Basketball

Michael Jordan says he socked Steve Kerr in the face during a fight at Bulls practice back in 1995 ... and said he felt so badly about it afterward, he had to call the guy to apologize.

"I'm in the shower and I'm saying, 'I just beat up the littlest guy on the f*cking court,'" Jordan said. "And, I felt about this small."

Jordan admitted to all of it in the eighth episode of "The Last Dance" docuseries Sunday ... explaining how Phil Jackson calling "ticky-tack" fouls in a training camp workout led to MJ roughing up the future head coach of the Golden State Warriors.

Jordan says in the preseason after his return to the NBA from a failed baseball career ... he was trying to get his new teammates like Kerr to understand what it would take for Chicago to win another championship.

Yet MJ claims Jackson attempted to "tone me down" in one particularly aggressive practice ... and that pissed off the NBA legend to the point where he intentionally fouled Kerr.

That's when Steve says he punched MJ in the chest ... and Jordan responded with this -- "I just haul off and hit him right in the f*cking eye."

Jordan says he knew he was wrong almost immediately ... and called Kerr shortly after to say he was sorry.

"I feel bad," Jordan says he told Kerr.

But, the good news? Kerr says standing up to Jordan was "the best thing that I ever did" ... and says their relationship "dramatically improved" afterward.

Of course, later that season the Bulls won 72 regular-season games and took home the NBA championship ... prompting Steve to say, "that season has to be the best team I've ever been a part of."

Michael Jordan's personal check -- signed by His Airness -- made out to Donald Trump's Indiana casino during the '97-'98 NBA season ... just hit the auction block.

The one-of-a-kind check is dated "Feb. 16, 1998" ... and is made out to "TRUMP INDIANA, INC." -- Trump's now-closed riverboat casino in Gary, Indiana -- for 15,000 bucks.

MJ's very recognizable autograph is on the checks signature line ... above the font "JORDAN, MICHAEL J"

Michael's Bulls squad didn't have a game on February 16. They just came off a 99-90 win over the Pistons the night before ... and were set to play the Pacers in Chi-town the following night, February 17.

Did Jordan's gambling affect his play against the Pacers? Nope. Chicago won, and Jordan dropped 27 points on Reggie Miller's team.

MJ's love of gambling is well-documented and was prominently discussed on the "Last Dance" docuseries ... when Michael famously traveled from NYC to Atlantic City during the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals series against the Knicks.

So, yeah, Michael liked the casino ... A LOT.

Goldin Auctions -- who are currently auctioning the check -- believe this is the first time an MJ check made to a casino has become available on the open market.

With Jordan's current resurgence in the news, MJ memorabilia is on fire. Last week, a rookie card from 1986 sold for $96k.

Philip Rivers won't wait long for a new gig after his NFL career ends ... the QB just agreed to become a HS football head coach post-retirement -- and he got emotional accepting the job!

The new Indianapolis Colt made the announcement at a press conference at St. Michael Catholic HS in Fairhope, AL ... getting choked up explaining why taking the job means so much to him.

"It's a special day for me and my family really," the 38-year-old said. "I, um, I knew I was going to get a little emotional."

"I had two childhood dreams. And one was to play in the NFL ... and the other is to be a high school football head coach as my dad did. So, it's an exciting day. It really is. I'm going, 'Wow, how blessed am I to be able to live both of those out?!'"

Rivers is so passionate about coaching HS football because his father, Steve Rivers -- whom Phil famously played for at Athens HS in 1999 -- was a HS honcho for decades.

"My dad was my high school football coach," Phil said. "So I want to coach my boys and I want to coach young boys down the road."

It's unclear when exactly Phil will officially put on the headset for the school ... the QB said at the presser he still believes he's got some good football left in his body despite a down year in 2019.

As for why Alabama and St. Michael Catholic ... Phil said, "I know a few people in the area, and then this particular school, not only athletically what I believe they're trying to grow to, but it really aligns with what I believe in spiritually and academically."

Rivers signed a $25 MILLION contract to play for the Colts this year ... but the deal expires next offseason. So, could it be "Coach" Phil by this time in 2021???

Michael Jordan hated losing so much, he wouldn't allow HIS OWN teammate to eat after bad games -- reportedly taking food off Horace Grant's table some nights in the '90s!

Legendary Bulls reporter Sam Smith revealed the insane story this week ... saying players told him MJ would make airline stewardesses skip Grant on team planes after games if he sucked earlier in the day.

