Basketball

Ex-NBA star Jason "White Chocolate" Williams just pissed off a whole lot of Kobe Bryant fans ... saying he's "not even sure" the Black Mamba is a top-five Laker of all-time.

The former point guard made the shocking claim on the popular hoops podcast "Players Choice" this week ... while discussing where the NBA's greatest should land on an all-time rankings list.

"I haven't really thought about where I got Kobe," Williams said. "But, Kobe's not as high on my list as people would really think he should be."

"I'm not even sure he's on the top five of the all-time greatest Lakers."

One co-host kind of agreed with Williams ... but several others on the show thought the dude was crazy.

Of course, Laker Nation is surely clenching its fists over Williams' comments ... because nearly everyone who's rooted for the Purple and Gold has him pinned somewhere definitively in their top three.

Williams -- who spent 12 seasons in the NBA with the Kings, Grizzlies, Heat and Magic -- went head-to-head with Bryant throughout his career, so it's plausible his opinion was formed as a result of firsthand experience.

Williams didn't mention who he'd possibly have above Kobe ... but the Lakers do have a rich history of ballers (Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Shaquille O' Neal and LeBron James, to name a few).

Kobe's place amongst the Laker icons, though, is cemented in the eyes of many L.A. fans ... as he won five titles, two finals MVPs, and one regular-season MVP in his 20-year career.

Steph Curry is back in the good graces of 10-year-old Warriors fan PJ O'Byrne -- who was crushed when the 3x champ didn't play in the game she recently attended -- hooking up the young girl with some free courtside tix to see him hoop!

PJ originally received tickets to see Golden State play the Denver Nuggets back in December for her birthday, but a COVID-19 outbreak forced the game to be postponed.

It was rescheduled for Monday in Denver, but Steph didn't travel with the team and ultimately missed the game ... leaving one of his biggest fans, PJ, visibly devastated.

O'Bryne -- who was holding a "Go Warriors! MVP Steph Curry" sign in anticipation of seeing her favorite player hit the court -- was in tears when she received the news that #30 wasn't playing.

Well, Steph and the Warriors org. made things right ... providing the girl and her family tickets to Thursday's game against the Nuggets, giving Steph an opportunity to apologize in person.

Before tipoff, Curry made his way over to O'Bryne and her family (they had great seats) ... and briefly chatted with PJ, who was crying ... only this time, tears of joy.

The Nuggets also provided her with MVP jerseys.

PJ got to see a heckuva performance too. Steph didn't just drop 34 points ... he also surpassed 20,000 total career points, and led the Warriors to a thrilling comeback victory over the Nuggets, 113-102.

76ers fans greeted Ben Simmons with boos and trash talk as he took the court before Thursday's game ... marking his first return to Philadelphia since his trade to the Brooklyn Nets.

Remember, the 25-year-old guard made it clear he wanted out of Philly ... and was willing to lose out on millions of dollars as he refused to suit up for the Sixers this season.

Simmons finally got what he wanted last month ... after the Sixers traded BS, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden.

Simmons returned to Wells Fargo Center -- this time as a visitor -- in black and white gear for Thursday's matchup against the Sixers ... and despite being out with an injury, the fans let him hear it during pre-game shootaround.

In fact, the 3-time All-Star was heckled way before getting to the arena -- he was surrounded by an angry crowd while getting onto the team bus ... with one fan saying, "Ben Simmons, you stink!"

Fans were also booing Simmons outside the Four Season in downtown Philadelphia ... with one fan actually thanking him for the Nets trade.

"Thanks for James, man" one fan yelled.

Cops have arrested a 12-year-old boy after they say he robbed Jim Boeheim's wife at gunpoint last week.

According to Syracuse police, the minor stuck an air gun in Juli Boeheim's face while she was sitting in her car on March 1 at a famous shopping center in New York.

Police say the boy then reached into the Syracuse head coach's wife's vehicle to grab her purse ... claiming he later took off in a stolen car with three other men.

Cops say the boy has since been charged with robbery, grand larceny and criminal possession of a weapon. They did not release the boy's name due to his age.

Jim spoke about the incident on Brent Axe's radio show on ESPN just two days after it happened ... and he explained Juli was "definitely shook up" over it all.

"I mean, this isn't television," Jim said. "It's not movies. It's real life."

There's no snow in Miami ... but Floyd Mayweather was ready just in case, rockin' $795 Balmain ski boots to the Heat game!!

