Basketball

LeBron James HATES the idea of the NBA's new postseason play-in tournament ... saying straight-up Sunday night, "Whoever came with that s*** needs to be fired."

It's shocking that LBJ and the Lakers are even in a position to possibly need the extra games to lock in a playoff spot -- but after losing 6 of their last 7, it's becoming very real now.

And, James is clearly NOT happy about it.

LBJ went off on the league's new postseason rule after L.A. fell 121-114 to the Raptors ... explaining he believes teams who finish the regular season in the top 8 should advance, no play-in games required.

FYI -- the NBA implemented the new rule this year where the 7 through 10 seeds will have to battle it out to be the official 7 and 8 seeds of the playoff bracket.

The games will start on May 18 ... a couple days before the real postseason tips off.

The Lakers -- who got off to a roaring 21-6 start but have since seen their record fall to 36-28 as they've battled a ton of injuries -- are the current 6th seed in the West ... but they're just one loss away from the dreaded 7 spot.

And, with LeBron -- who's missed most of the last two months with a sore ankle -- still ailing ... it's possible he won't even play in Monday night's crucial game against the Nuggets.

But, LBJ said he won't compromise his health to make sure the Lake Show avoids the play-in games ... explaining, "It doesn't matter at the end of the day if I'm not 100% or close to 100%. It don't matter where we land."

The Lakers have just 8 games left before the potential play-in tournament begins.

Iowa Hawkeyes star Luka Garza -- voted the best college basketball player in 2021 -- is letting his haters be his motivators ... telling TMZ Sports he's using all the doubters as fuel to becoming a true NBA star.

The 6'11" big man was an absolute beast on the court this past season ... averaging 24 points and 8 rebounds a game.

Some experts have wondered whether 22-year-old Garza's athleticism will hurt his chances at success in the quickly evolving NBA ... but he tells us he's heard all the negativity and is ready to prove he belongs at the next level.

"I love it!" Garza says. "I love to hear it. I love to see it. It's fun for me! They don't know it because they probably don't like me, but it's helping me."

Garza says he's heard the naysayers throughout his career ... and he'll continue to put in the work needed to be a valuable asset to any team willing to take a chance on him.

"I have full confidence in myself that I can be an effective guy for any organization because I play hard as I can, I work as hard as I can."

"I'm excited about the process, it's gonna be a lot of fun and I'm excited to make my dreams come true."

Garza says he's working "harder than ever" as he focuses on the NBA Draft ... and is hoping to prove he's a first-rounder.

"I think they're gonna get a player who's gonna play every single game like it's my last. I'm a hardworking dude. I'm open to criticism."

But, Garza isn't just busting his ass on the court -- he's been working non-stop to help star athletes monetize their likeness as well ... creating his own NFT group in hopes of making that happen.

Garza says the NCAA should hop on board with the movement ... especially since it wouldn't take any money from their pockets.

"I think that's the biggest draw to it is for the NCAA, we're creating a new revenue stream that we don't have to take away. We won't have to get a salary from the university."

"We won't have to bother any of the advertisement deals they already have or the TV contract they have. That's still theirs but this is a way that we can make money for ourselves with not even touching the NCAA's money and what they've been able to do."

Kobe Bryant’s earliest known, game-worn L.A. Lakers jersey -- rocked by the Mamba during his '96 rookie season -- is about to hit the auction block ... and we’re told it could rake in over $500k!!

Bidding for the awesome piece of sports memorabilia opens Monday at Goldin Auctions ... and Ken Goldin tells TMZ Sports the ultra-special threads have a chance to break the record for most expensive regular season NBA jersey of all-time.

FYI, the current record belongs to Michael Jordan's Washington Wizards jersey from his last ever NBA game in 2003 ... which a collector dropped $570k on.

As for the KB jersey ... it's pretty special.

