Basketball

Michael Jordan is feeling the holiday spirit -- the NBA legend just donated $2 MILLION to help feed people in need!!!

"In these challenging times and in a year of unimaginable difficulty due to COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to pause and give thanks," Jordan said.

"I am proud to be donating additional proceeds from 'The Last Dance' to Feeding America and its member food banks in the Carolinas in Chicago to help feed America’s hungry."

Of course, "The Last Dance" documentary was wildly successful -- it's very cool to see MJ using that extra cash to help the less fortunate have a nice holiday.

The people at Feeding America -- which touts itself as "the largest charitable food assistance network in the U.S." -- were stoked to receive MJ's gift.

"An incredible gift to be thankful for -- NBA legend Michael Jordan is donating $2 million to help our neighbors facing hunger!"

Feed America says it works with 200 food banks and 60,000 food partners across the country -- and they're encouraging everyone who can help to pitch in!

"Hey baby boy, if you leave -- I'm still gonna love you!"

That's what one Wizards fan told John Wall straight to his face at a food giveaway in D.C. on Tuesday amid rumors Wall wants out of Washington.

Wall -- along with volunteers from the John Wall Family Foundation -- handed out 1,000 free meals to people in the D.C. area. He also blessed 150 families with $25 gift cards for groceries.

The fans showered Wall with love for hosting the event -- and Wall told the fans how much he loves working with the community in D.C.

But, the topic on everyone's mind ... is John Wall leaving?

There are reports Wall wants out of the organization that took him with the #1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

He repeatedly told reporters "no comment" when asked about the situation.

But, he couldn't help but crack a smile when the fans heaped praise on Wall for everything he's done in D.C. over the last decade.

Terrible news for hoops fans hoping to see Michael Jordan and LaVar Ball face off on the court ... the Big Baller is calling off a 1-on-1 game, saying they're just too old!!

It was a rare moment of humility from LaVar, who has been hyping up a mano-a-mano matchup with the GOAT for years.

But, at the Ball fam's turkey giveaway in South Central L.A. on Tuesday, LaVar told us straight-up -- it's not happening.

"Realistically, neither one of us is gonna do this," LaVar told TMZ Sports. "We over 50!"

Don't get it twisted -- LaVar joked both guys would be down if it came with a crazy price tag of $200 MILLION and at a crazy location like the Empire State Building ... but in reality, the only one getting the W is father time.

As we previously reported ... LaVar's son, LaMelo was just drafted by MJ's Charlotte Hornets -- which is why people thought the two could actually step on the court together.

But, now that LaVar's pulled off the game, we asked if he's chopped it up with his son's new boss and maybe smoked a cigar or 50 together.

By the way ... MJ will def consider this video a victory -- he's an insane competitor and would never say he's too old for anything.

There's more ... we also spoke with LaVar about the Balls unloading a semi-truck-worth of supplies for the Thanksgiving holiday ... and why it's so important for the family to give back to the community.

Michael Jordan collectors are gonna LOSE THEIR MINDS -- because some of the most coveted shoes from his career are hitting the auction block for the first time ever.

First, check out the black and red Jordans that MJ rocked during Game 4 of the NBA Finals in 1991 ... the year Jordan won his first NBA championship.

The kicks were signed by MJ and gifted to Sonny Vaccaro -- the former Nike executive who signed His Airness to his first sneaker deal.

And now, Vaccaro is putting them on the auction block through Goldin Auctions, where the shoes are expected to fetch between $500k and $750k!!!

"In my 6-decade career in basketball, I was fortunate to spend 7 years working together with Michael Jordan during my time at Nike, and these Air Jordans represent the moment that he became the most iconic athlete on the planet, as well as the culmination of my career and friendship with Jordan," Vaccaro said in a statement.

"Worn during his very first NBA Championship with the Bulls, and the first for Nike with Jordan, the sneakers were a gift from Jordan to commemorate this amazing achievement."

"The sneakers have remained in my collection for 30 years, and as Jordan’s legacy has only grown as the undisputed greatest of all time, I feel that now is the time to share them and their story with a new generation."

There's more ... Goldin Auctions also MJ's 1985-86 game-used Air Jordan Dunk Sole Sneakers -- 1 of only 5 pairs known to exist!

Goldin says these are the first pair to ever hit the public auction block -- and are expected to hit the $800,000 mark!

