Basketball

Tichina Arnold is back on the market, legally speaking ... TMZ has learned her long and bitter divorce process is over.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... a judge signed off on Tichina's divorce from longtime basketball coach DaRico Hines on July 15.

It's certainly been a long time coming. As we've reported, the "Martin" star made the announcement she'd be divorcing Rico way back in 2016 ... after she claimed there was a sex tape of him with another woman.

A rep for Hines, who currently works for the Toronto Raptors, declined to comment specifically on the allegations but acknowledged the couple was dealing with a "private and deeply personal matter" during that time.

But, it wasn't until August of last year that she finally went forward with filing the paperwork -- yeah, more than 5 years later. On the docs, she noted the usual irreconcilable differences, but did list the date of separation as January 12, 2016 ... about 3-and-a-half years after they tied the knot.

Brittney Griner says she was aware the U.S. government warned Americans traveling to Russia was dangerous ... but the WNBA star told a court in Moscow she decided to get on the airplane because she wanted to help her basketball team.

Griner's drug trial continued in Russia on Wednesday, and the 31-year-old hooper testified to the reason she returned to Moscow in February despite the travel advisory.

"It's the most important part of the season, after the break. It's playoffs. The whole season I worked, my team worked hard to get to a good position," Griner said, continuing, "There was nothing that was going to change that for me. I didn't want to let my team down.  I did know about the 'do not fly' advisory, but like I said, there was nothing that was going to change my mind on coming back and finishing my duty for my team."

Brittney's alluding to a "Do Not Travel" advisory issued by the U.S. State Department on January 23 ... where they warned of "the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens."

Of course, despite the fact Griner played several seasons in Russia (she's a 3x Russian League champ), she's an American citizen.

BG also addressed the reason for using cannabis ... years of sports injuries.

"Because of my injuries that I've had over the long career of basketball. From my spine, no cartilage in my knee. I was in a wheelchair for four months. I broke my ankle and I also sprained my knee really bad. So I was wheelchair-bound," Brittney told the court.

"The benefits from medical cannabis definitely outweigh the painkillers that they prescribe. The painkillers have really bad side effects. Medical cannabis, there are honestly no side effects that harm you."

Griner admits the cannabis was never supposed to wind up in her luggage ... and she still isn't entirely certain how it happened.

"I still don't understand to this day how they ended up in my bag. If I had to speculate, if I had to guess on how they ended up in my bags, I was in a rush packing. I was recovering from COVID, the stress of packing, making sure I had my COVID tests. Jet lag. And I was in a rush, throwing my stuff into my bag."

Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef, is continuing to work towards his dreams of making it to the NBA one day -- he just signed a 6-figure contract with the G League.

22-year-old Shareef will play for the Ignite -- a developmental team based in Nevada, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Shareef took to Twitter to express how pumped he was about the opportunity, writing, "VEGAS LETS DO IT !! Thank you, ignite !"

Specifics of the deal have yet to be disclosed ... but it means the young hooper is getting another shot at improving his game after teaming up with the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League team this season.

Shareef averaged 4.5 points per game when he got playing time, and was efficient when he touched the rock ... shooting 60% from the field.

Shareef has plenty of people rooting for him ... like former Lakers head coach Byron Scott, who believes if he cleans up a few things in his game, he can play in the NBA like his father.

"I think he looked a little bit out of place," Scott said of O'Neal's Summer League play. "He wasn’t ready. I think he still has a little ways to go. I think the talent is there. Obviously, the athleticism is there."

The Phoenix Mercury continue to honor their star player, Brittney Griner, as she remains in a Russian jail cell ... this time, the team handed out 1,500 sneakers to the community, an ode to her charity.

The WNBA team shared video of the amazing deed Monday ... saying they collected all the shoes last week after they launched the fifth annual 'Heart and Sole Shoe Drive' on behalf of Griner back in April.

"Today, we got to do some outreach with the Phoenix Rescue Mission," Mercury's head coach Vanessa Nygaard said, "and it was really touching to be out here."

"This is day actually 152 that BG's been wrongly imprisoned, and what better way to honor her and to think about her and keeping her thoughts to go out and do outreach in our community."

You can see Nygaard -- named Mercury's HC in January -- and her team hit the city streets distributing the sneakers, from Nike to Adidas, to the community ... and even talked to a couple of people after their awesome donation.

"To pass out the shoes that were so generously given by all the people who care about BG and to physically hand those to people in need was extremely touching and I hope impactful for our community," Nygaard said.

