Basketball

Brittney Griner was emotional in Russian court on Thursday ... apologizing for "my mistake that I made," while pleading with the judge to hand down a light sentence.

Griner issued the mea culpa at another hearing in her drug case ... telling the Moscow courtroom she was deeply sorry for inadvertently packing hashish oil in her luggage back in mid-February.

"I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of [Yekaterinburg] for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them," the WNBA superstar said.

"I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home."

According to Associated Press reporters on the scene, Griner -- wearing a gray T-shirt and dark pants -- appeared to be very emotional while saying she was sorry.

Griner later urged the judge to take it easy on her when her sentence is eventually handed down ... saying she hopes the ruling "does not end my life.”

Prosecutors, though, reportedly argued in the courtroom Thursday that Griner did intentionally bring the cannabis oil ... and urged the judge to sentence the 31-year-old to 9.5 years behind bars. They also reportedly argued Griner should be hit with a big fine.

The judge is expected to make a ruling in the case as early as Thursday afternoon.

As we reported, Griner pleaded guilty to the drug charges against her last month. She's facing a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars.

U.S. officials, meanwhile, have classified her as wrongfully detained ... and have confirmed they've made Russia a substantial trade offer to ultimately bring her home.

First, he learned to dunk like Dad -- then he got inked up like Pops, too!!!

Bronny James -- the oldest son of LeBron James -- just got his first-ever tattoo this week ... and he looked super happy with how the body art turned out.

No word on what the 17-year-old got permanently inscribed on his skin -- but it seems he got a few tats during the session, including some on his neck and his wrists.

The tattoo artist who did the work, Ganga, said on Instagram he got LeBron's blessing to do the tats -- adding that he was grateful for the opportunity.

"I made the first tattoo for @bronny," the artist said. "thank you very much for the trust, @kingjames 👑 much love fam ❤️"

Of course, the Lakers superstar is familiar with the tattoo needle -- he's got ink all over his body ... and he even recently allowed Ganga to draw on his upper thigh area as well.

NBA player Iman Shumpert was arrested for having a "sizeable" amount of marijuana in his backpack at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport on Saturday ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to the police report, officers responded to a potential drug violation call around 2:40 PM ... after TSA screeners found a plastic bag filled with a "green leafy substance" in Shumpert's bag, which he admitted was weed.

Cops say the substance weighed 6.12 ounces and tested positive for marijuana using a mobile test.

The report adds 32-year-old Shumpert -- who was set to board a Delta plane to Los Angeles at 3 PM -- expressed concern about missing his trip to visit his daughter ... but the responding officer informed him he would not be making that flight, as he was being placed under arrest for marijuana possession.

The report says the 2016 NBA champ was then placed in handcuffs and transported to the airport jail without incident.

The charge is classified as a "State Jail Felony" ... meaning Shumpert could face up to two years behind bars and a $10K fine, if convicted.

Cops also claim Shumpert -- who also won Season 30 of "Dancing With The Stars" -- had a Glock magazine and 14 9mm rounds in his bag ... although he didn't have a gun.

Shumpert last played for the Brooklyn Nets in 2020-21 ... and has also suited up for the Knicks, Cavaliers, Kings and Rockets over his decade-long career. He's averaging 7.2 points a game in his career.

Former Houston Rocket Vernon Maxwell is opening up about a wild confrontation he had with Hakeem Olajuwon during halftime of a game back in the day ... saying police drew guns on him after he tried to stab "The Dream" during the heated altercation.

The 2x-NBA champ made the startling revelation on Gilbert Arenas' podcast, "No Chill With Gilbert Arenas" ... where he recalled his encounter with the Hall of Famer which nearly turned fatal.

Maxwell says the crazy incident started as he and Olajuwon walked back to the locker room at halftime. Vernon was pissed his teammates weren't feeding him the ball, compromising his numbers for the game.

Vernon and Hakeem exchanged words in the tunnel en route back to the locker room ... and once there, Maxwell says Olajuwon slapped him in his face.

"I said, 'God damn, this motherf***er slapped the s**t out of me,'" Maxwell said. "That motherf***er hit me so hard, man, [he] knocked me out the chair."

"I jumped up, grabbed my chair, and throwed it at [that] motherf***er, bust the glass in the locker room. Everybody running out. Police come in with the guns drawn, like 'what the hell goin' on in here?'"

"Damn, they got the guns on me at a professional halftime. At a professional game," he continued.

Maxwell -- who played 6 seasons on the Rockets with Olajuwon -- says had the police not barged in to break up the mayhem, he was going to "chase Dream and stab the s**t out of him."

Luckily, cooler heads prevailed, and Vernon and Hakeem went on to maintain a civil relationship ... and after becoming Muslim, Dream even talked to VM about converting religions.

"SlamBall is back, baby!"

