Basketball

The NBA hardwood looked more like the squared circle Tuesday ... 'cause Lakers star Dennis Schroder was taken down by a "WWE" move in a tiff with the Raptors -- and he was NOT happy about it.

The wild scene all went down in the first quarter of L.A.'s game against Toronto ... when Dennis fouled OG Anunoby HARD to prevent the guy from scoring points.

In Dennis' mind, the play was perfectly acceptable -- he said later in the night it was simply just a smart basketball move to stop a possible and-one play.

Anunoby, though, clearly disagreed ... because he was so pissed over the grab -- he straight-up flipped Schroder with a textbook wrestling move!!!

Dennis landed squarely on his back, and a brawl was nearly incited -- with Montrezl Harrell rushing into the play for a pushing and shoving match.

The refs ultimately separated everybody and ejected Anunoby and Harrell ... and Dennis was still HOT over it all after the game.

"I don't know what to say," Dennis told reporters. "He didn't get hurt. I mean, I just tried to foul him hard so he don't get an and-one. That's it. That was my intent."

"But what he did, it's just unnecessary. You got to go to the 'WWE' with that. That wasn't basketball. That's it."

Amazing stuff from Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers ... the NBA superstar and his team have committed to help build yet another all-inclusive playground in Oregon.

Portland's NBA squad has been heavily involved in funding fun, all-abilities play areas in the state for kids for the past 7 years ... and 2021 will be no different, the team announced Tuesday.

This year, the Blazers and Lillard say they're passing along $25,000 to the city of Astoria -- which is about 100 miles northwest of Portland -- to aid in the building of the new playground.

The place promises to be awesome ... it'll allow typical kids to play with others that might require wheelchairs or walkers without any sort of restrictions.

And, if you're unfamiliar, these kinds of parks are SUPER important to families with special needs children because they help break stigmas and include EVERYBODY.

You'll recall ... NFL star Drew Brees helped build a similar fully inclusive playground in the New Orleans area back in 2017 -- and it turned out GREAT!

Here's to hoping the same happens in Astoria.

Baylor fans partied HARD after their men's basketball team blew out Gonzaga ... setting couches on fire in the streets and letting off fireworks -- and video from the scene is WILD!!!

Just minutes after the Bears took down the Zags, 86-70, to win the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis on Monday night ... it didn't take Baylor's students long to celebrate.

Those who watched the game at McClane Stadium on campus stormed the field in epic fashion ... and then they took to the roadways near the school.

Check out footage from the block party ... fans lit things on fire and danced around the inferno with their iPhones in hand!!

Later, they lit LEGIT fireworks -- and cheered like crazy when the explosions popped off above!!

As for their safety ... don't worry -- reporters on the scene said the Waco Fire Dept. was there to take care of any out-of-control blazes, while police officers monitored the situation as well.

Meanwhile, inside the arena, the players danced their faces off ... and Baylor's most famous football alum, Robert Griffin III, cheered from the stands too!!!

BTW -- if you're in the "Act like you've been there before crowd" ... might be time to dip out of that one -- 'cause the men's hoops championship Monday night is the first in school history.

Paul Pierce's run with ESPN is officially over -- the network is parting ways with the ex-NBA superstar just days after Pierce posted a racy twerk session with some scantily clad women on Instagram.

Unclear if the video is the reason for Pierce's departure ... but it drew a lot of attention over the weekend.

Also worth noting -- the timing of the move is interesting ... especially since the NBA season is far from over.

Pierce spent the past 3.5 years with the network ... appearing on "NBA Countdown" and "The Jump."

The ex-Celtics forward seemingly addressed the split on Twitter just minutes ago ... saying, "Big Things coming soon stay tuned make sure u smile #Truthshallsetufree"

PP also shared a 4-second video with the message ... showing himself laughing and smiling.

Pierce played 19 seasons in the NBA before joining ESPN ... he was a 10-time All-Star and won a title alongside Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in 2008. He was named NBA Finals MVP.

The University of North Carolina has found its replacement for Roy Williams -- the Tar Heels are set to announce alum Hubert Davis as their next head coach ... making him the first black head coach in team history.

50-year-old Davis BLEEDS Carolina blue -- he played for the Tar Heels under legendary head coach Dean Smith from 1988-1992 ... and has served as an assistant coach under Williams since 2012.

The North Carolina native was a BALLER during his time at Chapel Hill ... averaging more than 21 points per game his senior year.

Davis also has a ton of experience at the next level -- he was selected with the 20th overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft ... and played 12 seasons in the league, most notably with the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.

Davis has ENORMOUS shoes to fill -- Williams won 3 NCAA titles during his 18 seasons with the Tar Heels (2005, 2009 and 2017) ... and accumulated a 485-163 record.

