.

The Washington Wizards superstar ruptured his Achilles back at the beginning of 2019 after falling in his D.C. home ... and has been working like crazy to get back to 100%.

We spoke with Wall about his time away from the game ... and he's got some solid advice for players in similar situations.

"I learned what not to do is not to rush back and just take my time," Wall says.

Of course, Wall has been going viral for being able to dunk in pregame warm-ups recently ... which appears to be a good sign for recovery ... but the 29-year-old makes it clear he ain't coming back 'til he's fully ready to ball.

John Beilein's brief stint as Cleveland Cavs head coach was nothing short of a dumpster fire ... and it got so bad, the players trolled the dude by referencing his infamous "thugs" comment with the locker-room music.

The 67-year-old's NBA career came to a screeching halt after just 54 games on Tuesday ... with Beilein leaving about $12 million in contract money on the table just to end his misery.

Now, details on his failure of a tenure with the Cavs are coming to the surface ... and it's uglier than imagined. Like, we knew it was bad. But, THIS BAD!?!?!

Remember, back in January ... Beilein called his players a "bunch of thugs" in a film session and later insisted he meant to say "slugs" instead. He claimed it was an innocent slip.

Beilein apologized but it seems the players didn't accept it -- with The Athletic reporting guys in charge of the team's locker-room music would play songs with the word "thug" in the lyrics whenever the coach was around.

According to the report, the "thug" playlist included tracks like "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, "Thugz Mansion" by Tupac and Trick Daddy's "I'm a Thug."

Among other issues reported -- the players thought Beilein acted like a dictator, over-worked newcomers during Summer League and never really grasped the concept of what an NBA coach was expected to do.

FYI, Beilein was the head coach at the University of Michigan for years before jumping to the NBA. Unclear if he will go back to coaching at the college level again.

What was supposed to be a display of sportsmanship turned into an all-out BRAWL at a college basketball game in Texas ... when things got violent in the post-game handshake line!

Prairie View A&M had just defeated the Jackson State Tigers in a home game in Waller County -- but things had been chippy between the teams during regulation.

Things finally exploded in the handshake line when Jackson State's Dontelius Ross took exception with PV's Darius Williams ... who appeared to have bumped Ross during the handshakes.

Ross was PISSED and immediately tried running after Williams, but his teammates and a police officer used all of their might to hold him back.

But it didn't end there ... another fight broke out on the opposite side of the court involving other players and, again, officials raced on to the court to break it up.

It doesn't appear anyone was injured in the fracas -- but you can bet there will repercussions ... most likely suspensions to come soon.

Crazy night.

A super passionate (and rich!) Kobe Bryant fan tricked out his Lamborghini to honor the Black Mamba ... and now the guy says the amazing whip can be all yours -- if you've got around $170k!!

Joe Carbonara tells TMZ Sports he was so devastated after Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash ... he wanted to honor them with his 2015 Lamborghini Huracan.

Carbonara says he took the ride -- which used to be a generic silver color -- to X-Treme Graphics near Chicago to get the tribute art put on.

We're told the shop's owner, Steve Zielinski, loved the idea of the project so much ... he spent TWO FULL DAYS wrapping it in Lakers purple and gold vinyl.

"I had to make sure it was good and not overdone," Zielinski tells us. "And, we didn't charge for it."

The results of the work were impressive ... Kobe's numbers, pictures of Bryant and Gigi, the Mamba's logo and even the names of all nine crash victims are featured on the ride.

In fact, the job was so well done ... the Lambo -- now dubbed the Kobe24Lambo -- gained national attention when it was seen driving around NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.

But now, Carbonara -- who was trying to unload the Lambo prior to wrapping it -- says he's willing to let a new owner enjoy the car ... saying the ride is officially up for sale with a price tag of $170k.

In the meantime, Carbonara says you might be seeing the car in music videos and at special events ... saying he's been getting requests to show off the ride EVERYWHERE!!

Dwyane Wade admits the decision to go public with his 12-year-old child's gender identity story wasn't easy -- the family "struggled" -- but they ultimately decided it was the right thing to do.

The NBA star appeared on 'GMA' and opened up about how Zaya -- who was born as a boy named Zion -- came to him and Gabrielle Union to talk about wanting to "live my truth."

"I think going forward I am ready to live my truth," Zaya told the Wades ... adding, "I want to be referenced as 'she' and 'her.' I would love for you guys to call me Zaya."

Wade says the family spent a bunch of time researching and talking to people to try to understand what Zaya was going through -- and it made the family stronger in the long run.

And, with Dwyane working with ESPN on a documentary about his own life, Wade knew he would have to decide whether to include Zaya's gender identity story in the flick ... and it wasn't an easy decision!

"I struggled on how much I wanted to talk about in the doc," Dwyane said ... "I actually didn't talk about it a lot. But, I knew if I put it in the doc at all, it would be a big conversation. "

"Yes, we understand that our daughter's 12 years old. We struggled with what people would say about a 12-year-old making a decision about her life, but we also know our child."

Julius Erving's one of the GREATEST DUNKERS in the history of basketball ... and he tells TMZ Sports that Aaron Gordon deserved the dunk contest win!!

We talked to Dr. J -- who was in the building for the dunk contest -- at Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. on Monday ... and we asked the hoops legend if the Orlando Magic star was robbed by the judges in Chi-town.

"I don't know if robbed is the right term, if it had ended in a tie, I don't think anybody would've been upset. But, a contest like that going into basically 2 overtimes. Third overtime. You hate to have a loser."

BUT, forced to pick a winner, Dr. J -- who won the inaugural ABA Dunk Contest in 1976 -- says Gordon's final dunk was justtttttttt a little better than Derrick Jones Jr.'s jam.

"I think [Gordon's] last dunk was cleaner. Neither one of them were 50's because they had shot their load in terms of their best stuff."

Of course, AG literally jumped over the biggest dude in the NBA -- 7'5" Boston Celtics giant Tacko Fall -- but somehow, someway, Scottie Pippen, Chadwick Boseman and Jones’ ex-teammate Dwyane Wade only gave him a 9.

Gordon missed tying Jones and forcing another round of dunks by 1 point ... and flat-out beating him by 2 points.

Shaquille O'Neal ain't going to like this ...

Ex-NBA stud Antonio Davis says Shaq and Kobe have NOTHING on Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen when it comes to the best duo in league history ... telling TMZ Sports it's all 'cause of Shaq's defense!

"Shaq can't come out and guard nobody!" Davis says.

The debate's been raging on for YEARS ... and when we got AD out at NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago on Saturday -- he told us there's no need for an argument anymore.

"I don't care what nobody says," Davis tells us. "Hands down. I don't care."

Of course, there's a lot of people in the hoops world that would disagree with Davis ... Shaq and Kobe won 3 titles together and both dudes have legit claims to be considered top 10 players ever.

Then again, Jordan and Scottie won 6 championships together ... and MJ is considered the game's best-ever -- so maybe Antonio's got a point?