Basketball

Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete ... a spokesperson for the company announced Monday.

Irving, whose future with the retail giant was in question after they suspended him for tweeting about a controversial, antisemitic film ... has cut ties with the NBA star, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.

As we previously reported, Nike put its relationship with Ky on ice on November 4 ... suspending Irving. Despite satisfying the team and league with his apology, as well as other steps, the Swoosh indicated their relationship with Irving was probably done after the suspension.

In an interview with CNBC, Phil Knight, cofounder and chairman of the manufacturing conglomerate, said Irving's relationship with the company was "likely over."

"Kyrie stepped over the line. It's kind of that simple," Knight said. "He made some statements that we just can't abide by, and that's why we ended the relationship. I was fine with that."

Kyrie joined the Nike family in 2011 ... releasing his signature Kyrie 1 basketball shoe in 2014 as a member of the Cavs in his third NBA season.

Ex-Lakers champ Devean George wants to clear the dookie-smelling air ... telling TMZ Sports Shaquille O'Neal NEVER took a dump in his shoe -- despite a rumor saying otherwise.

Tyronn Lue initially started the gossip back in June on Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles' "Knuckleheads" podcast ... saying that the incident happened in the early 2000s, when he, George and O'Neal were all L.A. teammates.

According to Lue, Shaq was so pissed that George didn't bring donuts to a meeting ... he grabbed one of the small forward's sneakers, took a crap in it, and then put it back like nothing ever happened.

George then allegedly stuffed his foot in the shoe -- getting O'Neal's bowel movements all over his foot.

But, when we got the Devean out at LAX last week -- he called BS on all of the allegations ... saying nothing of the sort ever happened.

"Hell no, that's a lie, that's cap," George said, "and I know T-Lue started that."

"That never happened," he continued. "I think he did that to someone in Orlando. I don't remember the dude's name, but he did that in Orlando. But he never took a s*** in my shoes."

George said if it did go down, he and Shaq would have fought.

Instead, George said the two were very good friends -- and ended up winning three NBA titles together.

"He was a great teammate," Devean said. "He's a good guy. I love him."

NBA super fan Jimmy Goldstein is throwing in the designer brand towel on the Lakers' shot at a championship this season ... telling TMZ Sports everyone should be focusing on the other L.A. team -- the Clippers!!

LeBron James and Co. are sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference after a disastrous start to the 2022-23 campaign ... and JG -- one of the most recognizable hoops fans in NBA history -- says there's nothing they can do to contend for a ring this season.

Goldstein believes the Lakers should stop clutching onto their future draft picks and try to improve the team now ... bringing up the rumored trade with the Indiana Pacers as a prime example of a deal that can help them out.

The Lakers were reportedly in talks to acquire Buddy Hield and Myles Turner in exchange for Russell Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks ... with the latter keeping L.A. from pulling the trigger on the deal.

While Goldstein says it would make the Lake Show better, he says there's nothing they can do now to become instant contenders.

But, when it comes to the buzz around L.A., Goldstein tells us it's all about the Clippers now -- 'cause they have a legit shot at raising a banner.

"You should be talking about the Clippers," Goldstein says. "They're a much better team. They have a chance. They have great players. They have depth."

Kanye West is doing everything he can to deflect attention away from his praising of Hitler, even throwing out false allegations about his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and an affair with NBA superstar Chris Paul ... according to sources with direct knowledge.

Before he was kicked off Twitter Thursday night for posting a swastika, the disgraced rapper made a wild allegation claiming he "caught" Kim Kardashian cheating with NBA star Chris Paul.

A source close to the situation tells us the allegation is absolutely false, and just another example of a desperate man trying to shift the focus away from his own wrongdoings.

The source says, "This is not true and sadly it’s an ongoing pattern with Kanye — attacking Kim to redirect everyone’s attention after a day of crazy antics where he has said every hateful and offensive thing he can possibly dream of."

They continue, "He has a history of falsely accusing her of also having affairs with Meek Mill, Drake and countless others. Kanye has for years deflected his own awful behavior, infidelities and obsession with porn and sex addiction to abuse and slut shame Kim. She wants to be left alone so she can focus on the well-being of their children.”

It was Thursday when Kanye was on Alex Jones' "Infowars" spewing hate, claiming he liked Hitler, questioning the Holocaust and giving the Nazis props. Jones, a controversial figure himself, made several attempts to reel Kanye in, but the rapper only doubled down.

Of course, it was earlier this week when Kim and Kanye finally settled their nearly two-year divorce ... he's agreed to pay her $200k a month in child support, and they'll have "equal access" to their kids.