"But, we really can't wait for is the day that BG returns and we all get to go out with BG and love our community and celebrate her and everything that makes the valley so proud."

As we previously reported, Griner has been in Russian custody since February on drug possession and smuggling charges. She previously pled guilty and is facing up to 10 years in prison.

J.R. Smith has no clue why Damian Lillard won't leave the Trail Blazers ... saying this week he believes the NBA superstar should bounce from Portland and chase rings somewhere else.

"Like, I love Dame," Smith said on the upcoming episode of Fubo Sports Network's "No Chill with Gilbert Arenas." "I love his game. I respect him for doing what he's doing. But at the same time, it's like, you just going to rot in Portland, bro?"

Lillard has been a Trail Blazer since the org. took him in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft -- and he's thrived there, making six All-Star games while averaging 24.6 points per game.

But, deep runs in the playoffs have been few and far between -- notably because his supporting cast hasn't been great. And, Smith -- along with Gilbert Arenas -- clearly believes it's time for the 32-year-old to go find a new team that'll give him the proper help he needs to win a Larry O'Brien Trophy.

"I'm trying to win, bro," said Smith, a two-time NBA champ.

Arenas added that he believes a lack of rings will hurt Lillard when it comes to the nation's conversation about his legacy.

"The people you put in front of me are not even close to my stature," Arenas said, "but because they got a ring, they get pushed in front of me."

Lillard, though, doesn't appear to have any desire to bolt from the Pacific Northwest -- he just signed another extension with the Trail Blazers earlier this month, committing to the team through the 2026-27 season.

Byron Scott believes Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef, can still have a future in the NBA despite having a rough go in Summer League ... telling TMZ Sports the talent is there, but the 22-year-old still has little things he needs to work on in his game.

We spoke with the former Lakers head coach out at LAX this week ... and he was very candid about what he saw from Shareef, sharing what he believes is the biggest reason the former UCLA and LSU product has struggled to find success playing pro ball this summer.

"I think he looked a little bit out of place,” Scott said. "He wasn’t ready. I think he still has a little ways to go. I think the talent is there. Obviously, the athleticism is there."

"It’s just some other little things he has to tweak. But Scotty Pippen Jr. looked really good," he continued.

Shareef and Scotty have been linked together all summer -- considering they are both sons of Hall of Famers and were both signed to the Lakers -- but Byron thinks Scotty is ahead in his development, thanks to the time he spent in college.

"Again, it goes back to showing you four years of school compared to a guy that just went a year or whatever the case may be is a big difference," Byron said.

"Scotty is NBA ready."

Byron believes anybody overtly critical of Shareef's performance needs to remember that he's overcoming heart surgery ... and is still trying to find his way back physically.

"You should take that into consideration," Byron said. "The fact that he’s not where everybody thinks he should be at this particular point is because of some of the medical conditions that he’s had to deal with."

"And he’s still young. Give 'em a chance!"

Gregg Popovich gave a speech at Jay-Z's social justice summit this weekend -- once again making his positions on the issue crystal clear in a rousing speech.

The Spurs coach was in NYC Saturday, where Roc Nation was hosting the event and honoring attorney Barry Scheck with an award for his work on the Innocence Project ... which helps exonerate wrongly-convicted people in the country.

Watch Pop's address here ... he sounds as passionate as he usually does when talking about this sort of thing. He talks about what he sees as the state of America and its persistent racism -- something he says he knew always existed, but never to the extent that's been revealed through RN's or Scheck's advocacy.

He goes on to praise the Innocence Project for the number of individuals they've been able to get out of prison -- upwards of 375, he says -- which got a round of applause.

It's an important matter, and it's cool to see GP so fired up about it. You can tell this stuff is top of mind for him these days -- that is, when he's not in the middle of a game.

Malik Monk may no longer be a Laker, but he says his old team will be just fine with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook all returning ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the big three will work things out this season.

The Lake Show made news this week after reports of a three-way phone call between the superstars ... in which they allegedly expressed their commitment to figuring out how to coexist.

We spoke with Monk -- who recently signed a 2-year, $19-million deal with the Sacramento Kings in the offseason -- out at LAX on Tuesday ... and he says he's confident his old teammates can bounce back and have a better season.

"They grown men," Monk said. "Especially when they have convos like that, it’ll work out for them. They all great."

Of course, the 2021-22 season was a mess for the Lakers -- they missed the playoffs as AD missed a ton of games due to injury ... and Russ' production was a serious issue.

