Basketball

Kyrie Irving's only been a Dallas Maverick for a couple days, but he's clearly feeling right at home with his new team ... throwing alley-oops and buzzin' around the court in his practice debut on Tuesday.

The point guard -- who was just traded from Brooklyn to Big D on Sunday -- was reportedly the first player at the workout ... and it didn't take long for him to flash his signature skills.

Irving, rockin' a blue Mavericks shirt and black sweats, put on a show in 5-on-5 drills in a gym at USC ... as he continues to prep for his first game with Dallas against the Clippers on Wednesday.

In footage filmed inside of the venue, you can see the eight-time All-Star's already getting along with his new teammates ... even at one point throwing a smooth alley-oop pass to JaVale McGee.

Of course, while Dallas fans are pumped for the acquisition, his former teammate, LeBron James, was upset over it all ... admitting earlier this week to ESPN he was disappointed the Lakers couldn't trade for the 30-year-old.

Irving addressed LeBron's comments and more after his workout Tuesday ... saying he's got love for LBJ, but his focus is now on his future with the Mavs.

"Unfortunately, the Lakers, they’re doing what they're doing," Irving said. "That's it.”

As for the trade as a whole, Irving said he simply felt disrespected in Brooklyn ... and wanted to change the narrative going forward.

"I just know I wanted to be places where I'm celebrated," Irving said, "not just tolerated or kinda dealt with in a way that doesn't make me feel respected."

Ja Morant is downplaying reports that he and his friends got into an altercation with Indiana Pacers team members after a game last month ... saying the story is basically fake news.

The Memphis Grizzlies star spoke with the media on Tuesday -- the first time since The Athletic released a report claiming Morant's friends confronted "members of the Pacers traveling party" near the team's bus following a matchup at FedEx Forum on Jan. 29.

The report also stated someone in an SUV, which Morant was in, pointed a red laser at them ... and the Pacers team members believe it was attached to a gun.

The 23-year-old denied the allegations when he spoke with reporters at practice ... saying, "All that stuff pretty much false."

"It’s been proven. That’s all I got to say on it."

Morant emphasized how he doesn't care about the rumors going around ... and he won't entertain a report that's fishing for "likes and clicks."

"At this point in my life, I'm protecting my energy," Morant said. "Not responding to nobody else. Not entertaining nobody else."

The reporters attempted to get more from Morant on the situation ... but he refused.

He did provide one update from that game, though ... tweeting on Sunday that his friend, Davonte Pack, has been banned from home games after a verbal altercation with Pacers players.

LeBron James admits he's "disappointed" the Lakers didn't reunite him with his old teammate Kyrie Irving ... saying Monday he thought a trade for the point guard could have given him the chance to win multiple championships in L.A.

LBJ sat down for an interview with ESPN's Michael Wilbon ... and when the topic of Kyrie came up, it wasn't hard to see the King was heartbroken the Lakers got beat out by the Mavericks in a swap for the Nets superstar.

"Definitely disappointed," James said. "I can't sit here and say I'm not disappointed."

James called Irving someone he knows he has great chemistry with -- and someone who "can help you win championships."

The 38-year-old, though, said he's already getting over it ... telling Wilbon, "My focus has shifted back to where it should be, and that's this club now and what we have in the locker room."

As we previously reported, Irving was sent to Dallas on Sunday after he requested a trade last week. As part of the swap, Dallas sent over Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick and a handful of second-rounders.

L.A. reportedly tried hard to get into the mix for Irving -- as did the Heat, Suns and Clippers.

James and Irving previously had success in Cleveland, when they went to four consecutive NBA Finals. They won a title in 2016 after overcoming a 3-1 deficit against the Warriors.

After news broke that Irving was on the move from Brooklyn to Dallas, James sent out an eyebrow-raising tweet that said, "Maybe it's me."

It's unclear who or what James was referring to, though the timing was interesting. But, either way, the four-time time NBA champion says he's moving past the disappointment of it all.

Tristan Thompson is opening up for the first time about his mother's unexpected death ... penning her an emotional tribute letter on Instagram, writing his "soul is empty" since her passing.

"Dearest mommy in heaven, It has been one month since you’ve been gone," the former NBA player wrote.

"I’m in disbelief. I'm in the deepest part of sorrow & grief. My soul is empty as I come to terms that my biggest supporter/superhero is gone."

The 31-year-old continued, writing about the sacrifices his mom made for him and his siblings.

"Mommy, all the sacrifices you did for ur sons will never go unnoticed or without appreciation. You were an amazing mommy, role model, best friend & the strongest woman I know."

Thompson also touched on some of the public mistakes he's made as an adult, vowing to show his mom raised a good man.

"Im sorry mommy for the wrong decisions Ive made in my life. Im sorry for the embarrassment &pain. You raised me better than what I was able to show you," Tristan wrote.

