Basketball

Houston Rockets player Sterling Brown was the victim of a late night attack on Sunday evening and suffered injuries to his face, the team has announced.

Yeah, this is wild.

26-year-old Brown -- the same guy who was unnecessarily manhandled and tased by Milwaukee PD officers back in 2018 -- says he doesn't not know who ran up on him Sunday evening ... but it sounds terrifying.

Here's the statement from the Rockets:

"Last night, Sterling Brown was the victim of an assault. He has no prior knowledge of or interaction with the assailants. He suffered facial lacerations but will make a full recovery. Sterling is not playing tonight because of his prior knee injury."

The Rockets did not specify where the assault took place -- but the team is currently in Miami to play the Heat on Monday night.

As we previously reported, Brown reached a $750k settlement with the City of Milwaukee for the 2018 tasing incident, which was captured on video.

In addition to the money, the City of Milwaukee agreed to issue a statement admitting they violated Brown's constitutional rights.

Brown signed with the Rockets in November 2020.

Story developing ...

New team, new bling!! At least, that's the type of wave Andre Drummond is on ... with L.A.'s newest star copping a brand new grill right after joining the Lakers!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 6'10" big man decided he wanted his smile to be spotted from miles away ... so he hit up his guy, AP the Jeweler from Atlanta, to help him out with a new grill.

Since Drummond was still a Cavalier at the time, AP personally flew out to Cleveland back in February to get his molding and start the process.

Of course, Drummond's tenure in The Land ended shortly after placing his order ... but the timing couldn't have been more perfect -- he now had a new accessory for his big arrival in L.A.!!

AP -- who also made LaMelo Ball's grill -- tells us the 8-top, 8-bottom white gold piece is filled with 10 carats of VVS diamonds in a honeycomb set.

No word on how much Drummond paid for his teeth, but we're told a grill like this would cost anyone a solid $20,000.

The NBA and WNBA teams that honored Daunte Wright by wearing custom shirts in the wake of his death are now auctioning off the items to raise money for Wright's family, league officials confirm.

Players from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx -- along with the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat all wore special warm-up shirts this week with the message "With Liberty and Justice FOR ALL" in the days after Wright was killed by a police officer in Minnesota.

Now, the teams say various players will sign their warm-up shirts and donate them for an auction -- with proceeds benefitting The Daunte Wright Memorial Fund, which supports the Wright family.

Some of the players who wore the shirt are Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Karl-Anthony Towns, DeAndre Jordan, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and many more.

The bidding starts at $200 per shirt -- but some of the items are exploding, like KD's shirt ... which already hit $500 just minutes after the auction went live.

Bidding closes at the final buzzer of Friday's Wolves vs. Heat game.

20-year-old Wright was shot and killed on April 11 during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.

The officer responsible for the shooting, Kim Potter, has been arrested and charged with 2nd-degree manslaughter.

Potter has claimed she was trying to deploy a Taser on Wright -- but accidentally grabbed her handgun instead, fatally wounding him.

The shooting sparked outrage around the country -- and several NBA and WNBA teams held a moment of silence for Wright before games this week.

Wright is survived by his 2-year-old son -- and his family has set up a GoFundMe page to help covert funeral and burial expenses along with "mental health and grief counseling for Daunte's family."

Tragic news out of the North Texas basketball program -- assistant coach Nelson Haggerty has passed away after a single-car crash Friday morning. He was 47 years old.

Haggerty was part of the coaching staff that helped lead the Mean Green to their first-ever NCAA tournament win last month ... when #13 North Texas beat #4 Purdue 78-69 in the first round on March 19.

Law enforcement officials in Texas say Haggerty was driving on Highway 380 near the city of Decatur in Wise County around 2:30 AM Friday ... when his car went off the right side of the road and hit a culvert, according to local reports.

Cops say Haggerty's vehicle flipped and hit a fence before coming to a halt. Emergency responders rushed to the scene, where Haggerty was pronounced dead.

Haggerty is a Texas hoops legend -- he was a high school star out of Houston ... and played 4 seasons at Baylor University, leading the NCAA in assists during his senior year.

NH went on to coach from 1997-2019 ... including 8 seasons with Midwestern State, where he became one of the most successful coaches in program history. He was named National Association of Basketball Coaches regional coach of the year in 2012.

Haggerty joined North Texas in 2019 ... and head coach Grant McCasland immediately praised his positive presence on the team.

