Basketball

Shaquille O'Neal is back in the rap game!

The basketball legend linked up with an L.A.-based rap group for a new song and music video, and it slaps.

TMZ Sports talked to Coyote -- made up of rappers Ladies Love Guapo and Ricky Blanco -- and they tell us The Big Aristotle was a fan of their work going back some time, and they developed a relationship. The guys began talking about hopping on a track together

"[Shaq] was like as long as it's some hardcore stuff, I'm down. So we made a hardcore hip hop '90s-type song and we're like 'Bro, let's send it to Shaq,' and he got on it, did his thing, he spit like 32 bars. He went off!" Ladies Love Guapo told us.

The guys say O'Neal loved the beat and a few hours later, voila ... his verse was in their inbox.

"4 hours later he FaceTimes us and he shows us his verse and he went crazy! He's rapping better than 90% of rappers out there."

Shaquille even pulled up for the music video shoot in Los Angeles ... shot in the city where he delivered three championships.

"3 Lokos" is the first song Coyote ft. Diesel are releasing ... but it won't be their last.

In fact, Blanco says they already have a second song they've recorded with Shaq, and plan on dropping more music in the near future ... including rapping on a beat that O'Neal produced.

Michael Jordan's personalized book from famous author Harper Lee is on the market ... and his custom copy of "To Kill A Mockingbird" is going for five figures.

Harper sent Michael an autographed copy of her classic work back in 1995, when 'TKAM' was celebrating its 35th anniversary and MJ was playing basketball for the Chicago Bulls.

Michael's signed copy reads ... "To Michael Jordan - best wishes, Harper Lee."

Harper mailed a small number of autographed special edition copies to celebs she was connected with ... and the NBA superstar was among that special group.

MJ kept his signed copy in his library when he was married to Juanita Vanoy, and when they divorced in 2006 she got the book as part of their divorce settlement.

The book was ultimately purchased by a private collector ... and now it's going up for sale over at Moments In Time.

Longtime NBA referee Eric Lewis is retiring ... just a couple months after the league announced it was looking into allegations he wrongfully used social media.

The 19-year-vet, who's officiated over 1,200 regular-season and playoff games, informed the league of his decision on Wednesday ... according to NBA officials.

The league added its probe into Lewis' alleged social media activity is now closed.

As we previously reported, the NBA initially began its investigation back in the spring ... after some claimed now-deleted tweets regarding the league's officiating came from a burner account belonging to the 52-year-old.

The NBA, of course, does not allow refs to publicly comment on officiating ... and while they looked into the matter, they pulled Lewis from his role as an NBA Finals ref.

At the time, Adam Silver said he didn't think it would be "appropriate for him to work" the games amid the allegations.

Jack Harlow dropped the visuals for his song, "Denver," on Wednesday ... and fittingly, he enlisted one of the city's biggest stars to appear in the music video -- Jamal Murray!!

The Kentucky-based M.C. released the project minutes ago ... which shows the Nuggets champion smiling from ear-to-ear alongside him at about the halfway point.

It's a brief appearance, but it's a cool move by Harlow to show love for the young baller fresh off bringing a title to the Mile High City earlier this year.

Jack is no stranger to rubbing elbows with NBAers -- remember, the guy named a song after Tyler Herro back in 2021, and featured the Miami Heat hooper in the video for that track as well.

Harlow also had his infamous controversy with Lou Williams during the COVID-19 pandemic ... when he posted a selfie of them together at Magic City in Atlanta when the then-Clippers guard left the NBA bubble for a funeral.

No issues this time around ... as Murray thanked Harlow for the special shoutout.

Stan Van Gundy is getting a ton of support from his Orlando Magic family after the loss of his beloved wife ... with a ton of former players and staffers coming together to visit the coach -- including Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and Patrick Ewing.

Marcin Gortat -- who played center on the Magic from 2007 to 2010 -- shared a photo of the crew with Van Gundy on his Instagram just days after Kim suddenly passed away at the age of 61.

Several stars smiled as they posed with coach ... with the big man explaining the meeting was all about SVG.

