Basketball

Makola M. Abdullah, Ph.D. is the esteemed President of Virginia State University.

... AND HE CAN BALL, SON!!!

The Prez was leaving his campus office when he was approached by a student named Afo -- who's pretty well known for staging fun pranks and viral videos around the school.

Afo's bit of the day was approaching people with a basketball for an impromptu game of 1-on-1 to see if random people would square up on the spot.

Afo balled up a woman in a tight red dress, a security guard and others -- but when he approached President Abdullah, that's when the tables turned!!

The President smacked the ball right out of Afo's hands and proceed to ball out -- even removing his fancy jacket to show he wasn't messing around.

But, the best part was the NUTMEG at the end that had Afo on skates!!! It was awesome!!!

It was all in good fun -- and the two even snapped a pic together afterward.

Afo tweeted, "I’m not gonna lie, it took a lot for me to post this. He definitely got me tho."

President Abdullah also weighed in -- saying, "You already know it's all love. I can't wait until everybody is back on campus."

We spoke with President Abdullah who tells us he's just a recreational player who loves the game -- and had a blast messing around on campus.

He praised Afo as a "fantastic kid" who's a talented entertainer and a scholar who's expected to graduate soon.

As for a possible rematch, Abdullah put it this way -- "I don't know if my knees will let me do it twice! I think I might have gotten just enough out of these knees. I'm going to retire now."

Life on the outside is proving to be GOOOOOD for Bobby Shmurda -- the formerly incarcerated rapper got the VIP treatment at the Brooklyn Nets game on Monday ... and a signed jersey from superstar James Harden!

The 26-year-old had been in custody since December 2014 after he was charged with conspiracy to murder and other gun charges.

In 2016, Shmurda copped a plea deal to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon -- and was sentenced to 7 years in prison followed by 5 years probation.

He was released in February 2021 and immediately embraced by rap stars like Quavo. He also had a big presence during NBA All-Star Weekend.

And, the celebration continued Monday night at Barclay's Center where Shmurda enjoyed a VIP suite to watch the Nets take on the NY Knicks.

After Brooklyn secured the W, James Harden took off his game-worn jersey and presented it to Shmurda -- along with a personal message and signature on the threads.

Shmurda was so fired up about the gift, he went right to the media and showed it off while sporting that sick new gold chain he recently scooped up.

The tournament hasn't even started yet ... and already the NCAA is down 6 referees for March Madness due to COVID.

The NCAA has confirmed 6 referees were sent home from Indianapolis -- where a controlled bubble-style environment has been set up in the hopes of limiting exposure.

The NCAA says 1 of the officials tested positive for COVID-19 on March 15 -- "and 5 other officials the person interacted with the day before were identified as exposure risks due to prolonged close contact."

"Based on tournament protocols and contract tracing with local public health authorities, these officials may not participate in the tournament."

Now, the ref who tested positive "must be placed in isolation, and the other officials must be placed in quarantine."

The tournament -- one of the most exciting events in sports -- is set to kick off on Thursday.

The NCAA had tapped 60 referees in total to work the tourney -- now, they're down to 54 refs to work the 63 total games.

The NCAA tourney has already felt the impact of COVID -- just ask the defending champs from the Univ. of Virginia.

Most of the Cavaliers players are still in quarantine after one member of the program tested positive for COVID. They're not expected to arrive in Indy until Friday, the day before their 1st-round game against Ohio.

The NCAA has a backup plan in case teams need to pull out -- they've booked 4 teams as backup squads  ... Louisville, Colorado State, Saint Louis and Mississippi.

The backup teams will only be on standby until Tuesday -- after that, a team that withdraws due to COVID will not be replaced.

Ted Cruz is liking what he's seeing with the country's vaccination rollout, and it's got him thinking about ballin' ... even though the court at the Senate gym sucks.

The Texas Senator was arriving at Reagan National Airport in D.C. Monday when he had a hopeful chat with our photog about returning to normal, putting the pandemic behind us ... and taking a member of his staff to the hole.

Sounds like Ted's got a case of March Madness, and even though he tells us the basketball court at the Senate's facility is terrible ... he's ready to "bang around a little bit."

