Basketball

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West seem to be on much better terms than some might think -- especially amid Pete Davidson's continued integration -- because the exes reunited again.

Check out these photos, obtained by TMZ, which we're told were shot Friday at a multi-purpose gym facility near Thousand Oaks, CA ... where their eldest daughter, North, was playing in a league basketball game for kids around 7 PM.

There's mom and dad in the stands ... looking on as North does her thing with her team. They weren't even that far apart -- just a row back from one another, in very close proximity.

Eyewitnesses tell us they did speak from time to time throughout the evening, and appeared to be cordial. Neither parent made a big scene by cheering or much of anything else ... we're told they looked like they were just trying to lay low and just watch North together.

This is definitely a good sign of successful co-parenting, which Kim and Kanye had already shown they can do without issue. Remember, they did this exact sort of thing back in March when they hit up Saint's soccer game in the same crew. There, too, they looked OK.

That was during a time when Kanye was raging online as Pete and Kim's relationship was getting more serious ... but since then, he's calmed down a lot and been mostly silent.

Of course, much has changed in the months that have followed ... including the undeniable fact that PD has not only met Kim and Kanye's kids, but has gotten pretty close with them as well -- evidenced in a recent one-on-one outing he had with their son at The Grove.

It was June 4. The Warriors just blew a double-digit, 4th-quarter lead to the Celtics at home. Many people thought the championship was there for Boston to take. But, not rap legend E-40 ... who straight up told us Golden State "in 6."

And, that's exactly what happened.

TMZ Sports talked to E-40 Saturday morning about everything from his prediction, to Steph Curry's legacy, to Boston fans talking s***, and in what will be music to the Warriors fans' ears ... how the team isn't done winning 'chips.

"They definitely did [win in 6], and they did it in classy fashion. With all the trash-talking and slander, with all odds against them. Like I said it takes a strong team, mentally and physically. Strong individuals, to overcome what they overcame with so much doubt."

Of course, the Warriors won the series in 6 games.

On Steph's legacy, 40 believes he's one of the greatest players ever.

"Steph Curry my G.O.A.T., bro. I'm not saying that because I know him and he's such a good person."

He continued ... "I've never seen anybody get down like he gets down on the court, ever."

FYI, Curry now has 4 NBA titles, 2 NBA MVPs, and 8 All-Star appearances.

40 even weighed in on the Boston area bar who infamously wrote "Ayesha Curry Can't Cook" on a sign outside their restaurant ... something the diehard Warriors fan says was out of line.

"They're talking about folks wives. That's their livelihood. Even when they were talking about "Ayesha can't cook." They ain't never tasted her cooking, and it's somebody that's also a chef themself, or got a restaurant that said that, that's just straight hatin'," 40 says.

"That's her livelihood. She got all kinds of cooking shows, all kinds of cooking endorsements and all kinds of stuff, restaurants, she doing her thing. So, you don't do that. That's some sucker s*** if you ask me."

When we talked to 40 a few weeks ago, he said he had a special gift for the Finals MVP ... and true to his word, 40 says he's going to hook up Steph with a bunch of his Earl Stevens Selections next week.

Now, the part Warriors fans will really like ... 40's prognosis for the squad going forward. GSW has won 4 titles in the last 6 years ... and they've made 6 Finals in the last 8 seasons. But, 40 says they're nowhere near done yet.

Utah Jazz superstar Rudy Gobert tells TMZ Sports that after a fourth NBA title ... Steph Curry is now entrenched in the conversation when it comes to greatest players of all-time.

"He's definitely in the very rarified air," Gobert said out at LAX just one day after Curry and the Warriors beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals.

"He's at the top of the list, for sure."

Curry had always been considered one of the game's GOATs -- he is, after all, the most prolific 3-point shooter ever -- but Gobert (a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year) clearly believes the win Thursday night moves him into whole 'nother legendary category.

"I'm happy for him," Gobert said. "I think he changed the game."

Rudy told us one of his favorite parts about the Warriors beating the Celtics was seeing the other Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, getting to hoist the trophy.

"It's inspiring," the 29-year-old said.

Doc Rivers says James Harden will sign a "huge deal" with the 76ers ... telling TMZ Sports he enjoys coaching the star guard and loves having him on the team.