"But I have also learned sorry is not enough. Actions speak louder than words. So I wont just say sorry. Stay tuned to the ways I will show the world what an amazing son you raised."

Fans, NBA stars, and celebs flooded Thompson's IG comments with support, including his former teammate LeBron James and Kim Kardashian, who left a heart and dove emoji.

Of course, Kim's sister Khloe -- who shares two kids with Tristan -- and the Kardashian family have been by his side since his mom, Andrea, suffered a heart attack at her home in Toronto on Jan. 5.

It wasn't Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or even LeBron James ... no, the toughest person Gary Payton said he ever had to guard was none other than John Stockton.

The NBA Hall of Famer made the shocking revelation in a chat about hoops with TMZ Sports ... saying the former Utah Jazz point guard was just that damn good.

"I think the hardest person I ever had to guard was John Stockton because of the way he would do 94 feet and go everywhere," he said. "That's my opinion."

'Stock', a 10-time All-Star who played 19 seasons in the NBA, was 6-foot-1, but 'The Glove' told us John's ability to utilize all the space on the court offensively made him a super difficult cover.

And, when Payton said he compared it to the trouble he had with MJ, LeBron and Kobe ... Stockton was just harder to deal with.

As for basketball's G.O.A.T. debate ... Payton weighed in on that too, telling us that while he believes LBJ is the better basketball player, Jordan was the better closer.

"I think LeBron was a better all-around player because he can pass the ball and rebound," Payton said. "I think Michael was a better killer. He'll go after you. He'll take a shot whenever he needed to and make it and do it. He was more of a killer."

Kyrie Irving got his wish -- the NBA superstar has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks, according to multiple reports.

News of Irving's intentions to leave Brooklyn were made clear on Friday ...with the 30-year-old telling the Nets to either trade him, or he'd leave in free agency in the offseason.

Now, Uncle Drew will be teaming up with Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, who sit sixth in the Western Conference standings.

In exchange for Irving, the Mavs will send Spencer Dinwiddie back to BK ... as well as Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick and a handful of second-rounders, according to Shams Charania.

The Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns were also reportedly in the running for Irving ... but there was growing concern over sending a haul for the guard, when he could bolt in free agency in August.

Nets fans were clearly upset with Irving's request out of Brooklyn -- and showed their feelings by booing him before the Nets vs. Washington Wizards game on Saturday.

Irving found himself in hot water during his time in Brooklyn ... after he controversially tweeted a link to a movie filled with anti-Semitic beliefs.

The 2016 champ was suspended over his actions, and the NBA and Nets called for Irving to denounce the contents of the film. Nike also announced it was cutting ties with the Irving.

Irving eventually apologized days later.

LeBron James breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record won't silence his critics, so says his former teammate Michael Beasley ... telling TMZ Sports, "they gon' keep hating."

Remember, James is only a few points away from becoming the NBA's all-time scoring leader -- a record that Kareem has held for almost four decades.

You would think with such an accomplishment, the ones who doubt King James would come around ... but Beasley says that won't happen, even when he's crowned.

"They gon' keep hating," the former NBA power forward tells us at LAX this week.

"It's a good percentage of the world that just wanna go against the grain. That's literally what we get. We get the ones who wanna go against the grain."

Beasley -- who played with LBJ in Miami and Los Angeles -- says James deserves respect from the doubters ... and they have no choice but to give him his flowers after this feat.

"He earned it," MB says, "You can't really say too much after that, you know. He the best."

BTW ... Beasley says he wouldn't mind playing alongside LeBron again, telling us he'd be down to sign back with the Lakers.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might have mixed feelings when his scoring record gets broken ... but John Salley says the Lakers legend should ultimately be proud to pass the torch to LeBron James when he passes the Hall of Famer on the all-time list.

The 4-time NBA champ broke it down for TMZ Sports at LAX ... comparing the situation to another sports record that many believe to be impossible to break.

"The same way my boy Eric Dickerson thinks about anybody trying to break his record ... you don't want nobody to break your record!" the 58-year-old told us.

Nonetheless, Salley still believes Kareem will come around and give James his flowers when the Lakers star beats his record of 38,387 points.

"I think Kareem will take his hat off to him, be proud of him," Salley said. "He should."

Salley's comment may come off as shocking since he didn't believe LeBron was gonna break Kareem's record to begin with ... saying on Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay podcast a few months ago, "I think they’re not going to let him get it."

He's obviously had a change of heart since then ... saying, statistically, James will be "the greatest player to ever play" and the way he carries himself off the court is admirable.

"What he's doing in television, film, the dude has definitely set the bar what a professional athlete is supposed to do," Salley said.

"I said I didn't think anybody was ever gonna break his record, but I'm so happy LeBron is breaking his record."

James is only a few points away from becoming the all-time scorer ... and barring something crazy, it's definitely happening.

All hell broke loose when Dillon Brooks hit Donovan Mitchell below the belt during the Cavs vs. Grizzlies game on Thursday ... with both players getting ejected after a physical altercation.

The heated moment went down in the third quarter of Cleveland's 128-113 win over Memphis at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse ... with Brooks missing a shot and throwing his arm back -- making contact with Mitchell's groin -- as he fell to the court.

Mitchell -- who's been dealing with a groin injury this season -- immediately retaliated by throwing the ball at Brooks and shoving him.

Players and coaches for both teams intervened before things could escalate even worse ... but both players were booted from the contest.

Mitchell went after Brooks in his postgame presser ... saying the guy has a reputation for being a dirty player.

"That's just who he is,'' Mitchell told reporters. "We've seen it a bunch in this league with him. Him and I have had our personal battles for years."

"Quite frankly, I've been busting his ass for years."

"This has happened to other players throughout this league, and it's bulls*** if I'm being honest with you," he added. "It's complete bulls***. It's one thing, you know, you got Ja [Morant], you got [Desmond] Bane, you got Jaren Jackson. Those guys, they talk s*** and that's fine, that's all a part of basketball. We all grew up playing that way."

"But when you start doing little cheap s***, that ain't it."

Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff also addressed the scuffle ... saying, "A guy should have the right to stand up for himself. I thought Donovan did that. I'm proud of our guys."

"We don't have those guys that start s***, but we have guys who don't run from s*** and you have to in this league."

Mitchell says he will appeal the ejection -- as he says he was defending himself.

The Cavs backed Mitchell in the locker room after the game ... honoring him with the Junkyard Dog Chain, which goes to the grittiest player of the game.

Kyrie Irving has reportedly demanded a trade ... giving the Brooklyn Nets an ultimatum -- either trade the NBA superstar, or watch him walk away in free agency,

The news just broke minutes ago ... with reports saying Irving wants to be traded ahead of the trade deadline on Feb. 9 -- but if that doesn't happen, he will sign with another team come August, according to Shams Charania.

Irving is in the final year of a four-year, $136 million contract with the Nets ... and was reportedly seeking a long-term extension from the franchise.

Kyrie -- who has been with Brooklyn since 2019 -- initially came to the Nets with his teammate and friend, Kevin Durant -- but now, it appears he wants out of BK ASAP.

Irving was the subject of trade rumors this past summer ... but the NBA champ came into the season with the hopes the Nets would one day sign him to a long-term deal.

The Nets are facing a dilemma -- trade Kyrie and split up him and KD, or watch Irving leave for nothing when he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Dejounte Murray should be good on sauce from Chick-fil-A FOREVER, or at least through the NBA season ... 'cause the Hawks star was gifted an enormous box filled with Polynesian packets!

The Hawks guard got the surprise gift in the locker room right after the team's 132 to 100 win over the Suns in Phoenix on Wednesday.

Of course, the NBA All-Star is obsessed with Chick-fil-A and their Polynesian sauce ... in fact, DJ was even eating CFA before the Hawks-Suns game.

Murray's love of the sauce is well known, so when rookie guard Adrian Griffin Jr. handed him a box wrapped with paper printed with IG messages from fans talking about his love of the sweet and sour sauce, DJ knew what was in the box.

"I already know what it is," Murray laughed, "Polynesian! Haha!"

And, unlike Karl-Anthony Towns roasting his teammate Anthony Edwards over his eating habits, it doesn't seem like anyone on the Hawks is bothered by DM's obsession with the sugary CFA sauces.

It might be because Murray -- who joined Trae Young and the Hawks last June following a trade -- has been eating on the floor, averaging 21.2 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Clemson men's basketball star Brevin Galloway has turned a horrifying injury into a huge boon for his wallet ... scoring a big NIL deal after he severely hurt his testes last week.

Men's underwear company Shinesty announced Thursday they signed the senior guard to a pact that promises to pay him some cash and give him a whole bunch of undies -- after he suffered a testicular torsion injury that he hilariously described in a social media video as his balls "exploding."

Galloway explained in the deal's announcement that he believed the ailment happened because he was wearing loose boxers. But, now, he says he's confident his new Shinesty Ball Hammock pouch gear will keep him -- and his babymakers -- safe and sound going forward.

"Now I can focus on dropping 3's," he said, "since I know Ball Hammocks won’t drop my 2's."

In the company's announcement, Shinesty officials said Galloway is recovering from his surgery nicely and will "return to the court later this month."

LeBron James' first-ever #6 Lakers jersey -- which he wore on the opening night of the 2021-22 NBA season -- is hitting the auction block ... and could sell for a ton of dough, TMZ Sports has learned.

A rep with SCP Auctions tells us the gold Nike "Icon" Edition jersey James sported against the Golden State Warriors on October 19, 2021, is up for grabs ... and it's a big deal, considering it's the first time he rocked #6 for L.A., instead of his Cleveland-era #23.

The bottom left corner of the piece of history shows LeBron's jersey size (54) and the date of the game, 10-19-21, handwritten on the tag.

The jersey has gone through several layers of authentication -- it was entered into the NBA and MeiGray Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program -- and was photo matched to the 1st and 2nd half of the contest against the Warriors.

Remember, James switched from #23 to #6 in June 2021 ... just four months before the NBA season started. LeBron previously wore the #6 when he was with the Miami Heat for four seasons (2010-2014).

"It's always been a part of me, to be honest," James said when asked about the switch. "Six has a lot of meaning to me, from my family and numbers and things of that nature to what I believe in and things of that sort, but my mentality doesn’t change."

King James finished the night against the Warriors with a game-high 34 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists -- but the Dubs spoiled LeBron's night, defeating the Lakers, 121-114.

Master P's son, Mercy Miller, is proving yet again he's a baller on the hardwood ... this time throwing down an insane dunk in a game -- against Bronny James' much-touted high school team no less!

Miller's epic flight happened on Wednesday night when his Notre Dame squad was taking on James' Sierra Canyon team in a highly anticipated game in L.A.

In the fourth quarter of the contest -- which ended up being an 88-61 blowout win for Notre Dame -- Miller drove into the lane, took off on one foot and then hammered home the basketball while blowing through a defender.

The dunk nearly took the roof off of the arena -- as the hundreds of spectators in attendance went wild when the junior guard finished at the rim.

Miller's pops was pleased with the 2-pointer to say the least, sharing a vid of the poster on his IG page -- while writing, "Hard work pays off. The beast came out and showed 'NO MERCY.'"

Matt Barnes and 2 Chainz threw praise on Mercy in the comment section as well.

Of course, this ain't the first time Miller has raised eyebrows on the court ... back in his sophomore season, the Univ. of Houston commit dropped an eye-popping 40 points in one game!!

Kevin Durant got his wish -- WNBA superstar Breanna Stewart just signed with the New York Liberty ... and he's hyped!!!

The former Seattle Storm forward announced her decision Wednesday by posting a video wearing her new team's merch ... and playing Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State Of Mind" in the background.

Durant -- who was actively recruiting Stewart to the Big Apple -- went straight to Twitter when he saw the news ... saying, "Aye, don’t call my phone lookin for tickets this summer, they gone."

"Let’s get it @nyliberty."

Of course, the Brooklyn Nets star is probably patting himself on the back just a little bit ... considering he revealed on Monday he was texting the 2-time WNBA champ, telling her to join the NY team.

"I hit Stewie the other day," Durant said on the Boardroom podcast. "And I never do this, and was like, 'Yo, it would be an incredible dynasty in New York City if you came here."

He's right -- Stewart is one of the best in the WNBA ... and now, she's joining star guard Sabrina Ionescu and 6'6" forward Jonquel Jones to make a Big 3.

Ionescu is clearly stoked over the new addition ... and shared a photoshopped pic of the trio together after the massive deal.

Stewart wasn't the only big signing in the WNBA's offseason ... Candace Parker officially signed with the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.

New York Liberty versus the Vegas Aces for the 2023 WNBA Finals? We'll see!!!

A 60-year-old man died following a wild brawl at a middle school basketball game in Vermont on Tuesday night ... and now, cops say they're investigating it all.

The fight broke out at the Alburgh Community Education Center in Alburgh ... during a hoops game that involved seventh and eighth-grade boys from Alburgh and St. Albans middle schools.

Video that was shot from the alleged scene shows several adults rushed onto the court -- kicking and punching each other -- all while the kids looked on from the sidelines.

It's unclear what sparked the melee ... Vermont State Police said in a statement Wednesday that when officers showed up to the scene just before 7 PM, the fracas had ended and several people involved in the tiff had already left the school.

Cops say Russell Giroux was injured during the fight, but elected to drive home. Giroux ended up stopping his car and calling first responders, and was transported to a nearby hospital. Tragically, he was pronounced dead at the medical facility. His body, cops say, will undergo an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of his death.

The VSP says it's now investigating the circumstances surrounding it all -- though no arrests have been made yet. They're asking anyone with information to come forward or call the Detective's Office at the St. Albans Barracks at 802-524-5993.

Both schools released statements Wednesday on the incident ... calling it all heartbreaking.

"All of us in the Maple Run Community are shocked and saddened by last night’s death of Russell Giroux after a physical altercation during a basketball game at the Alburgh Community Education Center," Alburgh M.S. officials said.

"We extend our condolences and sympathies to his family and friends. Since our students observed the altercation, we are working in the next days to support our students and families in dealing with the consequences of the altercation and Mr. Giroux's death."