The 50-0 boxer -- one of the best ever to enter the ring -- wore the luxury fashion boots courtside while the Miami Heat took on the Phoenix Suns at FTX Arena on Wednesday.

The black and ivory footwear are Balmain waterproof apres-ski boots, made with Polyamide and calfskin.

Mayweather made sure he matched with an oversized Balmain cotton T-shirt featuring the fashion line's monogram print and name across the chest. The shirt costs $650 on the Balmain website.

So, the fit -- not including the diamond watch, bracelets, jeans and cap (which surely go for thousands of dollars) -- costs $1,445!!

Showing out at basketball games is Floyd's thing -- just a few weeks ago Mayweather sat courtside at the Spurs-Heat game, and the 45-year-old wore a ton of diamond chains around his neck.

Buddy Boeheim appeared to sucker punch an opponent in the gut during Syracuse's ACC Tournament game on Wednesday ... but his father, Orange head coach Jim Boeheim, says he believes the act was "inadvertent."

The play happened in the middle of the first half of 'Cuse's blowout win over the Seminoles ... when after a Syracuse basket, Buddy appeared to turn and throw a fist into Wyatt Wilkes' body.

Video replays showed Buddy made strong contact with the FSU hooper's stomach -- and the force was so great, Wilkes actually had to leave the game for a few minutes to recover.

Many on social media panned the play as dirty -- but no foul was called, and Syracuse went on to win the contest, 96-57.

After the game, Jim commented on the play ... and said he didn't think his son delivered a cheap shot at all.

"The kid pushed [Buddy] twice," Jim told reporters. "And he swung around and hit him. I think it was inadvertent, but that's OK."

Buddy and Wyatt appeared to have no bad blood following the game ... the two were seen chatting on the court following the tilt.

As for FSU's head coach Leonard Hamilton, he praised Buddy when asked about the incident.

"I don't want anything to take away from how well they played and what type of fine young man he is," Hamilton said. "The game is physical. You expect guys to go out and bang and be aggressive. And if something inadvertently happens, sometimes we want to categorize it one way or another."

No word yet on if the ACC will reprimand Buddy for the play. Syracuse is set to play next against Duke on Thursday.

The Utah Jazz organization is stepping up to help the Ukrainian people amid the Russian invasion ... by providing more than 32,200 nights of housing for refugees fleeing the country.

The team made the announcement on Wednesday ... saying it teamed up with Airbnb.org -- a nonprofit devoted to providing housing to those in need -- to make the gesture happen.

Jazz Executive chairman and co-owner Ryan Smith spoke about the decision to help out ... saying, "Connection and community have never been more important than it is today."

"Millions of people have been forced to leave behind their entire lives in Ukraine. Airbnb.org is connecting host families with refugees in need, creating safe havens when so many communities are being torn apart."

He added ... "And we can’t stop there. I encourage every organization to support Airbnb.org’s important initiative, to magnify their impact and house enough refugees to fill their arenas or workplaces.”

The incredibly kind gesture comes at a time when Ukraine is being ravaged every day by violence at the hands of Vladimir Putin and Russian troops -- forcing many of its citizens to flee out of safety concerns.

In fact, more than 2.1 million people have evacuated since February 24.

Airbnb co-founder and chairman of Airbnb.org, Joe Gebbia, was extremely thankful for the commitment from the team ... saying, "I cannot begin to express my thanks to the Utah Jazz Foundation for their support of Airbnb.org’s work."

The Sacramento Kings will be without Domantas Sabonis for one game ... 'cause their newly acquired center has been suspended for making contact with a referee during Monday's game against the Knicks.

The NBA's President of League Operations, Byron Spruell, announced the punishment on Wednesday ... saying Sabonis was suspended "for aggressively confronting and making contact with a game official."

During the tilt against New York, Domantas was hit with a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct after he disagreed with a foul called by one of the refs.

That's when Sabonis became irate, and according to the NBA's official statement, "reacted demonstratively again in the vicinity of the game official, and approached and bumped the official in a hostile manner."

In the video, you can see Domantas clearly lose his cool ... and does seem to make contact with the official, albeit minimal.

Sabonis received a second technical foul and was ultimately ejected from the game ... so he was unable to see the Kings squander their double-digit lead to the Knicks.

