Basketball

Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon is in trouble with the law again -- the former Sixth Man of the Year was arrested at an airport on Monday after allegedly hitting his 10-year-old son.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... 39-year-old Gordon was placed in handcuffs around 9 PM while waiting for a flight from LaGuardia in New York to Chicago. Two officers were injured during the arrest, according to the New York Post, although further details surrounding the incident have not been released.

The 2004 third-overall pick in the NBA Draft was transported to the Port Authority police department for processing ... and an aunt took the son to a local hospital to get checked out.

Gordon won an NCAA Championship with Jim Calhoun at UCONN in 2004 ... and went on to average 15 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his 11-year career.

He has had several legal issues off the court -- he was arrested in June 2017 for allegedly freaking out in an apartment building and pulling the fire alarms.

Five months later, he was arrested for allegedly roughing up a man in an apartment.

Gordon spoke out about his battles with depression in 2020 ... saying, "I was obsessed with killing myself," but sought help to better his mental health.

Draymond Green's mom is justifying her son's actions at Warriors practice last week ... saying he only hit Jordan Poole because he was shoved in the first place.

Mary Babers-Green went to social media to give her two cents on the wild incident ... and essentially put the blame on how Poole handled their interaction, claiming Draymond was not trying to pick a fight.

"That wasn't a Sucker punch," Babers-Green said on Monday. "Dray didn't aggressively go to Poole. His hands were down. Man to Man you go over to talk (to ask what's up, what you say)!"

"Got shoved and reacted," she added. "End of story!"

Mary also believes the incident has been blown out of proportion ... and says the two "can get beyond this."

"Anything is fixable! Everything ain't always what you think you see!"

As we previously reported, Green is taking a few days away from the team after TMZ Sports posted video of the practice punch ... and he has since apologized to the team, Poole and Poole's family.

The punch has been a major topic in the sports world ever since it was released -- but folks appear to be divided on whether or not it was a big deal.

Kenny "The Jet" Smith recently told us violent altercations happen all the time on NBA teams ... calling it nothing but a "scuffle."

Kenny Smith says Draymond Green violently socking Jordan Poole in a practice last week is a huge nothing burger ... telling TMZ Sports similar incidents will happen "at least twice a year on each team."

We spoke with "The Jet" out at LAX last week shortly after we posted the shocking footage of Green blasting Poole in the middle of a Warriors workout ... and the NBA analyst told us that while it was "uncomfortable" to watch, it's not nearly as serious as some think it is.

"That behavior is uncommon in normal society, without question," Smith said. "However, that behavior happens a lot in sports because of the physicality, the adrenaline, and all those things."

"I thought it was going to be worse when I saw the video. I was like, 'Oh, they just got into a scuffle.'"

The video certainly seems to show far more than that -- in the footage, Green appears to lunge at Poole with full force following a verbal spat ... striking him in the jaw and knocking him to the floor.

Smith, though, insisted fights like these happen all the time in the Association -- including back in his playing days.

"I won two championships with like five guys who fought," said Smith, who won back-to-back titles with the Rockets in 1994 and 1995.

Draymond, meanwhile, addressed his actions on Saturday following the release of the video ... taking accountability for his role in the fight and saying he was stepping away from the team for a few days.

Smith told us he doesn't think the Dubs will ultimately suspend Green for the punch when he gets back, but he did say a fine for the 4-time NBA champ is likely on the horizon.

Bronny James is following in his father's footsteps and joining the Nike family -- the high school hoops star just inked an NIL deal with the shoe giant.

Nike made the announcement just minutes ago ... saying the 18-year-old Sierra Canyon baller is one of five high school prospects who recently signed Name, Image and Likeness endorsements with the Swoosh.

It was a no-brainer to get Bronny on board -- especially considering Nike and LeBron James have been attached at the hip since he was drafted in 2003 ... and collaborated on 20 signature shoes together.

The other student-athletes getting NIL deals include Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones, Juju Watkins, and DJ Wagner, son of ex-NBAer Dajuan Wagner.

Wagner is considered one of the best hoopers in the class of 2023 -- and is listed #1 on ESPN's Top 100 players.

There's a good chance Bronny takes his talents to Columbus to play at Ohio State next season ... which just so happens to be a Nike school.

LeBron James went full Sicko Mode for Bronny's big 18th birthday party ... losing his mind and dancing during Travis Scott's surprise performance -- and it was LIT!!