Williams reached the Final Four with the Tar Heels 6 times ... and tacked on 9 ACC regular-season championships.

The Davis era is all but official ... with The News & Observer reporting the school's board of trustees will vote on the hire during a meeting on Monday.

But, with a résumé like Davis' ... who's gonna say "no?!?"

Bruce Lee's family LOVES that Steph Curry rocked a special pair of sneakers to honor the legend during Sunday's game ... especially since he's going to auction them off for a good cause.

The Golden State Warriors superstar teamed up with the Bruce Lee Foundation to create a custom pair of Curry 8s with Lee's image hand-painted on each shoe.

One image is a solo shot of Lee. The other image is based off a photograph of Bruce with his wife and children.

Steph wanted to show solidarity to the Asian community in light of the recent wave of anti-Asian hate crimes -- so proceeds from the upcoming auction will go toward the families of the 8 people killed in the recent attack on Asian-run spas.

Bruce's daughter, Shannon Lee, who runs the Bruce Lee Foundation, praised Curry in a statement.

"I think Stephen’s gesture is a beautiful example of allyship and solidarity in action," Shannon Lee said.

"I am honored he would choose my father and my family as the symbol for the idea that we are all one family, as my father said, and therefore must all stand for one another."

After Sunday's game, Curry also talked about the collaboration and why it's so important to him.

Drake's little boy clearly takes after his old man ... because he loves to hoop.

The rapper shared a video of his 3-year-old son, Adonis, working on his jump shot on an indoor kid-hoop ... and he's got game!!

After sinking a jumper, Adonis points out that that bucket was actually 2 in a row ... then he casually hits another shot to make it 3. Silky smooth.

All the while, Drake's providing the hype music for his kid -- his new track, "What's Next" is playing in the background.

Heads up, Lamar Odom ... this summer's boxing match with Aaron Carter might not be a cakewalk after all!!!

TMZ Sports has obtained new workout footage of the 'Aaron's Party' singer ... and it's clear as day, in about a month, Carter's improved his jabs immensely!!

Remember, AC agreed in February to fight Odom at a celeb exhibition match in Atlantic City in June ... and the first clips we got of the guy on the mitts weren't exactly impressive.

Carter -- who ya gotta at least admit was bustin' his ass HARD -- struggled with power behind the punches ... and when Odom released his own workout vid just a few days later, there was obviously some concern for Aaron.

But, check out the new clip ... Carter's throwing punches with more authority -- and it's apparent the guy is taking this fight SERIOUSLY.

We're told Carter is now training with mixed martial arts specialist Josh Polit at FIGHTR Boxing Club in Santa Monica with the hopes of getting himself right before fight night.

Long before Jason Kidd was an NBA legend, he was a top H.S. hooper recruited by CBB's best coaches ... and now a postcard to the future HOF'er -- hand-written by Roy Williams -- has been discovered in an abandoned storage locker.

... and it's pretty awesome!!

The "Memories of Hawaii" postcard was penned by Williams as he flew to Los Angeles with his Kansas Jayhawks squad after playing a game in Honolulu ... and on January 2, 1990, sent to Kidd's Oakland-area home.

Williams -- a HOF coach who retired this week -- wrote, "Jason, We're on the plane from Honolulu to Los Angeles & we had a great trip to Hawaii. Our players really enjoyed it & worked hard while we were there also. We're going again in two years & I hope you're with us."

Williams later continued ... "Jason -- I hope Kansas will be an option for you. I know I would love to be your coach."

But, KU wasn't the only top program recruiting Jason ... there are also letters from current Chicago Bulls head coach, Billy Donovan -- at the time, an assistant for the legendary Rick Pitino at the University of Kentucky.

"Jason, this past week was the Kentucky Derby which was the 2nd largest sporting event in the state next to a Kentucky basketball game. Sincerely, Billy Donovan"

There's more ... UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian and UCLA head coach Jim Harrick -- and others -- also vied for Kidd's talents.

They wanted J. Kidd for good reason ... he was Parade and USA Today's H.S. Player of the Year -- averaging 25 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, and 7 steals as a senior, according to ESPN.

All of the postcards were recently discovered with a load of other memorabilia in an abandoned storage locker in Calabasas, CA.

It's unclear how or why the postcards got into the locker ... or why the valuable items were seemingly just left.

The locker was purchased by a collector ... who is now selling the items on eBay.

As for Williams, Donovan & Pitino, Tarkanian, Harrick and the other big time college coaches ... they all struck out.