We caught up with the Philadelphia head coach as he was leaving E Baldi in Bev Hills this week ... and he told us he's sure Harden, who the 76ers acquired this past season, has a massive new contract coming his way.

"Huge deal," Rivers said.

Doc added that he's "excited" about coaching JH, explaining, "I love him."

The Miami Heat bounced the Sixers from the NBA playoffs this year in the second round -- a series in which Harden didn't play his best -- which left many to question if the org. should give the 32-year-old a new, lucrative deal.

Seems Doc, though, is convinced that's going to happen.

Harden, meanwhile, has until June 29 to opt into the final year of his contract -- which will pay him $47.4 million next season.

Vanessa Bryant wants a jury to know that the sheriff's deputy accused of taking helicopter crash scene photos of Kobe Bryant was involved in another scandal involving excessive force where a handcuffed inmate's head was allegedly knelt on.

But, L.A. County is fighting back, insisting the other incident is irrelevant, and would seriously prejudice the jury.

About a year after Kobe, Gigi, and seven others tragically died in a helicopter crash, there was an incident inside a county jail involving a deputy named Doug Johnson ... who's accused of kneeling on the head of a handcuffed inmate for several minutes. The March 2021 incident received national news attention.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department allegedly attempted to prevent the details of the incident from going public ... believing it'd be a black eye for the department.

It's not the first scandal Doug Johnson's allegedly been involved in ... 'cause he's accused of being one of the deputies who took photographs of Kobe's remains at the crash site.

Photos were then allegedly shown to civilians -- without authorization -- in places like bars.

Now, lawyers for L.A. County are asking a judge to prevent Vanessa's attorney's from raising the issue during the defamation and negligence trial -- filed by the Bryant family in 2020 -- and set to begin in July.

The county, in documents filed on Friday, argues the jail incident is "entirely unrelated" to Vanessa's case. They argue bringing up such a hot button issue like excessive force could have a huge effect on the outcome of the trial.

Lawyers for the county reportedly asked Vanessa's legal team if they'd agree not to bring up the other incident ... but VB's attorney refused, according to the L.A. Times. That's when L.A. County filed the motion.

A judge is yet to make a decision on L.A. County's request.

As for the jail incident ... Johnson was captured on camera leading an inmate through a hallway, before the man, awaiting a murder charge, punched him in the face several times. Once Johnson got the 24-year-old inmate under control and handcuffed, he allegedly knelt on the inmates head for around 3 minutes.

Ayesha Curry is turning Celtics fans' famous diss into a great cause ... creating a  line of "Ayesha Curry Can Cook" shirts that'll benefit charity.

If you missed it, a bar in Boston took a shot at Steph Curry's wife -- a chef and a cookbook author -- before Game 4 of the Warriors vs. Celtics NBA Finals series last week ... writing on a sign outside of their business, "Ayesha Curry Can't Cook".

Steph later clapped back at the diss by wearing an "Ayesha Curry CAN Cook" shirt to his postgame press conference following Golden State's win over the Cs in Game 5.

The back and forth between Curry and the bar went viral -- and, when Steph ended up winning the title, he made sure to let Boston know he didn't forget about it.

Seems Ayesha didn't either ... 'cause she's now launched a line of "Ayesha Curry Can Cook" shirts through her brand Sweet July.

In announcing the sale of the tees -- which are going for $28 apiece -- Ayesha said all proceeds will benefit @nokidhungry, an org dedicated to helping end childhood hunger.

Drake's first music video from his new album is a giant not-so-inside-joke -- and while he and Tristan Thompson are laughing ... Khloe Kardashian is definitely not. 😑

Drizzy dropped the vid for "Falling Back" Thursday night, and it's a full-on wedding party, complete with him saying "I Do" to his beautiful brides.

Yes, plural ... 23 gorgeous women, actually -- and the guy getting him ready for the big day is none other than TT, who's clearly leaning into his rep for infidelity.

TT tells the rapper, "Doesn't feel right, we scrap it, we go home," while making sure the guy's looking fresh for his 20+ brides ... clearly poking fun at Tristan's multiple cheating scandals, and Drake's timing for this video is pretty on the nose!