"The sneakers are a classic pair of red and white Air Jordans worn during Jordan’s second season, which have the black Nike swoosh logo on each side and the original Air Jordan logo on the ankle," Goldin says.

"Jordan returned from injury during the March 15th, 1986 game against the Milwaukee Bucks after recovering from his broken foot, and he wore variations of the Air Jordan 1s for the remainder of the season."

The shoes also contain a Nike code which show the letters "PS" -- which means they were a "Player Sample," not made for the masses.

Tristan Thompson signing with the Boston Celtics isn't a game-changer for him and Khloe Kardashian ... other than the historic Boston-L.A. rivalry hitting closer to home.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... Khloe and True will not be uprooting themselves from Los Angeles by moving to the East Coast with Tristan.

We're told Khloe plans on making extended visits to Boston with her 2-year-old tot to see her daddy when schedules allow for it ... but L.A. will remain home.

Our sources say True has her routine, her family and especially all of her beloved cousins in L.A. ... and both Khloe and Tristan don't want to take that away from her. Instead, they're set on making long-distance work.

As you know ... Khloe spent a lot of time in Cleveland with Tristan when he was on the Cavaliers -- including when she gave birth -- but returned to L.A. amid the fallout of him cheating on her, and has remained there ever since.

The 2 managed to reconcile over the pandemic months in L.A. after Tristan's NBA season ended -- signaling they were a couple again by doing things like taking hikes together. Nevertheless, we're told Khloe's steadfast on staying put with True.

Pope Francis has invited 5 NBA players to his home court -- The Vatican -- for a 1-hour meeting Monday about social justice issues.

The 5-player delegation features Sterling Brown -- the former Milwaukee Bucks star who was the victim of a police brutality incident in 2018 when he was tased by cops at a Walgreens.

The other players ... Kyle Korver, Orlando's Jonathan Isaac, Marco Belinelli and Anthony Tolliver.

Both Brown and Korver were members of the Bucks in the NBA Bubble this year when they boycotted a playoff game to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake. Brown is now a member of the Houston Rockets.

23-year-old Jonathan Isaac was one of the only players to stand during the national anthem during their Bubble. He's also an ordained minister.

Unclear exactly what the players and The Pope will talk about -- but it was reportedly Pope Francis who had a rep reach out to the NBA Players Association to get the ball rolling

Pope Francis reportedly "wanted to learn more about how players had recently brought attention to pressing social justice issues and economic inequality -- and what they planned for the future," according to ESPN.

After the meeting -- which took place in the papal library at the Apostolic Palace -- the players were scheduled to get a tour of St. Peter's Square.

Another sports card collector just hit the JACKPOT -- pulling a rare 1-of-1 LeBron James jersey card ... and he's already getting some huge offers to sell!

It all went down Thursday night at Jaspy's Case Breaks card shop in Hermosa Beach, CA -- which was hosting a "live break" of a box of 2019-20 Panini Immaculate Premium Edition cards.

Each individual box runs about $2,500 -- and contains ONE pack with SIX cards. High stakes card collecting!!!

Jaspy's was hosting an event where collectors could buy rights to cards based on an NBA team -- for example, you could buy the Houston Rockets for $100 and any card pulled featuring a player on the Rockets would belong to you.

Huge upside, but if the pack contains no Rockets players, you get nothing. Get it? Great.

In this case, a collector purchased the rights to the Lakers cards for $70 -- and man, BEST $70 INVESTMENT EVER!!

During Thursday's live break, Jaspy's staffer Joe pulled the holy grail from the set ... a LeBron game-used jersey card from LBJ's championship run with the Lake Show!!!

The guys at the shop went crazy -- and the collector who was watching virtually quickly realized they had something special!

We spoke with Erick Mitchell -- high-end card expert and card broker -- who tells us he was getting hit up by clients making big offers (from $50k to $75k) in the hours after the pull!

We're told the lucky fan hasn't sold the card yet -- instead, he wants to put it up for auction, where experts believe it could fetch more than $100,000!!!

So, who buys these kinds of cards?

Mitchell told us there are a handful of high-end LeBron "super-collectors" who pounce on anything they can ... price is no object.

As we previously reported, there's been a surge of interest in high-end cards lately ... even Rob Kardashian is getting in on the craze.

L.A. Clippers center Ivica Zubac says Shaquille O'Neal is flat-out WRONG to say Paul George needs to be traded ... telling TMZ Sports the team can be successful with PG-13 AND Kawhi Leonard on board.