"Players would come to me over the years and said, 'You know what he did? He took Horace's food away on the plane because Horace had a bad game,'" Smith said on the Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks Podcast.

"He told the stewardesses, 'Don’t feed him, he doesn’t deserve to eat!'"

Of course, Jordan and Grant won A LOT together -- so it's unclear how often MJ pulled the savage move ... but it's well known the two didn't exactly have the best relationship regardless.

Their friction has been touched on several times in ESPN's "The Last Dance" documentary ... with Jordan even accusing Grant on the show of leaking stories in the '90s to paint him in a bad light.

LeBron James is sickened by the shooting death of 25-year-old black man Ahmaud Arbery ... saying African-Americans are "literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes!" ... and he's demanding justice.

Back in February, Arbery was jogging when he was chased down and killed by a white man named Travis McMichael.

Graphic video of the fatal shooting surfaced online this week ... which has prompted a nationwide call for justice as McMichael has not been arrested or charged.

LeBron is joining the fight for Ahmaud ... speaking out against the horrific shooting on Twitter.

"We’re literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes!" James says.

"Can’t even go for a damn jog man! Like WTF man are you kidding me?!?!?!?!?!? No man fr ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!"

McMichael has not been arrested because he and his father claim they were attempting a citizen's arrest ... claiming Ahmaud fit the description of a suspect in a string of recent break-ins in the area.

LeBron -- who also previously protested over the death of Trayvon Martin -- joins a list of athletes including Reggie Bush and Ed Reed, who spoke out after the video surfaced on Tuesday.

"I’m sorry Ahmaud (Rest In Paradise) and my prayers and blessings sent to the heavens above to your family!!" LeBron added.

Michael Jordan was SO insanely famous in Chicago during his Bulls days -- he couldn't even shop for groceries without being mobbed.

So, the guy would pay staffers to keep the store open JUST FOR HIM so he could cruise the aisles alone in peace!

Pretty baller, right!?

Jordan's former Bulls teammate Brad Sellers explained to The Undefeated ...

"You saw MJ doing laundry in the first few episodes [of ESPN's 'The Last Dance'] and that was him back then, the country side of him, just living like a regular dude."

“But, he just got bigger and bigger in basketball and to a point where he couldn’t go out. I remember saying to him one day, ‘Hey, M ... how do you eat?'"

"He told me he would call Jewel-Osco [a supermarket chain based in Chicago] about 15 minutes before they closed, and let them know he was coming in. They would stay open later to let him shop."

Sellers says MJ would break off staffers with a fat ass tip for their troubles.

So, MJ got his own version of "Supermarket Sweep" and the workers got some extra bread and the chance to see the most famous dude in Chi-Town?

Charles Barkley says he's still VERY sad about his broken friendship with ex-BFF Michael Jordan ... but he's down to bury the hatchet if MJ would just give him a call.

"The guy was like a brother to me for, shoot, 20-something years," Barkley said Tuesday on ESPN radio's "Waddle and Silvy" show. "At least 20-something years."

"And I do, I feel sadness. But, to me, he's still the greatest basketball player ever. I wish him nothing but the best. But, there's nothing I can do about it, brother."

Barkley says MJ cut off their friendship back in 2012 when Sir Charles criticized basketball's G.O.A.T. for being a crappy owner of the Charlotte Hornets.

"I'm pretty sure I said, 'As much as I love Michael, until he stops hiring them kiss-asses, and his best friends, he's never going to be successful as a general manager,'" Barkley said.

FYI -- Jordan HASN'T exactly been the greatest owner ever ... the team's seen the postseason just two times since he became the majority owner in 2010.

Sir Charles says he felt like it was his duty as a broadcaster to be honest about Michael's failures ... and even says he thought that's why he and Jordan had such a good relationship to begin with.

"Part of my job [as an analyst] is, because I can't go on TV and say, 'Another general manager sucks' and then just because Michael's like a brother to me say, 'He's doing a fantastic job,'" Barkley says. "That would be disingenuous."

Barkley has previously said he won't apologize to MJ for doing his job.

The former Phoenix Suns superstar says it's all actually really sad ... but says the ball is in Jordan's court when it comes to mending the bridge.

Patrick Ewing says some scumbag actually broke into his home and STOLE his 1992 Olympic gold medal -- the one from the Dream Team -- but he never talked the burglary ... until now!!

“My house got broken into in New York at one point and they stole my medals," Ewing said Tuesday on "The Dan Patrick Show."