The North Texas athletic department honored Haggerty Friday morning ... saying "Father, Husband, Friend, and Coach."

A youth basketball game in Indiana turned VERY violent -- with a referee fighting adults and players ... and the whole disturbing incident was caught on video.

It all went down over the weekend at the Prime Midwest Event at the Pacers Athletic Center in Westfield, IN during a game between two girls teams.

One of the coaches began arguing a call with just seconds remaining in the 1st quarter.

The ref called a technical foul -- which pissed off one of the coaches so badly, she picked up her bag and began to walk off the court in protest, along with players and team staff.

After the mass exodus from the court, a man in a yellow shirt approaches the ref and appears to shoot cell phone video ... as he continues to get very close to the ref.

At one point, the ref smacks the man in the face with a wild right hand -- and that's when all hell breaks loose.

A player runs over and hits the ref -- another grown man also hits the ref.

The man in the yellow shirt gets really angry and charges after the ref -- it appears he flipped the ref onto the ground very violently.

More chaos ensues until someone grabs the ref and walks him away from the melee.

A spokesperson for the Pacers Athletic Center issued a statement to the Indy Star ... saying, "The event staff removed the involved parties from the remainder of the tournament and will not welcome them back to future events."

"We are disappointed that this altercation happened, as we strive to provide a great experience for families."

Lamar Odom -- who made more than $100 million in his NBA career -- admits he struggled with a gambling problem ... and says things got so bad, he turned to Kobe Bryant for help paying off his debt.

The 41-year-old says his call to Kobe about the gambling issue was one of the last conversations they had before Bryant's death in Jan. 2020.

"I had been gambling," Odom said on the "All The Smoke" podcast ... "And, I had an old debt that got a little too steep for where I was at at that time."

"It was getting tight. And, if you're in a bad situation, especially about some money, he ain’t the one that you’re gonna want to call."

Odom never revealed the exact amount of money he owed his bookie -- but he was clearly embarrassed about the debt ... and admits the call to Kobe was out of desperation.

Lamar admits Kobe gave him a tongue lashing about the debt -- but ultimately offered to help him out.

"He was just, 'Have your people call my people, and then we’ll figure it out," Lamar said ... "And that was one before the last time I spoke to him."

Odom did not say if Kobe ever sent him the money before he passed.

What we do know ... Kobe was incredibly fond of his former Lakers teammate and treated him like a family member.

In fact, when Lamar suffered that drug overdose in a Nevada brothel in 2015 -- Kobe bailed on a Lakers preseason game early to visit Odom in the hospital.

LaMarcus Aldridge -- a 7-time NBA All-Star -- just announced he's retiring from the league after learning he played with an "irregular heartbeat."

The 35-year-old Brooklyn Nets star -- who dropped 12 points against the Lakers on Saturday -- made the shocking announcement in an emotional social media post Thursday morning.

"My last game, I played while dealing with an irregular heartbeat. Later on that night, my rhythm got even worse which really worried me even more," Aldridge said.

"The next morning, I told the team what was going on and they were great getting me to the hospital and getting me checked out."

Aldridge says he's "better now" -- but explains, "What I felt with my heart that night was still one of the scariest things I've experienced."

"With that being said, I've made the difficult decision to retire from the NBA. For 15 years, I've put basketball first, and now, it is time to put my health and family first."

Aldridge was the 2nd overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft -- and spent nearly a decade with the Portland Trail Blazers.

After that, he spent 6 years with the San Antonio Spurs before signing with the Brooklyn Nets in late March.

Aldridge says he's "thankful for everything this game has given me; the great memories, including all the ups and downs, and the friendships I’ve made and will keep with me forever."

"I thank Portland for drafting a skinny, Texas kid and giving him a chance. The city of Portland has given me some unforgettable years. They will always remain in my heart."

"I want to thank the Spurs for letting me into the family and giving me 5 fun years."

"Last but not least, I want to thank Brooklyn. You wanted me for me. In a game that’s changing so much, you asked me to come and just do what I do which was good to hear."

Aldridge ended his statement with this -- "You never know when something will come to an end, so make sure you enjoy it everyday. I can truly say I did just that."

Get the tissues ready ...

When Kobe Bryant is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in May, the man presenting him will be none other than his hero ... Michael Jordan.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame just announced the official plans for the May 15 event at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

Kobe -- along with NBA legends Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett -- is set to be inducted into the class of 2020 (which was delayed due to COVID).

