Basketball

Karl-Anthony Towns couldn't keep his lips to himself during a couples vacation with his NBA friends this week ... swappin' spit with Jordyn Woods in a steamy makeout sesh!!

The Minnesota Timberwolves star is getting in some R&R with fellow hoopers Paul George, Ivica Zubac, Patrick Beverley and their significant others in Mykonos ... and they looked happy as hell as they threw on their bathing suits and hit the water.

KAT and Jordyn -- who started dating in 2020 -- weren't shy one bit about their romance in front of the crew ... passionately kissing each other as they all hung out.

KAT and Jordyn weren't the only couple packing on the PDA ... 'cause Pat Bev and his girl, Mandana, were also inseparable during the beach day -- embracing each other as they showed off their fit figures.

As for Paul and his wife, Daniela, they were also looking cute as ever ... with the Clippers forward lifting her up in his arms as they shared a laugh.

The sports world is sending its thoughts and prayers to Bronny James following his cardiac arrest Monday ... with Damar Hamlin and a bevy of others wishing their best for LeBron James' oldest son after his medical emergency.

Hamlin -- who suffered commotio cordis during a game in January -- took to Twitter on Tuesday to offer his support for Bronny and the rest of the James family ... saying he's available if they need anything from him going forward.

"Here for you guys just like you have been for me my entire process," the Buffalo Bills safety said.

NBA stars Trae Young, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson also took to Twitter to offer prayers for Bronny.

Magic Johnson, too, released a statement on the scary situation ... saying, "Cookie and I are praying for LeBron and Savannah's son Bronny after hearing he suffered a cardiac arrest. We are praying and hoping he makes a full and speedy recovery."

Metta World Peace added in a tweet of his own, "Prayers for Bronny. What a great kid. Come back stronger young fella. Get better and feel better."

We broke the story ... Bronny was rushed to the hospital after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout at USC early Monday morning. Thankfully, however, a rep for the James family said the 18-year-old is now in stable condition and recovering.

Tristan Thompson almost got a front-row seat to a violent street fight over the weekend ... but thankfully for the NBA player, he hightailed out of the area just before the fists started to fly.

The wild scene all went down Saturday night at Papi Steak in Miami ... when the former Lakers center was outside of the restaurant with the hot spot's owner, David Grutman, and a few other men.

It's unclear what exactly was happening on the sidewalk or what Thompson's involvement in it all was ... but check out the video, it seems some of the people at the scene were angry about something -- and when Thompson sensed the apparent tension, he bolted.

"I'm gonna be in the car," he told the group of men as he walked away. "You guys figure it out."

The decision was clearly a good one ... 'cause just a minute later, a man in a blue shirt confronted a restaurant patron as he was leaving the eatery -- and then punches were thrown.

The guys traded blows right on the sidewalk for several seconds -- before the scuffle was all mercifully broken up.

Thompson's ride appeared to stay in the area during the entire fracas -- though it should be noted he was never once involved in any of the action.

It was all part of an eventful weekend in South Florida for Thompson ... who not only attended Lionel Messi's first game for Inter Miami on Friday night, but he also partied with his ex's sister, Kim Kardashian, afterward.

The Truth is ... Paul Pierce just might not have it anymore -- showing in the latest episode of "Stars On Mars" that his body is nowhere near as limber as it used to be when he was an NBA superstar.

The former Boston Celtics forward joined the existing cast on the popular Fox show this week ... and it didn't take long for him to provide some hilarious laughs on set.

As he was getting familiar with Lance Armstrong's workout routine ... he noticed Tinashe was getting in some yoga on a couple of mats nearby.

Intrigued by the stretch sesh ... 45-year-old Pierce thought he might be able to do it -- and, spoiler alert, he couldn't.

Check out the clip ... while Pierce was kind of able to bridge his body similarly to the pop singer's -- he eventually began shaking, before he crumpled to the floor.

Everyone got a huge kick out of it -- including Pierce himself, who let out a big laugh.

While Tinashe made it clear she's wary of the show's newest castmates ... it's gotta be hard to freeze out Pierce going forward after that display of athleticism.

Kim Kardashian is taking her soccer mom game to the next level ... bringing son Saint with her to Lionel Messi's first game with his new Major League Soccer club.

Kim and Saint are among the celebs in the house for Messi's debut with Inter Miami ... she says they're there to support Saint's passion for soccer, and root on his favorite player, Messi.