If ya don't know, Cruz ain't bad when it comes to playing hoops ... at least compared to Jimmy Kimmel. He took down his late-night talk show host rival in a sweaty mess of a 1-on-1 match back in 2018. Thankfully, it was all for charity.

Clearly, Ted's itching to get back to the sport and says everyone's eager to get out of their houses after a year of dealing with COVID-19 ... and he's encouraged we're getting closer to normalcy.

Several players from the Norman High School girls basketball team have broken their silence about the racist comments directed at them by a game announcer ... and they're calling for action.

It's powerful stuff.

The players have teamed up with famous civil rights attorney  Ben Crump -- who has worked with the families of several high-profile victims of police or racial violence ... from Ahmaud Arbery to Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Jacob Blake.

Crump held a news conference Monday with several of the players and their families -- who all spoke out about Matt Rowan, the announcer who hurled the n-word at the team for their decision to take a knee during the national anthem.

As we previously reported, Rowan's comments were caught on a hot mic -- and people at home could hear him bashing the NHS players who were demonstrating to spotlight police brutality and racial injustice.

During his rant, Rowan said he hoped the Norman team would get their asses kicked on the court that night.

Rowen later apologized for his language -- and said he's a Type-1 diabetic who loses his ability to censor himself when his blood sugar is high, which he claims happened that night.

FYI, the Norman High School girls basketball team went on to win the Oklahoma 6-A state championship over the weekend.

The players say they were obviously hurt and shocked by the comments -- but they're proud of the way they stood together as a team and still WON the whole tourney!

Ben Crump says there are no plans to take legal action at this time ... but continued to praise the team for thriving in such a challenging moment.

Michael Rapaport ain't happy with the punishment dished out to NBA player Meyers Leonard in the wake of his anti-Semitic slur ... suggesting he it would have been way worse if he used the n-word instead of the k-word.

Rapaport was one of Leonard's harshest critics after the Miami Heat center used the k-word to insult an opponent during a video game live stream session earlier this month ... calling him a "dumb f**k" and demanding a sincere video apology.

The NBA has since imposed a 1-week suspension on Leonard and fined him $50,000.

Meyers has apologized and vowed to work with leaders run the Jewish community to educate himself on why the word is so dangerous and offensive.

But, Rap says that's not good enough ... and he's comparing the situation to the announcer who hurled the n-word at a high school basketball team in Oklahoma.

"Why is that any worse than the Myers Leonard thing?" Rapaport told us.

"I'm not happy with [Leonard's] punishment, but I think if he had said a different word -- if it had been a white guy saying the n-word, he’d be cut."

Rap continued, "Every single athlete would have spoken out about it, every single actor -- white, black and in between -- would have spoken out about it and it would still be discussed a week later."

The Univ. of Arizona didn't make the Big Dance, but here's a solid dose of positivity from star center Christian Koloko ... who tells TMZ Sports the Wildcats will be back and better than ever next season!!!

Oh yeah, AND he says fellow Sierra Canyon HS product LeBron James Jr. should come play college ball in Tuscon, too!!

We spoke with the 7'1" sophomore about the 'Cats missing the NCAA tournament in 2021 ... and while it may sting now, Koloko says his guys are gonna work like crazy to get back in March Madness next season.

"We're thinking about the team," Koloko tells us. "We gotta come back next year and be stronger and have a chance to make it in the tournament next year."

FYI -- the Wildcats went 17-9 this season ... missing the cut alongside powerhouse programs like Duke and Kansas.

On top of the disappointing season, head coach Sean Miller is battling the NCAA over alleged recruitment violations ... but Koloko says the team isn't considering it a distraction.

"We just put it behind the back and we just try to play basketball and do what we love."

As for Bronny, Koloko -- who also played high school hoops at Sierra Canyon in CA -- says the kid is for sure an NBA talent and should strongly consider following his path to Arizona when the time comes in 2023.

This is disgusting.

A high school basketball announcer in Oklahoma called players "f***ing n*****s" for kneeling during the national anthem before a game this week ... and it was all caught on a hot mic.