FYI, Ewing won TWO gold medals in his career -- representing Team USA in 1984 and 1992.

Patrick didn't reveal the date of the burglary -- but says the crooks made out with both gold medals AND the 1984 NCAA Championship ring he won during his run at Georgetown.

But, don't worry ...  this story has a happy ending on two fronts.

First, Ewing said sometime after the break-in, he placed a call to Jerry Colangelo -- who runs USA Basketball -- and he was able to get replacement medals!

And, as for the college championship ring ... "somebody tried to sell it on eBay and I was able to get that back."

So, someone out there has an original gold medal from the greatest Olympic basketball team ever assembled.

Yeah, it's probably worth a fortune -- but it's STOLEN PROPERTY!

Metta World Peace is no more ... the former NBA superstar says he's changed his name again -- this time to Metta Sandiford-Artest.

The ex-Lakers forward, formerly known as Ron Artest, revealed the latest moniker swap on "Inside the Green Room with Danny Green" this week ... saying the newest change was to honor his wife, Maya Sandiford.

"I actually took my wife's last name and ended it in my last name," Metta said.

Of course, Metta gained GLOBAL fame back in 2011 when he changed his name to Metta World Peace ... explaining at the time he wanted "to inspire and bring youth together all around the world."

But, Metta revealed to Danny Green on the show that he actually was initially embarrassed by it ... saying he thought to himself early on at NBA games, "This is the dumbest thing ever."

In fact, Metta even said there was a time when he was debating changing it all to "Queensbridge" or "So Hood."

But, Metta told Green he eventually got used to "World Peace" ... and didn't feel the need to change it again until this year.

"What's funny is I got married," Metta said, "and my name now is Metta Sandiford-Artest."

By the way ... when it comes to those reports that Metta had changed his name to "Panda Friend" when he moved to play ball in China in '14 -- he said those were just not true.

"People said, 'Metta's changing his name to 'Panda Friend!'" Metta explained. "So I just rode with it!"

Edgerrin James will be spending some quarantine time online shopping for a new basketball hoop ... a college player just destroyed the NFL legend's hoop with a vicious dunk -- and the video is insane!!

Justin Tucker -- a Campbellsville Univ. junior (who's transferring to Keiser Univ. next fall) -- is the man guilty of the backboard assault ... committing the rim crime last week.

The 22-year-old, who's been family friends with James for YEARS, says he and a few other college hoopers got in some run at James' home court in Orlando, Fla. on Thursday.

The games were going smoothly -- the guys were trying their best to exercise and stay safe during the pandemic -- when all the sudden Tucker caught a lob ... and all hell broke loose.

You can see in the vid, Tucker's authoritative slam rattled the hoop so hard ... the backboard crumbled into a thousand pieces!!!

Don't worry ... the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward says he was just fine afterward -- and admitted everyone was just in awe of the feat.

In fact, Justin claims Edgerrin ran up to him after the slam and asked him straight-up, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

As for the hoop, Tucker says James ain't making him pay for it -- and has plans to replace it ASAP.

By the way, if you didn't know ... Edgerrin's 15-year-old son is a budding hoops phenom as well -- and Justin says he was actually playing against the kid just before the violent dunk!!

And, don't be surprised if James' son is breaking backboards of his own in a few years -- 'cause Justin says the teenager is the real deal!!

Michael Jordan did NOT want to sign with Nike back in the day. Not even close.

He WANTED to sign with ADIDAS IN 1984 ... but they didn't want to make him a priority.

TALK ABOUT A BILLION DOLLAR MISTAKE!!!

MJ explained the whole thing in episode 5 of "The Last Dance" ... admitting his mom FORCED him get on a plane and take a pitch meeting with the Swoosh just to hear what they had to say.

"My mother said, 'You're gonna go listen. You may not like it, but you're gonna go listen,'" Jordan said ... "She made me get on that plane and go listen."

At the time, MJ thought Nikes just weren't a top-flight shoe. He was more into the Adidas.

But, when a very young MJ met with Adidas, they made it clear he would NOT be pushed as their premiere athlete and they weren't open to giving him his own shoe.

Converse -- the other top sneaker company at the time -- had Magic Johnson and Larry Bird on their roster and also didn't see him as their top guy.

So, Jordan took the Nike meeting -- and the rest is history.

"Go into that meeting not wanting to be there, and Nike made this big pitch," Jordan said ... "My father said, 'You'd have to be a fool not taking this deal. This is the best deal.'"