An 18-year-old Kobe -- fresh off being selected with the 13th overall pick in the NBA draft -- donned the gold Lakers jersey during his 23rd NBA game ever ... when Bryant and Shaq's squad took on the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 8, 1996 at The Forum.

Kobe wasn't (yet) a starter, but played 22 minutes ... and dropped 11 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds in the Lakers' 110-86 victory.

And, get this, Goldin Auctions officials say Bryant didn't only wear the jersey once ... they say it's been expertly photo matched to at least 4 games during his rookie campaign -- AND his rookie photo shoot before the season started.

If half a milli's a little too high a price to pay, Goldin says they have over 360 other pieces of Kobe memorabilia -- including a rare, mint-graded '97-'98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Kobe card -- that they expect to go for over $300k.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love just poured his heart out about his bizarre inbound play on Monday night ... admitting he knows he "f***ed up" and apologizing for his outburst.

32-year-old Love went viral for swatting away an inbound pass late in the 3rd quarter against the Toronto Raptors ... easily turning the ball over to the Raptors for a wide-open 3-pointer.

It appeared as if Love -- who's posting career-low numbers this season for the 21-40 Cavs -- had become fed up with the losing and just snapped.

But, the 2016 champ says that's simply not the case.

Love started off his media availability Wednesday morning with an emotional, 15-minute speech ... saying, "My intent wasn't to disrespect the game. My intent wasn't even for the damn ball to go inbounds. It was a moment that I got caught up in."

"I didn't even understand what really happened as the possession even played out. I think I was a little bit dumbfounded."

He added ... "I didn't realize how bad it looked, really, until after the game. I truly didn't ... After that, I just completely shut down. I never want that to be who I am. I don't want to have to be here and defend my character."

Love says he has apologized to his teammates for the outburst ... calling it a "moment of sheer frustration."

So, what caused the disastrous turnover?? Love says it stemmed from blown calls throughout the 112 to 96 loss.

"Not to say too much that could get me fined, but it was the officiating," Love told USA Today.

It's gotta be tough for Love -- he's averaging 11.7 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 18 games this season -- and the glory days of the LeBron James-era are long gone.

Love says the moment was blown way out of proportion by the media ... and he really only cares about the opinions of his teammates.

"I take this one on the chin, naturally. I'll do that as a man, I'll do that as a teammate and continue to get better. That's really all I can do."

As for his relationship status with Cleveland?? Love makes it clear he's still their guy.

The Boston Celtics held a touching tribute and a moment of silence for Terrence Clarke on Tuesday -- honoring the Boston-born NBA prospect less than a week after he was killed in a car crash.

Right before the Celtics took the floor against the OKC Thunder at TD Garden, the P.A. announcer took a moment to reflect on the 19-year-old's life and what he meant to the city.

FYI, Clarke grew up in Boston, where he developed into one of the best high school players in the country -- ultimately leading the Brewster Academy to the 2019 National Prep championship.

In fact, he brought the school back to the Finals in 2020 -- but the COVID pandemic forced the tourney to shut down.

As the P.A. announcer points out, Clarke went to the University of Kentucky where he "quickly became a favorite of teammates and fans alike."

"His work ethic, commitment and talent had him on the path to achieving his dream of playing in the NBA."

Sadly, Clarke was involved in a bad car crash on April 22 during a trip to Los Angeles. He was raced to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

During the on-court tribute, the Celtics displayed photos of Clarke with stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

"His larger-than-life personality always lit up a room and made him loved by everyone he touched," the Celtics P.A. announcer said.

"His goal was to inspire and be a role model for a generation of youth basketball players across Boston. Quite simply, Terrence was the pride of the entire city."

Police body cam footage shows Houston Rockets player Sterling Brown bleeding profusely from his head in the moments after he was attacked outside a strip club in Miami ... and the footage is tough to watch.

As we previously reported, Brown was hospitalized with serious injuries on April 19 after he was reportedly attacked with a liquor bottle outside the Booby Trap strip club.

Brown suffered major lacerations on his face and head, according to The Athletic, which also claims there was a serious concern for his life.