It all went down before the Norman HS girls hoops team faced off against Midwest City during the Oklahoma 6A state basketball tournament Thursday night.

Every player from Norman elected to kneel for the duration of the anthem ... which led to the announcer's outburst on the National Federation of State High School Association Network's official live stream. Here's what we heard in the clip ...

"They're kneeling? F***ing n*****s. I hope Norman gets their ass kicked. F*** them. I  hope they lose. They're gonna kneel like that?"

The clip has since made rounds on social media .. with NFL stars like Kenny Stills -- who also kneels for the anthem -- and Gerald McCoy speaking out against the blatant racism.

"Amerikkka," Stills tweeted Friday morning ... while McCoy added, "See why we do it!?! They still think it’s about the flag."

Players from the Norman girls hoops team also spoke out against the announcer's comments ... saying, "This is why we kneel."

Norman superintendent Dr. Nick Migliorino ripped the "racist and hateful" comments in a scathing statement ... saying, "We condemn and will not tolerate the disgusting words and attitudes of these announcers."

"This type of hate speech has no place in our society and we are outraged that it would be directed at any human being, and particularly at our students."

He added ... "We fully support our students’ right to freedom of expression and our immediate focus is to support these girls and their coaches and families, particularly our Black students and coaching staff."

"It is tragic that the hard work and skill of this team is being overshadowed by the vile, malignant words of these individuals. We will do everything in our power to support and uplift our team and everyone affected by this incident."

Migliorino says Norman will use a different live streaming service for the remainder of the tournament ... "as we have full confidence in their proven ability to respectfully support our student athletes."

The NFHS Network also released a statement Friday morning ... saying it is "aggressively investigating" the incident and will cut ties with any individuals responsible.

"The NFHS Network firmly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination, and there is no room for this in high school sports or anywhere," the network said.

"We sincerely apologize to the students, their families and the entire community for having such ignorant comments expressed during the broadcast."

The Golden State Warriors benched rookie star James Wiseman for the first 3 quarters of Thursday night's game for blowing off a mandatory COVID test during the All-Star break.

The team has said 19-year-old Wiseman -- the #2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft -- simply "forgot" to show up to the team facility for testing ... a big no-no in the COVID-conscious NBA.

Wiseman was forced to miss practice on Wednesday due to COVID protocols but was eligible to get back on the court Thursday for the team's first game after the All-Star break.

But, Wiseman rode the pine for the first 3 quarters as the Warriors took on the L.A. Clippers -- presumably as a punishment for missing his COVID test.

He finally entered the game in the 4th quarter and balled out -- dropping 14 points and 7 rebounds in 12 minutes ... making 6 out of his 7 shots. The Warriors ultimately lost 130 to 104.

After the game, Wiseman talked about the incident -- and took full responsibility.

"I made a huge mistake and I most definitely will not do that again. I made sure I apologized to Coach. I was mad, so I had to make sure I just went out there and played hard."

Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr said the rookie had to be more responsible, but he liked how Wiseman responded after being benched.

"You’ve got to take care of your business. Everything matters. He responded exactly as I had hoped he would. He competed with energy and that bodes well."

Warriors superstar Stephen Curry had some advice for the rookie after the game -- "There are learning curves for everybody in this league."

UVA is out of the ACC tourney thanks to COVID -- which could keep them out of the NCAA.

Sick of acronyms yet? Yeah, same.

Here's the deal ... someone in the University of Virginia basketball program tested positive for coronavirus, forcing the team to withdraw from Friday night's ACC tournament semifinal game against Georgia Tech.

GT will now move on to the ACC championship game to face the winner of North Carolina vs. Florida State.

So, where does that leave UVA? That's a mystery at the moment.

The Cavaliers were the ACC regular-season champions -- and ESPN projected them to be a #4 seed in the NCAA tourney.

But, the COVID situation could force UVA into a mandatory quarantine that could conflict with the 1st round of the NCAA tourney, which is set to tip-off on Thursday.

Will UVA be out of the COVID protocol by then? If not, will the NCAA postpone the game? So many questions to be answered.

