Basketball

Players from the New Orleans Pelicans and Saints are helping their city after powerful tornados slammed the community this week ... by delivering tons of supplies to a relief fund.

The Orleans area was hit hard on Tuesday night with storms that produced horrifying tornadoes -- some with wind speeds of 136 to 165 mph.

The dangerous tornadoes left one person dead, several injured and extensive damage in its path.

The Pelicans and Saints announced they would come together and host a donation drive at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center for the victims of the devastating storms.

You can see Tanoh Kpassagnon -- defensive end of the Saints -- and Trey Murphy, Naji Marshall and Herbert Jones of the Pelicans carry huge bins of supplies to the event.

Former Saints QB Drew Brees -- who has donated millions to the state of Louisiana -- was heartbroken over the destruction ... and asked everyone for their prayers.

"Praying for everyone affected by last night’s tornado through Texas and Louisiana," the 43-year-old said on Wednesday via IG.

"May God watch over our city, first responders, and those suffering. May we all come together to support each other during this time."

Lisa Leslie says women's basketball players were instructed to NOT make a big deal over Brittney Griner's arrest in Russia, despite the incredible seriousness of the situation ... all to avoid the WNBA star from becoming a political pawn in a fight between two nations.

The Hall of Famer sat down with Brandon Marshall, Chad Johnson, and former WNBA player Chantel Tremitiere for an episode of "I AM ATHLETE" ... where Leslie revealed players were told to keep quiet on Brittney's detainment.

"So what we were told, and again, this is all sort of passed along through hearsay," the 7x WNBA All-Star prefaced, explaining ... "What we were told was to not make a big fuss about it so they could not use her as a pawn, so to speak, in this situation in the war. So to make it like it's not that important, or don't make it like 'Free Brittney' and we start this campaign and it becomes something they can use."

"That's what we were told. And I don't want to say who told us. I don't want to say who said that, but it's been kind of spreading through the women's basketball world."

Of course, Griner was arrested sometime in February at an airport near Moscow after Russian customs officials claimed they found vape cartridges in her carry-on luggage. Brittney -- who could face over a decade in prison -- has been held in custody since, with little information about her captivity known.

Leslie's comments are fascinating ... and could shed light on why Griner's detainment wasn't known by the American public for days, if not weeks, after she was arrested.

Obviously, the war in Ukraine complicates Griner's case. The west, led by America, has levied severe sanctions against Russia, dealing a big blow to the country's economy.

But, Russia does have some leverage against the United States ... and one of those leverage points is Brittney Griner.

Presumably, that's why the women were told not to publicize Griner's situation ... hoping Russia wouldn't find out people cared about, and for Brittney's situation. If Americans demand Brittney back, that pressures the U.S., and therefore is a bargaining chip for Vladimir Putin.

But, not speaking out about their friend is hard for Lisa.

"It's heartbreaking for all of us. We want to do more. And you think should we all use our social media platform and get behind it or not. This is the first time we're in a situation and don't know what to do."

Leslie says she talks about Griner almost every day ... and they wonder if she's being treated well.

"We talk about it daily. We're just like, 'Dang, what's she doing now? You think they cut off her hair? You think she has a bed long enough for her to fit in? You think she's in the room...' We've had full-on conversations about it. Her parents gotta be sick."

Lisa Leslie isn't the first person who has raised the issue of being a political pawn.

We recently talked to U.S. Congressman Colin Allred -- a former scholarship athlete at Baylor (like BG) -- was also concerned about Griner being used by Russia.

A Michigan high school basketball player -- who is completely blind -- had an arena full of fans cheer at the top of their lungs this week ... after sinking a jump shot during a game.

The star athlete is 17-year-old Jules Hoogland from the Zeeland East High School Unified Sports hoops team ... which consists of 3 special education and 2 general ed. athletes on the court at all times.

We're told the final game of the 2022 campaign was on Tuesday ... and special education teacher/Unified Sports coach Nate Vande Gutche says Hoogland had been working hard to improve her shot all season.