"We all came out to support our leader and one of the best coaches in history of the game," Gortat said." Coach Stan Van Gundy. #nba #family #orlando #florida."

Howard -- who played under Van Gundy for five seasons -- penned an emotional Instagram post when Kim passed away ... saying he would always be there for him.

"We've been through it all, and these are the times that we need each other the most. My deepest condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to you from the bottom of my heart," Howard said.

"I want you to know that myself and everyone from our Orlando team loves you and has your back through this time!"

Bronny James is already back in the USC classroom just a month after going into cardiac arrest, according to head hoops coach Andy Enfield ... who's hoping his star freshman makes a return to the hardwood very soon!

Enfield met with reporters on Monday and provided an update on the star 18-year-old freshman hooper ... and it's positive news!

"The good thing is [Bronny's] doing extremely well and he's in class right now. And we all love him," Enfield said.

"I think everybody is hopeful that Bronny will return to the court. We just have to be patient and take it step by step."

Whether he returns to the court or not, Enfield made it clear James' well-being is most important, and they plan to take things slowly.

"Our goal is to support Bronny in any way we can academically, athletically, and be patient with how things develop in his return."

Of course, the James family made a major revelation on Friday, announcing Bronny's cardiac arrest resulted from an "anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect."

It sounds scary ... but it's actually good news, according to doctors, who say the birth defect can be treated.

"We are confident in Bronny's full recovery and return to basketball in the near future," the James statement read.

Despite not playing basketball, we've seen Bronny out, living his life. In fact, he recently hit up a Dodgers game and Drake concert with LeBron.

James was a 4-star recruit coming out of Sierra Canyon in L.A. ... where he was regarded as one of the top 50 high school basketball players in the country.

Paul Pierce is opening up on the most terrifying experience of his life ... revealing his near-fatal stabbing in 2000 shaped him into the man he is today.

The Celtics legend reflected on his past in an emotional conversation on Monday night's episode of Fox's celebrity competition show, "Stars On Mars" ... explaining the Boston nightclub incident -- in which he was stabbed 11 times -- completely changed his point of view.

"I've showed endurance in my life because I never gave up," Pierce said in the clip. "I kept going and going."

The Truth added he was at the "lowest point in my life" when he got in the altercation ... saying, "I was like 23 years old, living my dream, and then all of a sudden I'm fighting death."

But, instead of letting the stabbing derail his journey, Pierce said it made him want to work even harder.

"Not only was it a low point, it was a high point for me, too. It changed my thinking, it changed my mindset, it changed how I lived."

Pierce compared the stabbing to his experience on the show ... as he spent the first few days struggling to gain any ground, but persisted and made it to the very end.

"It's kinda been my life, starting at the bottom and rising up."

Pierce went on to play every game of the 2000-01 season ... eventually bringing a championship to the Celtics in 2008.

NBA players aren't the only ones dragging Noah Lyles for smearing the NBA's "World Champion" title ... Drake took time out from his 'Blur' Tour to rub the track star's nose in his commentary!!!

Drake reps Toronto first and foremost, but even he had to cringe at Lyles' comments and hopped on DJ Akademiks' page to react  ... "He thought this speech was gonna be so hard in the mirror the night before...now the whole league doesn't rate u 😂😂😂"

Lyles' NBA slander also proved to be easy fodder Monday for Charlamagne tha God's "Donkey of the Day" -- countless previous 'DoD' culprits have hailed from the state of Florida and Noah, being born and raised in Gainesville, found himself to be no exception.

Lyles, dominated over the weekend at the World Athletic Games in Budapest, Hungary ... winning 3 Gold medals and many think he got too big-headed to formulate a serious thought.

As Charlamagne -- and several NBA stars noted -- the league attracts the best players from all over the WORLD, and the last 3 MVPs have all been non-American ... and 2 of them won back-to-back!!!

Noah Lyles clearly ruffled feathers when he criticized NBA players for calling themselves "world champions" after winning an NBA title ... 'cause Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Draymond Green and other hoop stars clapped back at the track star for the perceived shade!