Despite all that, Monk had the best season of his career ... and said the leader of the Lakers deserves some credit for it.

"LeBron had a big part of everything," Monk said when asked how James shaped his career. "He had a big part in me coming to L.A."

"It's Bron, bro. He gon' try to help every teammate he comes in contact with. So, I have nothing bad to say about him."

"You got to play at a level he plays at," Monk added. "If not, you going to get surpassed. That’s why he’s so great."

As for his new team, Monk has a message for NBA fans ...

Dikembe Mutombo's hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has treated more than 1 million people over the years ... and while the ex-NBA star is "blessed" to do his part for the community, he says his work is not done.

The Hall of Famer opened the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in honor of his mother back in 2007 after making a $15 million donation ... in an effort to provide healthcare to those in need -- regardless of financial situation.

With the hospital's 15th anniversary approaching, we spoke with Mutombo about helping so many people ... and he says he's simply "doing God's work."

"I feel blessed to be in the shoes that I’m in, that I can serve the humanity."

Mutombo started his own foundation in 1997 -- the year his mother passed away -- which has focused on providing health care, research and education for the people of the Congo.

Mutombo says he's looking forward to give back even more ... and plans to do whatever he can to help out.

"Our work is not done," he added. "We’re going to try to do more, it’s just a question of time. It’s not easy."

More NBA players have gotten involved in charitable work over the years ... and Mutombo praises the current stars for helping the community.

Shaq hit the road in a bright yellow bus, driving straight to a Papa John's restaurant ... to talk with team members about how they can get a free degree.

A rep for Papa John's tells TMZ ... Shaq, who's a board member and franchisee owner, drove around ATL in a customized school bus Friday, heading to a restaurant in the area to talk about the company's education offer.

He chatted with team members about the importance of continuing their college education -- he's even inviting them to earn a degree, with all tuition and fees paid by Papa John's through the Dough & Degrees program.

The program makes it possible for Papa John's team members to go to school at no cost -- tuition, books and fees are completely covered. While other programs will reimburse students, the company is making sure they take care of the costs upfront.

It covers degrees from Associates to Masters ... over 60 team members have graduated debt-free in a variety of fields since the program Dough & Degrees launched in 2019.

Shaq's no stranger to Papa John's or Atlanta -- he invested in 9 local restaurants a few years back, looking to simply give back to the community.

MarJon Beauchamp is a man of his word -- the Milwaukee Bucks rookie promised his mom a house when he made it to the NBA ... and this week, he did just that!!

The 21-year-old made the big reveal in a touching video ... by having his mom, Denise, stand out in the driveway as he came out of the garage with a bunch of balloons in his hand.

"Congratulations," family and friends yelled ... and when Denise realized she was standing in her OWN driveway, the tears started pouring out.

"Are you serious?" Denise cried and gave her son a big hug.

Moments like this are priceless and Beauchamp actually tweeted this would happen in April -- two months before the 6'6" guard became the 24th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

He also just signed his rookie contract with the Bucks a few weeks ago -- a 4-year deal worth over $12 million!!

"God ...You work in mysterious ways," Beauchamp said in his IG post, "This been a dream of mine ... Take my mom out the hood. Been living in apartments all my life"

"To give my mom @denisepleasant her first house ever.. I'm lost of words ... I love you mom❤️ you deserve it."

Klay Thompson took several moments out of his ESPYs Award acceptance speech Wednesday night to pay homage to Kobe and Gigi Bryant -- and the words were so powerful, Vanessa Bryant thanked him for them shortly afterward.

The Golden State Warriors guard -- who accepted the trophy for Best Comeback Athlete of the Year at the ceremony -- gave the nod to the Bryants after thanking his family, his teammate Steph Curry and the Warriors for having faith in him.

"I don't know if Vanessa is out there watching, but to Vanessa and her three beautiful girls, we think of Kobe and Gigi every day," he said.

"I read Mamba Mentality every day during rehab and those are the best memories of my life, watching him play and he inspired me to be the athlete I am today."

Vanessa was clearly watching -- and responded to Thompson's nod to her late husband and daughter with a thank you message on her social media page.

"We are BG!"

Steph Curry -- flanked by WNBA superstars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith -- paused the joke-telling and award-presenting for several moments at Wednesday night's ESPYs to deliver that Brittney Griner-themed message ... and it was powerful.

The four-time NBA champion wore Griner's Phoenix Mercury jersey for the speech, and alongside Ogwumike and Diggins-Smith, he called for the WNBA star's release from Russia.