The time and effort paid off during Tuesday's game -- Hoogland lined up in front of the basket as a paraprofessional signals the hoop's location by hitting a long yellow pole on the backboard ... and she banked in the shot!!

The huge crowd shouted and celebrated in support of the shot ... and Vande Gutche says the scene was incredible.

"It was so moving to see her hit that shot again in front of 2,500 people."

"We couldn't have been more excited for her and her family," he added. "It capped off what was a very memorable day for all of us!"

FYI -- The Unified Sports program is part of the Special Olympics ... and this season is Zeeland High's 5th year participating.

"It's a blend of athletes that make it special," Vande Gutche said, "This is a true sports experience just like varsity teams."

"It's a blend of athletes that make it special," VandeGutche said, "This is a true sports experience just like varsity teams."

Cancel the rest of the NBA season ... Warriors superfan G-Eazy thinks it's a foregone conclusion his Golden State squad will win the championship this year, despite its recent struggles.

TMZ Sports spoke with Gerald as he was leaving Musso & Frank in L.A. this week ... and the dude was as confident as ever in his beloved Warriors, even though they've been stumbling as of late.

"We'll be all right, man," said G-Eazy, who's been a die-hard Dubs supporter for years. "We're still going all the way."

Of course, a lot of NBA pundits might disagree ... the Warriors, after all, are just 7-12 since early February, and Steph Curry is currently out with a foot injury.

But, G-Eazy, who's written a bunch of songs in honor of the Warriors, still believes in his guys.

"We're going all the way, absolutely," he said. "That's what we do, man. That's what we do."

The Warriors got off to a red-hot start this season ... but injuries to members of their Big Three -- Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Steph -- have put their championship hopes in question.

Vanessa Bryant did it!

Kobe's widow just announced the Bryant family's longtime partnership with Nike has been renewed ... after Vanessa previously said she was parting ways with the Swoosh over money and shoe availability issues.

The previous contract ended in April 2021 after Vanessa was reportedly looking for a "lifetime" contract, similar to what LeBron James and Michael Jordan have gotten.

But, Thursday Vanessa announced both sides were able to come to an agreement to bring Kobe -- and Gigi -- under the Nike brand once again.

"We're excited to announce our partnership with Nike is going to continue! I am so proud that my husband's shoes are still the most worn by players on NBA courts and that the demand for his shoes remain so desired by his fans around the world," Bryant wrote.

And, Vanessa made it clear the deal isn't about financial gain -- it's about continuing to grow Kobe and Gigi's legacy through youth basketball.

"With this new partnership, fans will soon be able to have access to Kobe and Gigi Nike product for years to come and with Nike donating 100% of the net proceeds yearly for Gianna’s shoes to our Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation (M&MSF)."

Vanessa continued ... "I am also grateful that Nike and I will work together to establish a youth basketball center in Southern California that will share the Mamba Mentality with youth athletes for generations to come. I know this is an inspiring moment for my husband and daughter's global fans, and I am very appreciative of each and every one of you!"

The Gigi shoe will reportedly be a custom version of the Kobe 6 Protro, dubbed the "Mambacita Sweet Sixteen."

It ain't exactly David vs. Goliath, but #11 seed Michigan is an underdog in their Sweet 16 matchup with Villanova ... but Chris Webber says that doesn't mean a thing 'cause the Wolverines are winning, and it really won't be that competitive.

TMZ Sports talked to the University of Michigan legend the night before Michigan squares off with Jay Wright's Nova squad, and asked Webber about the matchup.

"Villanova is a great team, great coach, but we have a lot of heart. I tell you what, in the bracket, I picked Houston to win just filling out things before the tournament started but after the way we've been playing since game one, I got us going all the way."

If Michigan advances, they'd play the winner of the Arizona (#1 seed) and Houston (#5 seed) game on Saturday with a trip to the Final 4 on the line.

Chris even told us how many points Michigan is going to win by.

"We're gonna win by 7. That's my prediction."

The teams followed a different path to the Sweet 16. Nova blew out #15 seed Delaware by 20 points in the first round of the tourney. They then handled #7 seed Ohio State in round two.

Michigan had a more challenging run to the Sweet 16. They beat #6 seed Colorado State by 12 in the first round, and then upset #3 seed Tennessee in the second round.

UM isn't your traditional #11 seed. They have a lot of talent and started the season ranked in the top 5 in the national polls. However, the season didn't go according to plan, and Juwan Howard's squad squeaked in as a low seed.

There's more. Chris also told us about his new partnership with Coinllectibles ... where he'll serve as president, tasked with introducing innovative sports and entertainment NFTs.

In fact, C-Webb and the company are releasing an NFT around his incredible career at Michigan on March 28.

Of course, Webber starred at Michigan between 1991 and 1993 as a member of the famed Fab Five. Chris was so good coming out of Ann Arbor that he was the 1st overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.

After a long standoff with NYC vaccine mandates, Kyrie Irving will be allowed to play in home games once again ... as a new exemption will allow in-town athletes and performers to work indoors and on the court again.

Irving will be eligible to make his home debut at Barclays Center on Sunday when his Nets take on the Hornets, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The new exemption -- which was just reported Wednesday -- will be effective immediately beginning Thursday.

Irving was sidelined for a majority of the season over his refusal to get jabbed ... but he's since been allowed to play in road games for the Nets.

The mayor previously expressed his desire to see Irving on the court, but said he would not change the rules just to accommodate Kyrie.

Irving has missed a substantial amount of games this season due to the current mandate that  required players to be vaxxed ... which, of course, he is not.

The NBA champ had been criticized from several high profile celebrities like Howard Stern and Chris Rock ... but he refused to cave in and get the shot.

NBA commish Adam Silver has called for Irving to get vaccinated ... but recently admitted he felt the current mandates in NYC made no sense.

The Nets were recently fined $50,000 by the NBA for breaking the NBA's COVID-19 protocol ... after Kyrie was spotted in the Barclays Center locker room after a game.

At the time, Irving was allowed to watch games in the arena, but NOT be in a workplace environment -- AKA, he couldn't be in the locker room. Silly, we know.

The change comes ahead of MLB Opening Day ... which means Yankees and Mets players are also breathing a sigh of relief.

No official announcement yet ... but it's just a matter of time.

BTW -- it's Irving's birthday on Wednesday ... so it's a pretty great gift.

Arizona Wildcats hoops star Bennedict Mathurin says he has been trying to apologize to a TCU dancer this week ... after he appeared to accidentally touch her chest following a game this weekend.

The alleged moment happened after the Wildcats' 85-80 win over the Horned Frogs in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday ... when the 6'6" Canadian baller -- the 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year -- took a bow in front of fans and spread his arms as he was headed to the locker room.

From one angle, Mathurin's hand appeared to make contact with the dancer's chest ... but a different clip shows he actually might have avoided touching her.

Either way, the 19-year-old said he is actively trying to reach out to the student to personally apologize.

"I actually sent an email trying to reach out to the cheerleader," Mathurin said.

"Through the TCU athletic department, I reached out to her and that is it."

Dave Heeke, Arizona's athletic director, backed Mathurin's words ... saying the hooper did reach out to TCU to try to resolve the situation.

"While he does not recall any contact, he has attempted to reach out to the TCU student through their Athletic Department to apologize."

The 1-seed Wildcats and Mathurin will face the 5-seed Houston Cougars on Thursday in Sweet 16.

Udonis Haslem was so frustrated with his teammate Jimmy Butler during Wednesday night's game ... he threatened to beat the star's "ass" in a team huddle.

The chaotic scene went down during Miami's home game against the Warriors at FTX Arena ... when "Jimmy Buckets" and UD almost came to blows during a timeout.

Haslem and Butler, who had been sitting down, were arguing ... when Udonis appeared to yell, "I'm not your f***ing kid," which prompted Jimmy to stand up from his seat.

Haslem then began shouting, "I'll beat your ass!" while looking Butler dead in the face.