The HOF says members of the 2020 class were each asked "to select previous inductees to accompany and present them to their peers" during the ceremony.

In the case of Kobe, who passed away in January 2020, the decision was left for his family -- and they chose MJ.

Everyone knows ... Kobe modeled his entire career after Jordan and they grew close over the years.

In fact, after Kobe's death, Michael Jordan took the mic at Staples Center and paid tribute to Mamba in a very emotional and memorable speech to the L.A. crowd.

"When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died," MJ said at the time.

Here is the rest of the list of HOFers and their presenters ...

Patrick Baumann, presented by Russ Granik (’13), Vlade Divac (’19)

Kobe Bryant, presented by Michael Jordan (’09)

Tamika Catchings, presented by Alonzo Mourning (’14), Dawn Staley (’13)

Tim Duncan, presented by David Robinson (’09)

Kevin Garnett, presented by Isiah Thomas (’00)

Kim Mulkey, presented by Michael Jordan (’09)

Barbara Stevens, presented by Geno Auriemma (’06), Muffet McGraw (’17)

Eddie Sutton, presented by John Calipari (’15), Bill Self (’17), Sidney Moncrief (’19)

Jayson Tatum says his battle with COVID is STILL ongoing after 3 months ... telling reporters his breathing remains so messed up, he's been forced to use an inhaler before games.

The Boston Celtics superstar was diagnosed with the virus back in early January ... and missed nearly the entire month battling its effects.

The 23-year-old ultimately recovered ... though he said after the Celtics' win over the Trailblazers on Tuesday night that his lungs still have yet to bounce back to 100%.

"It's a process," Tatum said. "It takes a long time. Like, I take an inhaler before the game since I've tested positive."

"This has kind of helped with that and opened up my lungs, and, you know, I never took an inhaler before. So I think that's something different."

The good news? After roughly 12 weeks of fighting it, Tatum says he's closer than ever to getting back to normal.

"I for sure feel better now than I did a month ago," Tatum said.

Tatum's been a monster for Boston this season despite the COVID struggles ... he scored 32 points against Portland on Tuesday to lift the Celtics to a win.

"A year ago my life was forever changed. To the most beautiful woman I will ever know, I love you more than life itself."

Karl-Anthony Towns is remembering his late mother on the one-year anniversary of her death ... and his tribute is incredibly moving.

Jackie tragically passed away on April 13, 2020 after a lengthy battle with the coronavirus ... which included being placed in a medically induced coma.

KAT reflected on the impact she left on his life Tuesday ... remembering the loving woman who helped raise him to be the man he is today.

"Every day I miss you more and more, but your endless love and unforgettable memories are what keeps me going," Towns said on Instagram.

"One day, we will walk side by side again but until that beautiful day, I will continue to hold down the amazing family you made."

Towns recently stepped away from the Minnesota Timberwolves to be with his family during the difficult time ... and he will miss the team's Tuesday matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

The team honored Jackie on Sunday with a reserved courtside seat ... draped in a custom #32 jersey and flowers.

Towns' girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, also paid tribute to Jackie -- gifting KAT an amazing portrait of his mom.

KAT continued ... "I can never replace you in this family, but I will try my best every day."

Former NBA player Walter McCarty is adamantly denying he sexually assaulted a female student during his run as head basketball coach at the University of Evansville.

McCarty -- a 1st-round pick in the 1996 NBA Draft -- was named in a lawsuit Monday by a woman using the alias Jane Doe ... who claims the 47-year-old raped her at his Indiana home on December 9, 2019.

In her suit, the woman -- reportedly identified as a former athletic trainer at Evansville -- claims McCarty had bombarded her with messages on various social media platforms, making her feel pressure to come visit him at his home.

The woman says she eventually obliged, and when she went to McCarty's home, he sexually assaulted her.

In her lawsuit, the woman claims she reported the incident through the University's "Crime Stoppers" program. Three days after the alleged incident, the woman claims she also went to campus counselor for treatment.

The woman claims she was later diagnosed with PTSD following the alleged incident.

McCarty -- who took over the Evansville men's basketball program in 2018 -- was fired in January 2020 following an investigation into multiple allegations of sexual misconduct allegations.

"Jane Doe" filed a Title IX lawsuit against the University of Evansville on Monday -- claiming the school failed to provide a "safe environment" for female students and staffers.

After filing suit, the woman released a statement blasting the University and McCarty.