In the latest edition of NBA Players vs. Fans -- JaVale McGee got in a heated back-and-forth with a spectator in Orlando on Tuesday night ... after the guy unleashed a series of F-bombs and called him a "bitch."

The man -- we're assuming he's not a Suns fan -- was sitting close to the Phoenix bench as he started jawing at McGee.

In the clip, you can see Suns center Bismack Biyombo motioning to have the guy thrown out of the arena ... and it's because he seemingly continuously yelled "f*** you" at McGee during a timeout.

If you listen closely, it appears another fan says, "Way to go, JaVale, you f***ing bitch," in the background of the video.

Building staff eventually made its way over to the guy who got into it with McGee ... and let him know he had to leave the game -- which pissed him off even more.

"F*** you, bitch," the guy said to McGee, who could clearly hear him.

Another fan appears to ask, "Aye, JaVale, you called me a p***y?" in the video as well ... although it's unclear if the two men were together or if it was a completely different interaction.

The NEC men's hoops championship game on Tuesday night turned ugly ... after a shirtless fan escalated a huge skirmish in the stands by throwing his drink on another man.

The wild scene all went down with just minutes left in the Bryant vs. Wagner tilt in Rhode Island ... when Bryant fans appeared to get into it with Wagner supporters.

Broadcast cameras captured the scuffle in the seats ... and you can see, punches were thrown -- before a fan with no top on chucked the remnants of his drink at another man.

It looked like a couple Wagner players tried to jump into the fracas too -- but fortunately, it seemed they were all held back before they could get physically involved.

The game was delayed roughly half an hour over the melee ... and one Wagner player, guard Will Martinez, was ejected after video replays showed he was trying to race into the stands.

Cooler heads ultimately prevailed ... and Bryant went on to win the game easily, securing the championship and locking down its first-ever trip to this month's NCAA tournament.

Russell Westbrook says he's done with fans calling him "Westbrick" ... telling reporters Monday night the taunt is now deeply affecting him, his kids and everyone else he closely associates with.

"A lot of times, I let it slide," the L.A. Lakers superstar said following his team's loss to the Spurs in San Antonio. "But now it's time to put a stop to that and put it on notice."

Westbrook has heard the heckle repeatedly this year -- both at home and on the road -- after he's struggled to put up good performances for L.A. on a consistent basis.

Now, though, he said it's gotten so bad ... he's worried about the potential impact it's having on him and his family -- and he says he's going to do everything in his power to stop it.

"Me and my wife were at teacher-parent conferences for my son," said Westbrook, following a a game in which he had 17 points and five turnovers. "And, the teacher told me, '[My son] Noah, he's so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere. He writes it on everything. He tells everybody and walks around and says, 'I'm Westbrook.''"

"And, I kind of sat there in shock," Westbrook added. "And, it hit me, like, 'Damn. I can no longer allow people [to call me Westbrick].'"

Russ was seen Monday night in San Antonio appearing to shut down the taunt from a courtside fan, yelling at the person from the baseline, "Don't disrespect my name!"

"Every time I do hear it now," Russ said of the taunting, "I will make sure that I address it and make sure I nip that in the bud."

Westbrook's wife, meanwhile, has also urged fans to stop with the jeers ... urging people in a series of tweets this week to cool it -- claiming their family has even gotten death threats over the course of the season.

Dick Vitale just scored the first win of March Madness -- the legendary college hoops analyst announced that his recent scans came back clean ... meaning he's cancer-free!!!

Dickie V got his positron emission tomography (PET) scans done on Tuesday ... a procedure that detects early signs of cancer and other diseases.

While he waited for his results, Vitale admitted he was nervous ... and asked his fanbase to send thoughts and prayers.

The good vibes certainly helped ... 'cause the 82-year-old revealed the scans showed no signs of cancer!!

"OMG ALL THE PRAYERS many of (you) have sent have been answered as DR Brown who heads my cancer TEAM called & said PET SCAN came back that NO CANCER is showing," Vitale said on Twitter.

This is great news for Dickie V, who has been challenged with two types of cancer recently -- in the last year, he was diagnosed with lymphoma and melanoma.

Dickie V also had vocal cord surgery last month and was ordered to be on voice rest.

Throughout his journey, he's received nothing but support from fans ... getting an emotional standing ovation in December at the Baylor vs. Villanova game.

"I feel like a coach playing for the Final 4 has a PTPer hit a shot at buzzer," Vitale added.