If you missed it, Lyles, who just won three golds (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay) at the World Athletic Games in Budapest, Hungary, criticized NBA players for calling themselves "world champions," saying NBA players shouldn't get that moniker when they only play in the U.S. and Canada.

"You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head. World champion of what? The United States?!" Lyles said.

"Don't get me wrong, I love the U.S., at times, but that ain't the world. That is not the world. We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain't no flags in the NBA."

Several NBA stars caught wind of 26-year-old Lyle's comments.

"Somebody help this brother," Durant wrote in the comments, while Booker left a face-palm emoji.

Draymond -- a 4x NBA champ -- also had a few words for the world's fastest man ... "When being smart goes wrong 🤦🏿‍♂️".

NBA players weren't the only ones clappin' back ... fans also flooded Lyles' IG comment section, with one writing, "Your insecurity is insane. Sorry track isn’t the premier sport in the US."

Of course, Lyles is technically right. The NBA championship is played in North America. But, the NBA teams feature the best players from not just America or Canada, but around the world. Giannis, Jokic, etc.

Doctors have gotten to the bottom of Bronny James' cardiac arrest, saying after extensive testing they've discovered a congenital heart defect that CAN be treated ... and the James family hopes he can continue his basketball career.

After consultations with some of the top heart doctors around the country, physicians believe they've identified the cause of Bronny's cardiac arrest.

"It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated," a statement released by the family said.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 18-year-old Bronny's heart stopped on July 24 during a workout on USC's campus in L.A.

James spent the weeks after getting evaluated at the Mayo Clinic and other medical institutions ... all in an effort to find out why he went into cardiac arrest.

Bronny appears to be doing much better. He's been spotted out around Los Angeles, most recently attending a Dodgers game and Drake concert with his dad.

As for his basketball future, the family is optimistic he can return to the court.

Gorilla Nems isn't feeling appreciated by the New York Knicks after lending them his trusty catchphrase ... and he's flipping them the bird as a staff, organization, and entire crew!!!

Bootleg Kev struck an apparent nerve with Nems when he asked if he gets free Knicks tickets since flipping his "Bing Bong" track into a remix for the team, and the Coney Island rapper went off.

Nems claims the NYK have "disgusting" business tactics, and are snakes in the grass ... and he says they make him jump through hoops to catch any hoops action at MSG.

He claims the team tried to offer him crappy seats after he participated in a celebrity b-ball game, but Nems says he wants courtside or nothing.

We gotta say, that's a pretty tall order -- everyone knows those Garden seats are always filled with A-listers -- and yet, Nems feels the team owes him a Spike Lee-adjacent seat.

Knicks fans know the "Bing Bong" soundbite well ... it plays in MSG every time the team makes a 3-pointer. You'd think that would make Nems a life-long Knicks fan, but that relationship's clearly soured.

Forget game-worn memorabilia ... how about a leather outfit rocked by an NBA legend?!

Wilt Chamberlain's two-piece disco suit, worn by oner of the coolest athletes of all time, is on the block at SCP Auctions ... and is expected to sell for a pretty penny (bids start at $20k)!

SCP described the suit as one of the "most unique" items from the Big Dipper ... a fit he not only wore on multiple occasions including during a visit to the Playboy Mansion, but he was also photographed in the threads over the years.

The blazer and pants are in "wearable condition" and come with horse hair and feather tassels attached. Instead of buttons, the designer used stones and leather.

"This suit certainly aligns with Chamberlain's larger-than-life attitude," SCP said, "and can be photo-matched to multiple images of Wilt enjoying the nightlife in the 70s."

SCP got its hands on the rare fit from a private owner who obtained it at auction in the early 2000s.

Of course, anything worn by Wilt is gonna cost you ... the Philadelphia-born baller, a 4x league MVP, is considered one of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball.

Wilt earned many accolades during his 14-year career. He made 13 All-Star teams, was a 7x scoring champion and 11x rebounding champion. He won 2 NBA titles and was the Rookie of the Year. Chamberlain could do whatever he wanted on the court.