As you know, Thursday's season finale of "The Kardashians" featured Khloe's heated reaction to finding out about Tristan's affair with Maralee Nichols ... who he got pregnant.

Khloe says "You either wear a condom, get a vasectomy, or you don't f*** random people that you meet in other states. It's not rocket science".

So, the release of "Falling Back" -- the first single from his "Honestly, Nevermind" album -- kinda plays like a Kardashian's sequel or spinoff. TBH, it's brilliant marketing -- unless you're Khloe -- and Tristan's clearly in on the joke.

Klay Thompson took time out of celebrating his NBA championship victory to call out a Memphis Grizzlies player who gloated about a win over the Warriors earlier this year ... blastin' the dude as a "frickin' bum" and a "frickin' clown."

The target of Thompson's animosity was Jaren Jackson Jr., who tweeted a dig at the Warriors following a 123-95 win back in March.

"Strength in numbers," Jackson Jr. said, clearly mocking the Warriors' famous rallying cry after the victory.

Thompson revealed on Thursday night after beating the Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals that the tweet REALLY pissed him off ... and he was super happy to be able to rub it in Jackson's face after lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

"There was this one player on the Grizzlies who tweeted 'Strength in numbers' after they beat us in the regular season," the Warriors star said to reporters, "and it pissed me off so much."

"I can't wait to retweet that thing. Frickin' bum. I had to watch that, and I'm just like, 'This frickin' clown.'"

Thompson continued, "Sorry, that memory just popped up. Gonna mock us? Like, you ain't ever been there before, bruh. We've been there, we know what it takes. So, to be here again, hold that."

The 32-year-old has yet to officially press the RT on Jackson Jr.'s tweet ... but we're sure it's coming.

Steph Curry celebrated his fourth championship Thursday night like it was his first ... slugging bubbly from a chalice and talkin' smack to his haters!!!

The Golden State Warriors star hit the locker room with his teammates for the epic celly just minutes after the Dubs beat the Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals ... and he went hard.

The newly crowned Finals MVP poured a bunch of champagne on his head, drank a ton of it ... and then yelled to all of his haters, "Champs, baby!"

"What are they going to say now?!" he added. "What are they going to say now?!"

Curry was far from the only Warriors star to revel in the team's latest title ... Klay Thompson and Draymond Green also did their fair share of drinking and trash-talking.

Jordan Poole, meanwhile, took the postgame celebration as an opportunity to throw a bunch of champagne down his throat -- and video of his chugging was pretty legendary.

Steph Curry and the Warriors have done it again ... for the fourth time in the last eight years, Golden State is the champion of the NBA.

Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson roughed up the Celtics, 103-90, in Game 6 of the Finals on Thursday night to secure the title.

Curry led the way for the Dubs in the victory in Boston, scoring 34 points and logging seven rebounds and seven assists. He was later named MVP of the series.

Green chipped in a near triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Thompson, meanwhile, added 12 points and five rebounds.

The series finale was by no means an instant classic -- the Warriors took a big lead in the first half and never relinquished it.

To their credit, the Celtics did at times in the second half appear to at least threaten to make it close -- but Curry, Green and the Warriors were just too much.

The championship is the fourth for Curry, Green and Thompson, who previously won titles over LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

All three celebrated their faces off on the court following Thursday night's win ... with Curry actually shedding tears.

A Toledo basketball player turned into a hero during a game last weekend -- performing successful CPR on a referee who had collapsed in the middle of the contest.

The scary incident was caught on video ... when during the Toledo Glass City's game against the Jamestown Jackals on June 11 -- a ref wobbled, and then crumpled to the floor.

You can see in the footage, referee John Sculli lay motionless for several moments ... before Glass City's Myles Copeland raced over to help out.

Copeland -- who's also a firefighter -- told ESPN he didn't feel Sculli's pulse or see him breathing when he got to the man ... so, he started CPR with the help of another ref until paramedics arrived.

And, thanks to his efforts, Sculli -- who's been officiating for almost 40 years -- survived -- and is now expected to have surgery this week to fix his health issues.

"It was kind of instinctual," 25-year-old Copeland said of it all. "It surprised me how quick I was able to switch into that mode, especially being in a basketball game."