That's Mason Gordon, founder of SlamBall -- basketball mixed with football and MMA on big trampolines -- announcing to TMZ Sports ... the sport is returning in 2023!

"There have been all kinds of people clamoring for SlamBall to come back. There has been #BringBackSlamBall media, viewed over 200 million times in the last 12 months. So, I'm ready to announce next summer, 2023, SlamBall is coming back, live!"

If you haven't seen a SlamBall game, it's pretty damn awesome. Huge air, big hits ... it's great. And, that's why so many people waited for this day, including Celtics star Jayson Tatum, a SlamBall fan.

Gordon says he's had endless opportunities over the years to bring the game back, but he didn't want to do it until all the conditions were perfect for making a return.

"We've gotten opportunities pretty much every couple of months, there will be an opportunity to bring SlamBall back in some form. My partners and I have always looked at it and said, 'we're not gonna come back until the market conditions are like really optimal,' and the alternate sports marketplace is on fire."

Gordon and his partners felt it was the perfect time to strike ... especially since kids are decreasingly watching entire 3-hour sporting events.

"SlamBall just kind of fits the bill. They're 20-minute games. Television half hours. People obviously have really gravitated to the action, and it's this incredible mash-up between basketball, football, hockey, little bit of gymnastics, little bit of video games, that's just SlamBall."

SlamBall was built for social media -- and when it comes to the TV side of things, Gordon has a secret weapon -- producer/director Mike Tollin is a partner on the project ... the man behind "The Last Dance" and "The Captain," amongst many others.

LeBron James' Tuesday workout was unforgettable -- The King got to hit the hardwood at the Lakers' facility for some drills with his two sons ... and all three looked AWESOME.

The L.A. superstar and his two boys -- Bronny and Bryce -- just got in the sweat sesh down in El Segundo ... working on their dunks, their jumpers and their ball-handling.

The trio of James showcased some serious skills -- all three of 'em can rattle the rim now, and all three certainly know how to find the bottom of the basket.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the clips that James shared on his social media page was Bryce's game -- the 15-year-old is nearly as tall as Dad now, and yet he can still move like a point guard!!

"Simply no better feeling than doing what I love to do with who I love!" James said of the workout. "Great work today Young🤴🏾’s #JamesGang👑 #EarnedNotGiven"

While James is gearing up for Year #20 in the league, his sons still have some H.S. ball left to play.

But, based on the clips Bron posted -- doesn't seem it'll be long before they're all revving up for their own NBA seasons.

No, Jeanie Buss did NOT pick up a side hustle selling PlayStation 5 consoles this summer -- the Lakers owner says her Twitter was hacked!!

Buss' social media was the latest to fall victim to the viral video game scam ... in which hijacked accounts send out posts about selling PS5s.

Buss' fake offer was angled around her team -- with the message claiming the profits from the deal would go to charity ... and whoever buys the console would have a chance to get Laker tickets.

Of course, anyone who spends time on Twitter knows it's clearly a scam ... but Buss released a statement on Tuesday making sure there wasn't any confusion.

"Lakers Fans, my Twitter account has been hacked," Buss said on the official team Twitter account. "Please do not engage with it or send any money. These are NOT legitimate offers. The Lakers will alert you when I am back in control of my account."

Of course, this is the Internet we're talking about ... so a lot of people had their fun at the Lakers owner's expense.

Donald Trump's going in on Brittney Griner, accusing the "potentially spoiled" WNBA star of traveling to Moscow "loaded up with drugs," and burying the idea of trading BG for a Russian arms dealer ... all in a new interview.

76-year-old Trump recently appeared on the "Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show" where he was asked about 31-year-old Griner's detainment in Russia.

"She went in there loaded up with drugs into a hostile territory where they’re very vigilant about drugs. They don’t like drugs, and she got caught," Trump said.

"And, now we’re supposed to get her out, and she makes, you know, a lot of money, I guess. We’re supposed to get her out for an absolute killer and one of the biggest arms dealers in the world. Killed many Americans. Killed many people.”

"Loaded up with drugs" isn't exactly consistent with the known information. Griner, in court, admitted to accidentally bringing marijuana that she says was prescribed by a doctor in the States to help deal with the pain from old hoops injuries, instead of taking powerful pain pills.

"It certainly doesn't seem like a very good trade, does it? He's absolutely one of the worst in the world and he's gonna be given his freedom because a potentially spoiled person goes into Russia loaded up with drugs," Trump told Travis and Sexton.

Trump's referring to convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout -- known as the "Merchant of Death" -- who the U.S. has reportedly talked about swapping for Griner.

Not everyone's against the trade.

Last week, we spoke to U.S. Congressman Colin Allred -- who, like Griner, was an athlete at Baylor U. -- and he told us it's up to the Russians to accept the deal.