"I am heartbroken that my school knew about Coach McCarty's misconduct before what happened to me, and looked the other way. I will continue to go through this difficult process of holding the university accountable, because I want to prevent other women from going through the same thing I did."

But, McCarty has fired back with a statement of his own -- saying, "I've never assaulted anyone in my 47 years on this earth."

"It's disheartening that someone would make up such a vicious lie to gain financial rewards."

"I'm excited and look forward to clearing my name and exposing these untruths. I am certain my name and reputation with be restored when it's our time to do so and present the truth."

The Univ. of Evansville also responded to the lawsuit -- saying it's "confident it responded appropriately to all reports of misconduct regarding Mr. McCarty based on information it actually knew at the time."

There will be no pity party for Paul Pierce -- the NBA legend's not wasting any time sulking over his departure from ESPN ... insisting he's already on the verge of a major comeback.

"Truth gonna bounce back like never before ... that's all you gotta know," so claimed "The Truth" on his way out of Il Pastaio restaurant in Beverly Hills Friday night.

So what's Paul's big move?? Well, we know Barstool Sports is making a recruiting push. In fact, Dave Portnoy personally tweeted out to Pierce just hours after his split with ESPN ... urging him to hit him up.

Pierce wouldn't dish out any details of his next gig after dinner though, but whatever it is ... he's pretty fired up about it.

As we reported ... ESPN parted ways with Pierce last week, though the network wouldn't reveal the reason for its decision.

Two extremely rare, insanely valuable collector's items -- a Tom Brady and a LeBron James trading card -- just hit the auction block ... and are expected to sell for over $5 MILLION!!!

Yes, $2,500,000 each ... $5 million total. That's equivalent to the cost of 24 brand-spankin' new Lamborghini Huracans.

Let's start with the King James card ... a 2003-04 Upper Deck "Exquisite Collection" Exquisite Rookie Patch Autograph card -- 1 of 99 ever produced.

The card features Bron's signature ... and an actual NBA logo patch from a jersey LBJ rocked during his incredible rookie year with the Cavs in 2003.

The card was rated a mint 9 by Beckett -- one of the top grading companies in the business -- meaning it's essentially in brand new condition.

As for the Brady card ... it's a 2000 Playoff Contenders #144 Signed Championship Ticket Rookie card -- 1 of only 100 ever made.

The TB12 is considered the "holy grail" of modern football cards ... it was graded an 8.5 (near mint +) by Beckett ... and the autograph was awarded a perfect 10 (pristine) rating.

If you think $2.5 mil for each card is crazy ... it's not. In fact, a lower graded version of the Brady card recently sold for $2.25 mil.

Also, a different version of the same Bron card sold for $1.84 mil in 2020 -- and the card collectibles market has exploded recently.

Both cards are part of Goldin Auctions' latest auction ... which went live Friday.

Referee Bert Smith is opening up on his frightening collapse during an Elite 8 game of the NCAA Tournament ... revealing the cause was a blood clot in his lung.

... and he's extremely grateful to the doctors who may have saved his life.

56-year-old Smith was officiating the Gonzaga vs. USC matchup on March 30 when he collapsed to the hardwood a few minutes into the game. He later regained consciousness and was stretchered off the court.

Smith spent 2 days in the hospital while docs tried to figure out what triggered the medical emergency. Finally, IU Health Methodist doctor Katie Trammel tracked down the issue -- a pulmonary embolism.

WebMD defines a P.E. as "When a blood clot gets caught in one of the arteries that go from the heart to the lungs ... the clot blocks the normal flow of blood."

Smith says doctors are not sure what caused the clot. Smith tested positive for COVID-19 in August, but docs say they can't confirm whether that played a role.

But, he's extremely grateful Dr. Trammel was able to identify the problem and treat it quickly.

"You don’t know where that clot was going next," Smith told the Indy Star.

Smith was placed on blood thinners to address the issue. He was allowed to return home soon after and says the welcome he got was incredibly special.

"The hugs were pretty intense," Smith told the outlet. "They were pretty intense, man."

Smith says the incident taught him a valuable lesson on the important things in life ... something he won't take for granted.

"It puts in perspective the value of each day, because we all go through our lives – we’re all guilty of it – and we just live, right? But do we say ‘I love you’ enough? Do we give an extra hug enough? Do we do the things with our family and friends that have value to them?"

"When you live something like I did, it hits you square in the eyes that you really have to value each day."

So, what's next for Smith?? He says he'll be back on the court doing his job again next season.