Remember, the NBA legend was critical of the Clips following their 2nd round exit in the 2020 playoffs ... saying the team needs to ship George elsewhere and let Klaw be the guy.

We asked Zubac if he agreed with Shaq's comments Thursday at LAX ... and while he didn't say much, he got his point across.

"No," the 7-footer told us ... adding, "that's the man!!!"

Now, there were reports of serious locker room drama within the Clips organization this past postseason ... and while Zubac wouldn't dive into that discussion, it's clear he's sticking with his guy.

While the Clippers will be led by a different coach next season -- Doc Rivers is out, Ty Lue is in -- the squad is still one of the favorites to win it all.

"I think we know how it would turn out, to be honest."

That's LaMelo Ball trying REALLY hard not to piss off his father or his new boss Friday when asked who would win in 1-on-1 ... LaVar Ball or Michael Jordan!?!?!

The answer is obvious to most people ... but LaVar has been talking A TON of trash for years about how he would crush MJ if they ever squared up on the court.

And, now that Melo was drafted by MJ's Charlotte Hornets this week -- reporters asked the 19-year-old Friday straight-up ... who ya got?!

"I don’t think it's gonna happen," Melo said at first ... before adding, "And then, I think we know how it would turn out, to be honest."

Melo then explained his dilemma ... "I mean it is my pops and my boss ... so I’m on both sides now."

TRANSLATION -- MJ WOULD BEAT THAT ASS AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT!!

Look, LaVar has been making the "I'd destroy MJ" claims for years -- saying Jordan is simply "too little" to compete with him.

MJ famously fired back -- saying, "I don't think he could beat me if I was one-legged."

LaVar then told TMZ Sports, "I could beat him with 1 hand tied behind my back with some glasses on with one eye lens out with some flips flops on in the rain."

Think COVID could stop Russell Westbrook from helping out some families in need during the holiday? HELL NO!!

The NBA superstar grabbed some masks, gloves and sanitizer and hit the streets of L.A. on Thursday for his annual Thanksgiving dinner giveaway ... with some minor adjustments to keep everyone safe!

Westbrook's Why Not? Foundation teamed up with the L.A. Regional Food Bank and others to host a drive-thru event at Jesse Owens Park ... where all volunteers were decked out in PPE to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

It's the 9th year of Westbrook's food event -- but due to the pandemic, he had to make some changes this time around -- a challenge he happily met.

"This year is a little different with COVID and everything going on in our society," Russell said ... "But I'm thankful to be here to be able to give back to so many families."

He later added on Twitter, "Things are challenging right now & people are struggling. This is why it is more important than ever for me to support my community any way I can while keeping everyone safe."

Lonzo Ball is stepping up as big brother to help LaMelo get his beloved jersey number ... hitting up Malik Monk and asking if he's down to swap digits!!

Of course, #1 has ALWAYS been Melo's number -- from high school to Lithuania to Australia -- and the dude even has a massive tattoo to prove his loyalty to numero uno.

But, the youngest Ball Bro hit a snag after getting drafted by the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday ... 'cause Monk currently has ownership over #1.

Melo was introduced to the Hornets with a #2 jersey on Friday ... and Zo, who also wears #2 on the Pelicans, immediately went to work on getting lil bro his #1.

"Ayo @AhmadMonk what’s good?! You know you want 5!! 🤣 ", Lonzo tweeted at Melo's teammate.

The question is, is Zo doing this out of brotherly love ... or does he REALLY not want baby bro to have the same number as him??

Most likely the latter ... but either way, Monk would have to pick something other than #5 -- that currently belongs to Nicolas Batum.

The Tampa Bay Raptors? For now, yes.

The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they will begin the 2020-21 NBA season playing their home games in Tampa ... hours after the Canadian government reportedly ruled they could not host home games up north.

The long story short ... due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government didn't want teams flying in from the U.S. and possibly spreading the virus.

The U.S. is still considered a coronavirus hotbed -- with more than 11.8 million cases compared to just 315k in Canada.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri says the team had "productive" conversations with govt. officials in the hopes of keeping the team in Canada -- but with the season set to kick off on Dec. 22, Toronto decided it was better to start the season in Tampa and figure things out from there.

"Ultimately, the current public health situation facing Canadians, combined with the urgent need to determine where we will play means that we will begin our 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida," Ujiri said.