"But, with being a firefighter, when you're off the job, you're really not off the job. You still got to keep an eye out for the community and what's going on around you."

He continued, "I didn't feel like I went out of my way to do anything special. It's just what I was put here to do. God was able to work through me. I feel like other people see me differently as a hero, but I don't see myself any different."

FYI, Copeland drove to NY for the playoff game after working a 24-hour shift as a firefighter -- and his team ultimately won the game, 96-93.

Sue Bird -- a 4-time WNBA champion and star guard for the Seattle Storm -- says she's retiring ... announcing Thursday she's hanging up her sneakers for good at the end of this season.

"I’ve decided this will be my final year," said Bird, who shared a photo of her hoopin' as a youngster.

"I have loved every single minute, and still do, so gonna play my last year, just like this little girl played her first."

The 41-year-old, who was a 2-time NCAA champion at UConn, was picked #1 overall back in 2002 ... and has played every year since for the Storm.

In her 19 years in Seattle, she piled up 12 All-Star selections ... and became the WNBA's all-time assists leader as well as the league's all-time leader in starts.

Her retirement will mark truly the end of one of the greatest basketball careers ever -- as Bird is one of only six players ever to win an NCAA championship, a WNBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.

Patrick Mahomes' 1-year-old daughter has quarterback genes in her blood ... and, clearly, the youngster has some hoops ones as well -- 'cause she's already dunking!!

Brittany Mahomes shared video of baby Sterling accomplishing the feat on Thursday morning -- and it's adorable (and impressive!).

In the clip, you can see Sterling walk right up to the rim, and throw it down with ease. Sterling walked off after scoring the basket, but after Brittany encouraged her to shoot it again ... Sterling put home another rim-rattler!

Mom loved it -- cheering on Sterling the entire time ... and even tagging Patrick so Dad knew his baby's athleticism is coming in nicely.

Sterling should have a partner to throw her some lobs in the very near future ... Patrick and Brittany just announced this month the two are expecting another child soon.

Drake is a basketball champion and J. Cole is a pro hooper -- but none of that matters to Lil Durk because he "knows" he's the best hip hop baller out there.

We checked in with Durkio as he was checking outta LAX to get his thoughts on Drake's recent trophy win ... in his own basketball league, mind you.

Seems like an obvious conflict of interest, but Durk says he'd do the same thing if he had his own court and b-ball league.

He also perked up with J. Cole's recent stint in the Canadian Elite Basketball League ... especially while claiming he'd put Cole on a poster with a dunk!!!

He's got backup for that smack talk, though -- remember, LeBron James recently went on record putting Durk's b-ball skills over every rapper out there and Durk is clearly, and proudly, wearing that title on his sleeve.

Kenny "The Jet" Smith says Shaquille O'Neal had every right to clap back at a hater trying to diminish his success ... telling TMZ Sports no superstar has won a championship on their own.

As we previously reported, Diesel went OFF on a Twitter user for claiming he wouldn't have won his 3 rings with the Lakers without Kobe Bryant ... saying, "no person can win without another star big dummy."

We spoke with Smith about Shaq's issue with the heckler ... and he says anyone who knows hoop understands winning a ring isn't a one-man gig.

Worth mentioning -- Shaq brought Kenny into the debate with his rebuttal to the hater ... saying Smith wouldn't have won a championship without Hakeem Olajuwon.

Smith backs up the Big Aristotle ... saying the Hall of Famer is just spitting facts. And if the argument were about Kobe, it would be the same result -- no one wins without a stellar supporting cast.

Drake brought his IG moniker "Champagne Papi" to life on Tuesday -- winning a title in the Sanctuary Basketball League -- and he celebrated by sprayin' bubbly everywhere!!

The victorious moment was all caught on video -- when his NTIG teammate hit the game-winning shot in the SBL title game right on Drake's basketball court in his Toronto mansion.

Drizzy and his squad went nuts after securing the dub ... cueing up the champagne showers.

And, Drake paid homage to the late Kobe Bryant for his game strategy ... saying he channeled his inner Mamba Mentality.

"I did what Kobe did in Game 7 against the Celtics," Drake said, "Shots not falling, you play f*****g defense!"

BTW, Drake launched the SBL league last year ... and now is a 2-time champ, after his team again won the 'ship.