"My MARCH MADNESS starts with a W baby!"

Now, Vitale gets to rest up and recover in time for the 2022-23 season ... and hoops fans will be more than happy to have him back.

Brittney Griner's alleged mug shot was shared by Russian State media, marking the first time the WNBA star has been seen "publicly" since her detainment in February.

The 31-year-old center for the Phoenix Mercury was taken into custody last month at an airport near Moscow ... after Russian customs officials claim a drug dog alerted to her carry-on luggage, which allegedly contained hashish oil (for a vape).

Russian officials say they've launched a drug trafficking investigation ... and if convicted, Griner could face a decade behind bars in Russia.

Russia's state-owned news channel, Russia 24, aired a photo of Griner's mug shot. State media reported the booking photo was taken at a Russian police station, according to CNN.

The mug shot is significant because Griner has not been seen or heard from publicly in weeks.

The arrest couldn't come at a worse time for the WNBA superstar. Russia is in the midst of a full-out assault on Ukraine, and the United States and many other countries have sanctioned the Russian government, seriously ratcheting up tensions.

Now, the Russian government has a high-profile American prisoner ... and could become a pawn or bargaining chip for Putin.

As for the efforts to bring Brittney home -- we recently spoke with longtime U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham who told us the State Dept. is doing everything in its power to return the star hooper to her family and friends in the States.

Ja Morant should be the next hooper-turned-Hollywood actor ... so says Kenny "The Jet" Smith, who tells TMZ Sports the Grizzlies star would be perfect alongside Jack Harlow in the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot.

As we previously reported, the "Nail Tech" rapper was announced as the lead actor in the new project ... taking on Woody Harrelson's role of Billy Hoyle.

While Harlow's costar has not yet been announced, we asked Kenny who should be the modern-day Sidney Deane ... and he's got a great idea.

"They should get a current young player," Smith tells us. "They should get Ja Morant."

"They get Ja Morant to do that. No question. Hey, production credit!!"

Not only does Smith praise Morant as his pick for Sidney Deane, he also gives him credit for his success on the court this season ... and thinks he deserves to be in the race for MVP.

"He's in the conversation, but I think Joel [Embiid] is still gonna win it. But, he is right behind him. They are a contender."

Morant is balling out this season -- averaging 27.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists a game -- and if his success spills over to the silver screen with "WMCJ," Smith says he needs a shoutout.

How's this for a birthday gift? Deandre Ayton celebrated his son's first birthday by dropping 30 points ... and he did it rockin' custom Elmo kicks!

TMZ Sports has learned Ayton's team reached out to Cleveland artist Van Monroe requesting Elmo artwork for his sneakers to celebrate Deandre Jr.'s first birthday on March 6.

Monroe brought Ayton's vision to life -- delivering a dope design featuring the Sesame Street Muppet.

Aside from a painted photo of Elmo ... the Puma's also have Ayton's son's name and birthday, March 6, 2021, painted on them.

Monroe -- who tells us he was honored Deandre chose him for such a special occasion -- says it only took him 15 hours from sketch to finished product on the size 18 shoes.

Besides the birthday sneaker tribute, Ayton went off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, dropping 30 points for the Suns -- a season-high for the 6-foot-11 center.

Despite the great performance, the Suns lost, 132-122 ... but that didn't stop Ayton from dedicating his best performance of the year to Jr.

"Happy birthday to my son," Ayton said post-game, "That game is dedicated to him."

Senator Lindsey Graham caught some heat for suggesting someone needed to assassinate Vladimir Putin to end this Russia-Ukraine conflict ... and now, he's doubling down.

We got LG Monday at Reagan National Airport in D.C., and asked him to respond to the backlash he received last week after floating the possibility of Russians taking Putin out.

The basis of the criticism ... such talk is dangerous, and certainly not something a U.S. public official should be spewing -- even if it is something that's been on folks' minds.

Well ... Sen. Graham not only stands by what he said, but expands a bit on the subject -- saying just about everybody in the world sees what the Russian president is doing, and can clearly see the guy's a war criminal who must be stopped.

Graham notes Putin's been getting away with atrocities for years -- so, yes, he doesn't see anything wrong with musing about the possibility of his own people removing the man ... one way or another.

Our photog took the opportunity to ask about WNBA star Brittney Griner, who's being detained by Russian authorities on a drug charge.