The NBA has finally decided to take action against Kevin Durant for the homophobic and misogynistic insults he used in a private Instagram conversation with Michael Rapaport -- fining the guy $50,000.

"Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has been fined $50,000 for using offensive and derogatory language on social media," the NBA announced on Friday.

"Durant has acknowledged that his actions were inappropriate."

As we previously reported, Rapaport posted screenshots of recent DM conversations with Durant which the actor felt crossed a line.

"I receive threats and disgusting messages DAILY, but never in my wildest dreams did I think [Durant] would be among them," Rap said.

In the messages, Durant used crude homophobic and misogynistic slurs to attack Rapaport.

KD has said the messages were not supposed to see the light of day -- and said he was "sorry that people seen the language that I used."

"That’s not what I want people to see from me. Hopefully I can move past it."

Durant has yet to publicly acknowledge that what he said is offensive -- or apologize specifically for the words he used.

Kansas Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self just signed a "lifetime" contract with the school -- guaranteeing him MILLIONS of dollars and protection from being fired over the current NCAA probe into KU.

Pretty good deal for Self, huh!?

58-year-old Self -- who's been at Kansas since 2003 -- was entering the final year of a 10 year deal with Kansas that guaranteed him more than $50 MILLION. That deal was set to expire at the end of the 2021/22 season.

But, Self has crushed it during his time at Kansas -- racking up a 522–118 record with an NCAA title in 2008 -- so the school decided to make him a "lifetime" offer he just couldn't refuse.

Here's the deal ... Self will make roughly $5.4 million every year with an annual $200,000 raise.

The contract is technically a 5-year deal which will automatically renew a 1-year extension at the end of each season ... for as long as he wants to stay at Kansas.

Kansas is currently being investigated by the NCAA for alleged unauthorized payments to star players. The NCAA has charged the school with a handful of Level 1 violations -- but the org. has not formally punished the University.

But, get this, Self negotiated a clause in which he can not be fired for cause based on the findings or punishment from the current probe -- but he could take a salary hit if he's suspended.

Per the contract, if the NCAA suspends Self  -- he'll take a 50% reduction in salary for the time missed.

In other words, if he's out for a month -- he'll make 50% for that month before returning to his full salary.

The school can fire Self for cause if they determine he violates the law or NCAA rules moving forward -- but he's protected in the scope of the current investigation.

Self issued a statement about his new deal thanking KU leadership "for their belief and faith in me to provide this lifetime contract."

WNBA star Angel McCoughtry is insulted by Draymond Green's claim that female athletes have only "complained" about the pay gap and haven't taken any real meaningful action ... and she's ready to educate him.

The 5-time WNBA All-Star says she's personally been in the trenches trying to get powerful sports leagues, production companies and sponsors to spotlight more women's sports ... but she keeps getting shut down.

McCoughtry even called out Lebron James and Steph Curry -- saying she's brought female athlete-centric projects to their production companies, but no one is pulling the trigger.

The 34-year-old -- 2-time Olympic gold medalist -- even invested in the PlayersTV network with the hopes of bringing more female athlete stories to the masses.

So, when she saw Draymond saying he's "really tired of seeing [female athletes] complain about the lack of pay" and suggesting they take more action ... it really rubbed her the wrong way.

"Draymond, have you done your research?! Have you asked us questions," Angel said Thursday during a USA Basketball training camp news conference.

"Don't you think we've tried to do that kind of stuff?! No, he hasn't done his research! That's my only thing with Draymond!"

Angel continued, "We want to get our stories out. I created a TV show about these kinds of issues, its a dramatic comedy called 'Fair Game.' I've gone to Springhill Entertainment, I've gone to Sony where Steph Curry's people are. We got turned down! 'Oh, we don't want a show about the WNBA.'"

McCoughtry says she's happy Draymond is keeping the women's pay issue in the headlines -- but suggests he "talk more to the women before just thinking he had a bright idea."

Roy Williams -- one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time -- is announcing his retirement after 33 seasons as an NCAA head coach.

The 70-year-old icon has been the head coach at North Carolina since 2003 -- and won 3 NCAA titles during his 18 seasons with the Tar Heels (2005, 2009 and 2017).

Before UNC, Williams was the head coach at Kansas from 1988 to 2003.

Williams -- who graduated from UNC in 1972 -- has not announced the specific reason for his retirement. He's expected to address the media at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Williams has coached legends from Paul Pierce to Harrison Barnes and many, many more.

His overall record at UNC is 485-163 -- reaching the Final Four with the Tar Heels 6 times and capturing 9 ACC regular-season championships

Williams was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2007.

As a college head coach, he's racked up 903 wins during his 33 seasons -- which places him 3rd on the all-time wins list by a Division I head coach.

