Basketball

Donald Trump (45) won't do one ... but Barack Obama (44) is still filling out his March Madness bracket -- and he's picking Michigan State -- a 3 seed -- to win it all!!!

"Just because I have more time to watch games doesn’t mean my picks will be better," Obama wrote ... "but here are my brackets this year."

So, who's he got? There are some upsets in there including Loyola-Chicago (11) over Miami (6).

He also has Texas (10) over Nevada (7).

Obama also has Syracuse (11) beating Arizona State in the playoff game and then beating TCU (6).

His Final Four -- Virginia (1), North Carolina (2), Villanova (1) and Michigan State (3).

The official tournament starts Thursday.

Of course, President Obama went to Harvard ... but they suck at basketball and didn't make the NCAA tourney.

Trump's White House ain't playin' when it comes to March Madness -- so says Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah, who tells TMZ Sports a "very high stakes" pool is ON for the tourney.

You might remember -- Donald caused quite a stir last year when he broke Obama's tradition and didn't fill out a bracket.

So ... does this Oval Office pool signal a change of heart for POTUS??

Raj wouldn't say ... but he did reveal his pick -- and told us D.C.'s other power players are split on who's going all the way.

"Basketball Wives" star Evelyn Lozada says if her life were on the line and she could only call one of her exes to save her ... she'd call Chad Johnson in a heartbeat.

Shaunie O'Neal and Evelyn were on "Van Lathan's The Red Pill Podcast" when Lathan asked each lady which one of their famous exes they'd call if they were in a life-threatening situation and could only call one.

Shaunie went with Shaq (duh, they have a perfect post-marriage life) while Evelyn chose the Ex-NFL star.

"Chad. And not that I don't have faith in Carl, Carl would be there, but we're talking about if my life is on the line."

The Carl she's referring to is ex-MLB star Carl Crawford, who Lozada was engaged to and had a son with before they broke up last year.

As for Lozada, she was married to Ochocinco for a little over a month in 2012 before a highly publicized domestic violence incident led to divorce.

Evelyn said she's not at all overlooking that or saying it's not a big deal, but based on the question, it's Chad over Crawford and former NBA star Antoine Walker ... her other famous ex.

Guess not everyone's obsessed about teaming up with LeBron this offseason -- at least, not Danilo Gallinari.

We got the Clippers star up in the Bev Hills ... and asked him if he thought Bron might pull a fast one and ditch the Lakers for L.A.'s other hoops squad this summer.

Danilo wasn't so sure about that -- but when we asked if he'd even want the King ballin' with him on the Clips, Gallo didn't mince words.

"I like the teammates that I got now. I like the team that we got now."

How did Steph Curry get down for his dirty 30??

By pullin' up to his party in a frickin' YACHT ... and slamming a plate of ribs during a live E-40 set!!

And that's just a taste of what went down at Steph's oceanside shindig ... where the 2-time MVP and his Warriors bros rang in his birthday "Ballers" style.

A ton of lit song and dance went down Monday night in SF ... featuring Curry himself, who hopped onstage to lead a Rick James karaoke bro down!!

Of course, his teammates weren't gonna let him have all the fun -- right, KD, Draymond and Klay?

E-40 wasn't the only music artist in attendance -- Paramore's Hayley Williams was also in the house to serenade him with the happy bday song.

Steph looked happy as hell the whole night ... and we would be too with hundreds of millions in the bank at age 30.

Party on, Stephen.

Bow Wow CAN'T BELIEVE he beat Lonzo Ball in a 3-point shooting contest -- even if he only won 1 game out of 3 -- bragging that he out-shot an NBA star without any training and a weed habit!

"It's the fact that I don't train, I smoke weed, and I make music, and I act. I don't got no time to be training. So the fact that I beat him one time means a lot."

Bow Wow (aka Shad Moss -- aka Calvin Cambridge from "Like Mike") was leaving Poppy in L.A. with his crew when we asked how the shooting contest with Lonzo happened in the first place.