"The ball is entirely in the Russian's court. I think we've made a very good offer to them based off what we know what they want," Allred said.

The Congressman did not get into specifics of the deal ... nor did he mention Bout's name.

Griner has been detained near Moscow since late February ... when Russian officials found hashish oil in her bag. She pled guilty, and is awaiting her sentence. Brittney faces up to 10 years in prison ... unless there's a prisoner swap.

Bill Russell -- one of the greatest and most accomplished NBA players of all time -- has died.

The announcement came courtesy of Bill's own official social media page, which posted Sunday with a sad update. The text says BR passed away peacefully with his wife, Jeannine, by his side. The exact circumstances of his death weren't discussed further.

Bill's post goes on to list his many accomplishments, dating back to his high school days. He'd won two state championships on that level, two NCAA titles, a gold medal in the Olympics ... and, of course, 11 NBA championship titles with the Boston Celtics -- plus two titles with that same organization with him as head coach and a player simultaneously, a historic feat at the time ... on several levels, obviously.

His obit here touches on the fact that he was a civil rights activist during his playing time, with boycotts of certain events and public remarks that spoke out against racism and discrimination that was prevalent throughout the U.S. at the time.

Bill is by far one of the GOATs in league history -- evidenced in the fact that the current NBA Finals MVP award is named after him ... something that was instated in 2009.

He's been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice ... once as a player in 1975, and again as a coach just last year. His career is memorable, especially since he broke into the NBA when it was just being expanded as an organization and getting integrated with Black and white players alike, during a time of segregation in the country.

His accolades go well beyond what was mentioned above -- Bill has an enormous amount of NBA honors, including several All-Star appearances, NBA First-Team mentions, lifetime achievement awards and on and on. He retired from the sport in 1988, playing for 3 decades.

As you can imagine ... the tributes are absolutely pouring in right now. Bill Russell was beloved by just about everyone in and around the league ... players, coaches, owners and media members alike. He would come to games quite often, and was very visible in the basketball community.

Arrangements for his memorial and funeral are being made now by the family. Bill is survived by his wife, three children and other extended family. He was 88.

Some positive news on the Brittney Griner front from Colin Allred ... the U.S. congressman says officials have made "a very good offer" to Russia for the WNBA star -- and he's now as confident as ever that she'll be able to return home.

The representative couldn't get into specifics of the trade that America has sent to the Russians ... but he did tell TMZ Sports he believes the proposed swap is exactly what the foreign country is looking for in a deal for Griner.

"The ball is entirely in the Russians' court," Allred said Friday out on Capitol Hill ... before adding, "I think prospects, in my opinion, look better now than they have really at any point since she was taken."

But, Allred said he's under the impression Russia would like to impose a sentence on the 31-year-old Phoenix Mercury center before it moves forward with accepting any trade offers.

The ex-Baylor football player, though, said he's optimistic it will eventually go down at some point hopefully soon.

"I think it's a matter of time," Allred tells us, "but I think it's going to get done."

Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February after authorities said she had hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport. She's since pled guilty to the charges, and is facing a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself ..."

That's the vibe LaMelo Ball is on right now -- 'cause the Charlotte Hornets star is finally rocking his #1 jersey after two years!!!

The hooper showed off his new threads on Friday via IG video ... putting the #1 teal and white pinstripe jersey on in the locker room with Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement (Interlude)" playing.

You can see the 20-year-old is all smiles (with his diamond grill) -- captioning the clip, "really da “1” fr 😋🛸💕 #NOW"

Of course, the #1 jersey has been Melo's number since he started playing ball at Chino Hills H.S. -- he even has it tatted on his chest -- but when he was drafted by the Hornets in 2020, that number was already taken by Malik Monk.

So, Melo ended up with the deuce -- and he hated it!!

"I ain’t supposed to wear No. 2 ever again in my life," Melo said in April. "I promise you, if I see a No. 2 I don’t know what I’m going to do."

Melo even tried to switch digits after Monk signed with the Lakers last season ... but was told he was too late to file the proper paperwork to make it happen.

Despite Melo's hatred towards #2, he did go off while rockin' it during his first two seasons. He averaged 18.3 points, 7 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game.

He also became the NBA Rookie of The Year and an NBA All-Star.

Kevin Love's honeymoon in Africa just took a WILD turn -- the NBA star watched lions hunt down a wildebeest ... and then saw them completely devour it from limb to limb!

Love, who's with his model wife, Kate Bock, in Tanzania celebrating their recent nuptials, shared video of the scene on Friday morning ... and, warning, it's pretty graphic.

In the footage, you can see a group of lions snacking on their prey -- all while Love recorded just feet away in a vehicle.

"We were told it’s very rare (and lucky) to see a kill play out in front of your eyes from start to finish," Love said, before adding, "It’s an ugly and yet beautiful game out there."