Nike was working on their "Air" technology -- which they built into MJ's shoe and called "Air Jordan."

Also, Nike hired Spike Lee to direct the Air Jordan commercials -- and they were AWESOME.

In fact, Nike only expected $3 million in sales in the first 4 years ... but it sold $126 million in the first year alone!!!

Jordans ultimately became the most popular shoe in the world and made Michael hundreds of millions of dollars over the years.

Carmen Electra's appearance on "The Last Dance" left some fans wanting more of her, uh, content, this week ... which translated to some HUGE search numbers on one of the world's biggest XXX sites.

Of course, the former Baywatch bombshell and Playboy model popped up on the uber-popular ESPN doc to discuss her relationship with Dennis Rodman ... which included an infamous mid-season vacation to Vegas.

Oh, yeah ... and the time Michael freaking Jordan barged in on them in bed together. Good stuff.

Electra's appearance on the doc was pretty memorable for several reasons ... which inspired some eager viewers to do more "research" on the sex symbol.

Pornhub (SFW link) tells TMZ Sports ... demand for Electra was ENORMOUS this week ... with more than 1.7 MILLION searches for videos related to her.

To compare ... there were just 14,796 searches the day the show aired ... and then they shot up to 393,000 the day after.

But, the biggest day came on April 28, with more than 588,00 searches!!

Shout-out to Carmen Electra for still dominating the game at 48.

P.S. -- Remember to clear your browser history, folks.

LaVar Ball says he's definitely open to the idea of teaming with Puma for a Big Baller Brand shoe collab ... saying "the possibilities are unlimited" now that his boys signed with Roc Nation.

"If everything goes right, this thing can be explosive," Ball tells TMZ Sports about joining forces with Jay-Z.

As we previously reported, all 3 of LaVar's sons -- LaMelo, LiAngelo and Lonzo -- are signing with Roc Nation to handle "marketing opportunities" off the court ... which includes shoe deals.

And, with Jay-Z being the creative director for Puma Basketball -- there have been questions about if the boys will jump ship from Big Baller Brand and sign with Hov's company instead.

But, LaVar says it doesn't have to be one or the other -- when asked if there was a possibility of BBB and Puma collaborating on a shoe, he seemed very into the idea.

"That could be," LaVar said ... "See, that's a good thing about dealing with Roc Nation. The possibilities are unlimited."

"They said something I liked which is 'Lavar, we wanna change the game. We wanna do something special.' Now, that terminology right there means I'm supposed to be with you guys. Because my boys are special and like I said, I wanna change so it's all good."

LaVar also told us the decision to join Roc Nation was a FAMILY decision made after thoroughly vetting several agencies.

"I think you have to go through different agencies to see the one that you need that's going to have the same mindset as you. I feel that Roc Nation is trying to move in a direction that we moving in."

As for Jay-Z -- who famously supported LaVar's initial foray into the shoe business back in the day -- Ball says he's "cool" with Hov, but the decision to sign wasn't just about one man.

"All those folks is good man ... Roc Nation wants to do exactly what me and my boys want to do."

There's more ... LaVar is still having fun promoting the Big Baller Brand -- and he's even hosting an online pop-up shop where fans can Zoom with him as they cop BBB march.

"I got a great team around me where my newest guys always thinking of new ideas and things to do to make the brand grow."

Vanessa Bryant is paying tribute to her daughter, Gianna -- who would have turned 14 years old today ... saying, "You are part of MY SOUL forever."

"Happy 14th Birthday to my sweet baby girl, Gianna," Vanessa posted on social media.

"Mommy loves you more than I can ever show you. You are part of MY SOUL forever. I miss you so much everyday."

"I wish I could wake up and have you here with me. I miss your smile, your hugs and your giggles. I miss EVERYTHING about YOU, Gigi."

"I LOVE YOU so much!!!!!!!"

Gianna passed away on January 26 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas -- along with her father, Kobe Bryant, and 7 others.

In the days after the crash, Vanessa said, "My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone."

Gigi was an unbelievable basketball player with dreams of playing in the WNBA along with her Mamba Academy teammates, Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester.

In fact, all 3 of the girls were announced as the first three honorary picks of the 2020 WNBA Draft.

Vanessa said of the Draft ... "It would have been a dream come true for [Gianna]. She worked tirelessly every single day. She wanted to be one of the greatest athletes of all-time, just like her daddy. So thank you, thank you for honoring my little girl."