Basketball

Tragic day for the basketball community ... beloved Harlem Globetrotters legend Fred "Curly" Neal has passed away. He was 77 years old.

Curly became one of the most recognizable players for the Globies during his 22-year stint with the team ... playing in more than 6,000 games.

Neal's #22 jersey was retired in 2008 ... one of just 5 players to receive the honor.

Curly was also featured in several of the Globetrotters' TV specials ... including "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island" and "The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Special" ... as well as 'Scooby-Doo.'

Curly was the team's elite ball handler for the Globetrotters after a successful career at Johnson C. Smith University ... where he averaged 23 points a game.

Fellow Globetrotters legend Curley "Boo" Johnson mourned the loss of his friend on Twitter, saying "Last night the World lost a true ambassador of the game of basketball and outside of Muhammad Ali one of the most recognizable faces on the Planet!"

"Rest In Peace my Brother.... "

An NBA photog claims LeBron James stole his picture and posted it on social media without permission ... and now, the guy is PISSED, suing the Lakers superstar looking for payment.

The photographer's name is Steven Mitchell ... and he says back on Dec. 13, 2019, he shot a SICK photo of LBJ dunking on Meyers Leonard in a Lakers vs. Heat game in Miami.

The problem? Mitchell says he noticed LeBron took the image shortly after the game and threw it up on his Instagram and Facebook pages without Mitchell's consent.

Some photogs don't mind the publicity ... and Bron was clearly appreciative of the art, captioning the pic, "What.A.Time.To.Be.Alive and I’m LIVING with Pure Joy! Thank you 🏀."

But, Mitchell clearly wasn't happy LeBron didn't reach out first ... and now, he's suing the NBA legend.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Mitchell is asking for any cash LeBron might have made off the post. Alternatively, Mitchell's seeking up to $150k for each time Bron used the pic.

Dope pic, though.

We reached out to Bron's camp for comment -- so far, no word back.

Today in Drake's self-quarantine adventures ... Drizzy takes us on a walk through his unbelievable shoe collection!!!

And, yeah ... sneakerheads will be drooling by the end of this post.

Of course, Aubrey has plenty of time to kill in his Toronto mansion after he hung out with Kevin Durant in L.A. 2 weeks ago ... with the Brooklyn Nets superstar later testing positive for coronavirus.

Drake showed off his kicks on IG Monday (probably out of complete boredom) ... and the collection has everything from the $2,000 super rare Air Diors (reportedly only 8,500 pairs made) to an entire section of Kobe Bryant's signature shoes.

On top of that, Drake shows off his Off-White Jordan 5s ... Supreme Air Force 1s and the Jordan 5 Tokyo T23, which currently go for the $3,000 to $4,000 range.

And, don't forget -- Drizzy can wear these expensive-ass shoes on his OVO indoor court from the comfort of his own home ... but we hope he doesn't hoop in these!!

Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray claims he's been HACKED ... and a graphic video that surfaced on Instagram on Saturday was never intended for public consumption.

The video in question popped up on the 23-year-old's IG stories late Saturday night and was deleted a very short time after it went up -- but it still left his 450k followers in shock.

Sunday morning, he addressed the situation head-on ... saying, "First and foremost I would like to apologize to my fans. My account has been hacked, currently working on the issue. Thanks."

Obviously, we're not gonna post the video here.

We understand why Murray is apologizing ... but if what he's saying is true, an apology isn't necessary -- he's a victim and doesn't have to apologize for anything.

Murray had gone viral earlier in the week over a clip of him playing the piano while social distancing.

The coronavirus has just hit the Brooklyn Nets ... HARD.

The team announced FOUR players have tested positive for COVID-19 -- which is essentially a THIRD of the roster!

No, the team is not naming names -- at least not yet. Before today, no one on the team had been diagnosed with coronavirus.

In fact, before today only 3 NBA players had tested positive -- Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz and Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons.

Of the four, one player is exhibiting symptoms while three are asymptomatic," the team said in a statement.

"All four players are presently isolated and under the care of team physicians."

"The organization is currently notifying anyone who has had known contact with the players, including recent opponents, and is working closely with state and local health authorities on reporting."

"All players and members of the Nets travel party are being asked to remain isolated, closely monitor their health and maintain constant communication with team medical staff. The health of our players and staff is of the highest priority to the organization and the team is doing everything within its power to ensure that those affected receive the best care possible."

The Black Mamba's presence will be felt every time Drake steps foot on his insane home indoor basketball court ... 'cause the rapper has installed a touching tribute for Kobe Bryant.

Drizzy showed off the new artwork while spending some alone time at his "Sanctuary" court Monday night ... displaying a massive #8 and #24 on either side of the scoreboard.

Just like most of the world, it looks like Drake is practicing social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic ... which means he can work on his J from the comfort of his Toronto mansion.

Of course, tons of celebs and athletes have been honoring the late NBA superstar following the tragic helicopter crash earlier this year -- from tributes like LeBron James' tattoo to Derrick Henry's new chain.

As for Drake's mansion ... the place is insane and even has a singing toilet. So, the whole isolation thing ain't all that bad for Drake.

Did the NBA coronavirus suspension just breathe life into a possible NBA return for Kevin Durant?!?!

Sorry, Brooklyn Nets fans ... it sounds like the answer to that question is a big, fat NOPE ... 'cause KD's right-hand man, Rich Kleiman, says a summer return from his Achilles injury is "not very realistic."

Of course, the 31-year-old superstar went down with the injury in the NBA Finals last June ... and KD hasn't played a minute of NBA basketball since.

With the entire Association coming to a screeching halt last week due to the coronavirus outbreak, many fans -- especially in BK -- speculated the suspension could be a blessing in disguise for Durant.

But, KD's longtime business partner, Rich Kleiman, put an end to the speculation on Monday ... telling ESPN the chances are slim he suits up in time for a potential playoff push for the 7th-seed Nets.

"Honestly, not very realistic from my standpoint, and not even spoken about," Kleiman told "Golic & Wingo."

At the time, KD was given a 12-month rehab timeline ... which would time up perfectly with the league's potential return date.

Regardless, Kleiman says don't hold your breath.

"It feels like (playing this season) clearly was not something that was in the cards prior to all this."

"And, now, I think just like the rest of the world, it's hard to take anything more than day by day."

Kleiman says the next step is figuring out the best place for KD to rehab while following the CDC's new recommendations ... which suggests no gatherings of more than 50 people.

Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell says he feels ZERO signs of the coronavirus days after testing positive for the infection ... in fact, he's down to get back on the court TOMORROW.

As we previously reported ... Spida tested positive for COVID-19 right after his teammate Rudy Gobert's health status eventually put the entire NBA season on hold last week.

After giving a brief update on social media, the 23-year-old is detailing his past few days with "Good Morning America" -- from isolation -- and says he feels fully healthy.

"Got no fever, no symptoms as of right now and just blessed to be okay," Mitchell says. "Right now, the biggest thing for me is to just stay in isolation and just keep to myself."

"I keep making the joke when people keep asking me that if you were to tell me that I would play in a 7-game series tomorrow, I'd be ready to lace up."

Mitchell says it took a while to "cool off" after Gobert's positive test ... but admits he's just happy his other teammates weren't affected.

Of course, Gobert has apologized for being so careless about COVID-19 before his diagnosis. Remember, he jokingly touched a bunch of mics and recorders during a press conference. Gobert says he now understands he needs to take the matter seriously and has donated more than $500k to relief efforts.