Now, reporter Andy Slater has obtained police body cam footage showing the moment officers arrived at the scene ... and you can clearly see Brown covered in blood.

The footage, which does not include audio, also shows Brown's teammate, Kevin Porter, Jr., apparently trying to explain the situation to officers and paramedics.

The whole incident was over a vehicle mix-up -- Brown accidentally got into the wrong sprinter van on his way out of the club ... and the people inside decided to beat the hell out of him.

Brown is reportedly out of the hospital ... but it sounds like it could be a while before he returns to the court.

The Kendall Jenner-Devin Booker relationship is still clearly going strong ... the "KUWTK" star hit up MSG to watch her man vs. the Knicks on Monday -- and the dude BALLED OUT for her!!

Kendall and some friends got box seats for the Suns game in New York ... and D Book certainly put on a show for them.

The 24-year-old NBA star scored 33 points in 41 minutes ... and led Phoenix to a 118-110 come-from-behind victory.

And, Kendall was clearly impressed ... cameras caught her smiling and giggling throughout the evening!!

The two began to get cozy about a year ago, when they were spotted on a road trip to Sedona ... and they've seemed to grow into quite the couple over the past 12 months.

They've been seen out on dates plenty of times ... with Kendall even posting a sappy pic of the duo for Valentine's Day last February.

As for any sort of "Kardashian Curse," there clearly ain't one here ... Devin is having a hell of a season with Kendall by his side, averaging 25.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game!!

Kim Mulkey kicked off her LSU coaching career by ripping off her COVID mask -- in yet another public statement against COVID regulations.

Mulkey recently left her gig as the head women's basketball coach at Baylor -- where she took the Lady Bears to THREE national championships since taking over the program in 2000.

But, before she left Baylor to take the LSU job, the 58-year-old made headlines for demanding the NCAA should STOP coronavirus testing at both the men's and women's Final 4s in the spirit of ensuring players' availability.

"They need to dump the COVID testing," Mulkey said back in March ... "Wouldn't it be a shame to keep COVID testing and then you got kids that test positive or something and they don't get to play in the Final Four?"

The NCAA strongly disagreed with Mulkey -- saying it was important to continue testing all the way through the end of the tournament in hopes of preventing an outbreak.

So, when Mulkey took the podium on Monday to be introduced as LSU's new women's hoops coach ... the first thing she did was rip off her mask in what seems to be another shot at what she considers overbearing COVID protocol.

"Well, I'mma take this damn mask off ... 'cause I have a lot to say."

She then flung the mask off the stage in dramatic fashion.

After that, Mulkey focused on basketball ... saying she came to Baton Rouge to win titles.

Master P says he hammered out a multi-million dollar deal for his H.S. basketball-playing son ... and is simply waiting on an NCAA rule to change before putting pen to paper and making his kid a millionaire!!

TMZ Sports was talking to P and his 19-year-old son, Hercy Miller -- a top H.S. senior who just committed to play ball at Tennessee State -- when the hip-hop legend dropped the news.

"We have a lot of deals on the table, not only for Hercy, but for [son] Mercy. In August, the league is changing, the NCAA. You'll be able to make money off your likeness, you'll be able to do marketing deals," P says.

"So, right now I have a deal on the table for Hercy for $2.5 million. He never even played a lick of [college] basketball."

FYI, Hercy will be a college freshman this fall.

Historically, college athletes were forbidden from getting paid ... but all that started to change last year when the NCAA finally -- after immense outside pressure -- reversed course and threw support behind amateur athletes' ability to make money through endorsements.

P -- a business mogul who's made millions through music, fashion, movies, and everything in-between -- believes players will be allowed to start earning as early as this August ... and that's why he has a fat contract waiting for Hercy.

But, the future Tennessee State hooper isn't the only Miller boy getting the bag ... P says he has a $1 million deal on the table for his 15-year-old son, freshman B-ball star Mercy Miller.

