Basketball

Danilo Gallinari LOVES skiing -- but he's got $65 MILLION reasons to stay away from the slopes ... telling TMZ Sports his huge NBA contract forbids him from hitting the mountain!!

The Clippers star was leaving Delilah in WeHo when he started raving about fellow Italian Sofia Goggia's gold medal performance in alpine skiing at the Olympics ... calling her the "best skier in the world."

That's when Gallinari dropped the interesting nugget about his paperwork ... saying he's not allowed to ski because it's written in his multi-million dollar deal with the Clips.

It's not the first time we've heard of a clause like this ... In 2012, Matt Stafford told us his $41.7 million deal he signed in 2009 specified no motorcycles or skydiving.

Smart move by L.A. ... gotta keep that $65 million investment secured!!

2:00 PM PT -- The Cavs have announced an investigation into identifying the fan behind the comment. As for the phrase, there are discrepancies with what has been reported and whether the fan said "Jamaica called."

“Hey, Jamaican dog -- they want their bobsledder back! Jamaica just called, they want their bobsledder back!”

That was the racist heckling directed at Spurs baller Patty Mills Sunday at The Q ... while he was at the free-throw line at the end of a blowout win over the Cleveland Cavs.

Patty -- who's not Jamaican, but Aboriginal Australian -- didn't hear the taunts during the game ... but when a fan brought it to his attention aftewards, he reacted like a true pro.

"I am a proud Islander. Like my Jamaican Brothers, me & my family in the islands of the Torres Strait have experienced racial slurs for decades. Hope your efforts will enlighten this confused, hateful fan. #BlackHistoryMonth," Mills said.

FYI, this is the second instance of racist heckling in a major U.S. sports league this month. A group of Chicago Blackhawks fans chanted "basketball" at black NHL player Devante Smith-Pelly last weekend ... and were later slapped with a lifetime ban.

Dennis Rodman says he's 38 days booze-free -- but admits he still thinks about alcohol all the time and now realizes staying sober is a serious "struggle."

The good news ... Rodman seemed very serious about continuing down the sober path when we spotted him out over the weekend -- telling TMZ Sports he just wrapped up his 2nd Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in L.A.

"I feel great, man," Rodman said ... "It's kinda weird not to have a cocktail on a beautiful day in California but like I said, it's just one day at a time."

Rodman really opens up about his battle with alcohol abuse in the clip -- and also gives some advice to other people facing a similar struggle.

As we reported, Rodman entered rehab January 17 after getting busted for DUI in Newport Beach. He checked out a week later in order to continue long-term treatment at the Turning Point center outside L.A.

LaVar Ball just got the stamp of approval from one of the most famous dads in the world, not named LaVar Ball -- 'cause Drake's pops says he's ALL ABOUT the Ballfather!!

We got Dennis Graham out at TAO in L.A. -- and he laid out the #1 reason why he's got nothing but respect for the BBB patriarch.

"I love him because he's outspoken," Graham told TMZ Sports.

"He's an outspoken guy and that's what you gotta be. Gotta speak your mind."

Dennis wasn't done there ... telling us that LaVar wilin' out on the Lakers, UCLA, Trump and anyone else in his warpath is exactly what he should be doing!

"People have been kissing butts for too long ... he doesn't do that."

Wonder if Drake feels the same way ...

Isaiah Thomas and Lonzo Ball miiight be able to mesh ... but the Lakers are probably better off letting I.T. walk this summer -- so says former longtime Laker Devean George.

We got Devean at LAX on Monday ... and the 3-time NBA champ wasn't ready to close the book on the Zo-I.T. era just yet.

"They're the same position, but they do different things. I.T. comin' in tryna score that thang, and you got somebody tryna dish it, so it might be able to work," George told TMZ Sports.

That said, D.G. told us the Lakers should look at other free agents before paying Isaiah a dime.

"I'd wait and see who else is on the market first."

Here's who else -- Chris Paul, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George ... oh, and LEBRON -- who LaVar Ball told us is a lock to join Lonzo in L.A.

Dick Vitale says he's heartbroken by the bombshell report uncovering alleged corruption in the NCAA ... but tells TMZ Sports he knows what the org. can do to fix the huge problem.

PAY THE PLAYERS, ALREADY!

We spoke with the college basketball legend about the FBI documents obtained by Yahoo! Sports which appear to show a high-powered sports agency illegally paying high profile players like Markelle Fultz and Miles Bridges while they were in high school and college in hopes of signing them later on.