In a video of the heated interaction, filmed by someone sitting courtside, you can see UD repeatedly saying he'd beat up Jimmy ... and even taking steps toward the Heat guard as his teammates were restraining him.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra found himself in the middle of the scrum ... and even he appeared to have words for Butler during the altercation as well.

The blowup ultimately led to a loss for Miami ... and afterward, Spoelstra tried to play it all off.

"Everybody was wondering where the dinner plans were after the game," Spoelstra said.

Devin Booker was so pissed off at a courtside heckler on Wednesday night ... he berated the dude and called him a "p***y" in the middle of a play!!!

The wild scene all went down at some point during the Suns' road game with the Timberwolves ... when Booker clearly had enough of a hearing a Minnesota fan's taunts.

The Phoenix superstar was dribbling up the court, and after the guy said something to him, Booker looked him in the eye and screamed, "Shut up, p***y!"

Video shows the fan and people around him were shocked by what they just heard ... especially after Booker calmly cruised past the halfcourt line to initiate the offense.

The fans giggled after the diss -- but Devin was able to get the last laugh on the scoreboard ... leading Phoenix to a 125-116 win.

Of course, the exchange is no doubt going to cost Booker some money -- because everyone from Kevin Durant to Jusuf Nurkic has been fined for their roles in recent heated interactions with fans.

Drake is once again subscribing to God's plan -- throwing down big on roulette and giving back to the community just as much as he won ... with none other than LeBron James!

Champagne Papi made a massive donation over the weekend, offering up a cool mil in Bitcoin to the LeBron James Family Foundation -- which focuses on charitable efforts for underprivileged students, among other initiatives -- and did so in partnership with Stake.com ... an online gambling house that Drizzy uses early and often, and which facilitated this dough.

You see ... Drake actually placed a massive bet recently on one of their online roulette tables -- wagering a hefty sum on black 11 -- and when it hit ... the dude got paid out big time.

Part of that money is what was donated to the LBJ Foundation -- and Bron Bron was actually on hand in Toronto Friday to usher in the gracious gesture, hitting up a fancy restaurant in the area called Harbour 60.

It wasn't just these 2 patting each other on the back though -- Drake had a huge surprise for a local high school basketball player named Michael (of Royal Crown Academy) who's on his way to a college career. To send him off properly, Drake donated $100k to him and his mom.

Drake and co. actually captured that sweet moment on camera as well ... and it was very reminiscent of when he was handing out cash to strangers a few years back -- and just as emotional.

NBA star Dejounte Murray is a candidate for best brother ever -- the Spurs guard just gifted his sister a new car for her 18th birthday!!

DM broke it down on Tuesday via Instagram ... saying he promised his sis if she did well in school, got a job and passed her driver's test, he'd get her a new whip for her special day.

As it turns out, she did just that -- earning a 3.7 GPA, finding a job and getting her driver's license!!

"She did that so I had to stand on my words with actions," Murray said.

The 25-year-old All-Star showed off the big surprise for his sister on video ... poppin' up in Seattle to gift Jacaiyah, a brand new Honda ... saying "no more Uber!"

"I thank God for allowing me to do things like this," Murray said, "because I swear this type of stuff brings a smile to my face more than doing anything for MYSELF!!!"

Murray -- whose made over $35 million since 2016 -- says he didn't wanna just hand over a new car, but make her earn it with hard work ... just like he did to get into the NBA.

"I wanna use my hard working earning to help change the cycle I grew up on," Murray said, "and start a whole new cycle to where the kids know if they work hard and be good people good things will happen."

Murray did the exact same thing for his brother, Nate, who graduated with honors in 2019 ... surprising him with his first car -- a purple Dodge Challenger.

Shawn Marion is PISSED.

The 43-year-old NBA champ went on an all-time rant this week ... eviscerating hoop fans for criticizing his unique jumper and demanding some damn respect.

Marion made his fiery comments in a Twitter Space that was discussing the topic, "Who WOULD'VE been the GOAT, if they had more help?" ... after, apparently, someone clowned him over his unorthodox stroke.

And he didn't hold back.

"They talk about my motherf***ing shot," Marion said. "Don't nobody in the f***ing league shoot the same. Get the f*** out of here."

"I'm shooting 35-40% from the f***ing 3-point line at one point in my career," Marion added. "I was a very consistent jump shooter, so you want to sit there and tell me you want to talk about my motherf***ing shot, but don't want to talk about everything else I do on the f***ing floor?"

"Get the f*** out of here. Suck my d***. Like, seriously."

The Matrix went on to list his accolades throughout his 16-year career ... and he's got a point -- the dude is a 4-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA and scored 17,700 points and grabbed 10,101 rebounds while suiting up for the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Marion has been passionately defensive of weird jumpers in the past -- he gave some solid advice to Lonzo Ball via TMZ Sports back in 2017 ... after the young hooper was getting crap for his own shot at the time.

Knicks owner/Hawks superstar Trae Young continues to TORCH New York, and then rub it in their faces ... and last night was no exception -- Ice Trae was as cold as ever, dropping 45 points and telling a heckling fan to "hold that L."

Young and the Hawks visited the world's most famous arena ... to square off against their Eastern Conference rival, the Knicks, and Trae more than lived up to his nickname.

The game was back-and-forth throughout the first half, and the faithful at MSG were letting Trae hear it all night.

At one point, while Trae was walking to the corner, comedian Roy Wood Jr. (who was sitting courtside) recorded video of an exchange between Young and some Knicks fans who'd apparently been trolling the hooper.

In the video, you can see Trae walking in the fans direction to cover Immanuel Quickley ... when he suddenly walks right up to a fan and says "Ayy hold that, hold that. Hold that L."

Of course, the rivalry between Young and Knicks fans dates back to last season's playoffs ... when Trae and his Hawks eliminated New York in 5 games in the first round.

Young averaged close to 30 points and 10 assists ... and played even better at the Garden than he did at his home arena, prompting Knicks fans to chant "F*** Trae Young" whenever he touched the ball.

Super Knicks fan Spike Lee had a front row seat for Trae's brilliant performance ... and the film director didn't look too thrilled as he watched Young torture his squad.

Humiliating Knicks fans wasn't all #11 did last night -- Trae hit Knicks big man Taj Gibson with a sick crossover before nailing a sweet pullup midrange jumper, and the crowd ate it up.

The U.S. government has finally been given access to Brittney Griner in Russia ... and in positive news, she's said to be "in good condition."

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price made the announcement on CNN on Wednesday ... explaining Russia is now allowing the U.S. to provide consular access to Griner.

Price said an official from the U.S. embassy was able to see her "within the past couple hours" -- saying they checked in on her condition and found she's doing okay while detained.

"There's only so much I can say," Price said, "but what I can say is that our official found Brittney Griner to be in good condition. And we will continue to do everything we can to see to it that she is treated fairly throughout this ordeal."

Price vowed that the U.S. government will "work very closely with her legal team, with her broader network, to see to it that she is treated fairly."

"That is a message that we will continue to convey in no uncertain terms to the Russian Federation," he added.

As we previously reported, Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February, after she allegedly tried to bring hash oil through airport security.

Zion Williamson threw down a monster dunk on Tuesday with no shirt on ... and it certainly looks like he's recovering from his foot injury nicely.

The New Orleans Pelicans star -- who fractured his foot during the 2021 offseason -- posted video of the ridiculous slam on his social media page ... showing signs that he might finally be putting his foot ailments in the rearview mirror.

In the video, you can see Zion getting up with ease, putting the ball through his legs, and then hammering it through the rim.

It's an amazing sign for Pelicans fans, because even though the former No. 1 overall pick is unlikely to play the rest of this season, it at least shows he's on the road to getting back to the NBA hardwood at some point.

Williamson has yet to play an entire season due to multiple injuries he's suffered in his career. In fact, since his rookie year in 2019, he's only started 85 games.

He's suffered multiple setbacks with his foot injury this season -- but if this clip is any indication, it's clear he's well on his way to returning ... and with no shirt on, it seems he's showing to his haters he's ready to keep his weight down when he gets back too.