Basketball

Marcus Smart's on-court scuffle with Trae Young is gonna cost him ... 'cause the NBA just fined the Boston Celtics player $25K as a result of the altercation.

The two guards got into it with 1:25 left in the game at State Farm Arena on Saturday ... when Young drove to the basket and got fouled by Smart.

It appeared Young may have accidentally kicked Smart in the groin during the play -- and Smart didn't like it one bit.

After the whistle was blown, Smart got into Young's face ... and the two exchanged some heated words.

That's when Smart and Young took their beef to the hardwood ... as Smart pulled the Hawks guard down with him as he fell to the floor.

Both players' teammates and referees broke them up ... and Smart was ejected from the game, while Young received a technical.

On Monday, an NBA executive announced that Smart -- the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year -- was fined $25K for "initiating an on-court alteration and pulling" Young to the floor.

As for Trae ... it seems he got away with just a tech.

It's Tristan Thompson's birthday, and he's getting some major love from Khloe Kardashian -- who's got tons of praise and compliments for the guy -- while also showing off their baby boy.

KK threw up an IG in Tristan's honor, wishing him well as hits the big 3-2 ... and showering him with sweet words that certainly paint him as a great dad and family man. She writes, "Happy birthday @realtristan13. You are truly the best father, brother & uncle."

She continues ... "Your love, attention, silly dances, hugs, carpool rides, bed time rituals, the way u show up for them. All of the above means more than you’ll ever know to your family of littles."

And finally, Khloe has a bit of a message for Tristan ... which seems to touch on his repeated cheating fails over the years. She writes, in earnest, "My birthday wish for u is that u continue to crave change, healing, and transformation. Be strong, be kind, be patient, be free. Continue to Make your soul and your mommy proud. Happy birthday baby daddy."

By the sounds of it ... Khloe seems convinced that Tristan is on a good path, and that he's dedicated to doing better. What that means for them romantically, well, hard to tell.

We know Khloe and Tristan hang out a lot because of their 2 kids -- but she also appears to be at his side for unrelated reasons too ... including the death of his mother, for which she flew out and attended the funeral. Of course, they were out this weekend too.

Remember, Tristan tagged along for the Haqq sisters' birthday bash, Khloe's BFFs ... so maybe they're working toward a reconciliation after all. In any case, Khloe's still got warm feelings for TT.

It didn't take long for Chris Beard to land a new job -- the ex-Texas Longhorns head coach is taking the same position at Ole Miss ... one month after his domestic violence case was dropped.

The Rebels made the news official on Monday ... saying Beard will replace Kermit Davis, who was fired late last month.

"We thoroughly evaluated a number of outstanding candidates, and there is no doubt Coach Beard is one of the top coaches in the nation," Keith Carter, Ole Miss' Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics, said in a statement. "After conducting due diligence and speaking to a number of individuals on and off the court, it was evident he is the right person to guide our team to greatness."

Beard was accused of strangling, throwing and biting his fiancée, Randi Trew, in their home back in December. He was arrested and immediately suspended from coaching, but the woman later backtracked on her claims ... and said Beard was only acting out of self-defense.

Despite the woman's public apology over her initial accusations, Beard was fired from UT in January ... and his attorney stated the decision was "based on Twitter feeds and editorials -- and not the facts concerning a truly innocent man."

Beard's case was dismissed last month ... with prosecutors saying after investigating and speaking with the victim, "the felony offense cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

Beard -- who's 171-73 in his career as a head coach -- seems thrilled with the second chance at leading a sideline ... saying, "I am honored to be joining the Ole Miss family and excited to get started at this great university."

It was the Lakers and Knicks who took priority for Denzel Washington and Spike Lee on Hollywood's biggest night -- the two A-listers skipped the Oscars to catch the NBA teams go at it in L.A.!!!

Washington and Lee ditched stage-side seats at the famed movie award ceremony for courtside ones at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday evening ... and didn't seem one bit displeased with their choice.

The guys were seen sharing a hug before the game ... clearly not stressing about missing the Oscars -- which were taking place at the same time less than 10 miles away at the Dolby Theatre.

Lee, of course, is a huge Knicks fan -- and Denzel is a big Lakers one ... and the two talked smack to each other about their teams throughout the contest.

Lee ended up getting the last laugh -- the Knicks beat the Lakers 112-108 ... though Washington didn't seem too beat up over it all.

The actors weren't the only celebs at the game ... star boxers Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, plus Flea, were there too.

In fact, Washington and Davis had a moment with each other before the game, where Denzel voiced some big support for the fighter.

Five-star hoops prospect Kiyomi McMiller -- arguably the top girls H.S. basketball player in the country -- tells TMZ Sports she's hoping to get a signature shoe just like Michael Jordan ... after she inked a deal with His Airness' brand last month.