"It broke my heart," Vitale says about the report ... "It's a blow."

Vitale is concerned the corruption runs much deeper -- pointing out these names were only found after feds raiding ONE agency.

Don't worry ... Dickie V has a solution -- he's calling for the NCAA to let players get paid for appearances, autographs and other profitable ventures while playing in college.

Dickie V says it's not gonna solve the issue 100% ... but it would definitely "minimize" the amount of sleazy money being made under the table.

"(The NCAA) is making zillions of dollars ... why not allow it," Vitale says.

The Harlem Globetrotters have recruited a new superstar hooper to their roster -- and she's still in high school!!

Globies star Zeus McClurkin surprised Kate Spadaro -- a senior basketball player with Down Syndrome -- at Camden Catholic H.S. in N.J. on Thursday ... calling for her assistance on some awesome highlight plays!!

FYI -- Kate is already used to scoring buckets -- she scored 2 points in her varsity debut last week!!

But the fun didn't stop there ... she got hooked up with a custom jersey and tickets to a Globies game in March ... and learned some of the Globetrotters' signature trick moves.

Matt Barnes asked his ex-wife last night if they could finally make peace -- instead, a war ensued -- with the two sides trashing the hell out of each other online.

It started when Matt posted a message to Gloria Govan on social media saying, "Wanna wish the mother of my children a very Happy Birthday! Hope this day is everything you hoped for and more."

"Although things have been rocky to say the least the last 4yrs I hope that for the sake of our two beautiful baby boys we can come together & co parent them to the best of our abilities! No more games or bullshit.. They need both of our love & support equally!"

"We lead different lives now but we still on the same team."

Seems harmless and well-intentioned, right? Gloria didn't take it that way and fired back ...

"Thank you, I think? And yes One can only continue to pray that you take your own advice and learn to peacefully co parent! But until then I'll see you in court next week because you love a frivolous lawsuit. But hey let's keep co-parenting."

Yeah ... Olive Branch attempt REJECTED.

Of course, Matt responded with some thoughts (and allegations) of his own ...

"Well ... stealing money my social security # & forging my signature to buy your parents night club & house is pretty serious but hey .. I tried! See you in court! Oh & happy bday."

Markelle Fultz -- along with a slew of huge names and top college basketball programs -- have been named in a bombshell report into NCAA hoops corruption involving illegal payouts to players.

The report centers around ex-NBA agent Andy Miller and his ASM Sports agency. Yahoo! Sports obtained hundreds of pages from an FBI probe which appear to show ASM Sports employees working with programs and players to ultimately get them to sign with the agency.

Fultz -- the #1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft -- allegedly took $10,000 from the agency while in high school. He did not end up signing with ASM.

Other names ...

Dennis Smith Jr. (North Carolina State) allegedly took $73,500.

Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall) allegedly took $37,657. He signed with ASM, but later left for Roc Nation Sports.

Kyle Kuzma (Utah) allegedly took $9,500.

Bennie Boatwright (University of Southern California) and/or his father allegedly took $2,000.

A bunch of guys who currently play in the NBA are on payout sheets obtained by federal investigators including -- Kyle Lowry, Nerlens Noel, Fred Van Vleet and Kyle O'Quinn.

The docs also show ASM met with Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, "Villanova coaches," and the family of former top high school prospect Mitchell Robinson.

Tim Donaghy ain't goin' back to prison ... 'cause officials in Florida are NOT filing charges against the ex-NBA ref after allegedly threatening a man with a hammer ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Donaghy was arrested on December 19, 2017 and booked for aggravated assault -- a 3rd-degree felony. He was facing up to 5 years in prison.

For his part ... Tim claims he was only trying to rescue his daughter ... who he believed was doing drugs, and in a dangerous environment.

Good news for Donaghy ... according to a court doc filed earlier today, prosecutors in Manatee County will not file charges ... meaning he's off the hook.

The one catch ... the state still has the right to file charges in the future ... but that seems unlikely.

Hip-hop superstar Kid Ink has some advice for NBA GM's looking to hold on to their jobs long-term ... TAKE TRAE YOUNG AS EARLY AS YOU CAN.

We got Ink out at a party for Ethika underwear when he began raving about the record-breaking Oklahoma freshman, who Ink says is his favorite basketball player on the planet.