"It's been 153 nights now that BG has been wrongfully detained thousands of miles away from home, away from her family, away from her friends, away from her team,'' Diggins-Smith said. "All throughout that time, we've kept her in our thoughts and in our hearts even though we know that ain't nearly enough to bring her home, y'all."

"She's one of us," Curry added, "the team of athletes in this room tonight and all over the world. A team that has nothing to do with politics or global conflict."

As we've reported, Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February, after she was accused of illegally bringing hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport.

Griner -- who's since pleaded guilty to the charges -- is now facing up to 10 years behind bars in the foreign country in the case.

In his speech Wednesday, Curry made it clear he believes if Americans continue to raise awareness of her case, it could expedite her return to U.S. soil.

"We cannot stop fighting for her, we cannot stop believing for her and we will not stop hoping for the day when we can welcome her home safely," he said.

U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe also used several moments of her award acceptance speech later in the night to echo Curry's sentiments.

Hours after the awards show, however, a spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry slammed the U.S.'s "wrongfully detained" characterization of Griner ... and urged the country to allow the legal process to play out.

"If a U.S. citizen was taken in connection with the fact that she was smuggling drugs, and she does not deny this, then this should be commensurate with our Russian, local laws, and not with those adopted in San Francisco, New York and Washington," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to the Associated Press.

Tristan Thompson was put on BLAST at the ESPY Awards by Lil Rel Howery, as he told one Olympian with a Kardashian-sounding name to steer clear of the guy.

The ESPYs were full of laughs from athletes Wednesday night at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, and Lil Rel didn't hold back when he got on mic and congratulated snowboarder and 2-time Olympic gold medalist, Chloe Kim.

He says he knew she'd be successful just because her first and last names are the same as 2 of the Kardashians ... he gave her some advice, too -- "Watch out for them Tristans, that's all I got to say."

The crowd burst into laughter, as he responded, "Yeah I said it! Y'all thinkin' it," obviously referring to the guy's cheating streak.

Lil Rel's callout comes as Tristan and Khloe Kardashian await the imminent birth of their newest addition -- although it may have already happened. TMZ broke the story around the same time the basketball player was in Greece partying it up.

The King ain't gonna like this ...

New Orleans Pelicans star Jonas Valanciunas threw several jabs at LeBron James while participating in a recent game of charades ... calling the Laker a crybaby and a flopper with his actions.

Valanciunas made the imitations out in Lithuania while on a show in front of a bevy of cameras.

In video of Valaciunas' impersonation of LeBron -- you can see the 6-foot-11, 265-pound center rub his eyes as if he were crying. He then pretended to hit the floor after being touched lightly.

Valaciunas' guesser eventually got the references -- something we're sure 'Bron didn't love to see.

This is the second time someone in the Pelicans' org. has fired away at LeBron and the Lakers this month -- just a few days ago, the team's official Twitter account made a dig at James and the Lake Show as well.

A mural of Brittney Griner -- and 17 other Americans detained in countries like Russia -- was erected Wednesday in Washington D.C. ... all to bring awareness to Americans locked up abroad.

Of course, Griner's case has received a tremendous amount of attention, but that's not necessarily the case with all the captive U.S. citizens ... and the hope is the artwork will get the word out.

Isaac Campbell, an artist from Iowa who's in charge of the project, spent about 8 hours putting the 15 ft. tall mural together in Georgetown before opening it to the public, according to the Washingtonian.

The photos were provided by the Bring Our Families Home Campaign.

Campbell cut and pasted photos onto the wall ... using flour, water, and sugar to form a non-toxic, biodegradable glue, with help from detainees' family members and citizens passing by. It's expected to eventually fade ... but it could take weeks, months, or longer, depending on the weather.

Aside from the artwork, Campbell hopes the message behind the mural resonates with people more than the artistry, so detainees like Griner can return to the United States.

“We really need to put pressure on all people with any tools, whether that’s wheat-pasting, or whether that’s using your own personal platforms on social media to help apply pressure," Campbell said.

"Or if you’re in any stage of government, and you can provide support and begin to help bring these people home."

Other than Griner -- a star hooper for the Phoenix Mercury -- other Americans like Paul Whelan, U.S. citizen and former Marine who's been detained in Russia since 2018 on drug and espionage charges, are featured.

Griner recently pled guilty to a drug charge ... but her trial near Moscow is still ongoing (the Russian justice system is different than in America). She faces up to 10 years in prison.

Griner's next hearing is scheduled for July 26.