UNC issued a statement saying, "After 33 years as a Hall of Fame head coach, our beloved Tar Heel Roy Williams is announcing his retirement.   Thank you for all you have done and meant to everyone who plays and loves our game."

Legendary college hoops announcer Dick Vitale also weighed in ... "OMG I thought it was April Fools joke but it is TRUE Hall of Famer ROY WILLIAMS is retiring."

"He’s been so good that he is one of my MT RUSHMORES OF COACHING in my 40 + yrs. Bob Knight - Coach K - Dean Smith - ROY WILLIAMS / Thanks for ALL the memories!"

Incredible scene on the NBA hardwood Wednesday night ... THREE Antetokounmpo brothers -- including Giannis -- played in a game at the same time!!

And, the embrace the trio shared afterward will hit ya right in the feels!!

The awesome moment all went down late in the 4th quarter of the Lakers vs. Bucks game in L.A. ... when Giannis and older bro Thanasis were pouring it on the home team.

Then, suddenly, with 2:18 left in the blowout ... the Lakers sent in the youngest Antetokounmpo, Kostas -- and the party was ON!!

For close to a minute ... the three bros hooped, with Kostas at one point even guarding Giannis!

Eventually, Giannis was subbed out, but Kostas and Thanasis still went at it ... and Thanasis even splashed a 3-pointer in Kostas' face!

After the Bucks sealed the victory ... the three bros hugged it out on the court -- and Giannis later called it all "my favorite moment I've had so far in the NBA."

"This moment, just seeing the guys that I grew up with and we slept in the same bed and we were looking at the ceiling and imagining if we were ever going to play in the NBA, if we ever were going to make it," Giannis said.

"And, just being on the same court while our mom is having her phone and videotaping the whole thing, I think it’s priceless and nobody can take this away from us."

Somewhat surprisingly, the Antetokounmpo brothers are actually NOT the first to accomplish the feat ... NBA star Jrue Holiday and his two brothers, Justin and Aaron, did it first back in December 2019.

Longtime NBA referee Leroy Richardson was due for a full-on ice bath Wednesday night ... 'cause the guy got banged up in not one, but TWO incidents while officiating a game -- including a shot to the family jewels!!

But, don't worry -- the ref recovered like a true champ and finished the game!! 💪

Richardson -- who's been a ref in the NBA for 26 years -- was working the Suns vs. Bulls game ... when Phoenix power forward Dario Saric accidentally smacked him right in the baby maker.

YEEEEEOUCH!!!

Saric immediately grabbed Richardson to apologize for the truly unfortunate nut shot ... and eventually, the ref was able to walk it off.

But, the bad luck continued with just 2 minutes left in the game ... when Chicago forward Denzel Valentine accidentally bumped into Richardson while contesting a 3-point shot ... sending the ref flying into the bench and tweaking his ankle in the process.

Either incident would have been a great excuse for a ref to leave the game -- but not Richardson. After all, he was in the Navy for 12 years ... so he's one tough dude!!

It hasn't been a great week for refs -- remember, NCAA official Bert Smith had a scary moment when he collapsed during an Elite 8 game earlier this week ... but thankfully, he's been in stable condition since.

Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson is opening up about the terrifying mid-air emergency on the team plane this week -- admitting several players were thinking, "This might be over for us."

As we previously reported, the Jazz team plane was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday after striking a flock of birds -- which caused one of the engines to catch fire.

The plane landed safely -- and the Jazz eventually caught another plane to get to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Wednesday. After the game (the Jazz won), Clarkson talked about the plane incident and described a scary scene inside the aircraft where several players and staffers were pondering their own fate.

"I just remember walking back to my seat and as I got to my seat, I just hear a loud bang. Me and [Mike Conley] looked at each other and he was like 'Oooooh! Those are the birds!'"

"Then I turn and looked out the window and see the whole engine shaking and everything and then you see everybody in the back kinda like reacting to what's going on."

"A lot of people in the back that was sitting behind the engine, they seen a burst of flames so immediately they're probably thinking the plane is fully caught on fire and I see everybody kinda reacting towards that."

Clarkson says the "whole plane started shaking" -- and "a lot of us really came to like a point, at least 30 seconds in that flight, everybody came to the point where it was like, 'Man this might be over for us.'"

"It's sad to say that. I don't play with death or anything like that and it's something that we gotta push through and come together and keep going."

Clarkson said some players were so concerned "this might be really the end" -- and sent text messages to family and other loved ones.

Jazz star Donovan Mitchell did not make the trip to Memphis. The team cited "personal reasons" -- but Clarkson insinuated Mitchell was still shaken up from Tuesday's flight incident.