We spoke to the 16-year-old -- a superstar point guard for Life Center Academy in Burlington, NJ -- just a few weeks after she put the pen to paper with Jordan ... and she told us the historic deal is "pretty crazy."

And, she said that now that she's a part of the MJ roster ... she wants her own line of kicks one day -- perhaps with something that ties into her "The Product" nickname.

She added, though, that her "ultimate goal is to be the greatest of all-time."

Kiyomi's parents coached at a local college when she was young, sparking her love for the game -- and it was actually her father, Mike, who came up with her famous moniker. McMiller said Dad thought of it because he believes she can deliver anything that's needed on the basketball court.

McMiller -- who wears #23 just like Mike -- told us Julius Erving, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry and MJ are her top-five favorite players of all time ... and said the reason she considers Jordan the greatest ever is because he stood out among other NBA greats.

Kiyomi, a junior who's yet to commit to a college, is planning on majoring in communications, sports management or marketing.

We asked McMiller -- whose lethal handles and shiftiness on the court make her a must-see -- what player inspires her game the most ... and she said Kyrie and KD influence how she plays.

Little People of America is demanding an apology from Bill Walton after he said the m-word twice on air on Thursday night ... calling his use of the term both "deplorable and inexcusable."

The org. -- regarded as the largest dwarfism support group in the world -- blasted the college basketball commentator in a statement to TMZ Sports on Friday ... less than 24 hours after Walton said the derogatory term while broadcasting the USC vs. Arizona State game.

Walton said at halftime while trying to praise the arena's in-game host, "He does not need a little chair because he is a giant in a world full of shriveling m*****s."

He used the word again when turning his attention toward his broadcast partner, Dave Pasch -- who awkwardly laughed off the whole situation.

The org. says Walton should have known better -- saying "ignorance at this point is simply not an excuse" -- and now, they want him to say he's sorry.

"Those who use the term m***** or any terminology that further stigmatizes people born with dwarfism are asked to educate themselves to eradicate this word," LPA officials said.

"Little People of America is asking Bill Walton to issue an apology and vow to use appropriate terminology rooted in respect and dignity going forward."

LPA also took aim at Pasch -- saying he should have denounced Walton's use of the term live on air.

"We hope that in the future Dave Pasch will speak up against disparaging language in solidarity with our organization fighting for disability equity and justice."

Bill Walton may be the king of out-of-the-box analysis, but he crossed the line while calling a college hoops game on Thursday ... dropping a derogatory word for little people -- twice.

The Hall of Famer and broadcaster used the m-word when calling the Arizona State vs. USC matchup ... when he was attempting to show praise for the Pac-12 Tournament's in-game host.

"He does not need a little chair because he is a giant in a world full of shriveling m*****s," Walton said during halftime.

Walton then turned to his broadcast partner, Dave Pasch, and cracked a joke ... saying, "Speaking of shriveling m*****s, what is your name again?"

Pasch responded by asking, "What is wrong with you?" He then did his best to move on from the awkward interaction to talk about the game -- but Walton interrupted.

"I'm guilty of having fun in Las Vegas, fun with a purpose," the 6'11" former center said ... before finally getting back to talking about the contest.

Pasch is heard chuckling as Walton goes through his analysis ... and fires off a zinger of his own as the focus gets back to the game.

"I don't know what you consumed at halftime."

If you're unfamiliar, the m-word has been deemed a derogatory slur by the Little People of America, which has urged people to stop using the term.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones found himself in hot water as well recently ... after using the term on the first day of his team's training camp last year.

The LPA fired off a response to Jones at the time ... calling on the NFL legend to apologize. He later issued a statement saying he was sorry.

As for the tourney matchup -- ASU beat USC, 77-72.

Kanye West's bringing his wife Bianca Censori around at least one of his children ... because they took his daughter North with them to a theme park.

Ye and Bianca spent some quality time with North at Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday, the first time we've actually seen Kanye's new wife with any of the children he shares with Kim Kardashian.

The trio stopped by the carnival games at the park ... and played one of the basketball games.

Kanye bringing Bianca around his oldest kid is a sign their relationship is growing ... remember, when Kim was dating Pete Davidson he was spending time with North as well.

Of course, neither Kanye, Bianca or North are smiling in these pics ... guess Bianca is no Ice Spice.

The family theme park outing with North capped off a busy day for Kanye and Bianca ... as we told you, they went shopping earlier in the day on Melrose Place with a famous fashion designer.

Hold your breath, Suns fans ... Kevin Durant injured his ankle during pregame warm-ups on Wednesday night -- and now, there's fear the ailment could keep him out of the rest of the regular season.

The new Phoenix superstar was getting in some shots before what was supposed to be his first-ever home game as a Sun against the Thunder at Footprint Center ... when his left leg buckled.

You can see in video of the play, Durant's ankle folded on itself ... sending the 34-year-old crashing to the hardwood in pain.

The forward -- who was just traded from Brooklyn to Phoenix last month -- popped back up and continued warm-ups for a little bit ... but he ultimately went into the locker room for further evaluation, and didn't return.

KD ended up missing the game -- and he was seen leaving the arena in a walking boot. Later on Wednesday night, the Arizona Republic reported he now could miss the next four-to-six weeks.

The Suns went on to win without Durant ... and after the game, head coach Monty Williams said he didn't have a timetable for his injured star when he was asked about the injury.

"We'll probably get some more imaging just to make sure everybody's on the same page," Williams said.

Durant has hardly played for the Suns since the blockbuster trade -- he had been nursing a knee injury when he was dealt to Arizona, and has only logged time in three games with his new team since the swap with the Nets.

Playoffs begin in less than a month ... get better soon, KD.

Shawn Kemp's attorney just released a statement on the ex-NBA star's arrest ... saying his actions were "reasonable and legally justified" when he fired a gun in a shopping mall parking lot -- alleging thieves opened fire on him first.

W. Scott Boatman addressed the situation in a lengthy note on Thursday -- shortly after Kemp was released from jail -- saying the incident started after his client's property, including an iPhone, was stolen from his car Tuesday night.

Boatman says Kemp tracked his phone to an occupied car that was parked near a Tacoma, WA shopping center on Wednesday ... and when he approached the vehicle, the individuals inside shot at him.

The attorney says Kemp returned fire, but only out of self-defense ... and he remained at the scene and spoke with cops "in an attempt to assist in the matter."

No one was injured during the incident.

Kemp was arrested and booked for a drive-by shooting Wednesday night ... and spent the night behind bars before being released less than 24 hours later.

Kemp's attorney is also disputing that there was a "drive-by shooting" ... but according to Washington state legislature, a drive-by shooting is described as when someone "recklessly discharges a firearm as defined in RCW 9.41.010 in a manner which creates a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury to another person and the discharge is either from a motor vehicle or from the immediate area of a motor vehicle that was used to transport the shooter or the firearm, or both, to the scene of the discharge."

As we previously reported, part of the incident was captured on video ... showing Kemp fire his gun, drive around the parking lot and drop an item in a bush before speaking with police.

Cops later retrieved a revolver from that same location.

Shawn Kemp allegedly wasn't the only one pulling the trigger during his parking lot altercation on Wednesday ... police responded to "two subjects firing shots at each other," according to dispatch audio obtained by TMZ Sports.

53-year-old Kemp was arrested for drive-by shooting following a dispute with another driver outside a Tacoma, WA shopping mall on Wednesday ... after cops say an altercation broke out between two cars around 2 PM.

As we previously reported, witnesses claim they heard gunshots prior to recording part of the incident on their phones ... although it was unclear whether Kemp -- who is shown aiming and shooting his weapon in the video -- was the only one to open fire.

According to police dispatch, witnesses claim Kemp fired 5-10 shots at the other vehicle during the incident ... and a revolver was found outside a Firestone Complete Auto Care.

Our footage shows Kemp driving around the parking lot and dumping something near a bush outside the car shop ... and cops later found a weapon at the scene.

Sources tell Fox 13 Kemp was acting out of self-defense ... and he was attempting to retrieve stolen property when someone opened fire on him first.

Kemp was booked for felony drive-by shooting at 5:58 PM at the Pierce County Jail.

Cops say no one was injured ... and the incident is under investigation.

Shannon Sharpe is a man of many words ... but the NFL legend dropped one you definitely can't say while on live television on Thursday -- accidentally muttering the F-word!!!

Sharpe used the TV no-no on "Undisputed" while in a heated convo with his cohost, Skip Bayless ... as the two were discussing the Clippers and Russell Westbrook.

Sharpe tried to make an analogy ... when, suddenly, an F-bomb flew outta his mouth.

"If I'm making fried chicken and somebody says, 'I got some chocolate for you,'" Sharpe said. "What the hell? Yeah, I like chocolate but what the f*** that have to?"

The FS1 commentator immediately caught himself ... and said, "Oops, sorry!"

He then joked, "You got me up here cursing, Skip," before finishing his thought, "Why would I need chocolate to go with fried chicken?"

Sharpe eventually continued making his point to Bayless ... and both men agreed the Clippers were better off before they added Russ to their team.

Of course, this isn't the first time the guys have used some PG-13 language on the show ... Skip recently accused Mavericks star Luka Dončić of "bitching" about foul calls.

