Basketball

LeBron James might have some stiff competition (or a great partner!) if the WNBA's Atlanta Dream does go up for sale ... 'cause Renee Montgomery says she's dead serious about potentially buying the squad too.

"Listen, I'm interested," the WNBA star said on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 (which she co-hosts). "I think that people talking about it are actually serious. And, I'm actually serious."

Of course, the Dream is NOT for sale at the moment ... but team owner Kelly Loeffler -- who just lost her U.S. Senate run-off election in Georgia this week -- has become a villain in the league, and it's led to speculation a sale could be imminent.

In fact, it seems Loeffler's players would actually prefer that ... 'cause members of the Dream have been so outraged by Loeffler's controversial comments during the Black Lives Matter movement this summer, they openly encouraged people to vote her out of office.

And, if Loeffler does end up selling over it all, LeBron tweeted on Tuesday he was "gone put together an ownership group for the The Dream," adding, "Whose in?"

Apparently, Montgomery is ... with the 34-year-old saying Wednesday, "If everything goes OK, I would definitely be interested."

Montgomery is no stranger to owning orgs ... as we previously reported, the WNBA player -- who played for the Dream before taking a hiatus to focus on social justice issues in 2020 -- co-owns the Beasts team in the new Fan Controlled Football league.

Miami Heat and Boston Celtics players took a knee during the national anthem prior to tip-off Wednesday ... with both teams releasing a powerful message following the Jacob Blake decision and unrest in D.C.

The Celtics reportedly held a players-only meeting during warmups ... presumably to figure out how to address the current status of the country and whether the game would take place.

The result -- a joint statement from both teams explaining their decision to play.

"2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed," the players said in a statement. "We play tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation's capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on."

"The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today’s protesters who acted illegally just shows how much work we have to do."

Of course, the players are referring to the Trump supporters who broke into the Capitol just hours ago ... breaking through barriers and jumping over walls to enter the building.

Miami center Meyers Leonard was the only Heat player to stand for the anthem (as he did throughout the 2020 season restart in Orlando) ... while every Celtics player elected to take a knee.

The statement continued ... "We have decided to play tonight’s game to try and bring joy into people's lives."

"But we must not forget the injustices in our society, and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America."

"I’m normally a pesto on my pasta type of guy, but today I went with Alfredo sauce."

You heard right ... the sauce is what caused Brooklyn Nets' Jarrett Allen to GO OFF on the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

The 6'11" Allen usually comes off the bench behind DeAndre Jordan -- but the 22-year-old center got the starting nod on Tuesday and went FULL beast mode!

Final stat line -- 19 points, 18 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks!

Allen even put Rudy Gobert on a poster TWICE --- with the Nets dominating the Jazz in a 130 to 96 victory.

So, what fueled his amazing performance?? Allen says it was all about the pre-game meal!

"Before the games, I’m normally a pesto on my pasta type of guy, but today, I went with alfredo sauce," Allen said post-game.

"So, I really think that was the thing that turned my game on tonight."

Ryan Ayers -- a former Notre Dame college basketball player and later an assistant coach with the team -- has been charged with voyeurism after allegedly shooting multiple naked women without their consent.

Ayers -- who graduated in 2009 -- joined the Notre Dame coaching staff following the 2015-16 season ... but was let go in September without explanation.

Now, prosecutors are going after Ayers -- essentially claiming he's a predator who illegally recorded two different women in compromising positions without their knowledge.

Officials say the images were shot over a 4-year span. Investigator claim they recovered damning evidence from Ayers phone including "various images of naked women where they seem to be unaware that a photo was being taken of them."

"These images include the women in the shower, sleeping on a bed, or in a sexual position."

One of the women told investigators Ayers had shared images of her in a group chat with "the guys," according to documents obtained by the South Bend Tribune.

The woman also told investigators that she learned images of her, taken by Ayers in his South Bend home, had been shared by Ayers in a group chat with “the guys,” documents say.

Ayers was also charged with 1 count of domestic battery stemming from an alleged July 2020 altercation with one of the alleged voyeurism victims. The woman told authorities Ayers hit her in the face during an argument in a car.