Bottom line ... we're still waiting for more info from the school and the NCAA -- but this could mean another solid team is OUT of the tourney before it even begins!!

There's NO bad blood between Patrick Ewing and James Dolan -- the two have spoken and smoothed things out after Ewing complained about the security protocol at Madison Square Garden, TMZ Sports has learned.

Of course, Ewing spent 15 seasons playing for the NY Knicks at MSG -- and his #33 jersey was retired and currently hangs in the rafters.

But, Ewing -- who's now the head basketball coach at Georgetown -- publicly griped about the treatment he received at the Garden on Thursday after his Hoyas upset Villanova at MSG.

"I do want to say one thing, though. I thought this was my building," Ewing said ... "And, I feel terrible that I'm getting stopped, accosted, [people] asking for passes."

Ewing continued ... "Everybody in this building should know who the hell I am, and I'm getting stopped -- I can't move around this building. I was like, 'What the hell? Is this Madison Square Garden?'"

"I'm gonna have to call Mr. Dolan and say geez ... is my number in the rafters or what?!"

Well, Ewing and Dolan DID speak later that day ... and a rep for MSG Entertainment broke it down this way.

"Jim and Patrick have a long-standing relationship; they spoke this afternoon and reaffirmed that."

"We all know, respect and appreciate what he means to The Garden and New York. Good luck to him and his Hoyas in the Big East semi-finals."

So, seems everything is cool now ... and the Hoyas can focus on their upcoming game against Seton Hall on Friday.

It's all over for Duke ... the school announced its 2020-21 season is OVER thanks to COVID -- thus ending the school's streak of 24 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

The Blue Devils basketball team was already having one of the worst seasons in recent years with a 13-11 overall record and 9-9 in the ACC.

Duke's chances of making the NCAA tourney were largely dependent on winning the ACC tournament, which would have given the school an automatic bid into the big bracket.

Duke won its first 2 games in the ACC tournament -- but a member of the program tested positive for COVID-19 following Wednesday's game ... which has forced the team to quarantine.

Because of the COVID situation, Duke has officially withdrawn from the ACC tourney ... essentially killing all chances of Duke going to March Madness.

Duke athletic director Kevin White says the situation will effectively "end our 2020-21 season."

"We wish every team still playing college basketball good health and the very best during the next few weeks."

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski -- who's been leading the program since 1980 -- said, "While our season was different than any other that I can remember, I loved the 2020-21 Duke Basketball team and was honored to be their coach."

"We have not asked more of any team in our history, and they deserve enormous credit for handling everything like the outstanding young men they are."

Coach K continued ... "We are disappointed we cannot keep fighting together as a group after two outstanding days in Greensboro. This season was a challenge for every team across the country and as we have seen over and over, this global pandemic is very cruel and is not yet over."

"As many safeguards as we implemented, no one is immune to this terrible virus."

The NBA has suspended Miami Heat player Meyers Leonard for ONE WEEK for hurling an anti-Semitic comment during a video game sesh ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Leonard was also fined $50,000.

For the record, Leonard will make more than $9 million in contract money this season.

There's more ... the NBA says Leonard will be required to participate in a cultural diversity program.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Leonard's comment was "inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society. "

Silver continued, "Yesterday, he spoke to representatives of the Anti-Defamation League to better understand the impact of his words and we accept that he is genuinely remorseful."

"We have further communicated to Meyers that derogatory comments like this will not be tolerated and that he will be expected to uphold the core values of our league -- equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect -- at all times moving forward."

Leonard's Miami Heat teammates and coaches spoke about the situation during a media session on Wednesday.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra said he's been in touch with Leonard -- who he considers a "good human being."

Spoelstra says Meyers "feels really bad" about using the anti-Semitic K-work during a video game streaming session and is getting a better understanding of why the word is hurtful and dangerous.

Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem also spoke out about Leonard's comment -- saying he has a bunch of Jewish friends and reached out to make sure they know hate speech is NOT tolerated within the Heat organization.

"I have a lot of Jewish friends and ya know, they call me Udonis Haslem-berg sometimes," he joked.