"Lonzo Ball came to Atlanta (to play the Hawks). They blew us out and we got the word that Lonzo and the Lakers were in (a nearby nightclub) and I said, 'Yo, bring 'em to the studio.'"

Bow Wow has a full basketball court in the studio ... so when Zo showed up, they decided to have a best of 3 shooting contest.

"He won two games. I won one," Bow Wow bragged.

FYI, Lonzo Ball should have CRUSHED all three games ... and Bow Wow knows it.

But, Zo will have a shot at redemption -- Bow Wow says he has love and respect for Ball and would gladly offer a rematch.

So ... Zo -- you down?

Roger Mason is firing back at the BIG3 basketball league after he was fired as commissioner -- claiming the work environment has been "hostile and racist."

But BIG3 & Ice Cube say he's full of crap.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Mason got the ax from BIG3 on Monday for refusing to cooperate with a lawsuit against two Qatari investors who allegedly screwed the league out of millions of dollars.

BIG3 says Mason has a personal relationship with the investors -- that he may have taken gifts from them -- and he essentially chose siding with his friends over effectively doing his job as commish.

In fact, after BIG3 sued the investors, Mason commented on an Instagram photo featuring him with the two men saying, "#family."

But Mason is calling BS and claims the real problems center around BIG3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz -- who has "made countless unfounded attacks on my integrity, character, and leadership."

Mason suggests Kwatinetz targeted him, in part, because of his race.

"The work environment at BIG3 has been hostile and racist resulting in the departure of valuable League personnel. Among other matters, a former employee of BIG3 recently told me that Kwatinetz has repeatedly referred to black athletes as 'rich n**gers.'"

Mason says he's "disappointed" that other BIG3 execs -- including Ice Cube (who's black) -- would join with Kwatinetz in "leveling these desperate manufactured claims against me."

Roger Mason's out, Ice Cube is in ... with the rap legend replacing the ex-NBA star as the Commish of the BIG3 basketball league after allegations of some seriously shady conduct.

TMZ Sports has obtained a letter the BIG3 sent to players, coaches and staff explaining the move:

"We are writing to inform you of the decision by the BIG3 to terminate the employment of Roger Mason Jr. for cause under the terms of his employment agreement with the league."

The letter details a corruption investigation involving Mason and his ties to two Qatari investors who allegedly stiffed the league out of millions of dollars ... investors that Mason brought to the league in the first place.

BIG3 sued the investors Ayman Sabi and Ahmed Al-Rumaihi -- but Mason allegedly refused to cooperate with the league because of his personal relationship with the men.

The league says Mason had an obligation to side with BIG3 due to his role as Commish.

One of the problems, the league says it found evidence the Qataris were showering certain BIG3 employees with gifts and vacations while refusing to pay the league. The insinuation is that Mason was one of the beneficiaries and it corrupted his ability to effectively run the league.

The good news ... Ice Cube will step into the Commish role effective immediately and will stay in the job until the league finds a long-term replacement.

Michael Jordan might be the Michael Jordan of Spring Break -- getting a sexy bikini dance from his smokin' hot wife at a Miami beach party ... and TMZ Sports has the footage!

MJ and Yvette Prieto hit up the Hyde Beach party at the SLS Hotel over the weekend -- where they balled out with a private cabana stocked with tequila and surrounded by muscle-bound private security.

She was boozin'. He was smokin'. These two live a helluva life.

We're told the place was packed with college-aged kids raging it up on Spring Break -- so, most 55-year-olds may have looked out of place ... but this is MICHAEL JORDAN ... so, it was cool.

One more thing ... take a look at that diamond ring on Yvette's finger -- bigger than her knuckle!

Get it!

The Kardashians showed up in force to lend support to Scotty Pippen Jr., who was playing to win a high school basketball playoff game.