For his part, Ayers has denied the allegations in a statement issued by his lawyer.

Some of the biggest star athletes in the world are sending their love to Dr. Dre -- from LeBron James to Magic Johnson and many, many more.

"Praying for you my Brother," LeBron posted on social after learning Dre was hospitalized in Los Angeles following a brain aneurysm.

LeBron and Dre go back years -- Bron reportedly partnered with the rap legend back in 2008 to be an ambassador for Beats By Dre, and in exchange Lebron got an ownership stake in the company.

Bron's former teammate, Kendrick Perkins, said in 2020 that LeBron made $700 MILLION when Apple bought the company for $3 billion in 2014.

LeBron never confirmed the windfall personally -- but in 2018, LeBron told Maverick Carter getting into business with Beats by Dre was one of the best business decisions of his life.

Other stars also sent love to Dre -- including Magic Johnson who wrote, "Cookie and I are praying for our friend Dr. Dre to make a full recovery! Get well soon my friend!"

NFL star Russell Wilson -- "Prayers up for Dr. Dre."

Dwyane Wade -- Sending Love and protection to Dr. Dre."

Robert Griffin III -- "Prayers up for Dr. Dre and his family"

Ever seen a dunk so vicious it broke the backboard AND earned love from the game's ref?!?

Now you have ... 'cause Texas high school basketball star Tyler Stone did just that mid-game Saturday -- and the video is INSANE!!!

The scene all played out in Joshua H.S.'s game against Ennis H.S. in the Dallas-Fort Worth area ... when 6'3" Stone got the ball on a breakaway.

You can see in the clip, the senior guard rose up quickly to try to score before the two defenders chasing him could get to the hoop ... and what happened next was wild!

Stone slammed the ball through the rim so hard, it shattered the glass backboard -- raining shards all over the floor!!!

The crowd in the gym went from elated, to stunned, to downright raucous ... and the play was so cool, even the ref slapped hands with Stone afterward!!!

Don't worry ... nobody was hurt by the raining glass -- and seems officials were able to replace the hoop no problem, 'cause the game went on without a hitch.

More COVID drama for Kevin Durant -- the NBA superstar is reportedly set to quarantine for 7 days (and will miss the next 4 NBA games) after being exposed to someone with the virus.

The team has confirmed the 32-year-old is out -- and according to NBA protocol, he must quarantine for 7 days and produce negative tests in order to return.

The Brooklyn Nets are hoping KD will return to face the Denver Nuggets on January 12 -- it's the earlier Durant can return if he continues to test negative.

Remember, Durant battled coronavirus himself back in mid-March -- but recovered and tested negative in early April. He was one of the first superstars to test positive for the virus. Nevada governor Steve Sisolak used KD as an example to show that no one is safe from COVID.

The Nets have lost 4 of their last 5 games -- and could definitely use KD as they get ready to face Utah, Philadelphia, Memphis and OKC over the next week.

While anti-maskers around the country continue to freak out, here's the Boston University men's basketball team wearing mouth coverings during their game on Monday.

And, get this ... they WON!!

FYI -- Boston U. implemented a new rule during the COVID-19 pandemic ... which requires players to wear masks during their home AND away games this season.

The Terriers debuted their new look in their season debut against Holy Cross ... with the players rocking red masks to match their jerseys.

The masks didn't come between BU's hopes at securing a dub, though ... with the Terriers coming up with an 83-76 win over the Crusaders.

HC didn't mask up in Monday's matchup, but players on both teams will be wearing face coverings when the Crusaders visit BU on Tuesday.

The matchup -- or should we say, "maskup" -- is believed to be the first time both teams will be wearing masks in a college hoops game.

March Madness -- the entire NCAA college basketball tournament -- will take place in the state of Indiana in 2021, officials confirm.

It's the first time in the history of the tournament that all 67 games will take place in the same state -- and, of course, it's all because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NCAA says it's "partnering with a local health provider to administer COVID-19 testing within the controlled environment for players, coaching staffs, administrators and officials."

"The Marion County Health Department has approved medical protocols shared by the NCAA and will continue collaborating with the NCAA leading up to and during the championship."