Meyers Leonard is wasting no time making good on his vow to educate himself about the Jewish community in the wake of his anti-Semitic incident ... TMZ Sports has learned the NBA player has already been in contact with multiple Jewish organizations and Jewish leaders.

We've spoken with multiple people connected to Leonard and reps from several high-profile Jewish orgs. and everyone is essentially saying the same thing ... nobody wants Leonard to be "canceled," they want to help him learn and grow from this experience.

As we previously reported, Leonard was live-streaming during a 'Call of Duty' video game sesh on Monday and used the anti-semitic K-word to insult an opponent. Video of the incident surfaced on Tuesday and things escalated quickly.

Leonard issued an apology saying he was "deeply sorry" -- and insisting he was "committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it."

We've learned the people who have since been in contact with Leonard are leaders in different parts of the Jewish community from rabbis to Holocaust survivors ... even NFL star Julian Edelman, who publicly reached out to Leonard on social media and invited him to a Shabbat dinner.

The impression Leonard is leaving on people so far is that he is genuinely sorry and is committed to doing the work to educate himself about why the K-word is offensive and dangerous.

... and yeah, we're told Leonard is seriously considering taking Edelman up on his Shabbat dinner offer.

One important point ... all of the people we've spoken with are telling us the focus is on getting results, not publicity, which is why we're not naming the orgs. he's been in contact with.

Broadcasting legend Joe Tait -- voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers for 39 seasons -- has died after battles with kidney failure and liver cancer. He was 83 years old.

Tait joined the Cavs radio team for the inaugural season in 1970 ... and stayed on the mic nearly every year until his retirement in 2011.

Tait was known for his signature calls over the years -- including the Miracle in Richfield in 1976, when the Cavs won their first playoff series.

He was also known for his classic opener and sign-off -- "It's basketball time at ..." and "This is Joe Tait. Have a good night, everybody!"

Tait was recognized by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010, when he received the Curt Gowdy Media Award ... which is given to outstanding writers and broadcasters.

Cleveland also honored Tait with a commemorative banner at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse prior to his departure from the team ... which hangs in the rafters alongside the retired jerseys.

The Cavs released a statement Wednesday afternoon ... saying, "The Cleveland Cavaliers mourn the passing of one of our beloved founding fathers and the original, long-time voice of the franchise – Joe Tait."

"A friend and mentor to many over the years, Joe Tait wasn’t just a member of the Cavaliers family; he was a part of the Cavs story like no one else and his voice and unique, candid perspective reverberates throughout the team’s history. He will be dearly missed."

Tait spoke about his life in an interview published just days ago ... saying, "I’m not afraid to die," he told The Plain Dealer.

"I do wonder what happens after you die. If anything does. I’m curious to find out. I do know I’ve had a good life. Lots of people have been great to me."

RIP.

Here's Ben Simmons' best assist of the season so far ...

The Philadelphia 76ers star gifted his brother a brand new Audi for his birthday Tuesday ... and the pass off was so sweet, it brought big bro to tears!!!

Simmons recorded the whole thing on Instagram Live ... surprising his brother, Sean, in front of around 10,000 people who were watching on the live stream.

The video is super adorable ... Simmons walked toward his garage and told Sean, his older half-brother, "I got to show you something."

He then flipped around the camera -- and BOOM, brand-new Audi SUV!!!

"So, that's your car!" Ben told Sean. "I got you a car! It's yours, man! It's all yours, man!"

Sean was in complete shock ... and started laughing -- but a short time later, the tears started flowing!!!

"Why would you go and do something like that?!" Sean said, before thanking Ben over and over again.

The cutest part of the vid? Ben said he considered buying Sean a two-door, but got the bigger version to be "baby-friendly."

Simmons then joked about Sean's tears of joy ... screaming, "He's crying on the live!"

As for why Ben didn't hand-deliver the car himself -- the NBA point guard is currently under quarantine after he and teammate Joel Embiid reportedly came into close contact recently with someone who was COVID-19 positive.

Don't worry, Ben appears to be all good -- he's reportedly producing negative test results -- and could be back in time for Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs.