Basketball

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was holding back tears as she met with media for the first time since her release from Russian prison ... giving a heartfelt interview as she reflected on her time behind bars.

The 32-year-old Phoenix Mercury center got behind the mic just minutes ago ... and her emotions got the best of her as she detailed her 10-month stay in a penal colony on drug-related charges.

Griner also acknowledged the massive crowd of reporters ... saying she hopes the league gets the same amount of coverage as her story did last year.

The WNBA champion said she would much rather go through the most grueling practices than ever go back to what she experienced in Russia -- and vowed to never play overseas again, unless it's for Team USA.

Griner also cracked several jokes as she responded to reporters ... referring to her teammate, Diana Taurasi, as a "walking fossil" and pointing out how she dunked on her wife when she first touched a basketball when she returned to the States.

As for her WNBA career, Griner said getting back on the court was never in question ... explaining she knows she can always bet on herself and her abilities.

"F*** Miami!!! F*** Miami!!!"

New York Knicks fans celebrated like they won the NBA Finals after their beloved team advanced to the second round of the playoffs on Wednesday ... and they made it clear how they felt about their next opponent as they partied in the streets.

The Knicks made it to the semifinals after beating Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers to complete their first-round series in five games ... and their loyal fan base let their emotions loose right near Madison Square Garden.

The whole bash was caught on video ... and you can see a ton of fans in orange and blue jumping up and down shortly after the final buzzer rang.

The hyped-up crowd chanted many things, including "F*** Miami" ... and even Trae Young, a longtime nemesis of the Knicks fandom, caught a few strays.

Fans even booed a Heat supporter, who happened to be in the crowd wearing a Jimmy Butler jersey ... and former Knicks president Phil Jackson also got thrown into the chants as folks reminisced over his bad tenure with the team.

People even treated the victory like Warped Tour ... as one fan jumped on top of Knicks fans and started crowd surfing.

The fans have every reason to celebrate -- it's the first time in 10 years the Knicks made it to the second round ... and there's a bit of history between NY and Miami going back to the '90s.

LeBron James tried to summon some "Ted Lasso" magic to give the Lakers a boost in their playoff game Wednesday night by rockin' some show-themed gear -- but even with the power of AFC Richmond on his side ... the King and his squad still fell short in Memphis.

The L.A. superstar sported a blue hoodie with Lasso's fictional soccer team's logo on it as he entered the FedExForum in Tennessee ... clearly hoping it would help draw some good vibes for his team in their closeout game with the Grizzlies.

As you probably know by now ... the Apple TV+ show is all about how Lasso, an American football coach played by Jason Sudeikis, inspires a ragtag soccer team in Europe to improbably win games against all odds.

While James' team wasn't exactly underdogs in the playoff contest with Ja Morant and the Grizz -- the message to L.A. was still loud and clear.

But, the pregame 'fit didn't bring much luck to the Lakers ... they were kicked around for most of the night -- and ended up losing, 116-99. To make matters worse for James, he didn't play his best, scoring just 15 points.

Of course, L.A. will still have two more opportunities to put the Grizzlies away -- Game 6 will go down on Friday ... and if a Game 7 is necessary, it'll happen on Sunday.

Dwyane Wade, dad to a transgender daughter, says he's no longer living in Florida despite being a legend in the state, thanks to what he believes are restrictive policies infringing on the rights of LGBTQ residents.

The 41-year-old Basketball Hall of Famer recently sat down with Rachel Nichols for her show 'Headliners' when he revealed he is no longer a resident of the Sunshine State.

"That's another reason why I don't live in [Florida]. A lot of people don't know that," D-Wade responded when Nichols asked what message he'd send to state legislators.

The 3x NBA champ continued ... "I have to make decisions for my family, not just personal, individual decisions."

Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, and many state-level lawmakers have passed controversial legislation, including the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, amongst other laws, and Wade flat out says his family wouldn't be comfortable.

"You know, obviously, the taxes is great. Having Wade County is great. But my family would not be accepted or feel comfortable there. And, so that's one of the reasons why I don't live there," Dwyane told Nichols.

Of course, Dwyane's 15-year-old daughter Zaya came out as transgender in 2020. She's since legally changed her name and gender. Wade has been very outspoken in his support of his daughter.

The Wades aren't alone in leaving the state. Despite an influx of people moving to places like Florida, Texas, and Tennessee in the last few years, many have already left those areas.

Wade ultimately played 15 seasons in Miami, delivering three NBA championships to South Florida. Now he's gone.

Anthony Edwards has been cited for assault, TMZ Sports has confirmed ... after the NBA superstar swung a chair in frustration following the Timberwolves' loss on Tuesday night.

The incident happened just after Minnesota dropped its playoff series to the Nuggets in Denver ... when Edwards was running off the floor, ticked off over the 112-109 defeat that sent the Wolves into their offseason.

Video shows as the 21-year-old was on his way into the locker room, he grabbed a folding chair and swung it around. He ultimately dropped it ... before he continued on his way to Minnesota's dressing area.

But according to the Denver Police Department, two women who were working the game at Ball Arena claim they were struck by the chair as Edwards spun it in his arms. Cops say they suffered injuries during the incident.

According to police documents, Edwards was cited for misdemeanor third-degree assault -- knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury.

If convicted, Edwards faces up to 18 months in jail and/or fines totaling $1,000.

He's due in court for a hearing on the matter in June.

The Wolves said in a statement Wednesday evening they were aware of the citation and "are in the process of gathering more information. We have no further comment at this moment."

Boston Celtics exec Heather Walker -- who had worked for the NBA org. for nearly two decades -- has tragically died after a battle with brain cancer, her friends and family announced Wednesday.

She was 52 years old.

In a statement that Walker's loved ones posted on her Move 4 Heather Facebook page, they wrote that Walker "isn't fighting anymore and can finally rest."

"She is with so many who have gone before her that I'm sure she was welcomed with open arms," they added.

Heather, who joined the Celtics org. in 2006 and later became the team's vice president of public relations, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma in 2021.

While she continued to work for the Celtics, she was a huge advocate for brain cancer research, and eventually started the Heather Walker Fund for Glioblastoma Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she had been receiving treatment.

The Celtics called the news of her passing Wednesday devastating.

"We will miss her for her energy, the joy, and laughter that followed her everywhere she went," the team said in a statement, "and we are grateful for everything she provided her Celtics family and the countless people that she positively impacted along the way."

They added, "She will remain part of our fabric for as long as the Celtics go on."

Janet Jackson's schedule is wide open after her Atlanta concert got pushed back in favor of the Hawks' playoff game ... and Trae Young wants her to kill time by watching his team fight to stay alive against the Celtics!!

The legendary singer was slated to perform at the State Farm Arena as part of her "Together Again" tour on Thursday ... but the venue was accidentally double-booked along with Game 6 of the Hawks vs. Cs series, perhaps because many believed Boston would have handled business by now.

The final decision -- Jackson's concert was pushed back a day to Friday, and the Hawks will take on Jayson Tatum and the Celtics as planned on Thursday.

"All tickets for Thursday night's show will be honored for Friday night," Live Nation said of the Janet concert. "Refunds will be available at point of purchase for those who are unable to attend."

Young -- who forced Game 6 after an insane game-winning shot on Tuesday -- has little-to-no sympathy for the concert delay ... but the 24-year-old sees this as an opportunity for Ms. Jackson to come through.

"Sorry not sorry to this LEGEND," the 2-time All-Star tweeted. "Hope she can be at the game now!"

FYI, Thursday's game is a must-win for the Hawks if they want to keep their season alive and force a Game 7. The winner of the series will head to the semifinals against the Sixers.

President Biden was played by Vladimir Putin ... according to the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, who says the Russian president agreed to send Paul Whelan home with Brittney Griner but changed the deal during the exchange.

Despite reneging on the agreed-upon swap, McCaul says the U.S. went through with the trade, sending back notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, knowns as "the merchant of death."

"The deal was originally when the arms dealer from Russia was released that it was supposed to be Griner, the athlete, and Paul Whelan," Rep. McCaul revealed this week during an appearance on CNN.

The Congressman from Texas' 10th district continued ... "When they got to the point of the handoff, they call it, the Russians only showed up with one of the hostages, and that was Griner. And unfortunately, the Marine, Paul Whelan, was left behind."

Rep. McCaul believes the Russian president "played" JB's administration.

"Very tricky on Putin's part, and in my view, the Biden administration got played by releasing a very dangerous arms dealer for just one hostage, and not both."

Of course, 53-year-old Whelan, a retired U.S. Marine, has been locked up in Russia since December 2018. Shortly after his arrest, he was convicted on an espionage charge, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The U.S. has always maintained the charges are BS.

As for the details of the negotiations, McCaul is likely in a position to know about the inner workings of the months-long, high-level discussions ... he chairs the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee. He also previously sat on the House Homeland Security Committee.

Shakur Stevenson says Ryan Garcia wasn't on "Tank" Davis' level Saturday night ... but he knows someone who is -- Shakur himself‍!

The 25-year-old undefeated boxer, one of the most talented fighters in the world, joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) where he broke down this weekend's megafight ... and previewed a potential scrap with Gervonta.

"I felt Tank looked sharp. He was real sharp. He boxed real good. I think Ryan was preschool. Ryan wasn't on that top level," the 20-0 fighter said.

"I ain't think Ryan was that good. I ain't taking no credit away from Tank. Tank did what he was supposed to do but Ryan wasn't that."

Where'd Garcia go wrong?

Shakur explained it like this ... "He ain't know his distance. He was looking for one left hook the whole entire fight. He threw a left hook three times in a row and got clipped. Anybody knows that when you're fighting Tank, you can't do something three times in a row because his brain is like a computer. He picks up on it."

Of course, Davis beat Garcia by 7th-round knockout ... delivering a crushing liver shot to Ryan's body, ending a fight years in the making.

We also talked to Shakur about the KO, and people criticizing Garcia for not getting up before the 10-count (Stevenson says the critique isn't fair).

After the fight, the chatter started ... the real fight to make, and the guy who poses a true threat to Tank, is Stevenson, who is coming off a TKO win in April.

The good news is Shakur says he really wants the fight ... and soon.

"I would love that fight. I think that's the biggest and best fight in the sport of boxing."

Stevenson believes Tank, like him, is an all-time fighter ... and he used a sports analogy to put the matchup into perspective.

"You got like a Michael Jordan that came around in his era. Then you got a LeBron that came around in his era but they wasn't in the same era so we never got to see them go against each other."

Stevenson summed up the future Stevenson vs. Garcia fight like this.

"With me and Tank, you got two special fighters that been special our whole careers and our whole lives. When it comes down to it, it's going to be the biggest and best fight in boxing."

More troubles for the Univ. of Alabama men's basketball team ... Jaykwon Walton, a top hooper who was slated to transfer to the Tide this season, was arrested over the weekend -- and now, he's been dropped from the team over it all.

Walton was busted for possession of marijuana at around 10:11 PM on the Strip in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night -- just three months after former Tide guard Darius Miles was arrested in the same area following allegations he was involved in the shooting death of Jamea Harris.

According to Tuscaloosa Police, a vehicle that Walton and two others were in reeked of marijuana ... and when officers eventually searched the ride, they said they found "a rolling tray, a baggie containing approximately 20 grams of marijuana, and a half-rolled blunt in the passenger side floorboard."

Cops also noted there were three loaded firearms in the car as well.

Walton was taken into custody and booked on a charge of second-degree possession of marijuana. He was released on $500 bond a short time later.

Bama head coach Nate Oats, though, said the former Wichita State star was no longer in the plans for his team's 2023-24 roster after the arrest.

"Alabama is no longer recruiting Jaykwon Walton," Oats said in a statement Monday night. "He will not be a student-athlete at the University of Alabama."

Oats had previously caught heat for the way he handled Miles' arrest and the ensuing allegations surrounding it back in the winter. While he did axe the guard from the team ... when authorities said star Brandon Miller had a connection to the case, Oats opted to not punish him.

Miller, who declared for the NBA draft this offseason, didn't miss a single game ... and eventually helped lead the Tide to the Sweet 16.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were just a handful of celebs who bent the knee for HRH last night -- and no, we don't mean King Charles ... we're talking LeBron James.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had box seats Monday at Crypto.com Arena -- having come on down from the Santa Barbara area to catch the big playoff game against the Grizzlies  ... which King James and co. secured in down-to-the-wire dramatic fashion.

Their presence came as a surprise to many when the TNT broadcast showed them in their private suite up in the stands -- and they seemed to be enjoying themselves ... flashing grins.

Later, they were caught on the Kiss Cam ... with their image being plastered on the giant jumbotron. The couple didn't really lock lips or anything, though ... they just giggled until the camera cut to someone else. However, it does seem PH might've considered a smooch.

Pretty neat to see 'em in such a public setting like this ... considering we hardly ever do. Harry and Meg tend to stick to the 805 area code, more or less, and hardly venture to the heart of L.A. And if they do ... they come privately, as they're hardly snapped by paps here.

Like we mentioned, they were in good (famous) company yesterday -- other stars in the building included Kim Kardashian, Adam Sandler, Timothy Olyphant, Flea and more.

We'll see more of Harry next weekend for his dad's coronation -- where Harry's expected to be front and center for the actual crowning ceremony on Saturday. Meghan won't attend.

Ime Udoka is back in the NBA ... hired as the Houston Rockets new head coach just months after the Celtics cut ties with the talented coach over an inappropriate relationship with an employee of the organization.

On Monday, the 45-year-old reached a deal to become the new head man in Houston, two weeks after Houston declined to pick up Stephen Silas' option.

Most people agree Ime is a fantastic coach -- he most recently led the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals.

However, in September 2022, Udoka was suspended for the whole season after it was revealed he had a "consensual intimate relationship" with a female staffer, violating Boston's team policies.