Ink says Young -- who's averaging 28 points and 9 assists a game (that's after a mini-slump, mind you) -- should be the first player selected cause the dude's got game ... and SWAG!

There's only one point the Ink-Young lovefest won't go to, and that's when we asked Kid if he'd be getting a tattoo (he has hundreds) of Young to show his respect for him.

"That's taking it a little too far."

We get it.

Ex-Louisville basketball star Kevin Ware says he doesn't understand why the NCAA is forcing the school to vacate their 2013 NCAA Championship ... saying the sanctions are a "joke."

Ware was a member of that championship team -- but suffered a catastrophic leg injury that sidelined him during the Elite Eight round of the tournament.

Still, Ware says he's incredibly proud of his team -- despite the NCAA vacating the title and all of the team's wins due to the stripper sex party scandal involving players, recruits and team officials.

"It's a joke, honestly," Ware tells TMZ Sports ... "Just my personal opinion."

Ware says at the end of the day, Louisville still beat Duke, Wichita State and Michigan to win the tourney -- and the NCAA can't change that history.

If we told you we had video of Dwight Howard playing pick-up basketball with random gym dudes at San Diego State ... you'd probably expect to see DH destroying them, dunking repeatedly on their normal heads.

You'd be wrong ... because we actually have video of Howard hooping with some random gym dudes at San Diego State and the dude who got kinda dominated was Dwight.

Apparently Howard was looking for some fun Sunday night and hit up the Aztec Rec Center at San Diego State University to get some night ball in with the 100-ish kids in the gym.

Dope for those kids ... but it's not like they took it easy on him for blessing them with his presence -- they went at him hard, with one dude actually ripping Dwight on defense and then freaking a reverse dunk!

Dwight also horribly bricked a three.

The chick who missed her shot at Steven Adams on Twitter 3 YEARS AGO says she's pumped the NBA star finally got back to her ... and she's still VERY down to go on a date!!

Social media has been blowing up after Adams went DEEP into his Twitter history to respond to a 2015 tweet from Lauren Myers -- who asked him to be her date to her law school prom.

On Monday, February 19, 2018 ... Adams wrote back, "Absolutely."

Better late than never right?! Well, that's how Myers feels.

In fact, the 28-year-old lawyer (she's since graduated law school and passed the bar) tells TMZ Sports she's down for a basketball game, dinner, bowling ... "anything would be fun!"

Myers says she initially hit Adams up because he was a young, unknown player at the time and she thought there was a good chance she'd get a response. She never imagined hearing back now!

Seemed like a good idea at the time ... but now Rick Pitino's celebratory Louisville back tattoo (commemorating the 2013 National Championship) -- is technically incorrect and Rick's got some decisions to make.

Remember, Rick promised his players in the middle of the season that he would get a Louisville logo with the team's record and the words "NCAA Champions" tatted on his left shoulder if they won the NCAA tourney.

Problem is ... the NCAA just vacated all of Louisville's wins from that season -- along with the national championship -- over the sex party scandal in which team officials paid escorts and strippers for dances and sex acts for recruits and players.

Also, Rick has since been fired from Louisville in the wake of allegations he participated in a scheme to essentially pay recruits. He's denied all allegations and is now suing the school.

So ... if you're Rick Pitino -- keep the tat? Laser remove the tat? Get a new tat over the old tat?

Either way ... sucks to be that guy.

The University of Louisville is being forced to vacate all basketball wins from the 2011-12 season through the 2014-15 season -- including their 2013 National Championship ... and it's all over the sex party scandal.

An NCAA investigation found "a former Louisville director of basketball operations acted unethically when he committed serious violations by arranging striptease dances and sex acts for prospects, student-athletes and others, and did not cooperate with the investigation."

The punishment was initially handed down in June 2017 -- but Louisville appealed. Now, the NCAA is upholding the ruling ... which means the banner is coming down.

As we previously reported, the allegations made headlines back in 2015 when self-described madam Katina Powell claimed U of L staff paid her more than $10,000 for dances and sex services from her stable of escorts.

In her book, Powell singles out ex-Louisville staffer Andre McGee -- a graduate assistant who became director of basketball operations -- claiming he was the point man who paid Powell.

Powell claims her stable of dancers included her own daughters -- and they would perform for Louisville players at various off-campus locations from 2010 to 2014.

After the dances, Powell claims she would negotiate a separate fee for the players to have sex with the women.