The deals aren't yet signed ... so P didn't want to reveal the companies he's working with -- however, he did say Hercy's deal is centered around a product.

We also talked to P and Hercy about high school basketball stars hooping at HBCU's -- instead of traditional college basketball powerhouses -- a trend Hercy hopes to kickstart with his recent decision to play at Tenn. St.

"The game is changing," Master P says ... "I feel like now, a lot of high school kids are gonna start saying, 'I wanna go somewhere and make history, be a part of the moment and make a difference and also get to the league.'"

The Chicago Bulls paid tribute to a lost member of their family before Thursday's game ... with the team holding a moment of silence for Scottie Pippen's son, Antron.

Scottie's eldest child, 33-year-old Antron, passed away earlier this week ... a loss that shook the entire organization.

The team played its first home game on Thursday night since Antron's tragic death ... and honored the Bulls legend's son on the scoreboard prior to tipoff against the Charlotte Hornets.

Pippen was grateful to the team for the gesture ... saying, "Thank you, @chicagobulls, and to all of you who have reached out this week."

"I feel your love and support, and it means so much."

As we previously reported, Pippen praised his son for his passion for basketball ... saying if it weren't for his chronic asthma, the Hall of Famer truly believes Antron could have followed in his footsteps to the NBA.

"He never let that get him down, though -- Antron stayed positive and worked hard, and I am so proud of the man that he became," Scottie said on Monday.

He added ... "Please keep his mom, Karen, and all of his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers."

Charles Barkley ... this is not good.

The NBA legend is under fire for comments he made Thursday night on "NBA on TNT" -- comparing the women of Georgia to actual bulldogs.

Ernie Johnson was pointing out how Lakers' star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had dropped 29 against the Dallas Mavericks ... and shouted out KCP's college program, the University of Georgia.

That's when Charles chimed in ...

"Only school in the world they named their mascot after the women down there."

The Univ. of Georgia mascot is the Bulldogs -- and no, it didn't seem like Charles meant that as a compliment to the women for their hard-nosed demeanor.

In fact, Ernie Johnson knew it was a problem as soon as the words came out of Chuck's mouth ... and scolded him on the air.

"So totally uncalled for," Johnson said ... "Not even gonna dignify that with a response."

Barkley had a history of making fun of women in various cities -- he's repeatedly said the ladies of San Antonio are "big women" and blamed it on the delicious churros that are popular in the area.

Tristan Thompson came this close to fighting Phoenix Suns player Torrey Craig on Thursday -- calling the guy "trash" as teammates raced to break up a heated on-court screaming match.

Thompson and his Boston Celtics were beating up on the Suns on the court in a 99 to 86 victory ... but as the final seconds were ticking away in the 4th quarter, Tristan had some words for Craig.

Doesn't take an expert lip-reader to see Tristan calling him "trash" -- while Craig tried to get up in his face.

The two clashed heads and contained to talk smack while teammates and staffers raced to break them up.

Eventually, the guys went back to their benches -- no punches were thrown. They each received a technical foul for the spat.

As the announcers pointed out, the two did NOT shake hands or hug it out after the game ... they probably just needed some space to cool off.

Terrence Clarke -- a 19-year-old University of Kentucky basketball player and a projected 2021 NBA Draft pick -- was killed Thursday in a car accident in Los Angeles, law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.

We're told Clarke was driving a Genesis around 2 PM in the San Fernando Valley when his vehicle was struck by another car ... sending him smashing into a pole and before ultimately slamming into a wall.

Footage from the accident shows Clarke's vehicle completely smashed in.

Law enforcement sources tell us the accident is being investigated -- but so far, no official cause of the crash has been determined.

We're told Clarke was in Los Angeles with his Kentucky teammate, B.J. Boston -- another NBA Draft prospect.

Boston was reportedly in the car behind Clarke when the accident occurred -- but we're told he's physically okay.