The team eventually cut ties with Udoka entirely, naming Joe Mazzulla their permanent head coach.

Details on the relationship with the staffer weren't made public. Udoka's fiancee, actress Nia Long, broke off their engagement after the affair came to light.

NBA legend Magic Johnson weighed in on the hire ... a move they nailed, if you ask Earvin.

"Houston is getting a championship-caliber coach," Johnson tweeted.

The NBA is investigating Hawks star Dejounte Murray for making contact with an official at the end of Game 4 against the Celtics Sunday in Atlanta ... and could be suspended as his team fights for their playoff lives.

As the game clock winded down in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena, Murray and his teammates began leaving the court, but Dejounte made a detour, before heading for the locker room.

Check out the video ... Murray walks up to official Gediminas Petraitis, in his 8th season as an NBA ref, and appears to bump him with his chest. It's unclear if the contact was incidental.

Dejounte also appeared to say something to the ref, before starting to walk away. Seconds later, a visibly frustrated Murray turns around and starts pointing while yelling, ultimately having to be restrained by his teammates before leaving the court.

The Celtics took a commanding 3-1 series lead in the first round after defeating Atlanta 129-121 ... and will look to close out the series in Game 5 Tuesday in Boston.

And, they may have to do it without Murray. Per NBA rules, "intentional physical contact with an official" results in an automatic one-game suspension. Again, the question is, was it intentional?

Murray has been one of Atlanta's best players -- alongside superstar pg Trae Young -- averaging 25.3 points per game and 7.3 rebounds through four contests against the C's. Losing Dejounte, one of their most potent offensive threats, would be a considerable blow.

Rick Pitino's phone was BLOWING UP Sunday ... the legendary hoops coach was seen giving out his phone number during the Knicks game, and lip-readers nabbed his digits, and wouldn't stop texting him.

Pitino was at Madison Square Garden to watch the team he coached from '87-'89 take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of their first-round playoffs series.

As is customary, the broadcast showed the vast array of celebrities in attendance at MSG, but when the cameras panned to Pitino, he could be seen mouthing his phone number while having a convo.

"So yesterday I was enjoying the Knicks game n someone read my lips on TV giving out my phone number," the 70-year-old head coach tweeted Monday.

He continued ... "Over 300 plus messages came in - here’s the bizarre news, 95% were nice n positive. I got a lead on 7 new recruits. My new cell is….."

Rick is one of the greatest coaches ever. He won National Championships with Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013 -- was vacated for an NCAA violation). His coaching career spans 40+ years, dating back to his time as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii (1974).

In March 2023, 70-year-old Pitino was named head coach of St. John's ... after coaching at Iona for three years.

Angel Reese is flattered Shaquille O'Neal considers her the greatest athlete in LSU history ... but for the college hoops star, the praise is premature, saying she hasn't done enough to earn that recognition.

Remember, the initial comments sparked a ton of debate ... when Shaq said "[Angel Reese's] probably the greatest athlete ever to come out of LSU Sports." The Big Fella added, "Did you hear what I just said? Male and female."

Well, Reese visited the Breakfast Club with her teammate Flau'jae Johnson on Monday and admitted she called the NBA legend after the controversial take.

Angel says she spoke with Shaq, who she calls "Uncle," and asked him, "Do you know how much pressure you just put on me?" According to Reese, O'Neal said he didn't give a f***.

Reese -- who went viral for doing the "You Can't See Me" gesture towards Iowa star Caitlin Clark during the national championship game -- explained she'd need to win another championship before feeling comfortable accepting the G.O.A.T. crown.

Of course, Angel's humility will likely play well with Olympian Lolo Jones, who ripped her fellow Tigers alum Shaq for having the "audacity" to say, Reese, who she respects, is the best athlete in LSU history.

Nevertheless, Angel and Flau'jae have lived their best lives since winning the NCAA title over the Hawkeyes. Reese said several rappers have slid in her DMs to congratulate her, including Drake, Future, DJ Khaled, and French Montana, to say congrats!

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West live very separate lives these days, but that doesn't mean they can't come together to support their kids ... doing just that this weekend.

Kanye and his wife Bianca Censori showed face at Kim and Kanye's daughter North's basketball game -- though it was only for a brief moment -- before the two took off in Kanye's SUV.

Kim was also at the game, walking into a bunch of photogs before taking in the action inside. On her way out, Kim was joined by North and some of her friends, Kim stayed quiet, but North joked about the photo flashes before they piled into a waiting car.

We haven't seen a whole lot of Kim and Kanye together as of late ... and it appears they showed to the game at separate times as well. However, they've maintained for a long time that they'd co-parent their 4 kids, and it appears they've been able to keep that promise.