Kim, North West, Kendall, Kourtney and Penelope Disick joined Taco Bennett, Larsa Pippen, Scottie Pippen and Kenyon Martin Sr. to cheer on Scotty's team from Sierra Canyon High School. They played Foothills Christian High and won -- 88 to 62 -- in a CIF Open Division Playoff game.

Billionaire dude Alec Gores says Barack Obama's "NBA Junior" idea ain't gonna work ... and if the NBA and NCAA want to fix college basketball there's only one way -- PAY THE PLAYERS!!

Gores is worth a cool $2 bil so, when we got him out on the town in L.A., we wanted to know if he thought it was time for another billion dollar entity -- the NCAA -- to break bread with their players.

"Absolutely they should pay," Gores said ... "It will reduce corruption, they should get paid. Period, end of the story."

Obama has floated the idea the NBA should create a junior league for younger players -- and when we asked Gores about that he showed the ex-Prez absolutely ZERO love.

"No. I don't like that."

Here's Akon having more fun hooping than any of us ever will -- holding court with a SQUAD of hot chicks in bikinis and heels!!!

From the jump, you can tell Akon's not playin' ... showing off some serious lift as he posterizes his opponent in a green bikini thong. Nice D, young lady.

Not sure if that rim's regulation -- but either way, seems like the video vixens were impressed with the popstar's ups.

In case you're wondering why this went down -- the woman who shot the video, ATL-based casting director Lala Means, says "the girls thought they could beat Akon on the court."

Imagine seeing the massive fist of a 7-foot-1-inch giant coming at your face ... then imagine having the cojones to throw a punch right back!!

Kobe Bryant gave a blow-by-blow of his very first physical altercation with Shaq on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Thursday night ... revealing the Big Aristotle was the first to throw hands.

Black Mamba says the 2 Laker legends duked it out after trash talking throughout a scrimmage during the 1998 NBA lockout.

"I must've been the craziest 19-year-old in the world to fight this guy ... at that point, you just gotta say look man, you're either gonna beat the hell outta me, but you're gonna know that I'm not gonna back down."

OKC Thunder star Steven Adams knocked his teammate OUT COLD in a game last night ... but they weren't fighting -- Adams was literally standing still!

The bizarre play went down at the Chesapeake Energy Arena ... when Thunder rookie Terrance Ferguson tried to stay with his man on D.

Unfortunately, standing in his way was 7 feet, 255 pounds of chiseled Jason Momoa-looking muscle (Adams) ... and Ferguson's svelte 6'7'', 184-pound frame couldn't handle the business.

The 2 collided heads -- and DOWN WENT FERGY. Adams was totally fine, BTW.

Steven, being the good dude that he is, quickly got the rook some medical attention ... and it looks like Terrance is gonna be OK outside of a possible concussion.

Don't mock the Timberwolves for signing Derrick Rose -- because the dude still has potential to be a championship caliber player ... so says Roy Hibbert.

Minnesota just locked up the 29-year-old former MVP for the rest of the season, leaving many wondering if they're wasting money and a roster spot considering his failed run with the Cavs.

But not Hibbert (a 2-time All-Star), who tells TMZ Sports he seriously thinks Rose can help elevate the T-Wolves to become a championship team.

"He's talented, very talented," Hibbert says.

Chalk this one up as a HUGE win for Ben Simmons ... 'cause the 76ers rookie is officially R&B star Tinashe's "boo thang" -- this according to Tinashe herself!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the smokin' hot "Faded Love" singer at Craig's in WeHo Wednesday night ... and we asked her to address the obvious IG flirting going on with Ben earlier this week.

"That's my little boo thang" the 25-year-old revealed with a smile.

While Tinashe didn't get into much detail with us ... the paper trail has been there for about a month -- from even more social media flirting to gushing about B.S. being her favorite Sixers player in a recent radio interview.

Simmons has been balling out this season -- he's in the running for Rookie of the Year.

And now that we have the confirmation of his new girl ... this dude really is winning all around.

Good for you, Ben.