Jemele Hill is urging the media to not let Jerry Jones off the hook amid his racial controversy ... saying LeBron James was completely right to call out reporters for not giving the Dallas Cowboys owner similar coverage as Kyrie Irving.

Hill joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" to discuss the Lakers superstar's postgame message on Thursday ... and she believes Black figures and athletes are constantly criticized to a much harsher degree in the media.

"This is not to say that there should be no room for accountability, of course," Hill says. "But it seems that it just is nonstop, and over and over and over again and it's constant."

Hill says Jones' "curious kid" explanation for attending a desegregation protest as a 14-year-old in 1957 is insufficient ... and claims his influence as an NFL owner is another reason why he wasn't pressed to explain his stance further, when Kyrie was asked repeatedly about whether he was antisemitic.

"I think the difference in [Jerry] and Kyrie in the treatment is not only a failure by the media, it's also a difference in power," Hill said.

"Kyrie, he's a 'worker' in the NBA. Jerry Jones is an owner, and as an owner he gets to dictate the rules of engagement, so to speak. He also doesn't have to answer to the media as often as Kyrie Irving does."

The Atlantic reporter points out there is a legitimate reason for journalists to ask LeBron about Jones' attendance at the '57 event ... especially considering his history as a diehard Cowboys fan and his previous comments denouncing the team's handling of the national anthem demonstrations.

Jemele suggests the situation would be handled completely differently if something like the Jones photo controversy happened in the NBA ... simply because the players run the league instead of the owners, and they wouldn't let it fly.

Ab-Soul’s having an eventful stay in NYC -- having a run-in with Jay-Z, and a cool courtside experience with Kevin Durant and co.

The TDE rapper inadvertently became part of the action Wednesday night as he watched the Brooklyn Nets play the Washington Wizards -- and he was NOT caught slipping in 4K when a loose ball bounced his way.

Soulo skillfully managed to catch the rock from his courtside seat and, most importantly, did not spill a drop of his drink!!!

Later that evening, still cool as a fan with a drink in hand ... he was surprised when Jay-Z greeted him as he walked into a lounge. Jay even proclaimed him the "young god" of rap!!!

The two later flicked it up in a booth, sparking collab rumors for Soulo’s upcoming album “Herbert,” which drops on December 16, but he still hasn’t unveiled his feature list yet.

TMZ Hip Hop reached out to TDE President Punch to see what, if anything, is in the works. We'll let ya know if we hear back.

Nia Long is finally breaking her silence on the cheating scandal involving her fiancé, suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka -- saying she was devastated when the news broke two months ago ... and still is.

As we previously reported, Udoka -- hired as the Celtics HC last year -- was shelved for the entire 2022-23 season in September ... after having an inappropriate relationship with a female staff, violating team policy.

Long -- who got engaged to Udoka in 2015 and has an 11-year-old son with the coach -- hasn't spoken publicly about the scandal until recently doing an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

"I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face," the actress said, "when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public."

"It was devastating, and it still is."

The "Friday" actress -- who did not discuss her relationship status with Udoka -- also called out the Celtics for not reaching out when they revealed the personal details of the scandal.

"If you're in the business of protecting women — I’m sorry, no one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m OK, to see if my children are OK. It’s very disappointing.”

In spite of that, Long said she had "a tribe of women and men" instead ... protecting and comforting her through this difficult time.

Plus, Long is looking forward to directing her first film ... and it's a love story.

"I have to commit myself to that because I think sometimes when so much is happening, it takes your breath away and then it’s like you’re holding your breath, and you feel this angst and this panic of constantly being in fight-or-flight survival mode," Long said.

Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse was ejected after completely going off on referees during their game on Wednesday ... so bad that he had to be escorted off the court by security!!

The former NBA star -- who started coaching Vandy in 2019 -- went berserk after his center Liam Robbins received a tech for tapping his head while celebrating a dunk in the 2nd half of their away game at VCU.

You can see Stackhouse furiously calling out the refs over the call ... receiving a tech for the blowup, which of course pissed him off even more.

That's when Stackhouse got in referee Bart Lennox's face right in the middle of the court ... and it got so intense that Vandy's coaching staff had to restrain him.

That was enough to get Stackhouse ejected ... and escorted to the locker room by security.

The 48-year-old spoke about the incident during his postgame press conference ... saying the officials need to do better overall.

"I thought tonight's game was poorly officiated," Stackhouse said.