The majority of the games will take place in Indianapolis -- with some contests going down in West Lafayette and Bloomington.

Several Indiana-based universities will technically "host" the tournament -- including Ball State, Butler, Indiana University and Purdue, among others. The school will lend their facilities and staffs to assist with tournament operations.

The NCAA says teams will be allowed to use the Indiana Convention Center as a practice facility, with multiple courts set up inside the venue.

Most teams will stay at Marriott hotel properties -- which happens to be an official NCAA corporate partner.

COVID protocols will be in full effect -- "All teams will be housed on dedicated hotel floors, with physically distanced meeting and dining rooms, as well as secure transportation to and from competition venues."

The NCAA says Selection Sunday is still scheduled for March 14 -- with the Final Four games set to take place on April 3 and 5.

The org notes, "The exact preliminary round dates are still to be determined."

"This is a historic moment for NCAA members and the state of Indiana," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement.

The NBA has postponed the Houston Rockets vs. OKC Thunder game set for Wednesday night -- because the Rockets don't have enough players available to field a team due to COVID restrictions.

An NBA team needs at least 8 players to compete -- and the Rockets don't have enough guys.

Here's the deal ... the NBA says, "Three Houston Rockets players have returned tests that were either positive or inconclusive for coronavirus."

Unclear which Rockets players returned the positive or inconclusive COVID tests.

Additionally, the league says 4 more players are quarantined due to the league's contact tracing protocol.

Rockets superstars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are 2 of the players in the contact tracing protocol, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Plus, there's more drama including James Harden, the NBA says the superstar is also unavailable due to "violation of the health and safety protocols."

Harden was spotted partying this week without a mask. Some people claimed Harden was at a strip club but Harden says he was just showing his "home girl love" at a private event.

So, that's a total of 8 guys unavailable for the Rockets -- which leaves them without enough players to field a team. Crappy way to kick off the season.

The Rockets vs. Thunder game was supposed to be one of the NBA's marquee opening night matchups to kick off the 2020-21 season.

Christmas came early for Keyontae Johnson and his family ... the Florida Gators star is being released from the hospital!!

The 21-year-old collapsed on the court during Florida's game against Florida State on Dec. 12. He was hospitalized in Tallahassee and transported to the UF hospital in Gainesville ... and at one point, was placed in a medically induced coma.

But, Johnson has been improving ever since ... and even did the famous "Gator Chomp" from his hospital bed last week.

Now, it's time to go home.

"Today is a great day!" Johnson's family said in a statement Tuesday. "We continue to be amazed at the pace of his recovery and look forward to spending Christmas together as a family."

"Along with so many well wishes and prayers, we've understandably gotten questions about the cause and extent of Keyontae's illness."

"As much as everyone involved wants firm answers, the process to draw definitive conclusions continues, and we ask for patience as the medical professionals continue their work."

The Johnsons say they will share as much info as possible to potentially help others dealing with similar issues once it's available.

James Harden is too good of a talent to trade away just 'cause he's unhappy ... so says Kenny "The Jet" Smith ... who tells TMZ Sports the Rockets have to find a way to make things work with the superstar.

Houston has been trying to part ways with Harden for weeks ... after the 31-year-old baller expressed desires to play elsewhere earlier in the offseason.

Of course, after Harden's highly publicized trips to Atlanta and Las Vegas at the start of Rockets training camp, it appeared a breakup was on the horizon.

But, the "Inside The NBA" analyst -- who played in H-Town from 1990-96 -- tells us Houston should NOT give in to Harden's wishes ... and says the team needs to fix their relationship with the All-Star.

"Nah, I'm not trading my best player if he's not happy," Smith says. "He's gotta have a better reason. You gotta have a better reason."

"He's too good to just trade because he's not happy."

Smith adds the only way the Rockets should consider trading The Beard is if they get a player of the same talent level like Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James or Anthony Davis in return ... but let's be honest -- that ain't happening.

"James Harden is a player that doesn't come around every 10 years. So, you need a guy who doesn't come around every 10 years to match that."

Smith has a solution -- saying the front office has to sit down with Harden and break down their plan to bring the Larry O'Brien trophy back to Houston.