The James Gang pulled out all the stops for the Sierra Canyon hooper's celebration ... renting out Harriet's Rooftop bar in West Hollywood for all his friends.

The highlight of the night came when La Flame grabbed the mic and performed for the crowd  ... doing his biggest hits like "Butterfly Effect," "goosebumps" and "Sicko Mode."

King James and Bronny were clearly feeling the show ... rapping along and jumping up and down.

It's another step forward for Scott ... who has slowly made his return to performing after the Astroworld Festival tragedy in November 2021.

While most ragers tend to include alcohol, word is all drinks were kid-friendly (maybe in 3 years, Bronny) ... and there was plenty of pizza and ice cream to go around, according to Daily Mail.

Rapper SoFaygo also took the mic at the party ... with Bronny standing on stage with him throughout his set.

LeBron gave a special tribute to Bronny on Thursday ... saying, "I'm so proud of the young man you've become kid!" he said.

"Continue to be YOU throughout your journey because it's simply better that way! And I'll be right beside you whenever/however needed! Love you Young 🤴🏾"

Metta Sandiford-Artest just became a big Blake Griffin fan ... and it's all a result of the new Celtics forward's decision to rock #91 in honor of the great Hall of Famer, Dennis Rodman!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Metta out in Beverly Hills this week ... and he was pleasantly surprised to learn Griffin was paying respect to Rodman's legacy with his jersey number this season.

"That's incredible," the 2003-04 Defensive Player of the Year said about Griffin's number change. "That's great to hear. I'm a big Rodman fan, and now I'll buy the jersey."

Griffin -- who signed with the Boston Celtics as a free agent last week -- confirmed to reporters after his first practice with his new teammates that the reason he is going to wear the #91 is to pay homage to Rodman, the 5-time NBA champ.

Artest -- who played 17 seasons in the NBA with the Pacers, Knicks, Kings, Rockets, Lakers, and Bulls -- earned a reputation for his physical style of defense ... and was one of four players to wear the #91 in NBA history.

The other three are Mindaugas Kuzminskas (New York Knicks), Deividas Sirvydis (Detroit Pistons) ... and, of course, Rodman.

There's more -- Metta retired from the NBA in 2017, but it may not be long before we see another Artest in the association -- because MSA tells us both of his sons are still pursuing their hoop dreams.

Jordan Poole is set for a big contract extension with the Golden State Warriors -- something he's supposedly made known around the team's facilities -- and it's the reason things boiled over with Draymond Green ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources who were at the practice where Green punched Poole tell us ... in the days leading up to the incident, Poole was carrying himself differently -- in a cocky manner. The alleged behavior was creating friction between him and some of his teammates, including Draymond, who has reportedly also asked for a big extension.

Fast forward to Wednesday's practice. Our sources on site say Poole called several fouls during a scrimmage, and Draymond called him a "bitch" multiple times as a result.

Things escalated when Poole allegedly said, "You know what it is, Draymond." -- seemingly bragging over the contract situation -- and Draymond got in Poole's face, allegedly saying, "No I don't know, what is it?"

Then, as played out in video obtained by TMZ Sports, you see Poole push Draymond back, and Draymond delivers the blow to his teammate's jaw.

Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and head coach Steve Kerr came to Poole's defense earlier this week ... denying his attitude had anything to do with the altercation.

In fact, Steph went as far as to say it was "absolute BS" ... but our sources are adamant the team is trying to save face.

Sonny Vaccaro -- the man who famously helped Nike sign Michael Jordan back in the day -- says if he were still in the shoe brand industry ... he could see Victor Wembanyama getting an unprecedented sneaker deal that could include "a blank check."

Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 center from France, blew the doors off the American basketball world this week ... putting on a clinic in two nationally televised, showcase games in Nevada -- and Vaccaro was left nearly speechless by it all.

Sonny, who's seen all of the top prospects in basketball for decades, tells TMZ Sports he's never seen anything quite like what Victor showed on Tuesday and Thursday.

"He's so young, he's so articulate. He's handsome," Vaccaro said. "All of the things. I am knocked off my feet."

LeBron James was impressed too. The Lakers superstar called Victor -- the surefire No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft -- "an alien."

And, Sonny says all of it would lead him to hand over a king's ransom in order to sign the player to a sneaker deal ... if he were still a part of that world.

"He's worth a blank check," Vaccaro said.

Vaccaro's starting offer for Wembanyama would include money in the $15 million per year range ... and it would also come with a percentage of Wembanyama's shoe sales for the budding superstar -- something he says no prospect EVER gets.