"Kids gon make gestures during the course of the game when they have big plays. I felt like that was one that shouldn't have been called on my guy at that juncture in the game."

To make matters worse, the Commodores lost 70-65 to the Rams ... but Stackhouse isn't placing the blame at his player's feet.

"I don't think that tonight's loss was self-inflicted. I felt like this was a poorly officiated game, and they need to be better."

The Lakers might need to switch up their promotional giveaways at this point ... 'cause yet another fan sank a half-court shot at Wednesday's game -- resulting in a $25,000 payday!!

The unbelievable moment went down during a break in the action at Crypto.com Arena ... when the man selected for the MGM Rewards Big Shot Jackpot pulled up from deep -- and drained the shot!!

The dude fell to his knees to soak in the moment ... before getting back up and hyping the crowd.

It's a helluva shot, but it's even more insane considering what went down at Tuesday's game.

Remember, a fan went ballistic just two days ago after succeeding in the same challenge ... which came with a fat $75k check. The bucket had the Lakers players going wild ... with Anthony Davis giving the guy a big hug.

The probability of this happening AGAIN is so slim ... especially when most participants can't even make it to the end of the court, let alone come close to nailing the shot.

The scoring continued for LeBron James and Co. ... with the Purple & Gold running away with the 128-109 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

LeBron James went after media members following the Lakers' win on Wednesday night ... blasting them for not asking about the racial controversy engulfing Jerry Jones -- while wondering why they were so "quick to ask us questions" about the Kyrie Irving drama earlier this year.

The NBA star unleashed the scolding unprompted after reporters had just finished peppering him with questions about L.A.'s 128-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

"I got one question for you guys before you guys leave," the 37-year-old said. "I was thinking when I was on my way over here, I was wondering why I haven't gotten a question from you guys about the Jerry Jones photo."

Of course, 'Bron is referring to the 1957 picture that resurfaced last week ... showing the Dallas Cowboys owner as a teenager standing with a group of white classmates who were trying to prevent six Black students from entering an Arkansas school.

"When the Kyrie [Irving] thing was going on, you guys were quick to ask us questions about that," James said ... before continuing, "When I watch Kyrie talk and he says, 'I know who I am, but I want to keep the same energy when we're talking about my people and the things that we've been through,' and that Jerry Jones photo is one of those moments that our people, Black people, have been through in America."

"And I feel like as a Black man, as a Black athlete, as someone with power and a platform, when we do something wrong, or something that people don't agree with, it's on every single tabloid, every single news coverage, it's on the bottom ticker. It's asked about every single day."

As you know, Kyrie came under fire earlier this month after he tweeted out a link to an antisemitic film. He refused to apologize for it for days ... and, as a result, the Brooklyn Nets guard was suspended for eight games. LeBron addressed the issue multiple times, saying his former Cavaliers teammate "caused some harm to a lot of people" ... but claimed the punishment was excessive.

Jones, meanwhile, has been under siege the last few days ... after The Washington Post published the controversial photo of him last week. The 80-year-old, though, has avoided any punishment from the NFL ... while denying any participation in barring the black students from the school. He said he was simply a curious observer.

He added during a Monday radio interview, "I think the key thing is, for me, is that it's a misread if you think that I don't recognize how monumental those days were."

Prince William and Kate Middleton spent their first night in the U.S. at a Celtics game, as one Royal controversy has exploded and another is on the way.

The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge were front and center at the Celtics game Wednesday night against the Miami Heat -- they're in town for Friday's Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony ... created by William to find solutions for global warming.

When they popped up on the jumbotron, there was a smattering ... maybe more than a smattering of boos. Now we all know that's the way Boston fans roll, but their appearance came just hours after William's Godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, stepped down from her Royal duties after asking some racist questions at an event.

And, then there's Harry and Meghan ... hours after the game Netflix dropped a trailer for their upcoming documentary, and it's clear as day they're going after the fam. Harry says, "No one sees what goes on behind closed doors. I had to do everything I could to protect my family."

The two brothers will NOT see each other during William's 3-day stay in the States. So much for a reconciliation after the Queen's death.

The controversial, antisemitic film Kyrie Irving shared on Twitter -- "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!" -- is not being removed from Amazon ... says company CEO Andy Jassy.

"As a retailer of content to hundreds of millions of customers with a lot of different viewpoints, we have to allow access to those viewpoints, even if they are objectionable — objectionable and they differ from our particular viewpoints, Jassy said, who is Jewish, at The New York Times' DealBook Summit in New York City.