Remember ... Kim and Saint have been to soccer games around the world this year, we saw them back in March at a match in Paris.

Kim and Saint are seeing some familiar faces at the game ... because Tristan Thompson is also in the house.

Serena Williams made sure to catch Messi's first game ... and LeBron James did too, even sharing a moment with the soccer star before the game.

Messi's new Inter Miami team is playing Mexican club Cruz Azul at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale ... and he's coming off the bench and expected to play the last 30 minutes.

Lakers star Austin Reaves is shaking off rumors that he dated Taylor Swift ... saying straight up there's never been a love story between him and the pop singer.

The rumor initially cropped up a few weeks ago ... with some on the internet suggesting they had seen the basketball player with Swift while the two were at an Arkansas bar shortly after she had called things off with Matty Healy.

But, when Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson inquired about it all on the latest episode of the "All The Smoke" podcast ... Reaves said it just ain't true.

"I have never met her, never talked to her," the 25-year-old told the guys on the show. It's "all bulls***. I don't know her."

"I ain’t never talked to her," he added.

As for if Reaves would be down to date her at some point in the future ... Jackson actually tried to pry that answer from the hooper, but the media-savvy Reaves didn't want to indulge.

Channing Frye had a "welcome to the NBA" moment before he even made it to the league ... 'cause he claims Richard Jefferson racked up a whopping $36,000 tab on his credit card the night before he was drafted!!

The pair of Cavs champions/former Arizona Wildcats detailed the 2005 rager on their "Road Trippin'" podcast this week ... when RJ invited Frye and his crew of 20-30 friends to go clubbing in the Big Apple.

The former No. 8 overall pick says the group included a ton of ex-Arizona guys like Gilbert Arenas and Luke Walton, Nets and Knicks players and fellow class of 2005 draftee "David Lee's punk ass" (RJ's words, not ours) ... but there was no issue with rolling deep, 'cause Jefferson had clout in the city after helping the Nets reach the NBA Finals.

"Richard, for lack of a better term, ran that demographic of New York," Frye says.

Once they got inside the club, it was bad news for Frye ... who willingly handed over his card to RJ after he asked him to "hold the table."

As it turns out, Frye says the massive group ended up partying on his dime the whole night ... with the final damage coming out to a mind-blowing $36,000!!

"They swipe it, they swipe it," RJ says. "He's just getting crushed. And this is kind of like a rookie hazing."

Channing rightfully freaked out over it all ... explaining, "The NBA money hadn't even got into the ozone yet, and my phone is blowing up."

"My s*** is still college s***, I don't even have an NBA check yet!!"

RJ insists he was looking out for his guy the whole night ... saying he was acting as a security blanket in case things went south.

Out with the old, in with the new!

That's what Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili did to his family's car ... replacing their old SUV, a black Nissan Murano with a brand new electric car ... and the surprise was captured on video!

The Spurs forward, who starred at Seton Hall University, re-signed with San Antonio (1 year, $2 million) in March -- and he's putting his money to good use ... copping a white electric Volkswagen ID4.

Sandro's family was extremely happy and even took the new whip out for a spin.

"Surprising my family with a new car," the 24-year-old wrote on Instagram. "I’m so blessed to be in this position. MAMU FAM 💪🏼❤️."

The story is extra sweet because the family has been through a lot. Sandro's dad Zurab is a cancer survivor ... and he was living overseas in Georgia while Mamu was hooping at The Hall. In 2020, when #16 ranked SHU was playing #21 ranked Butler at The Rock in Jersey, Mamu knocked down an incredible game-winning shot ... and it happened to be the first game his dad was able to attend in nearly a year.

"As soon as he drew up the play, I was like, “I’m gonna make this.” When I did, all I did was stare at my father the whole time," Mamu told the NY Post at the time.

"He was pointing at me, and I was pointing at him. I feel like it was one of the proudest moments he had."

Rolling Loud Miami kicks off this weekend with plenty of side projects to accompany the main adventure, just like the youth basketball clinic the organizers slam-dunked Wednesday.

Festival founders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler, teamed up with the Miami Heat players Udonis Haslem & Haywood Highsmith and 50 kids from the Miami Gardens Life Skills & Summer Thrill camp ... as the official tip-off for the Rolling Loud Miami Week.

Udonis, being a Miami native and a 20-year vet of the Heat says the Rolling Loud clinic was especially personal for him, as he sees his former self in so many youth today.

Tariq assisted with both the DJing duty and skills training and we're told all the kids at the event had a blast.