"There's going to be pro teams that lose 82 games next year to draft him," Vaccaro tells us. "That's the same value I'm trying to say. He's this valuable. He's this good."

Sonny added if he were Wembanyama, he'd request a clothing line in addition to a sneaker pact -- and if he were representing the shoe giant on the other end of the negotiations, he'd happily give it.

Shocking video shows Draymond Green violently attacking Jordan Poole, viciously punching him to the ground right in the middle of a team practice ... video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Green and Poole clearly have beef ... you see them trash-talking each other, and then it turns physical. Green walks up to Poole and gets in his face. Poole pushes Green away with 2 hands to the chest. Green, who is 6'6" and 230 lbs, responds with a vicious right cross to the face ... so ferocious, it knocks Poole to the ground and it may have knocked him out cold.

Green then stands over Poole as teammates and coaches rush in to pull him away. It seems Poole was OK, because he continued practice, putting up shots on the court.

Warriors GM Bob Myers seemed to minimize the incident later, saying, "These things happen. Nobody likes it. We don't condone it, but it happens." He goes on to say, "Draymond apologized to the team. Jordan was there in the room ... as far as any suspension, punishment, fine, we will handle that internally."

As for the reason behind the fight, Stephen Curry denied a report claiming a change in Poole's attitude amid contract negotiations led to it ... calling it "absolute BS."

Draymond Green proved he can throw a mean punch ... and Jake Paul's already drooling over the Warriors star's potential -- saying he'd pay $10 MILLION to get the 4-time champ in the boxing ring ASAP.

TMZ Sports obtained video of 32-year-old Green knocking teammate Jordan Poole to the ground after a heated back-and-forth during practice on Wednesday.

Paul clearly saw the footage ... and on Friday, he said he'd pay top dollar to see 6'6", 230 lb. Green to pick up a new sport.

"Gotta get Draymond Green in the boxing ring," the Problem Child tweeted ... adding he already has an idea for who his opponent could be.

"Draymond Green vs Deron Williams. Who wins?"

Of course, Deron is a former NBAer-turned-boxer ... and he fought NFL star Frank Gore on one of Jake's undercards in the past -- so the opponent would make sense if Green was actually interested.

As for the payday, Jake is ready to write a FAT check -- "Draymond I got $10 million for you to get in the ring on the next Most Valuable Promotions pay per view. Who you want?"

Draymond Green -- already in midseason form -- reportedly hit teammate Jordan Poole at practice Wednesday after a heated shoving match, and now the Warriors star is facing potential discipline.

Green and Poole reportedly exchanged words before things turned physical, according to a Shams Charania report.

The NBA insider says tensions were high, and the men were pushing before Draymond allegedly decked Jordan. The men had to be immediately separated.

As a result of the scuffle, the Warriors are reportedly considering disciplining Green for his role in the fight.

Green and Poole -- now in his fourth season with the team -- are known to have regular arguments, according to Shams, but Dubs brass believes today's incident went too far.

Dray and Jordan won an NBA title together in June ... when they defeated the Celtics in the Finals.

The Warriors have not yet commented on the incident.

It's a special day for LeBron James -- not only is it his firstborn son's birthday -- Bronny Jr. turned 18 years old!!

The Lakers superstar went to Instagram to post a bday tribute on Thursday, using a throwback photo of him and Bronny during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers ... along with a photo of father and son during their recent visit to Ohio State.

"How is this kid 18 years old today y'all!!??!!" James said in the caption, "I can't deal with it. 🥺🥺."

"I'm so proud of the young man you've become kid! Continue to be YOU throughout your journey because it's simply better that way!"

LBJ added, "And I'll be right beside you whenever/however needed! Love you Young 🤴🏾 @bronny!!!" James wrote, adding, "Happy Bday."

Bronny is a top high school basketball player (ranked 34th in ESPN's Top 100 in the 2023 class), and LeBron has publicly talked about his desire to play with his son on an NBA team.

Bronny's mom and James' wife, Savannah, also posted a throwback ... an old pregnancy photo for Bronny, saying, "The little nugget that was in here is 18 today."

FYI, Savannah was pregnant with Bronny during her senior year of high school, while James was playing his rookie season in the NBA. The couple got married in 2013 and had 2 more kids, Bryce and Zhuri.

Brittney Griner's wife says the WNBA star has hit the lowest moment of her life while locked up in Russia ... saying the basketball player has told her, "I feel like my life just doesn't matter."