Ujiri says the team is committed to planning a safe return to Toronto -- "and as an organization, we remain committed to doing all we can to promote and demonstrate public health measures to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in Canada."

"So we'll be away from our home and our fans for now. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm not sure that's possible for us -- we love Toronto and Canada, and we know we have the best fans in the NBA."

What's the first thing you'd go out and buy if you were the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft????

That's something Greg Oden knows about -- he was top pick in 2007 -- and admits he blew his first paycheck on a really bad purchase!!

Now, Oden -- who's an athlete advisor for a financial company -- is telling TMZ Sports his story in hopes of helping players in the 2020 NBA Draft class avoid making the same mistakes!

TMZ Sports: "What advice would you give to these guys who are instantly becoming millionaires?"

Greg Oden: "I will say you are instantly in debt right now!"

What Greg means is players don't realize they already have a long list of people they have to pay -- from trainers to agents, rent, car bills and -- most importantly -- taxes ... and he says that can all lead to serious financial trouble for guys who aren't responsible from the get-go.

"What everybody thinks you make is definitely not what you're actually going to make," Oden says.

So, Greg's advice? "Get experts in your corner. Get people that you trust."

Oden says financial advisors, lawyers and CPAs are all great investments that can help players avoid the perils of future money problems.

And, Greg -- who's job at Edyoucore is specifically to help people in the sports and entertainment realm with their cash -- says he's down to assist some of these dudes!

"I wasn't able to do it on the court," Oden says, "but, right now, all the knowledge, all my experiences that I've been through, I'm definitely here to help out a lot of these guys."

By the way, Oden's also doing some other really cool stuff in retirement ... he's participating in a charity event with his wife this weekend to help needy families have a wonderful holiday meal.

Oh, and Greg tells us he's even been getting in a little basketball training too!

Nobody likes to get that dreadful break-up text ... but Chris Bosh says that’s EXACTLY how he found out LeBron James was leaving the Miami Heat in 2014 ... admitting he was initially pissed about the move.

The 2-time champ made the big reveal to Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the "All The Smoke" podcast Thursday ... when he was asked how King James broke the news he was returning to Cleveland.

"Through a text," Bosh said, laughing. "I thought he was BSing, and then about 10 minutes later it's everywhere."

"At the time, I didn't understand it."

"At the time, in my mind, I was ready to put the team together because we had just lost," Bosh added. "So we wanted to put something together so we could win. And it really didn't go like that."

The 11-time All-Star said it took months to get over James' departure ... but added, "It still worked out for everybody." After all, the Big 3 did win back to back championships in 2012 and 2013.

Of course, LeBron went on to bring Cleveland its first NBA title ... breaking the 52-year title drought in the city.

NBA superstar Klay Thompson has been diagnosed with a torn right Achilles tendon -- and will miss the entire 2020-21 season.

It's the worst possible news the Golden State Warriors could have received about the Splash Brother after he went down with an injury during a pickup game Wednesday in Downtown L.A. with other NBA players.

The team initially feared the injury could be severe ... a fear that was realized Thursday after the test results came back.

The injury usually takes 9-to-12 months for recovery -- though Kobe Bryant famously returned after 8 months when he suffered the same injury back in 2013.

What's worse for Klay is that he was busting his ass over the past year to return from a torn ACL in his left knee -- an injury he suffered during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, which required him to miss all of last season.

It's a major blow to the Warriors ... who posted the worst record in the league last season without their 2 biggest stars -- Thompson and Stephen Curry, who was recovering from a broken hand.

Thompson is easily one of the best shooters in the game -- with a career average of 19.5 points on 45% shooting ... including 41% from 3-point range.

WHAT A NIGHT FOR ISAAC OKORO!!!

Not only does he go #5 overall at the NBA Draft, but then he surprises his parents with a new Range Rover -- and the video is amazing!!

The former Auburn star was celebrating at a Draft party with close family and friends Wednesday night -- and after the Cleveland Cavs called his name with the #5 pick, he walked his parents outside to present them with a little gift.

Waiting out front was a brand new Range Rover with a giant red bow -- and 19-year-old Okoro proudly told his dad, "This is for you!"

His parents could hardly believe it -- and they all proceeded to share an emotional embrace as they took in the moment.

Okoro is reportedly expected to sign a 4-year deal with the Cavs worth $29.1 million -- with $13.1 in guaranteed money.

So, yeah ... he can afford it.

Congrats!!!