Rolling Loud Miami Week will be booming with local community initiatives with familiar sponsors designed to inspire and inform the kids ... great time-fillers for their current school-free days.

On Thursday, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America will team with DGK Skateboards for a skate park clinic, that'll provide the 50 youth participants with skateboards and safety equipment to instill the basics.

Then on Friday, the Black Music Action Coalition will host a rally with NY Congressman Jamall Bowman and Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson to discuss the ongoing controversy of targeting rapper's lyrics.

Of course, the 3-day music fest will bring things home ... with Playboi Carti, Travis Scott and A$AP Rocky serving as the headliners this go around.

Draymond Green says his mid-practice attack on Jordan Poole was not the result of one single comment ... claiming his former teammate was pushing his buttons way before the altercation.

The Golden State Warriors star addressed the October 2022 incident on Barstool Sports' "Pat Bev Podcast" this week ... and he explained he isn't the type of guy to just unleash at the drop of a dime.

"I don't just hit people," Green said. "Dialogue happens and dialogue happens over the course of time. You usually ain't just triggered by something like that fast to that degree. This is a team, ain't nobody on my team triggering me in an instant."

Green didn't disclose what was said prior to the punch, but insinuates Poole crossed the line.

"We know stuff that you don't say amongst men," he added. "We know things that you have to stand on. As I've admitted before, I was wrong in the way I handled it for the situation where we were."

Draymond went on to say he has no hard feelings toward Poole ... and wishes him well at his new home with the Washington Wizards.

Despite the olive branch, Poole's dad didn't seem to care for his comments on the altercation ... going off on Draymond in a fiery tweet late Tuesday night.

"I'm stand on this that's is some bs," Anthony Poole said. "Jp was his guy and he avoid me all last yr."

"He is a soft as bitch and I'm standing on this and he didn’t apologize to me and my wife. So he lame and me and him can meet anytime he want."

Lamar Odom is expanding his business portfolio ... his newest venture aims to find affordable living for seniors in California, and he's crediting his grandmother with the assist.

The former NBA star's manager tells TMZ ... Lamar is partnering with Regency Palms Senior Living in Oxnard and Long Beach to start Odom Senior Care, which provide affordable and luxurious care for seniors.

We're told Lamar's inspiration is his 96-year-old grandmother, Florence, who now lives alone in the same Bronx apartment she's called home for a whopping 70 years.

He decided to get into the senior living biz as a way to help folks ... after running into some obstacles earlier this year while trying to find a new home for grandma.

The major issue Lamar sees with the current landscape -- adequate senior living is just too expensive, and he's determined to change the status quo.

He already has the 2 facilities in SoCal, and plans to expand to reach his ultimate goal of providing seniors with pre-negotiated rates in 1,000 communities -- an ambitious aim, for sure, but one he hopes to achieve by year's end.

This move comes on the heels of Lamar successfully launching the Odom Recovery Group to help folks find sobriety.

Steph Curry's hot streak rolled right into Monday night ... 'cause just one day after he scored a huge win at a prestigious celeb golf tournament, he got an epic shout-out from Drake!!

The Golden State Warriors star was at Barclays Center in Brooklyn for Drizzy's "It's All A Blur" tour some 24 hours after he nabbed the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe ... and the rapper actually paused his show to give the hooper love.

Drake called Curry his "brother" and complimented his looks ... before he told the sold-out crowd to "make some noise" for the four-time NBA champ.

Drake also shouted out Ayesha Curry and Sonya Curry -- who had VIP seats right alongside Steph at the concert.

The Currys all seemed to love it -- arena cams caught them grinning ear-to-ear -- before Drake started spittin' on the microphone once again.

The moment was just one of many big ones for Steph in the last few weeks ... he's had a hell of a summer so far -- first appearing on The Match in late June, then hitting a hole-in-one on Saturday ... before earning the ACC crown on Sunday.

Things are only looking up from here too ... Steph revealed Monday his Gentleman's Cut Bourbon is launching worldwide later this month as well.

James Worthy hasn't tuned into "Winning Time" but not because he's against a series on the Showtime Lakers ... on the contrary, the hoops legend says he wanted to be involved, but showrunners never reached out.

"I haven't watched it because I wasn't involved in it," Worthy recently told TMZ Sports.

"And I was hoping that they would come to us and get some really good interviews and some really good one-on-one sit-downs because we were willing to, like, share a lot of stuff. That decade was iconic. And I just wish we could have been involved."

"Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" is an HBO drama based on the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Lakers squad. The show premiered in March 2022 and was renewed for another season which begins airing in August.

If you're wanting Lakers content, James, a 3x NBA champion, does have a suggestion that isn't "Winning Time ... Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers."

"I did the Hulu, the Legacy, which is the real deal. It's real footage with interviews of people who were there. So I understand satire, but I just think [Winning Time] could have been done really, really good. And I was disappointed that it wasn't."

We also asked James if he's discussed the HBO series with any of his former teammates.

"We never talked about Winning Time because we weren't involved in it. We talked a lot about the Legacy. So if you really want to know the truth, go watch Legacy on Hulu. Go watch the Legacy on Hulu, get the real deal."

Brandon Miller's 📍 Cloud Nine ... 'cause the Charlotte Hornets rookie just met Paul George -- the man he considers the G.O.A.T. -- and the Clippers star offered to mentor the #2 overall pick throughout his NBA career!

"Use me, use me as much as you want," George told Miller. "Use me as a resource, bro. That's what I'm here for. I want to help you in every step that you need if you need."

The All-Star continued ... "Make that journey a lot smoother and easier for you."

The two finally linked up on George's podcast weeks after the former Crimson Tide hoops star revealed PG13 was the player he considered to be the greatest ever ... not LeBron James, Michael Jordan or anyone else.

Of course, fans roasted Miller for picking George over James and Jordan ... but it's clear BM couldn't care less as he sat down with the L.A. Clippers.

"It's exciting just him being in my presence," Miller said to PG's co-host. "It's definitely a great moment, been lookin' up to him for a long time."

Miller explained to George that he became his GOAT when he played on the Indiana Pacers and put Chris "Birdman" Anderson on a poster back in the day.

"Now I'm up here with him, now I get to compete against him I think is an even better experience."

Of course, George knows what it takes to be an NBA star ... he's been in the league for 13 seasons and is an 8-time All-Star, NBA's Most Improved Player, in addition to many other earned accolades.

Miller, were it not for Victor Wembanyama, would've been the top pick ... and many people believe he has Kevin Durant-like skills on the court. So, skies the limit ... and Paul's there to help.

A group of hero kids did their best Baywatch impression over the weekend, rescuing a "drowning" Shaquille O'Neal (don't worry, he was pretending!), and bringing the gigantic NBA legend to safety at a resort pool in Hawaii.

Don't worry -- Shaq's totally fine! But, he did have some fun in Honolulu over the weekend, where the Big Fella was in town to DJ at The Republik.

O'Neal had some downtime, so he hit up the pool ... where he was spotted by a group of kids. The 7'1 legend is a tough man to miss.

A fan named Daniel Chavez got the interaction on video ... showing Shaq playing with about ten kids in the pool, before pretending to drown so they could save the 7'1, 300+ pound behemoth.

Needless to say, all Shaq had to do was stand up.

Fans thought it was hilarious and adorable at the same time ... with one writing, "There is no better celebrity when it comes to interaction with everyday civilians better than Shaq."

"He genuinely loves his fans and people. He treats everyone the same no matter where he is or what he doing‼️"

Chavez also shared a video of DJ Diesel on the turn tables during what he does best (outside of hoops) at his sold-out event.

LeBron James might be immortalized outside two arenas by the time his career is over ... so says Lakers legend James Worthy, who tells TMZ Sports he could definitely see the NBA superstar getting statues in Cleveland AND Los Angeles.

The three-time NBA champ spoke with us about the King's Purple & Gold legacy earlier this week ... and he said it's entirely possible James gets the bronze treatment outside Crypto.com Arena one day.

"It depends on what he does here out," Worthy said at the Teqball USA Pre-ESPY party. "Personally -- and I think he'd agree -- he hasn't been here long enough."

"But I think his overall greatness, when you have a player like LeBron, who breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's [all-time scoring] record in Los Angeles, does it as a Laker, then wins a championship as a Laker, you can't argue that he could get a statue in Los Angeles."

"And he could get one in Cleveland as well," Worthy added. "So, I don't know about Miami, but bringing one to Cleveland and Los Angeles, it's doable, in my opinion."

It's assumed LeBron will get a statue in Cleveland -- after all, he's by far the greatest player in franchise history and led the Cavaliers to their first championship.

There are currently six Lakers statues outside the arena ... including Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kareem, Elgin Baylor and broadcaster Chick Hearn.