Off the court, Wilt was known for his alleged exploits with the opposite sex ... claiming to have slept with over 20,000 women. With the disco suit, we're inclined to believe him.

Win or lose, it's Hakuna Matata for the New York Liberty ... 'cause the WNBA squad is teaming up with Broadway's "The Lion King" to bring the hit musical to the halftime show!

The announcement was made on Thursday ... the show at intermission, inspired by the musical, will go down on September 7 when Sabrina Ionescu and the Liberty take on the Los Angeles Sparks at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Outside of the halftime show, there will be special appearances from members of the Broadway company, plus giveaways and other cool Lion King experiences at the arena.

"The New York Liberty are honored to team up with the iconic Broadway production, The Lion King, as we continue to elevate our world-class fan experience at Barclays Center," Liberty CEO Keia Clarke said.

"As two long-standing staples in the New York entertainment landscape, we look forward to our first-of-its-kind collaboration on September 7."

"The Lion King" is one of the most successful shows in Broadway history ... and has been performed across the world in nine different languages. The musical is celebrating its 25th year on Broadway and is the highest-grossing B'way show of all time (over $1 billion!!!).

The best tennis player in the world is no match for Jimmy Butler -- the NBA superstar proved he's got serious skills on more courts than just the hardwood ... by scoring a point off Carlos Alcaraz during a U.S. Open charity event!!

The Miami Heat hooper was serving as an honorary ball boy for the Spanish star's contest against Frances Tiafoe at the Stars of the Open at Louis Armstrong Stadium on Wednesday ... when all of a sudden, he decided to step in and show off his tennis game.

Okay, so Butler might not be the next Federer ... but he certainly held his own as he rallied with the No. 1-ranked Alcaraz, who was obviously taking it easy on the six-time All-Star.

At one point, Butler asked Alcaraz to hit him with a fast serve so he could prove he could successfully return ... but didn't get his wish, as his opponent put in about 5% power on his attempt.

But, it was Jimmy Buckets who got the crowd roaring by the end of the point ... sneaking a shot past Alcaraz to come out on top!!

Kimberly Van Gundy -- the wife of former NBA coach and analyst Stan Van Gundy -- tragically died last week, the family announced.

She was 61.

Stan, who coached the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans over the course of his career, met Kimberly at Castleton State College in Vermont in the mid-1980s ... where he was the head coach of the men's basketball team at the time.

Kimberly and Stan got married on May 28, 1998 ... and celebrated their 25th anniversary earlier this year.

"I lost my big sister Kimberly Abbott Van Gundy on Wednesday," Kimberly's sister, Catherine, said in a statement last week. "She was one of my favorite people and I will forever miss her. Rest in peace, Kim."

Kimberly's obituary page reads ... "Kimberly's kindness and love for all around her was shown through her charitable works and activism."

A cause of death was not announced.

Kimberly leaves behind her husband and four children -- Shannon, Michael, Alison and Kelly.

You can't see Angel Reese on the court OR in class -- the LSU superstar says she's so popular on campus these days, she has to handle all her academics online!!

The Tigers forward revealed the adjustment in a new interview with Teen Vogue this week ... saying she wasn't expecting to blow up the way she did after the women's hoops team won its first-ever championship back in April.

"I didn't think I was going to be on Shade Room every time I post something," Reese said.

Reese -- who went viral after making John Cena/Tony Yayo's famous gesture all up in Iowa baller Caitlin Clark's face -- explained the attention she got in Baton Rouge became a little bit too much for the 21-year-old student-athlete.

"I don't feel like I'm a celebrity, but I think a lot of people look at me as a celebrity now because of the impact I've had on not just women's basketball, but sports in general, and Black women," Reese said. "Things have changed for me."

Her money has also changed -- Reese signed several NIL deals worth up to $1.6 million since becoming a star, but she's not letting the money and fame distract her from what's most important to her.

"School's first, basketball is next," Reese said. "I wouldn't be here without school and basketball, so that's my priority."

Once she's done with that, Angel said she plans to play in the WNBA ... and hopes to retire her mom ASAP.

"My mom is my rock," Reese added. "Everything I do is just for her and my brother."