Toronto Raptors star Fred VanVleet blasted NBA referees Wednesday night ... calling some of them "d***s" who are trying to "f*** the game up."

VanVleet received a technical foul -- his eighth of the season -- from NBA ref Ben Taylor with 7:02 remaining in the third quarter against the Clippers ... and the point guard was clearly pissed about the tech when speaking with reporters in his postgame news conference.

"I don't mind, I'll take a fine, I don't really care," VanVleet said. "I thought Ben Taylor was f***ing terrible tonight. I think that on most nights, you know out of the three [officials], there's one or two that just f*** the game up. It's been like that a couple of games in a row."

He continued ... "[Losing to] Denver was tough, obviously. You come out tonight, competing pretty hard, and I get a bulls*** tech that changes the whole dynamic of the game, changed the whole flow of the game."

"Most of the refs are trying hard. I like a lot of the refs, they're trying hard, they're pretty fair, they communicate well. And then you got the other ones who just want to be d***s and just kind of f*** the game up. And nobody's coming to see that s***. They come to see the players."

FVV said the reason the Raptors lost, 108-100, to the Clippers is that they got outplayed ... but he did say dealing with officials who appear to have beef with him makes it an uphill battle for his team.

"I think we're losing a little bit of the fabric of what the NBA is and was," VanVleet said. "It's been disappointing this season. You could look up most of my techs this year have been with Ben Taylor officiating. At a certain point, as a player, you feel it's personal."

"That's never a good place to be."

Ex-NBA star Shawn Kemp fired a gun during a parking lot altercation prior to his felony arrest on Wednesday ... footage obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

53-year-old Kemp -- wearing a red vest -- approached a vehicle and pointed his firearm ... appearing to yell something before pulling the trigger at least once outside a Tacoma, Washington shopping mall around 2:00 PM.

Witnesses tell us they heard multiple gunshots before pulling their phones out to record the incident ... and claim they saw Kemp drive around the parking lot and ditched his gun in a bush before talking to police.

At one point, Kemp appears to attempt to flag down police to go after the other vehicle involved.

Footage also shows cops searching the parking lot landscaping before retrieving a handgun from a bush.

As we previously reported ... Kemp was booked for felony drive-by shooting at 5:58 PM at the Pierce County Jail.

Sources tell Fox 13 Kemp was attempting to retrieve items he claimed were stolen on Tuesday ... and once he tracked down the property Wednesday afternoon, someone opened fire on him first. Kemp claims he was purely acting out of self-defense.

Former NBA star Shawn Kemp was arrested following an alleged drive-by shooting Wednesday in Washington ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to Tacoma PD, an altercation between two cars broke out around 2 PM ... which resulted in shots being fired in a shopping mall parking lot.

Cops say one car fled the scene and a gun was recovered. No injuries were reported.

53-year-old Kemp -- a six-time All-Star -- was booked for felony drive-by shooting at 5:58 PM and is still in custody at the Pierce County Jail, according to records.

FYI -- drive-by shooting is a class B felony ... which carries up to a 10-year prison sentence.

Kemp -- AKA the "Reign Man" was the 17th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft ... and played for the Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic over the course of his 14-year career, averaging 14 points and eight rebounds a game.

The former big man has been at the forefront of the push to bring an NBA franchise back to Seattle ... in hopes of reviving the Sonics.

Kemp was previously arrested on two drug-related incidents in 2005 and 2006. He has since ventured into the cannabis industry ... opening a dispensary in 2020.

Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim is no longer the head coach of the Syracuse men's basketball team -- the school just announced the legend is being replaced after 47 years with the Orange.

78-year-old Boeheim started his career at 'Cuse as an assistant coach in 1969 before becoming the head coach in 1976. He racked up four Final Four appearances, five Big East tournament championships over the course of nearly 5 decades ... and won a national championship with Carmelo Anthony in 2003.

Boeheim -- a Syracuse alum -- also earned several awards ... as he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005, and the College Basketball HoF in 2006.

Coach spoke with reporters after 'Cuse's 77-74 loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament on Tuesday ... tiptoeing around straight-up saying he was retiring -- claiming he already made his goodbye speech, but no one noticed.

Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack addressed the move ... saying, "I have spent my entire career surrounded by the biggest and best names in professional and intercollegiate athletics. Few people are on the same playing field as Coach Boeheim."

"Jim Boeheim is synonymous with excellence, grit and determination. Jim is a rare breed of coach, building a program that is among the best in college basketball for nearly five decades. I am incredibly grateful for what he has done for Syracuse Basketball, Syracuse Athletics and Syracuse University as a whole."

Boeheim finishes his career with the second-most wins in NCAA history.