Cherelle Griner nearly came to tears while discussing the state of her wife with Gayle King this week ... explaining she's never seen Brittney reach such a dark place before.

"BG's at her absolute weakest moment in life right now," Cherelle said. "She's very afraid about being left and forgotten in Russia. Or just completely used to the point of her detriment."

Brittney was arrested in February after she was accused of bringing hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport. She later fessed up to the crime, and was sentenced to nine years in prison over it all in August. She is appealing the ruling, though she's expected to lose that at a hearing later this month.

And, Cherelle said the last time they were able to speak on the phone, she sensed something was very wrong with her wife.

"It was the most disturbing phone call I had ever experienced," Cherelle said. "And I've known BG 11 years. So I'm like, that was the most disturbing conversation."

Cherelle said Brittney has told her things like, "My life just don't even matter no more," and, "Am I just nothing?"

Cherelle added that she's very worried Brittney could ultimately be moved to a labor camp following her appeal hearing on Oct. 25.

"My brain can't even fathom it," she said.

LeBron James sent a message loud and clear to Adam Silver on Wednesday night ... sayin' if the NBA expands to Las Vegas, he's calling dibs on owning the new team.

"I want the team here, Adam," the Lakers superstar said. "Thank you."

James, a newly crowned billionaire, has made the public plea to get the Sin City squad before -- back in June, he said on an episode of "The Shop" his goal was to be the LV honcho one day.

But, following L.A.'s 119-115 preseason loss to the Suns in Vegas, James made it crystal clear to media members in attendance that he was dead serious about it all.

"I would love to bring a team here at some point," James said on the postgame podium. "That would be amazing."

Unclear if the Association has imminent plans to expand -- but if a move to 32 teams is on the horizon, rumors have swirled that Seattle and Las Vegas would be the targets.

James is clearly in love with the Nevada idea ... going as far as to say Vegas has "the best fan base in the world."

Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle, is speaking out for the first time since the WNBA star was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia ... saying it feels like her partner is being held as "a hostage" in the foreign country.

Cherelle sat down for an interview with Gayle King this week -- and explained she's absolutely "terrified" of what's going on with Griner, her trial, and the negotiations to get her out.

"It's like a movie for me," she said. "In no world did I ever thought our president and a foreign nation president would be sitting down having to discuss the freedom of my wife."

Griner -- who's been married to Cherelle since 2019 -- was arrested in February in Russia after she was found to have hashish oil in her luggage while at an airport.

During her trial, Griner admitted to having the substances in her bag, but she told a judge that she packed it by mistake and had no intentions of breaking Russian laws. She was eventually found guilty -- and sentenced to nine years behind bars.

She is appealing the ruling, and the date for a hearing on that matter has been set for Oct. 25.

Cherelle says it's all been a horrifying experience for her.

"As much as everybody's telling me a different definition of what BG is, it feels to me as if she's a hostage," Cherelle said. "It terrifies me."

Cherelle told King she has legitimate worries that she may never see her wife again.

"When you watch movies," she said, "sometimes those situations don't end well. Sometimes they never get the person back."

Former Laker Devean George isn't ready to bail on the Russell Westbrook experiment in L.A. -- telling TMZ Sports they should stick with the point guard amid rumors he could get shipped out of town.

We spoke with George -- who won three titles with Shaq and Kobe Bryant from 2000-02 -- at LAX this week ... and he said the Lakers shouldn't entertain the idea of trading away Russ, whose name has been at the heart of trade rumors all offseason.

"I think it can work," George said. "I'm a fan of Russell. Maybe I'm caught up in what he's done in the past."

George admitted that Westbrook does need to adjust his style of play ... but ultimately, he says the ex-MVP, along with his teammates, need to play their respective roles on the team.

"Too much talent," George said. "I think that's the main thing. Everybody just do their role and cut back and not say what I used to do. I'm just a fan of Russ, so I'm a little biased."

Westbrook's name was rumored to be on the move during the Kyrie Irving sweepstakes, and most recently, the triple-double king reportedly was the centerpiece of a deal involving Pacers stars Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.

The Lakers missed the playoffs last season -- finishing with a 33-49 record, 11th worst in the Western Conference, but George is predicting a return to the playoffs with the trio of Russ, LeBron James, and (a healthy) Anthony Davis leading the way.

"I think they can get into being a dangerous team come playoff time," the three-time NBA champ said. "Once playoff time comes, I think they'll be able to make some noise."