Clarke was rushed to a nearby hospital ... but injuries proved too severe and doctors were unable to save his life.  He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Terrence -- a 6'7" guard -- was an absolute stud on the hardwood. Rivals rated him a 5-star recruit coming out of high school in New Hampshire ... and ranked him as the #8 overall high school player in the entire country.

He didn't play much at Kentucky -- but he clearly had the talent to succeed at the pro level and recently declared for the 2021 NBA Draft.

Some experts projected he would be a 2nd-round pick -- with tons of upside.

Tragic story.

RIP.

The Minnesota Timberwolves gave a special tribute to George Floyd after their victory last night ... dedicating the game ball to his family just hours after the conviction of Derek Chauvin.

The Wolves took the court against the Kings in Sacramento on Tuesday -- shortly after the ex-Minneapolis PD officer was found guilty on all 3 criminal counts stemming from the May 25, 2020 murder of Floyd.

But, it was clear the hearts and focus of the Wolves players were in Minnesota ... and right after their 134-120 victory, the team dedicated the game ball to Floyd and his family.

"Glad we were able to get the win tonight," guard Josh Okogie told reporters after the game.

"We have the game ball where we dedicated that to George Floyd's family. That's great we were able to do that."

The Wolves have consistently been honoring Floyd in the months following his death ... and have posted messages outside the Target Center calling for social injustice reform.

Karl-Anthony Towns said the guilty verdict is a good step forward ... but it doesn't bring Floyd home.

"It's unfortunate that our city has been going through this so much," KAT said during post-game interviews.

"Just because justice was served today for Mr. Floyd doesn't mean that we are gonna be bringing him back home. And that's the most unfortunate part of all of this."

Recently, the team auctioned off warm-up shirts "For Liberty and Justice FOR ALL" for Daunte Wright -- another unarmed black man killed by police in their state of Minnesota.

Draymond Green says it's "great" that Derek Chauvin was convicted in the murder of George Floyd -- but warns the fight against bad cops is far from over.

TMZ Sports spoke with the Golden State Warriors star in Washington D.C. on Thursday afternoon -- moments after the Chauvin verdict was revealed.

Our photog was a little nervous when he approached Green, but essentially tried to ask if the conviction is good for the country on the whole.

"I think it's great that we finally saw a cop get tried," Green told us ... "The challenge to the country now is to make sure [police officers are] being held accountable."

Our photog also asked Green if he thinks the Chauvin case will have an overall impact on the way cops across the country treat Black people.

"I think that's a totally different story ... when you look at the way these officers treat Black people, we're not treated as human. We're treated as a threat by your skin color."

It's the moment all sneakerheads have been waiting for -- NBA superstar Zion Williamson's first-ever Jordan Brand signature shoe ... and it's a beaut!!!

The New Orleans Pelicans forward officially revealed the "Zion 1" sneaker on Tuesday ... showing off the sleek, letter Z design.

The original "Gen Zion" colorway is in black and white, which symbolizes Zion's upbringing and growth.

Williamson explained the meaning behind the colors ... saying, "The white and black colorway is important to me. Growing up I was taught that your home base is your foundation."

"Whether it’s your family or your brothers, you need a solid base to start from, and that’s what the black and white colorway represents for me."

Williamson wasted no time revealing additional colorways as well ... with tributes to his personality ("ZNA"), hometown ("Marion"), and little brother, ("Noah").

Speaking of Noah, Zion's lil' bro made a cameo in the first commercial for the sneaker ... and you can tell the kid's gonna be a star, too!!

It's a monumental moment for the brand -- it's the Jumpman's first signature release with its new era of superstars like Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal and Luka Doncic.

Zion will debut his shoe Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets ... and ya gotta imagine the folks at Jumpman are praying he doesn't pull a "Kyrie 4" moment like he did at Duke.

In fact, the shoe was specifically designed to be worn by players at every position -- which means it's durable, yet light -- so here's hoping it's strong enough for the star baller!!