Love and Bock have been in Africa for a few days now, and the two seem to be thrilled with their experience so far.

The couple has been spotted watching elephants, giraffes and other exotic animals, all while enjoying some food and drink.

"This place is everything we dreamed of & more," Bock said. "The views, the animals, the light, the warm people, the adventure, the wildness…. Tanzania, you’re something special."

Charles Barkley just gave LIV Golf the cold shoulder -- the NBA Hall of Famer says he will not be joining the controversial Saudi-backed organization as a commentator after all ... claiming he was never made an official offer.

Chuck previously showed interest in joining LIV over the past week ... saying he'd fulfill their broadcasting duties if they gave him a massive, $60 million contract.

But, Barkley made it clear he wasn't going to keep Turner and his "Inside The NBA" colleagues in limbo ... giving LIV until he stepped off the course at Thursday's pro-am to make him an offer, or he'd walk away for good.

As it turns out, Chuck is a man of his word ... 'cause he's officially ending all talks with the tour.

"I want to thank Greg Norman and LIV for their interest in me," Barkley said to the New York Post on Friday.

"I wish those guys great success and nothing but the best," he added. "But, in my best interest, and being fair to Turner -- because Turner and basketball have given me every single thing in my life -- it is best for me to move on and I'm staying with Turner for the rest of my TV career."

Barkley signing with LIV could have meant bad news for his endorsements -- he said Thursday he heard from several companies regarding his interest in signing with the tour.

Some retired players go into coaching, others broadcasting ... but when Dwight Howard finally hangs up the J's, the NBA star has a future as a WWE Superstar, if he wants it, 'cause the 7 footer just showed up to a WWE tryout and cut an incredible promo.

TMZ Sports has video of the 36-year-old 8x NBA All-Star crashing tryouts in Nashville (WWE's in TN for SummerSlam) ... where he went all out on stage in front of Triple H and other company execs.

Howard channeled Sho'nuff (whom he was previously for Halloween) -- the bad guy from the 1985 movie "The Last Dragon" -- and he killed it!

Dwight, a big-time pro wrestling fan, is buddies with WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil, so Howard decided to hop on a flight to Tennessee ... to catch some big-time wrestling matches.

While a bunch of college athletes are in town trying out, we're told Dwight was just having some fun (he isn't ready for basketball retirement just yet). But, that doesn't mean you won't see him in the ring sometime in the future.

"I think it is something in my future. I love the WWE. I love wrestling," Howard told Arash Markazi.

"I'm grateful and thankful for this opportunity to be here and just witness this whole thing, tryouts, and everything. Hopefully one day in the future, I'll actually be in the ring, wrestling and holding up a belt."

And, it sounds like the feeling's mutual ... a source from WWE told us "the promo was a good start!"

Zion Williamson's new contract is coming with some hefty demands -- the NBA star will reportedly have to maintain a certain weight and body fat percentage, or will risk losing some of his guaranteed money.

Williamson inked a 5-year extension worth up to $231 million to stay with the New Orleans Pelicans this off-season ... but there's a big catch.

Christian Clark of NOLA.com says some of that money could be yanked from his pockets if certain health stipulations aren't met.

The report states the 22-year-old will submit to weigh-ins throughout his contract to ensure the sum of his weight and body fat percentage stays below 295 ... and if he doesn't, he'll literally pay for it.

Williamson's weight has become an issue since going #1 overall to the Pels in 2019 ... and the former Duke star has only been able to play in 85 career games due to injury.

Williamson is currently training like a madman to get back to 100% in 2022-23 ... which also includes switching up his diet, according to reports.

Former Duke guard Michael Savarino -- the grandson of Mike Krzyzewski -- has pled guilty to DWI ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to an Orange County, N.C. court official, Savarino made the plea on Tuesday. The charge he pled guilty to was the least severe form of driving while impaired (level 5), the court official said.

As part of his sentencing, Savarino was ordered to complete a victim impact panel, complete 24 hours of community service, and complete a treatment program. Per the court official, Savarino has already finished the victim impact panel and the community service. He has until Jan. 2023 to finish the treatment program.

Savarino was initially arrested back in November 2021 -- after cops say he blew through a stop sign with his star teammate, Paolo Banchero, in the car.

Authorities said that during the ensuing traffic stop, Savarino -- whose mom is Coach K's oldest daughter -- showed signs of impairment ... and was arrested. Cops say tests later revealed he had a .08 BAC.

Savarino, who was 20 years old at the time of the arrest, was ultimately hit with a DWI charge for the incident.

Meanwhile, Banchero -- who now plays for the Orlando Magic -- was charged with aiding and abetting DWI for his alleged role in the incident. A court official confirmed the former Blue Devils superstar is due in court for a hearing in the case later Wednesday morning.