Adam Silver is addressing the NBA's investigation into the L.A. Clippers' recruitment of Kawhi Leonard ... saying as of right now, he has "no reason to believe" any rule-breaking went down.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... a man named Johnny Wilkes filed a lawsuit last week, claiming Jerry West promised him $2.5 million to help bring the Klaw to L.A. in 2019.

While West, the Clippers and Leonard have all denied the allegations, the NBA launched a probe into the claims last Thursday to determine if the team broke league policy.

The NBA commish spoke about the investigation on ESPN's "First Take" Monday ... saying, "I have no reason to believe, based on what's been alleged so far, that there's anything inappropriate that took place."

"All I can say there is everyone's entitled to the presumption of innocent," he said. "Obviously, someone who is not known to me or the league office has made an allegation against the team."

Silver says the league will "look into it" for the sake of all 30 NBA teams ... but it's clear he ain't necessarily expecting to find anything.

Silver and an NBA lawyer also addressed the probe in a conference call with media on Monday ... saying the Clips are fully cooperating with league officials.

As for the lawsuit, Wilkes claims West addressed their relationship in an alleged voicemail from 2019 ... in which a voice sounding like the Clips exec. thanks the man for his efforts and refers to the Los Angeles Lakers as a "sh*t show."

Move over, LeBron James ... there's another basketball superstar in the family -- his 6-year-old daughter, Zhuri!!

The King's children took their talents to the driveway for a late-night hoop sesh recently ... and naturally, there were some awesome highlights.

While we've all seen Bronny and Bryce's skills on the court, it's Zhuri who may have gotten her dad's passing abilities ... tossing up a perfect lob for her oldest bro to throw down an alley-oop dunk!!!

Bu,t Z also put her shooting and dribbling on display as well ... draining a close shot and showing off her handles in the short clip.

Of course, 16-year-old Bronny is considered one of the best high school hoopers in his grade ... and 13-year-old Bryce has looked great on the hardwood as well.

Shaquille O'Neal says everyone needs to chill about his "booty" comment to Megan Thee Stallion -- saying he was just showing love, not trying to smash.

People went crazy recently over a comment Shaq left while watching Megan Thee Stallion twerk it out during an Instagram Live.

The comment? "Watching that booty."

Yeah ... even his son, Shareef, commented ... saying, "I feel you pops."

So, was Shaq shooting his shot? The Diesel says it was just a compliment and nothing more.

"This is what happened America … I was in [the IG Live session]. Somebody said, 'What are you doing in there?' And, I typed what I typed. I wasn’t trying to hit on her."

When asked if Meg responded to Shaq's comment, O'Neal downplayed it ... saying, "I don't know, I didn’t even check."

Mmmmmmmhmmmmm ...

There's more ... Shaq also heaped praise on LaMelo Ball -- saying the #3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft is straight ballin' right now.

He's right -- did you see that pass Melo hit during a pre-season game the other day? Good lord!

And, to cap it off ... Shaq also tried out a motorized tricycle (also called a standing scooter) -- and props to whoever made it, because it ran with some zip, even with a giant like O'Neal riding on it!

Another huge milestone in Keyontae Johnson's recovery -- the Univ. of Florida basketball star just did the Gator Chomp from his hospital bed!!

It's been almost a week since Johnson collapsed on the court in a game against Florida State. He was hospitalized in Tallahassee and was eventually transported back to the UF hospital in Gainesville.

Johnson was placed in a medically induced coma after the incident -- but has since woken up and has made tremendous progress in his recovery.

You can see in the new video ... Johnson is talking, smiling and moving his arms (hence the "Chomp"). It's all great to see.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank God," Johnson says.

"I know you all have been sending your prayers out the last few weeks and me and my parents are very grateful for all the prayers that have been going out."

"To all the doctors and medical staff at Tallahassee Memorial and UF Shands, I just want to say thank you for all the support you gave me."

"To my Gator Nation and UF athletic family, I just want to thank you for all the prayers you gave out to me."

Great to see -- and hopefully he'll continue to get better ... and maybe even get back on the court sometime soon.