Jassy's comments come in the face of the retail giant facing public backlash for still carrying the book and film on its platform, which Irving shared last month.

"The reality is that we have very expansive customer reviews," he continued ... "For books with a lot of attention — especially public attention — customers do a good job monitoring other people."

Jassy told the New York Times it's a slippery slope when deciding what type of content should no longer be sold on the platform ... adding instances where violence or pedophilia is being encouraged is more "straightforward."

Of course, Jassy's comments aren't going to sit well with Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), who publicly campaigned for Amazon to join Barnes & Noble in taking the book/film down.

Dwyane Wade is going after his ex-wife again over her decision to try to block their daughter's name and gender change ... this time calling Siohvaughn Funches-Wade's objection to the court petition both "libelous" and "nonsensical."

Wade spelled it all out in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, saying his 15-year-old daughter, who is transgender, should be allowed to legally change her name and gender ... despite Funches-Wade's objection filed earlier this month.

Wade argues in the docs it's all in Zaya's "best interest" ... saying, "A court order affirming her identity will allow Zaya to live more comfortably and honestly in all aspects of her life -- from simple introductions and food orders, to applying for a driver's license and filling out college applications."

He added in the docs, "This petition is about allowing Zaya to take on the milestones of being a young adult with confidence and joy."

Earlier this month, Funches-Wade argued in court documents that the move should barred ... alleging, among other things, that Dwyane "may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies."

Dwyane called the allegations B.S. in a social media post shortly afterward ... and he expounded on that opinion further in Tuesday's filing.

"Siohvaughn's allegations are libelous at their core, and are, at best, nonsensical," Wade's attorneys wrote in the docs. "Dwyane filed this Petition because Zaya asked him to."

A fan had the time of his life at the Lakers game on Monday night -- he hit an epic half-court shot, won $75,000 ... AND got a hug from L.A. superstar Anthony Davis!!!

It all went down at Crypto.com Arena during the Lake Show's contest with the Pacers ... when L.A. officials invited a man wearing a black Lakers-fitted cap to shoot his shot at a $75K cash prize during a break in the action.

The fan took one dribble, got a running start -- and then heaved up the basketball that somehow found nothing but the net!

The dude then did his best Justin Jefferson impersonation, hitting "The Griddy" all over the court ... while high-fiving courtside fans.

AD was so happy the guy got the cash ... the Lakers big man had to join in the celly too -- throwing his arms around the fan near center court.

Unfortunately for the guy and the rest of the Lakers supporters in attendance, the half-court shot was just about the only highlight of the evening ... as L.A. blew a 17-point lead to lose the game 116-115.

A U.S. Marine Corps vet was the star of the show at the Laker game on Monday ... when she filled her prosthetic leg with beer and chugged it on video!!

The whole thing was displayed on the scoreboard during L.A.'s matchup against the Indiana Pacers ... when Annika Hutsler took advantage of her very first NBA game in epic fashion.

The fans in attendance clearly loved the stunt ... cheering her on as she downed her drink.

The move resulted in Hutsler earning the title of "fan of the game" ... which came with a $100 gift card.

Hutsler -- who enlisted in the USMC in 2017 -- decided to have her leg amputated in 2019 after several attempts to have a tumor removed from her foot ... and has since transitioned to careers in acting, modeling and sports.

In fact, she won silver medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter wheelchair races at the U.S. Department of Defense Warrior Games.

Brittney Griner will face horrific conditions during her time in a Russian prison ... with environments that will include homophobia, racism and 16-hour work days.

According to The Nation's Dave Zirin, prisoners in Mordovia -- where Griner was taken to earlier this month -- are barely treated like humans.

Bigotry is commonplace, medical care is nearly nonexistent ... and, Zirin says, inmates are expected to sew the uniforms for police and guards.

In fact, it's unclear if Griner will even get a bed that will fit her 6-foot-8 frame.

Musician Nadya Tolokonnikova, a founder of the feminist group Pussy Riot, spent two years in Mordovia following a 2012 arrest, and per Zirin, described the place as hell, where "beatings and torture" are common.

Griner's camp, however, has insisted the WNBA star is trying to remain brave in the face of it all ... saying in a statement following her move to Mordovia earlier this month that "Brittney is doing as well as could be expected."

"Despite the fact she is alone and now nearing her ninth month in detention separated from her loved ones," her reps said, "she is trying to stay strong."

Griner has been detained in Russia since February after she was accused of bringing hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport. In August, she was sentenced to nine years in prison. An appeal of that sentence was denied in October.